momof34man
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2016 Camino Frances, 2018 Cotswolds
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Are you set on taking the train?
I find it easiest to walk out the doors of the airport and onto a bus that takes me to Pamplona.
I do it every year.
The cost is around €30 and I just pay the driver.
Spanish buses, by the way, are Mercedez Benz buses and are wonderful!
Better sightseeing than on the noisy train, in my opinion.
Unless you are travelling on a week-end (Friday - Sunday) or a public holiday there is probably no need to book in advance unless you need that comfort. Flight delays can make a mess of the best laid plans.
That said RENFE's own site is a reliable as any government owned national transport system. RENFE offer a discounted ticket for parties of 4 travelling together so you may wish to take a look at that. It is the only way you will guarantee sitting together. I have never quite understood RENFE's seat allocation process but on one occasion booking tickets for me and the Beloved, purchasing two tickets simultaneously, we found ourselves allocated seats in different carriages. Perhaps its a Spanish thing
I see. Well, in that case, I would probably use RENFE.
Are any of you over 60? If yes, you can get the Tarjeta Dorada price.
Personally, I'd probably just wait and buy my ticket at the station.
This was very helpful to me as I will be arriving in Madrid in the morning. So just to make sure I have the info correct...there will be no need for me to secure a bus ticket in advance? and the bus is just outside the airport doors? any other info that you can share with me (such as name of the bus going to Pamplona) would be helpful. thanksI find it easiest to walk out the doors of the airport and onto a bus that takes me to Pamplona.
I do it every year.
The cost is around €30 and I just pay the driver.
Spanish buses, by the way, are Mercedez Benz buses and are wonderful!
Better sightseeing than on the noisy train, in my opinion.
I've heard I could save a lot of money if I book my train ticket in advance. I will check into the discounted group rate.
My airplane arrives near midnight, so to save time, and hassle the next morning I will book ahead. It will be hard enough to wake up in the morning in a different time zone.
Thanks for the information!
This was very helpful to me as I will be arriving in Madrid in the morning. So just to make sure I have the info correct...there will be no need for me to secure a bus ticket in advance? and the bus is just outside the airport doors? any other info that you can share with me (such as name of the bus going to Pamplona) would be helpful. thanks
I have been looking into getting my tickets before arriving in Madrid.
I will be taking a train from Madrid to Pamplona and I am finding varying prices.
My actual day isn't available for purchase, but I was checking into prices for two months away just to see what the prices were.
What is your experience with these sites?
http://www.raileurope-world.com/ (about 38 Euros)
http://www.renfe.com/ (about 38 Euros)
https://www.raileurope.com ( site came up in dollars - $73 , or about 63 euros)
There is a slight difference in prices. Which site is reputable (or to be trusted)?
Also, is there open seating? I have friends that I am traveling with, so if we all buy our tickets independantly would we still be able to sit together? Or will we need to purchase tickets together to sit near each other.
Thank you in advance -
Margie (momof34man)
Glad to hear Renfe's site has improved. It was the most challenging part of my planning for Pamplona. It would not accept a Canadian credit card so at the time, I had no choice but to book with Rail Europe and paid triple the price. I definitely wanted a train simply because I enjoy train travel. In the end, it was worth it. I met my first pilgrims who also were Canadian. We are still in touch today.If you are interested in saving money, RailEurope is not the way to go. They are brokers and add a substantial fee onto every ticket. For some, the lack of hassle is worth it. I have heard that RENFE's website has become much more user friendly, and more accepting of non-Spanish credit cards, but I have no personal experience.
Last summer, I had to buy a RENFE ticket from Pamplona to Ponferrada. It was middle of the week, no holidays in Ponferrada (and no other reason I could see that made Ponferrada a hot spot), and we had decided to leave the purchase till we actually arrived in Pamplona. Arriving in mid afternoon, we found that the faster train option was not available for at least the next three days. We got on a train the next day, but it was the slow boat and took us hours more than the other option.
Good luck with the purchase!
Luck of the draw of course but both my T4 to Pamplona and my Burgos to Madrid buses were old restroomless, musty, sticky old things (2014) with things like broken tray tables. I figured on my return trip I'd get a nice new one and all I could do was laugh when I boarded and thought well 2 for 2!Spanish buses, by the way, are Mercedez Benz buses and are wonderful!
Hi, if you check ALSABUS from Madrid airport to Pamplona buses leave throughout the night. Good luck.I arrive in Madrid at midnight. We are taking a taxi to the hotel since the bus and the shuttles do not run at that hour. We are booked across the street from the Atocha train station, so I am committed to the train to Pamplona. The ladies in my group want to see the country by train as well.
I hope if I get a restroomless bus they make stops!!Luck of the draw of course but both my T4 to Pamplona and my Burgos to Madrid buses were old restroomless,
My Madrid to Pamplona had a 20 min stop (not a non-stop) so there was time if you needed it, my Burgos to Madrid was non-stop!!!I hope if I get a restroomless bus they make stops!!
This was very helpful to me as I will be arriving in Madrid in the morning. So just to make sure I have the info correct...there will be no need for me to secure a bus ticket in advance? and the bus is just outside the airport doors? any other info that you can share with me (such as name of the bus going to Pamplona) would be helpful. thanks
ALSA provides bus service from Madrid airport T4 and from Intercambiador Avenida de America to Pamplona. Not all buses go via T4 so you may need to go to Avenida de America. EMT Madrid bus 200 goes from Airport, stopping at all terminals to Avenida de America. There is airport shuttle from T1T2T3 to T4.
very helpful information thank you!
(What is Intercambiador Avenida de America?)
...and if I took a train, do I just take a taxi to the train station?
...and if I took a train, do I just take a taxi to the train station?
thank you! I think I may do the train as I have never been on a train ride before...just trying to figure out the times they leave for Pamplona
thank you SO much for posting this link!! this is going to make getting the train ticket so much easier. I was struggling on the Renfe site but this site is very easy to navigate and it's in English. It doesn't appear that the ticket will be that much higher, so for me it is worth it. Very helpful... (I LOVE this forum!)Petrabax is Renfe international sales point for USA. Price is slightly higher than buying from Renfe. However, there are lots of complaints about Renfe online purchase being rejected for US credit cards and using Petrabax avoids that issue.
http://www.petrabax.com/
Are you set on taking the train?
I find it easiest to walk out the doors of the airport and onto a bus that takes me to Pamplona.
I do it every year.
The cost is around €30 and I just pay the driver.
Spanish buses, by the way, are Mercedez Benz buses and are wonderful!
Better sightseeing than on the noisy train, in my opinion.
See the post above this one.Hi Annie, My flight is arriving in Madrid on Monday 4th April at 9.20 am. Are there no buses in between these times? Thanks Judy.
Angie, that is always one of my worries ::laughing::I hope if I get a restroomless bus they make stops!!
View attachment 23947
Here are all the trains leaving for Pamplona from Madrid Airport and from the Main Bus Station on April 4. Take your pick. Walk out of Terminal 4 and get on a bus at 10:45. Pay the driver. Or, jump on a bus that will take you to the main bus station.
For me, by the time you land and get through customs, the 10:45 bus is pretty handy.
I doubt you'll get on a train to Pamplona any quicker?
Here are all the trains leaving for Pamplona from Madrid Airport and from the Main Bus Station on April 4.
Does Renfe train have an English site?
You have also the PLM buses (http://plmautocares.com) that go direct from Madrid (downtown and airport) to Pamplona. Out of the airport, PLM has just one bus at 12:15 p.m. daily except Sundays but it may be an option to consider.
I can't open PLM autocares website. This is a problem that has been ongoing for sometime ...
Those are all the Alsa buses from Madrid (both downtown and airport) to Pamplona. They involve a change of buses in Soria.
You have also the PLM buses (http://plmautocares.com) that go direct from Madrid (downtown and airport) to Pamplona. Out of the airport, PLM has just one bus at 12:15 p.m. daily except Sundays but it may be an option to consider.
Yes, it does: www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html
That's curious. It works fine for me. Both their web and the link I provided to it. Did you try with different browsers?
I don't see how a different browser would make a difference; it shouldn't.
Hi Castilian, I haven't been able to open the site the plmautocares.com site either.
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