Transport and baggage

[Rasamala33]

Hello everyone,

Thank you again to everyone so far who has helped answering a lot of my question about the Camino Frances.

I have some questions about transport and luggage.

I arrive in Bordeaux at 1905 on the 18/8. Is this too late in the evening for me to get to st Jean? Does anyone have a link of how to book a bus to St Jean?

Ideally I would like to start the Camino on the 19/8. I also need to have my big backpack picked up at the start of the trek, does anyone have a link of how I do this?

I think I need to first work out how I am getting to St Jean.

Once in St Jean, is it easy for me to pick up my pilgrim passport and start the trek?

Is it too early for me to be booking any of this?

Also, it sounds like when you arrive in each town, you just book accommodation as you go. How much should I expect to pay per night for accommodation and for meals? I'm not a fancy traveller.

Thank you again for your help everyone.
Kind regards,
RaRa

 

[Robo]

Hello everyone,

Thank you again to everyone so far who has helped answering a lot of my question about the Camino Frances.

I have some questions about transport and luggage.

I arrive in Bordeaux at 1905 on the 18/8. Is this too late in the evening for me to get to st Jean? Does anyone have a link of how to book a bus to St Jean?

Ideally I would like to start the Camino on the 19/8. I also need to have my big backpack picked up at the start of the trek, does anyone have a link of how I do this?

I think I need to first work out how I am getting to St Jean.

Once in St Jean, is it easy for me to pick up my pilgrim passport and start the trek?

Is it too early for me to be booking any of this?

Also, it sounds like when you arrive in each town, you just book accommodation as you go. How much should I expect to pay per night for accommodation and for meals? I'm not a fancy traveller.

Thank you again for your help everyone.
Kind regards,
RaRa

Lots of questions.........but you have lots of time. Just use the search function and you'll find all the detailed answers you need. Not trying to avoid answering,

Quick answers are:

I also need to have my big backpack picked up at the start of the trek, does anyone have a link of how I do this?
Do a search on Jacotrans. Most accomodation has the luggae tags for the various services and can explain what to do.

I think I need to first work out how I am getting to St Jean.
Train, Taxi.......

Once in St Jean, is it easy for me to pick up my pilgrim passport and start the trek?
Yes. Get passport at the Pilgrims office. Walk out the door, turn right, and walk down the hill and through the arch.....

Is it too early for me to be booking any of this?
Depends what you plan to do.
Flights. Go ahead and book.
Major trains, book online.
Local St Jean train, buy ticket at station.
Accommodation. Albergues, Hotels, B&B?

Also, it sounds like when you arrive in each town, you just book accommodation as you go. How much should I expect to pay per night for accommodation and for meals? I'm not a fancy traveller.

Lots of people don't book ahead.
Where do you plan on staying? Albergues, Hotels, B&B?
Don't book too far ahead, as your plans may change. 1 or 2 days is generally ample. Unless in a very busy period...

Buen Camino

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The August train/bus schedule for Bayonne to SJPdP is not yet published, but there will be about four trains a day. Your arrival in Bordeaux is probably too late to get to SJPdP that evening, but check the sncf.com website about 60 days out. There is no bus to SJPdP, just a train for which a bus is sometimes substituted.

While Jacotrans is an excellent baggage transport company from Roncesvalles, to get out of France you probably need:

http://www.expressbourricot.com/luggage-transport/
http://www.jacotrans.com/p/english.html

 

[GettingThere]

Hello everyone,

Thank you again to everyone so far who has helped answering a lot of my question about the Camino Frances.

I have some questions about transport and luggage.

I arrive in Bordeaux at 1905 on the 18/8. Is this too late in the evening for me to get to st Jean? Does anyone have a link of how to book a bus to St Jean?

Ideally I would like to start the Camino on the 19/8. I also need to have my big backpack picked up at the start of the trek, does anyone have a link of how I do this?

I think I need to first work out how I am getting to St Jean.

Once in St Jean, is it easy for me to pick up my pilgrim passport and start the trek?

Is it too early for me to be booking any of this?

Also, it sounds like when you arrive in each town, you just book accommodation as you go. How much should I expect to pay per night for accommodation and for meals? I'm not a fancy traveller.

Thank you again for your help everyone.
Kind regards,
RaRa

Hi RaRa - do you mean Bordeaux or Bayonne? If Bordeaux, you still have quite a way to go. Are you flying into Bordeaux airport? You will need to get into the central city to the main station and take a train to Bayonne, then another train or bus to St Jean from there. So if you're arriving in Bordeaux at 1905, then yes - you are too late to get to St Jean that evening (unless you hire a taxi which would probably cost hundreds from there). You would be best to either stay overnight in Bordeaux and travel on the next day, or take a late train to Bayonne and stay there (book a hotel and warn them you'll be late), then catch the first train to St Jean in the morning. If it were me, I would stay in Bordeaux. That would mean probably not starting the Camino until the 20/8, but worth it not to be in a rush.

As mentioned above, timetables and bookings are only available 3 months before, but the train times don't change much, so you can look at times for next week to get an idea. No need to book from Bayonne to St Jean Pied de Port, but you can book from Bordeaux to Bayonne, nearer the time.

NB: IMPORTANT!! Do not be confused by the name of the main train station in Bordeaux, which is called Bordeaux Saint Jean. Nothing to do with Saint Jean Pied de Port, the town you are aiming for! The trains to St Jean Pied de Port run from Bayonne (and are sometimes replaces by a bus).

I hope this helps - buen camino!

 

[Rasamala33]

Hello Robo, Falcon and Getting there. Thank you for your replies. Somehow I must have missed seeing these replies in the frantic organising before leaving for Europe. Sorry for my slow replies.

I appreciate that there are many forums here with many topics similar to things I am asking, but I find the forums somewhat vast and hard to navigate at times. As you can appreciate, as a solo female traveler, I'm trying to equip myself as best as I can, and I appreciate the help of others here. Being a Psychiatric Nurse, I am someone who prides myself in helping others wherever I can too.

I just double checked my tickets, and I am arriving in Bordeaux airport, so it sounds like I should book accommodation for Bordeaux for the night when I arrive on the 18/8 and then get the train to Bayonne the next day, then get on a train to St Jean Pied de port. Thank you the station name clarification Getting There.

How long did you guys give yourself to complete the Camino? Did you complete the whole 800kms? Did you guys find accommodation when you arrived at each place or book a day or two in advance? Ive given myself about a month to do the trail.

I'm going to try and do all of it by foot. Fitness is not an issue but I don't have the best knees. If I find through the journey that a bike would be better for me, will this be easy enough for me to organise on the go?

Am I able to organise for my luggage to be transported from St Jean to the end of the trail in advance or can I easily organise this in advance?

Thanks for your help guys. As you can tell, I'm getting a little nervous!

Best wishes,
Rasa

Does anyone have a forum thread they could send me with a suggested pack list for the entirety of the trail?