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Welcome to the Forum, Iono
Last year, I took a short and inexpensive flight from CDG to Biarritz. Then took the Express Bouricott shuttle to St Jean. If you want to get to SJPdP in the shortest amount of time, that is the way to go.
You have the options laid out above. It's just a mater of choice.
If this is your first International travel, it will be your first experience of jetlag too. It can make you feel tired and a bit fuzzy in the head. So leave plenty of time for connections.
On my first CF I caught the airport bus into Paris getting off at Gare (station) Montparnasse. I stayed the night near the station. A chance to have a good night's sleep before taking the train from Momtparnasse to Bayonne next morning.
This is what we are doing. Seems to make it a little less stressful to have an evening in Paris and catch the train the next day. That way there is no concern about having to make a connection that same day. And Paris is a great city to spend a little time exploring. Also planning to spend two nights in St. Jean to really get over any jet lag and be ready to walk over the Pyrenees. Buen Camino!
when youarrive at CDG you will have to go to a different train station to get the train to Bayonne, Gare Montparnase, easiest way is to take the number 4 coach from CDG to Montparnase, it's a coach which just goes a circuit of all train stations in Paris, its name is "the Bus Direct" its easy and costs about 16 euros. Then you get the train to Bayonne after that its a train to St Jean ( or bus if the train is not working bus is from Bayonne train station) I am afraid you will not do it in a day so youwill have to stop for the night somewhere, according to the train times. Tickets for all trips can be bought at thestations exept for the Bus Direct which you pay the driver. Buen CaminoHi all,
Embarking on my first Camino this fall, and my first real international trip. I'll be landing in Paris at CDG (terminal 2A) at 6:55am on August 28th, and was hoping to arrive in SJPP that same day with time to visit the pilgrim's office and stay the night before an early start to the walk the 29th. I feel flexible about the day that I begin walking, but would just really like an early start to ensure a place to stay the next night.
However, I have no experience with international travel or train travel, so I'm looking for advice on the best way to go about it. How much time should I allow to go through customs (and navigate the airport)? Would it be better to stay the night somewhere, like Bayonne? Are there trains to Bayonne from CDG, or do I need to go to a different train station? What is the best website/app to find train schedules for a non-French speaker, and should tickets be bought in advance?
I've been reading lots of other threads on the topic, but so far have mostly just been overwhelmed with the huge amount of options and my lack of knowledge & experience. Any advice would be appreciated!
Many many thanks!
We flew from London gatwick to Biarritz and then had a shuttle ride into SJPDP. See if there maybe flights from CDG to Biarritz.We were initially going to take the train from Paris down but they were on strike at the time.Hi all,
Embarking on my first Camino this fall, and my first real international trip. I'll be landing in Paris at CDG (terminal 2A) at 6:55am on August 28th, and was hoping to arrive in SJPP that same day with time to visit the pilgrim's office and stay the night before an early start to the walk the 29th. I feel flexible about the day that I begin walking, but would just really like an early start to ensure a place to stay the next night.
However, I have no experience with international travel or train travel, so I'm looking for advice on the best way to go about it. How much time should I allow to go through customs (and navigate the airport)? Would it be better to stay the night somewhere, like Bayonne? Are there trains to Bayonne from CDG, or do I need to go to a different train station? What is the best website/app to find train schedules for a non-French speaker, and should tickets be bought in advance?
I've been reading lots of other threads on the topic, but so far have mostly just been overwhelmed with the huge amount of options and my lack of knowledge & experience. Any advice would be appreciated!
Many many thanks!
My friends and I flew from Chicago to Paris (CDG) then took the airport bus to Gare Montparrasse. From there we took the train to Biarritz and Express Bourricot shuttle van to SJPD. I booked the train tickets from Gare Montparrasse to Biarritz and the Express Bourricot shuttle before I left for Paris. Everything went very well! We stayed in SJPD for 2 days because we knew we would have jet-lag. Our first day we walked from SJPD to Orrison. ( we booked a room at Orrison a few months before our trip because it really fills up fast!).
Thanks for this information. I was considering taking a connecting flight from CDG Paris to Biarritz with a 2 hour connection time. On reflection, it may be better for me to take a flight a couple of hours later just to give myself the time. Unfortunately this will get me into Biarritz at around 9pm, leaving me with no choice but to spend the night there before heading to St Jean the following day.Last summer it took us 2 full hours to get through customs in CDG (coming from the US). I would leave a nice cushion for that in your planning. The airport easy enough to navigate with clear signage. You can also look up maps of how the airport is configured online just to get a sense for it, since you already know the terminal you are arriving at.
Take a look at rome2rio.com to see different transportation options from Paris to SJPP ( or other locations) in addition to the good advice offered above.
Enjoy the planning and the trip! Buen Camino!
Currently the voice of no-experience. Here is what I have planned for next week.
I have 2:40 in CDG to clear customs and get on a TGV from CDG to Bordeaux (4 intermediate stops, over a 3 hour journey). There I connect with another TGV (nonstop from Gare Montparnasse), head to Biarritz with a couple of stops enroute. Upon further review by the line judges of this forum and Beilari's recommendation, I've hooked up with Express Bourricot to get to SJPdP vs. de-training in Bayonne and going over by SNCF local train. A long one-day of travel; I'm giving myself the next day to acclimate the body before heading into the Pyrenees.
The IFFY question. I have 10 minutes in Bordeaux to make the connection. Assumption on my part -- the high-speed TGV's have a good on-time record + should the incoming to Bordeaux train be delayed, the out-going train will be held for connecting passengers to walk across the platform. Should this not work out, I have absorbed the recommendations above for spending the night in Bordeaux rather than Beilari in SJPdP. I'll advise all concerned how this goes next Wednesday (9/11 -- auspicious date, si?).
This is what I thought would be the most 'user-friendly' when I began planning last winter. Next time I believe I'd fly CDG --> Biarritz. We all have to have our 'first Camino' sometime, right? The Learning Curve begins with the first step.
Gracias all!
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