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Hi,
If you are planning to walk the Camino Frances and end in Santiago, IMO you're probably best to fly into Madrid. There are good bus and train connections from Madrid city and some buses go directly from Madrid Airport T4. However, it's probably worth playing around with other options, depending on where you need to stopover etc.
Your start point will depend on your walking experience and how far you want to walk each day. You might also want to factor in a rest day at some point, or a second day in Santiago. Sahagun is easily accessibly by train from Madrid, so that could work. It's about 16 days of walking from Santiago, allowing you some flexibility in your plan. If you want a slower pace or more rest days, starting in Leon might be an option.
There's lots of information on this forum. Gronze - http://www.gronze.com/camino-de-santiago/caminos/guia-del-camino-frances is also a very useful resource.
Happy planning and Buen Camino!
Nuala
http://www.rome2rio.com is a great site to play around with a variety of travel options. You can also use http://www.skyscanner.net with flexible date/anywhere in Spain settings to see where to a flight is the cheapest. Just think outside the box and be adventurous ;-) Buen Camino, SY
You're very welcome Dean. I expect you'll get lots of other suggestions - that's one of the great things about this forum!Thanks Nuala! Much Appreciated.
Dean
Thanks very much!
Hello,
I am planning to do my first walk this May/June. I am coming from Canada and wish the whole trip to be three weeks so therefore will most likely walk for 18 or 19 days so I can have a day in Santiago to recover and see the city. I am wondering where the best starting point is and what city I should fly to?
I am on a very limited budget so hoping to book a flight soon to save a bit of money.
Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.
Hello,
I am planning to do my first walk this May/June. I am coming from Canada and wish the whole trip to be three weeks so therefore will most likely walk for 18 or 19 days so I can have a day in Santiago to recover and see the city. I am wondering where the best starting point is and what city I should fly to?
I am on a very limited budget so hoping to book a flight soon to save a bit of money.
Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.
Hello,
I am planning to do my first walk this May/June. I am coming from Canada and wish the whole trip to be three weeks so therefore will most likely walk for 18 or 19 days so I can have a day in Santiago to recover and see the city. I am wondering where the best starting point is and what city I should fly to?
I am on a very limited budget so hoping to book a flight soon to save a bit of money.
Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.
We flew into Bilbao and were very glad we did. We live in Michigan and flew from Detroit.Hi,
If you are planning to walk the Camino Frances and end in Santiago, IMO you're probably best to fly into Madrid. There are good bus and train connections from Madrid city and some buses go directly from Madrid Airport T4. However, it's probably worth playing around with other options, depending on where you need to stopover etc.
Your start point will depend on your walking experience and how far you want to walk each day. You might also want to factor in a rest day at some point, or a second day in Santiago. Sahagun is easily accessibly by train from Madrid, so that could work. It's about 16 days of walking from Santiago, allowing you some flexibility in your plan. If you want a slower pace or more rest days, starting in Leon might be an option.
There's lots of information on this forum. Gronze - http://www.gronze.com/camino-de-santiago/caminos/guia-del-camino-frances is also a very useful resource.
Happy planning and Buen Camino!
Nuala
We flew into Bilbao and were very glad we did. We live in Michigan and flew from Detroit.
Hello,
I am planning to do my first walk this May/June. I am coming from Canada and wish the whole trip to be three weeks so therefore will most likely walk for 18 or 19 days so I can have a day in Santiago to recover and see the city. I am wondering where the best starting point is and what city I should fly to?
I am on a very limited budget so hoping to book a flight soon to save a bit of money.
Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.
If you are starting in St Jean Pied de Port, I would suggest to fly to San Sebastian Airport , as I did, and you can walk (about a mile and good training)) to catch the train at the station in Irun or Hedaye (about a 20 minute walk and good training) to Bayonne and then from Bayonne to St Jean Pied de Port.
Hello,
I am planning to do my first walk this May/June. I am coming from Canada and wish the whole trip to be three weeks so therefore will most likely walk for 18 or 19 days so I can have a day in Santiago to recover and see the city. I am wondering where the best starting point is and what city I should fly to?
I am on a very limited budget so hoping to book a flight soon to save a bit of money.
Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.
Where are you in Canada? Air Transat may be a good option to fly into Madrid depending on where you live. Dates are not as flexible, with typically only 1 flight a week but it has been working for me: it's less expensive and the only direct flight from Montreal.
At the Madrid airport you can find buses to a number of Camino cities, including Leon which is a good starting point in order to arrive in Santiago and get you back home in 3 weeks. At this time of the year you will likely be able to find a seat on a bus for just a few Euros, and the 6 hours or so to get to Leon will be perfeçt for napping and help you get over jetlag so you can start walking the very next day.
If you are a good walker you could spend any extra time you may have visiting Santigo for a day and bussing to Fisterr or Muxia also for a day. If you are a super walker you could walk there and bus back. I am a girl who likes to walk 20-25 km a day, so no extra days for me after Santiago.
To get back to Madrid to catch your return flight you can jump on a RyanAir flights for little money. You can also bring your backpack on board for free on 2 conditions: it is standard flying size, so a max of 40 liters or so, and that it does not contain walkng poles. If you hac've walking poles they will have to be checked, and that will cost you about the same as your seat.
To get to the Santiago airport you can catch a bus for 3€ I think, maybe 5€, at Plaza Galicia, 5 minute walk from the cathedral. It is less expensive to buy your ticket as you get on the bus than via Ryan Air which offers them as well. I think the first bus is at 6am, it will get you to the airport within 45 minutes, the flight is also 45 to 60 minutes or so, if memoery serves me, so a flight leaving after 1 pm is doable. Or you can take an overnight bus from Santiago, or also plan to spend one night in Madrid: there are clean, comfortable and well located pensiones for 40 € or so.
For bus info, visit the Alsa site, your departure point will be Madrid-Barajas T4.
Hope this helps!
So happy to hear that. It's a no brainer then! If you need help navigating Spanish speaking sites to book bus or train, just give me a shout. If you need tips on where to acquire gear as well.Thank you! I am coming from Montreal so will look into transat.
Deanpf:
Do you want to walk an entire Camino? If so, I recommend you walk the Primitivo. Fly into Madrid and take a train or bus to Oviedo and walk the entire Primitivo. It can easily be done in 18-19 days. Depending on your pace, you might have time to walk to Finistere. Save the Frances for when you have time to walk from SJPdP, Roncesvalles or Pamplona.
If you prefer to walk the Frances this year, fly into Madrid and take a train or bus to Leon and begin walking from there. you will likely still have time to walk to Finistere.
Whatever you choose, I am sure it will be the best decision for you.
Ultreya,
Joe
So happy to hear that. It's a no brainer then! If you need help navigating Spanish speaking sites to book bus or train, just give me a shout. If you need tips on where to acquire gear as well.
No sea at all to be seen on the Primitivo, just walking through the clouds. Just as beautiful as walking by the coast.Thanks Joe. I will seriously consider walking the Primitivo. I hadn't thought about doing that but I like the idea of being able to walk an entire camino and also being closer to the sea.
Thank you!
Dean
Nomenclature - I am flying in to Bilbao. Can you give details how you got to STJPP? I'm departing Seattle May 23.We flew into Bilbao and were very glad we did. We live in Michigan and flew from Detroit.
Take a look at Castillan's and Ravenback's posts above. You can take a bus or train back to San Sebastian and then follow their instructions. Www.euskotre.eus will give you the schedules for the train from Bilbao to SanSebastian (aka Donostia) as well as the map, and perhaps even Hendaye if you did a little deeper in the site.Nomenclature - I am flying in to Bilbao. Can you give details how you got to STJPP? I'm departing Seattle May 23.
I am flying in to Bilbao. Can you give details how you got to STJPP?
Fly to Lisbon. Take the train to Porto and walk the Portuguese way from there, then take a bus back to Lisbon. Route is well marked, even the 1 day coastal walk. Lots of sleeping and eating choices, including Casa Fernanda. 3 weeks is plenty of time. 2 countries 1 camino, a day in Lisbon, a day in Porto, and a day in Santiago, think about it. Buen CaminoHello,
I am planning to do my first walk this May/June. I am coming from Canada and wish the whole trip to be three weeks so therefore will most likely walk for 18 or 19 days so I can have a day in Santiago to recover and see the city. I am wondering where the best starting point is and what city I should fly to?
I am on a very limited budget so hoping to book a flight soon to save a bit of money.
Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.
I'm not the person you quoted but I can tell you how to get there.
Take a bus from Bilbao's airport (aka Loiu -airport-) to San Sebastián (aka Donostia) with Pesa (www.pesa.net) and another one from San Sebastián (aka Donostia) to Bayonne with Pesa. Once in Bayonne, go to the train station and continue to SJPP with the SNCF (www.sncf.com).
On working days from Mondays to Fridays (both included), Pesa has a direct bus from downtown Bilbao to Bayonne departing nowadays (verify what's the schedule on your travel date) at 07:00 a.m. that might be an option to consider depending on your arrival time to Bilbao and/or on whether you want to wander a bit around Bilbao before your camino (or not).[/Q UOTE]
I think I would like to get to San Sebastion on same day I arrive in Bilbao at 6:45 pm, since it looks like it's about 1 1/2 hrs ride, (or do you think it might be too late?) and stay at a private room or hotel that night, then on to SJPP the next night - or spend one day in SS. I could then stay at the alburgue in SJPP and leave from there the next morning. I want to take a little time to rest up and be ready for walking.
Nomenclature - I am flying in to Bilbao. Can you give details how you got to STJPP? I'm departing Seattle May 23.
Hello JuliaI also flew into Bilbao. Took the airport shuttle to the bus station, followed by a 2 hr bus ride to Pamplona. I used the left luggage lockers to store my backpack for a few hours which I whiled away in Pamplona, sampling lots of pintxos and exploring the city, then got the last bus at 17.30 to Saint Jean Pied de Port.
It was really easy, but does depend on your arrival time. My plane landed at 11.30am, and I was able to get the 13.00 Pamplona bus. Had I missed that bus I would have had to get the 15.30 bus, which would have got me in to Pamplona a bit too late for the bus to Saint Jean. My back-up would have then been the 18.00 to Roncesvalles, and hope I would have been able to share a taxi on to SJPdP.
B us timetables are at Movelia.es and Alsa (or may be Conda)
are you able to post the link to the bus station link you used to get from Bilbao to Pamplona? I need to see if they run on Saturday.
Thank you!! They have several options for Saturday June 11th but non offer bike transport.Liliya...
Yes they do. Here's the timetable for Saturday 18th June...
http://www.movelia.es/transicion_launion/ventaen.htm#
Thank you!! They have several options for Saturday June 11th but non offer bike transport.
They have several options for Saturday June 11th but non offer bike transport.
Thank you so much! This is so helpful. Looks like they have a lot of seats available on Saturday so hopefully there will be room for my bike. I have read other ways of getting to SJPDP and they seem like a good way for me to get lost and loose a lot of time.Maybe they don't offer (the option of purchasing) bike transport online but on their web they provide info about bike transport. Take a look at www.autobuseslaunion.com/en/general-conditions.asp for the details. To get in touch with them to ask about specific details (e.g.: if you can buy a ticket with no reference to a bike and check in later a bike at the ticket office) would be a good idea. You'll find contact details on their web.
If after getting in touch with them you don't see that option clear, there are alternatives to reach Pamplona changing transport along the route, if you were interested.
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