One of the most common questions for those planning to walk the Camino Frances, is “How do I get to Saint Jean Pied de Port?” (SJPP) Let’s cover some options here. Quick aside, be careful about traveling on Sundays, much of Europe has very little public transport on Sundays.
Europe Entry Point:
Generally, the easiest major airports for those coming from the United States are Paris and Madrid, with Barcelona, Amsterdam and London as alternate possibilities. Remember to check for covid requirements, Spain: https://spth.gob.es and France: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/coming-to-france-your-covid-19-questions-answered/
From Madrid:
For those who fly into Madrid, you will need to go through Pamplona to get to SJPP. Your choices are to take a bus from the airport terminal to Pamplona (aprox. 5hrs.) or to take a train. You’ll find a convenient ALSA bus counter just past baggage claim at Madrid Airport that can help you with a bus ticket. Also a good place to get a SIM card while you are waiting. A random search of a weekday in July shows departures at 10:45, 15:15 and 19:45, about 5:15 travel time and fares from 30-50euros.
From the Pamplona Bus Station, there is a bus to SJPP approximately 2 times per day (14:30 and 17:30 on the days I checked) (aprox 1.75 hrs, 22 Euros). If the bus schedule is not convenient, look around for other pilgrims and share a taxi. See Movelia.es for bus schedules and prices.
If you would prefer to take the train from Madrid to Pamplona(3hrs.+), you will need to get to Atocha station. This can be done for FREE with the long distance ticket by using the Cercania and a Combinado Cercanias ticket. Be sure to read this before you buy any train tickets for Spain: The Man in Seat 61 Here is the information on getting a free Cercania ticket: Combinado Cercanias Buying tickets through the official RENFE site can be extremely frustrating, follow his advice and use one of the alternate sites suggested. I have had good luck with https://www.trainline.eu/ They also have a smartphone app that is worth downloading. A random search on a weekday in July shows departures from Atocha at 7:35, 11:35, 15:05, and 19:35, journey time of 3:05 and fares from 30-60 euros. Here’s another recommended ticket site with an app https://loco2.com
From Paris:
To get to SJPP from Paris you will need to get to Bayonne station (Gare). From Charles De Gaulle airport, CDG, there are a few choices, you can fly to Biarritz, BIQ, or you can take the train. For flights to Biarritz, check EasyJet, if the timing works, it can be quite economical. From the Biarritz airport, there is a city bus that will take you from outside of the baggage claim to Bayonne station in about 25 minutes. Biarritz to Bayonne Bus If you decide to take the train, about 5.5 hours from Paris, be sure to read this first: Man in Seat 61 France When planning train trips from France, it is a good idea to check on upcoming strikes (Greve), which are usually announced ahead of time: SNCF Strike Schedule Here is another site for French Strike information http://www.cestlagreve.fr If leaving from CDG you will typically change trains in Bordeaux, roughly 5.5hrs. otherwise if you go into Paris, you will leave from Gare Montparnasse (as fast as 4 hrs. To Bayonne). Once you arrive at the station in Bayonne, there are about 4 trains a day from there to SJPP, and it takes about an hour, and costs about 10 euro. You can get the schedule for your day here, just plan to buy the ticket at the station. If there is a problem with the train a bus will be substituted: TrainlineEU As of this writing, the typical schedule is 7:42,12:01,14:52 and 18:12 with a 21:10 on Fridays, be sure to check your specific date as this could change. If for some reason you have a group or would like to be picked up by private transport, try Express Bourricot Their fees are split between the number of people using the service at that particular pick up. At the moment, the easiest way to buy train tickets for French trains is to put the. SNCF-Connect app on your phone and buy through the app.
Here’s some advice from my other blog on dealing with entry and exit through France: https://tangonomadfr.wordpress.com/2021/11/20/so-you-want-to-go-to-france/
From Amsterdam or London, fly to Biarritz, Bordeaux or Madrid and then follow directions above. From Barcelona, train to Pamplona and follow directions above.
The next big question is “How do I get from Santiago back to Madrid or Paris?”
If you are flying out of Madrid, and remember, you can do an “Open Jaw” flying into Paris and out of Madrid, you have the option to connect from Santiago by train or airplane. The train from Santiago to Madrid takes most of a day, but follows along the route of the Camino and will bring back lots of memories. (If they claim the train is sold out, try booking a ticket to Burgos and then from Burgos to Madrid, this worked well for me.). Plan to spend the night in Madrid before departing. A convenient Airport Express Bus run from Atocha and Plaza Cibeles 24/7 every 15 minutes daytime and every 35 minutes late night for 5 euros. Takes about 40minutes depending on which terminal. If taking from Plaza Cibeles find the Naval Museum and the stop is in front Airport Express Bus Otherwise you can fly out of Santiago airport, but be prepared to check your poles or lose them. For flights out of Santiago, check Vueling (non stops to Paris) or Iberia and EasyJet has occasional flights. You can use Rome2Rio.com to explore options. Another option that has worked for people is a European ride share app called BlaBlacar.
A note on airfare:
Obviously we would all like to get to the Camino as reasonably as possible, but consider that often the “cheapest” flights are not the ones you want. What you really want is a reasonable airfare with the routing that you want. What you don’t want is an airfare with multiple stops. If at all possible take a non-stop, if that isn’t possible try for only one change and try to keep to the same airline. Not all airports are equal, for example, changing planes in Frankfurt or Heathrow can be difficult, whereas Amsterdam is fairly well organized. Avoid airports with well earned reputations for delays. Arriving several days later and exhausted because of your complicated itinerary that saved you a few dollars is not a good way to start a trip. Every transfer point is an opportunity for delays and problems. Don’t check your backpack!! Carry it on! Carry on only! Consider an “Open Jaw” ticket, for example into Paris and out of Madrid. https://www.google.com/flights If you really want to save money, sign up for a points credit card, such as a Chase Sapphire Reserve card (substantial benefits for long delays) or for the airline credit card of the carrier you plan to use. There is almost always a substantial sign up bonus with some initial spending, if you do this enough in advance, your airfare could be totally free! See here for a comparison: https://thepointsguy.com/
So, don’t be “Penny wise and Pound Foolish” when it comes to airfare.
Apps for train and bus transport, schedules and tickets:
SNCF-Connect: This is the official app for French train tickets, works well.
Trainline, now called train is great, mobile tickets on your phone.
OMIO has bus information and tickets as well on your phone, highly recommended.
RENFE has an app, don’t recommend it for ticket purchase
Citymapper does great transit info
Moovit is also good for transit
Rome2Rio is good for finding the names of transit agencies and how to get between places.
Here is a podcast I guested on all about using French trains: https://joinusinfrance.com/episode/quick-and-easy-guide-to-public-transportation-in-france-trains-buses-and-metros-episode-223/
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Tips and Advice for Walking the Camino 