Hello,
I'll be arriving at the airport in Biarritz and have tried getting more info about the Tram/bus that goes from the Biarritz airport to Bayonne, where the tour begins. I have looked at several web sites and the RS Book, but can not find info on what the Tram will say on it's reader board. Or a bus #? (and it looks like there may be several bus companies with dif. names?) Also, I see on the map in the book, where the bus or Tram arrives in Bayonne, in a parking lot, edge of town? But I also see a "Tram" stop closer to the tour hotel? Does the bus or tram from the airport just go as far as this parking lot? Or does it continue to other tram stops in town? Or do you have to get off the airport tram and transfer to another tram to get near the Town Hall?
Is the Town Hall (hotel) an easy walk from this parking lot, if that is the last stop? And is it a bus or a tram? I see it referred to as both? I read that you walk out of the Biarritz airport/luggage and go left to the buses. Just want to make sure I get on the right bus to Bayonne, and not end up in down town Biarritz. Also, can we buy ticket from driver, use chip card, or do you have to buy from a machine at the bus stop? Thanks for any help. K
Posted by
OP
23 posts
Thanks for that suggestion. I have added it to the Forum for France. But will leave it here also, just to cover both bases.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5850 posts
Here is the bus schedule for bus #4 which goes from the Biarritz airport to Bayonne.
https://itineraires.txiktxak.fr/fr/horaires/TXIK-TXAK-Nord/Bus/ligne/4/direction/RETURN/4#
Select the direction starting at the airport and enter your date.
This schedule shows that the bus stops at both the “Place de Basques” and the “Mairie de Bayonne”. You don’t mention which hotel you are using, but on my RS tour we stayed between these two stops.
I did not take the bus from the airport, but I did take the bus between Bayonne and the town of Biarritz in 2017. I don’t remember any details about payment, but it wasn’t difficult. One tip I have for using any bus is to open googlemaps on your phone and follow along. You can see as the blue dot gets close to your hotel.
Posted by
Minnesota
570 posts
I’ve gone on 10 Rick Steves tours and, in all cases, they sent quite detailed instructions about all the options to get from the airport to the first hotel. These instructions were posted in my account about one month before the tour began (along with a list of all the hotels and the tour participants).
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2296 posts
Laura has given you the bus #4. The tour documents will tell you what direction it should say on the bus reader board. The directions we got on our tour documents refer to it as Chronobus, but it might also be a Txik-Txak tram’bus. You can also ask the driver, “Bonjour, Bayonne?” The tour documents say to get off at the Bayonne Mairie stop so you don’t get off at the train station. The walk from that stop is easy. We did use the trambus daily and just bought our tickets from the kiosk at the bus stops with a credit card. I never saw anyone buy from the driver but one lady seemed to, after a struggle, buy with a credit card on board. After you buy your ticket from the kiosk you validate onboard.