My daughter and I are doing the Camino pilgrimage (Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela) together. Her plane doesn't land at Madrid airport til 6/2 14:25. We are both coming from the U.S., so will need time to go through customs. Is a train to Pamploma still the best next step? Is her late arrival time likely to keep us from getting to SJPdP that same evening? If we take the train to Pamploma, what then? Are we likely to be able to arrive in time to get pilgrim passports in SJPdP that evening or will we have to do so in the morning? I have no clue of schedules, travel times, delays, etc. I saw where someone in an old post had mentioned a direct shuttle (bus) but that it had been discontinued due to complications with border crossing/taxes. Is it once again available? From where? Does anyone have websites that are current? I've been chasing down several, but the information is quite dated. (There was a French website that looked promising, but my French is not strong enough for me to be comfortable booking there. Besides, it only solved one short leg of the journey.) Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
I am not going to be much help but may have to do until someone better comes along. A number of years ago my son and I consider doing the the pilgrimage via bicycle. Did a lot research. The are a number of guidebooks solely devoted to the pilgrimage. I would think that you could find copies at Amazon or your local library. We moved recently but will try to find the guidebooks we had so you at least have the titles.
Posted by
OP
Arlington, VA, USA
2 posts
Hi Frank. Thank you for your reply, but I don't need anymore info on the pilgrimage itself. Just travel logistics. Unfortunately, that's one of the guidebooks/websites weak points. But thank you for your input.
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3287 posts
I have read several accounts of the pilgrimage like "I'm Off Then" and it seems people approach St. Jean Pied de Port from France. According to bahn.de (with comprehensive train schedules) it is a minimum of 8 hours to go from Pamplona to St. Jean P-d-P. From Bayonne, only 1.5 hours. If you look at th ewebsite "AboutSpain", it advises to come from Bayonne for the easiest trip. From Pamplona, they say "Take a bus from Pamplona to Roncesvalles and then a taxi to St Jean Pied de Port." So try looking for the bus to Roncesvalles instead of St. Jean.
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3287 posts
These people provide a shared van service to St. Jean for pilgrims: http://www.expressbourricot.com/en/services/personstrasportation.html And here is the company providing scheduled bus service from Pamplona to Roncesvalles (no service on Sunday: http://www.autocaresartieda.com/?scc=roncesvalles