Camino Francés April 2025

[Diana2025]

Hi all, I'll be a first time pilgrim on the Camino next April. I am hoping to start at SJPDP, but am thinking about which airport to fly in and out of (barcelona or paris). Is one easier than the other to get to SJPDP?

 

[Charles Ross]

Sometimes I see reasonable airfares from the West Coast of the United States landing in Bilbao, Spain and flying home from either Santiago or A Coruna, just north of Santiago. Of course all this assumes you will be walking the entire distance. By reasonable I mean between 800-900 US

 

[J Willhaus]

Where will you end? Are you walking all the way to Santiago this year? We flew in and out of Paris one time, but have flown in and out of Madrid now the remaining 7 times and will use Madrid again in 2025.

If you start in St Jean, there really is no direct way to get there and you will need train or bus transport no matter which city you use.

 

[David]

I don't know anything about flying, sorry, but St Jean is in France and there seems to be some difficulty getting to it from Spain. There is a great inter-city train from Paris down to Bayonne then change to the small local. See here -

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Paris/St-Jean-Pied-De-Port-France#trips/transport/Paris/St-Jean-Pied-De-Port-France/r/Train

How that all fits into flight prices and so on? No idea .. perhaps it depends upon where you are travelling from and how much time you have? (and money). ... as you may need a few days to de jetlag?

 

[davejsy]

There is a great inter-city train from Paris down to Bayonne then change to the small local.

I did this, and it was a lovely way to travel and arrive in StJPdP if you have the time. It isn't always the cheapest option, but watching the landscape change from Paris to Bayonne and then snaking your way up to StJPdP on the smaller train through the foothills of the Pyrenees was just wonderful and anticipatory for me as a newbie wannabe pilgrim. You could also spend some time in Paris if you are that way inclined.

 

[Charles Ross]

Sometimes I see reasonable airfares from the West Coast of the United States landing in Bilbao, Spain and flying home from either Santiago or A Coruna, just north of Santiago. Of course all this assumes you will be walking the entire distance. By reasonable I mean between 800-900 US

i see $854 RT PDX - Bilbao, Santiago - PDX March 31st - May 7th.

 

[Brian E]

Hi all, I'll be a first time pilgrim on the Camino next April. I am hoping to start at SJPDP, but am thinking about which airport to fly in and out of (barcelona or paris). Is one easier than the other to get to SJPDP?

Hello. I am also planning another Camino Frances in April and will start from SJPDP as well and personally feel flying into CDG (Paris) works great. Not sure where you are flying from but I am in Denver and they now have direct flights to Paris. So then I just have a 2.5 hour connection at CDG to Biarritz. Quick, easy, efficient, and best way to ultimately get to SJPDP in my opinion (coming from Denver at least). Flights are currently reasonable it seems these days. Good luck and no decision is a bad one. Just get there and have a great Camino!

 

[bestfootforward]

Hi all, I'll be a first time pilgrim on the Camino next April. I am hoping to start at SJPDP, but am thinking about which airport to fly in and out of (barcelona or paris). Is one easier than the other to get to SJPDP?

Hi Diana, Paris is a great hub with either the fast train from CDG to Bayonne or Biarritz, or a short 1.5hr flight to Biarritz direct from CDG then a 2ishr train ride to SJPdP. If time/budget allows you could have a couple of days either in Paris, Biarritz or Bayonne to rest up before heading to SJPdP. I agree with @David it's easier to fly into Paris and make your way to SJPdP, than backtrack to regional France from Barcelona.

In 2018 my BC-based Camino pal went Van- Toronto - Paris. Seamless. We met there, had a few days in Paris then rode the rails to Bayonne. Worked for us, may/may not work for you, but as @Brian E says......just get there and have a great Camino!

 

[dougfitz]

I've done both, and agree with those that have suggested that coming through Paris was easier. As @David pointed out earlier, the leg from Pamplona to SJPP requires some coordination changing from rail to bus or whatever mode you use to cross the Pyrenees, whereas the entire journey from Paris was pretty easy to arrange.

That said, it was a lovely train journey from Barcelona to Pamplona when I did that, and I thought well worth the extra coordination effort.

 

[Diana2025]

This is all very helpful! I'll be coming from Vancouver, CA and there are some reasonable, roundtrip flights to France and Spain right now - too many options! I'm looking for ease and keeping costs low and I plan to walk all the way to Santiago. Would it make. more sense to fly in and out of Madrid?

 

[J Willhaus]

This is all very helpful! I'll be coming from Vancouver, CA and there are some reasonable, roundtrip flights to France and Spain right now - too many options! I'm looking for ease and keeping costs low and I plan to walk all the way to Santiago. Would it make. more sense to fly in and out of Madrid?

Your preference. It is easier to get back to Madrid although there are still flights to Paris from Santiago, but not every day (at least in the past there were.) Maybe consider an open jaw flight into Paris and out from Madrid.

 

[trecile]

Maybe consider an open jaw flight into Paris and out from Madrid.

That's what I would do, or come home from Porto.