Norte from Irún from USA... an alternative approach... don't sleep in Irún.

[Damien Reynolds]

I used to fly all night to Madrid (MAD) from the USA. Get a connecting flight from MAD to EAS (San Sebastian) the same day... then try to crash for the night in Irun, overwhelmed by the time zone change and being amped for walking the camino. That first day of walking was rough.

This last time, after reading a suggestion from another American traveler here on the forum, I switched it up a bit. His plan is way better.

Fly all night to Madrid. I usually end up getting there around 9 am. By the time I'm through customs, etc, it's usually around 11 am. Get lucky with a hotel in Madrid near the airport (think Barajas) that will check you in early.

Sleep all day, sort of.

Next morning get a flight to Irún (San Sebastian / EAS) from Madrid. It is early enough.

Start walking immediately from the airport. The camino is right there. Spend your first night (on trail) in Donastia (San Sebastian).

I felt a little bit more rested and prepared for the first day that way.

 

[JWB]

Hi Damian, all the best for your next trail/camino!

 

[J Willhaus]

No matter what Camino I walk, I usually spend the first night/day sleeping the jet lag off in Madrid.

 

[trecile]

I really liked walking from Biarritz last year, so that's another option. It gives you two days of relatively flat walking along the French coast before you get to the climbs in Spain. Getting to Bayonne/Biarritz from Paris is very easy by train.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I really liked walking from Biarritz last year, so that's another option. It gives you two days of relatively flat walking along the French coast before you get to the climbs in Spain. Getting to Bayonne/Biarritz from Paris is very easy by train.

Yah, but you're in France. I'm a Spain lover.

 

[Kiwi-family]

As someone who comes form New Zealand, the chances for jetlag are pretty high (especially considering we have about 35 hours of travelling depending which airline you go with)....I find NOT sleeping during the day is crucial to adjusting to the new time zone. I do everything I can to stay awake as long as possible.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

As someone who comes form New Zealand, the chances for jetlag are pretty high (especially considering we have about 35 hours of travelling depending which airline you go with)....I find NOT sleeping during the day is crucial to adjusting to the new time zone. I do everything I can to stay awake as long as possible.

yah. I was waiting for that. When I am tired, If I put my head on a pillow, and actually drift to sleep. i'll take it. no matter what the clock says. I'm gonna walk 26km or more uphill and then down the next day, so that should right my clock.

 

[Pafayac]

Irun-San Sebastien is the toughest stage of the Norte: avoiding it after a long flight seems a good idea.

 

[AusPeregrina]

Coming from Australia via Barcelona my approach is a little different. I was worried about the combo of jetlag, tired muscles from flying, bad weather in April and the first steep day out of Irun. so I have decided to stay in San Sebastian. This means I'm doing it in two stages and I have a sightseeing day, which I can use it to mitigate possible bad weather as I want to do the alpine route for the views.

 

[CTLawGal]

Yah, but you're in France. I'm a Spain lover.

But the views of the Spanish coastline from Biarritz are superb!

 

[TravellingMan22]

Irun-San Sebastien is the toughest stage of the Norte: avoiding it after a long flight seems a good idea.

Another way to make the first day easier (not jet lag related) is to book two nights in San Sebastián, take the morning bus to Irún, and walk back, therefore you haven’t got to carry your pack. That’s what I did once anyway.

 

[Getwood]

I really liked walking from Biarritz last year, so that's another option. It gives you two days of relatively flat walking along the French coast before you get to the climbs in Spain. Getting to Bayonne/Biarritz from Paris is very easy by train.

It's even easier by plane. I've done it, and highly recommend it if you can swing it. I'm doing the CF again in 2025 (D.V.), and it's the method I'm gonna use again.

 

[Caminogoat]

I used to fly all night to Madrid (MAD) from the USA. Get a connecting flight from MAD to EAS (San Sebastian) the same day... then try to crash for the night in Irun, overwhelmed by the time zone change and being amped for walking the camino. That first day of walking was rough.

This last time, after reading a suggestion from another American traveler here on the forum, I switched it up a bit. His plan is way better.

Fly all night to Madrid. I usually end up getting there around 9 am. By the time I'm through customs, etc, it's usually around 11 am. Get lucky with a hotel in Madrid near the airport (think Barajas) that will check you in early.

Sleep all day, sort of.

Next morning get a flight to Irún (San Sebastian / EAS) from Madrid. It is early enough.

Start walking immediately from the airport. The camino is right there. Spend your first night (on trail) in Donastia (San Sebastian).

I felt a little bit more rested and prepared for the first day that way.

I arrive earlier than you (8:00 a.m.). I hop on an ALSA bus from the T4 terminal to San Sebastian, which leaves at 10:34 a.m. If, for some reason, I can't make it, there is another one leaving around 1:30 p.m. I sleep in San Sebastian (Hotel Leku Eder with a lovely sea view, which sits on the Camino but is a few miles away from busy San Sebastian toward Zarautz). I came back from Norte and do Mar only 10 days ago, but am longing to go back again. I wish you a wonderful Camino.

 

[lt56ny]

I really liked walking from Biarritz last year, so that's another option. It gives you two days of relatively flat walking along the French coast before you get to the climbs in Spain. Getting to Bayonne/Biarritz from Paris is very easy by train.

When I walked the Norte I started in Irun and had I thought that first day to San Sebastian was a real grind. Last year when I walked the Vasco. I started in Bayonne. It is a really lovely town and the albergue was great. I took 3 days to walk to Irun. Just slowly getting my camino legs under me. Some of the walk is beautiful some not so much but the albergues are wonderful. I wish I had done this before I walked the Norte. When I got to Irun the wonderful Donativo welcomed me. I was surprised how crowded it was. The dining area was crowded with lots of pilgrims. Most first timers and young excited to walk. There were probably 40-45 people in the albergue. I am about 99% sure I was the only one walking south towards Burgos on the Vasco.

 

[OldWisePilgrim]

Having studied for months and actually doing it, I strongly suggest you do Irun to San Sebastian in two days, not one, in part because weather can really change up along the mountain ridge and the views are worth stopping extra to take in. We stayed in Irun multiple days (hotel rooms are inexpensive) and took a taxi from Pasaia back to Irun after the first day walk).

 

[backpack45]

Even more fun is to fly to Barcelona for a few days and then take the trail to Irun --- at least that worked well for us several years back!

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I strongly suggest you do Irun to San Sebastian in two days

Well, that just depends on a ton of stuff, right? I'll never have enough experience to "strongly suggest" anything IMO. Just an alternative...

 

[Camino Chrissy]

We took the train after arriving in Madrid in the morning direct to San Sebastian. After checking in at our hostel, we spent a late afternoon and evening poking around the beautiful city. We stayed two nights, so the next day we explored the area and were drawn to hike up to the castle with its ramparts and ruins on the lovely trail that meandered up that big hill. The views of the beach and city below were amazing.
I'd read from others that Irun was not nearly as nice as San Sebastian, so chose to skip it. I know we missed some additional incredible views if we'd walked from there, but I didn't care.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

We took the train after arriving in Madrid in the morning direct to San Sebastian. After checking in at our hostel, we spent a late afternoon and evening poking around the beautiful city. We stayed two nights, so the next day we explored the area and were drawn to hike up to the castle with its ramparts and ruins on the lovely trail that meandered up that big hill. The views of the beach and city below were amazing.
I'd read from others that Irun was not nearly as nice as San Sebastian, so chose to skip it. I know we missed some additional incredible views if we'd walked from there, but I didn't care.
View attachment 181787View attachment 181788View attachment 181789

OMG. You didn't see the unicorns flittering around the butterfly palace?

 

[Joynz]

I used to fly all night to Madrid (MAD) from the USA. Get a connecting flight from MAD to EAS (San Sebastian) the same day... then try to crash for the night in Irun, overwhelmed by the time zone change and being amped for walking the camino. That first day of walking was rough.

This last time, after reading a suggestion from another American traveler here on the forum, I switched it up a bit. His plan is way better.

Fly all night to Madrid. I usually end up getting there around 9 am. By the time I'm through customs, etc, it's usually around 11 am. Get lucky with a hotel in Madrid near the airport (think Barajas) that will check you in early.

Sleep all day, sort of.

Next morning get a flight to Irún (San Sebastian / EAS) from Madrid. It is early enough.

Start walking immediately from the airport. The camino is right there. Spend your first night (on trail) in Donastia (San Sebastian).

I felt a little bit more rested and prepared for the first day that way.

Living in Australia, long haul flights are very common. Best advice is not to sleep all day when you arrive! Instead, stay awake until evening and sleep once it’s night time. This gives you the best chance of re-setting your body clock. And try to sleep on the plane on the way over, if you can.

 

[Anna Cameron]

...and drink lots of water, while flying and on arrival (waiting for sunset so you can finally crash)

 

[J Willhaus]

I have a different approach, both my husband and I have CPAP machines and sleep disorders. Getting your CPAP approved for use on the plane is difficult and any sleep we do get on a plane without one is not that great for us or the people around us. We just check in to our hotel early in the day after we arrive and sleep for a few hours no matter what the time, then get up and have supper and go back to sleep at the regular night time hour.

That seems to put us on the right schedule more quickly. We have both been in the military with night watches and operations and in the civilian sector as night shift workers (nurse and police officer). We've been to Madrid many times, so there's no pressing desire for sightseeing or trying to catch a train or bus to our start point when we arrive.

 

[GaryRobArms]

I spent my jet lag day in Hondarribia, adjacent to Irun to the north. A couple km from the airport. I really enjoyed exploring it. Beautiful waterfront walks, pleasant downtown area, some historical sights. Best octopus dinner I had on the entire trip.

Had a small room in a one star hotel near town centre. Nothing special, but probably less expensive than a night in Madrid.

And started the Norte from there.