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Advance train tickets

LouiseEdin

Louise Edinburgh
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances 2015; finnesterre 2015; CP from porto 2016; Frances 2017; Mozarabe Feb 2018; CP Sept 2018;
Hi
There are 6 of us travelling from bordeaux airpost to sjpp on Sat 12th October. Our flight gets in at 14.25 so we plan to get the train that's at about 16.00.

Is there any price advantage in buying tickets in advance like there is in the UK?

Thanks, louise
 
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Like plane tickets, the closer to your travel day the more expensive tickets become. On our trips from Paris to SJPP, I have purchased our train tickets in advanced and saved considerable money. For a last minute ticket you will more than likely pay full price. Plus, with 6 of you traveling together, you’ll want to make sure that there are enough seats on the train for all of you. My one concern is your connection time. You only have an hour and thirty-five minutes to catch your train from your “scheduled” landing time. I don’t know the Bordeaux set-up, but that could be cutting it close. You might want to consider if there is a later train and only travel as far as Bayonne. Overnight there and then take the first morning train to SJPP. Buen Camino.
 
Yes, prices are often cheaper when you book early.

Another thing to consider is that on long-distance trains, you can only book a ticket if there are seats available. No seats left = no bookable tickets. They do not oversell trains like they do here in Germany where you can book a ticket regardless of the availability of seats and in case of a full train will have to stand. I don't think this is the case for regional trains, which you will probably be able to catch from Bordeaux to Bayonne since it's not a very long journey. Just something to watch out for when choosing your connection.

I would also strongly suggest to consider a later train. You need to get to the train station from Bordeaux airport first, which seems to take about 30 min by bus.
 
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The best advantage of booking early is knowing you will definitely be able to travel that day. Often on the long distance lines out of Paris they get full up quick. As others have pointed out they do not over book but also I haven't noticed the price ever getting much worse or better

Bayonne is a nice town and your plan sounds good
 
I agree with the general advice to give yourself more time to get from the airport to the train station in Bordeaux. I used this airport 2 months ago travelling to Irun/Camino del Norte.

Note that statistically, budget airline flights that arrive before noon tend to be more or less on time, those that arrive in the afternoon tend to arrive late, and those that arrive in the evening can sometimes arrive super late (because each plane makes on average 6 flights per day and the delay increases with each flight)

For example, the Easyjet flight from London Gatwick yesterday (Saturday) was scheduled to arrive in Bordeaux at 14:15, but arrived 40 minutes late (see link) and landed (touchdown time) at 14:55 meaning the passengers probably left the terminal at 15:20-15:30 and getting on a 16:00 train from the station 15 km away could be quite difficult.

I also hope you don't fly with Ryanair, because they are currently leaving Bordeaux and started cancelling 40 different routes to and from there. By October they may not be flying there at all.

Ryanair Blames Airport Charges Hike For Bordeaux Base Closure | Aviation Week Network

Ryanair will close a base in Bordeaux—one of four it operates in France—at the end of the summer 2024 season.
aviationweek.com
 
I bought my train ticket from Madrid to Pamplona and Santiago to Madrid before I left Canada to walk the Camino Francés. On my last week walking, I met some people from Copenhagen who could not get a Train ticket from Santiago to Madrid on the day they wanted because there was no availability. So I was glad I bought mine before I left.
 
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Thank you , yes flight has been bought with ryanair. I'll keep a serious eye on this
 
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