An Alternate Route from Madrid to SJPP through Bayonne

[Stephan the Painter]

An all-year alternate route to SJPP instead of going through Pamplona.

If you're starting your trip in Madrid, there seem to be multiple buses every day from Madrid to Bayonne, France. A direct Bla Bla bus (6 hrs.), but sometimes ALSA is listed ( 9 hrs., with a connection). Various starting points, including the airport and train stations.
Then four 1 hour trains a day from Bayonne to SJPP.

Here is a link to my search on the Bla Bla Bus website.

You could conceivably do this in one day if you left on the earliest bus from Madrid. But even if you ended up spending the night in Bayonne, you would get to SJPP 4 or 5 hours earlier than if you go through Pamplona and take the early afternoon bus from there. And some of these buses run overnight.

 

[Bradypus]

In August a friend and I had planned an even quicker way. An early morning flight from Madrid to San Sebastian airport - which is actually just outside Irun. About a 5km walk or taxi ride to Hendaye and the SNCF trains to SJPDP. Unfortunately bad weather meant our landing was aborted a few feet above the runway and we were diverted to Bilbao. Iberia laid on bus transfers back to Irun and we still had time to walk into Irun, buy poles, have lunch and make it to SJPDP in time for a stroll around town before dinner in Beilari!

 

[Stephan the Painter]

In August a friend and I had planned an even quicker way. An early morning flight from Madrid to San Sebastian airport - which is actually just outside Irun. About a 5km walk or taxi ride to Hendaye and the SNCF trains to SJPDP. Unfortunately bad weather meant our landing was aborted a few feet above the runway and we were diverted to Bilbao. Iberia laid on bus transfers back to Irun and we still had time to walk into Irun, buy poles, have lunch and make it to SJPDP in time for a stroll around town before dinner in Beilari!

Nice journey! Lucky.
But of course, getting on a plane is almost always quicker than getting on land transport. And for people like me, who don't like to fly, this is a pretty good alternative that I don't think many people are aware of.

And buses or trains pretty seldom get canceled or diverted for bad weather. Buses especially have the added advantage that they usually don't have to be booked very far in advance.