April 28, 2023 - No trains from Biarritz to St. Jean - suggestions?

[lanval]

We just got a notification from SNCF that our trains for April 29 28 are cancelled from Biarritz to St. Jean.
Any last minute suggestions for the guy sitting in an airport gate in Manitoba?

[Date corrected by moderator]

 

[NualaOC]

Board your flight, order a G&T and trust that someone here will answer your question while you fly

Wishing you a safe journey and a Buen Camino. All will be well.

 

[Bradypus]

If you still have time then try booking seats with Express Bourricot. If the trains aren't running they will be busy. https://www.expressbourricot.com/persons-transport/

 

[mspath]

If you are arriving at either the Biarritz airport or rr station there may be other pilgrims on your plane or train. Look for backpacks. Ask to share a regular taxi from the airport or rr station to St Jean Pied de Porte. The distance is roughly 56 k or so. Good luck and Buen camino.

 

[Rick M]

This exact same thing happened to me once. When you get off the train in Bayonne, there will be other anxious people with backpacks who also need to get to SJPP. Express Bourricot is your first bet, sharing a taxi with someone else is your final recourse. There will be taxis sitting in the parking lot outside the train station just hoping to charge you for this fairly memorable ride. I paid 100 euros several years back, expect about 150 these days. It would not surprise me if the people in the train station were not actively forming up groups of pilgrims and marching them out to the taxis on strike days.

 

[lanval]

Express Bourricot tried to help us, but couldn’t help us as they are booked -they say the Camino is very busy right now. Nice people though!
We will follow their advice and look for a couple backpacks wandering at the airport and share a taxi.

 

[Kathor1]

Buen Camino, @lanval, you've been already given good advice and you will get to SJPP one way or the other. I am just curious:
- Is it on April 28 as in the title or on April 29 as in the first message?
- Was it departure from Biarritz with a change of train in Bayonne or departure from Bayonne?
- Is it "no trains at all and all trains are cancelled" or is it your train that is cancelled?

No need to reply , just as information for others: Due to sporadic and ongoing industrial action, trains on the line Bayonne to SJPP as well as trains on the line through Biarritz do get cancelled but some trains run as scheduled and others are replaced by a bus. French Railways recommend to check https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/ after 5 pm to see the schedule for the following day. Tomorrow, April 28, for example, three trains from Bayonne to SJPP are scheduled to run as usual (journey of about 1 hour) and two trains are scheduled to be replaced by a bus (journey of about 1h 40m).

 

[JustJack]

Express Bourricot tried to help us, but couldn’t help us as they are booked -they say the Camino is very busy right now. Nice people though!
We will follow their advice and look for a couple backpacks wandering at the airport and share a taxi.

I wonder if Express Bourricot is a service that tends to fill up at the last minute, or very close to departure day. I've been contacting them for the past month about a transfer from Biarritz airport to SJPDP on May 15, but each time they say there have been no other bookings for that day yet. Fingers crossed that changes over the next couple weeks.

 

[alexwalker]

Express Bourricot tried to help us, but couldn’t help us as they are booked -they say the Camino is very busy right now. Nice people though!
We will follow their advice and look for a couple backpacks wandering at the airport and share a taxi.

Different ways to SJPP:

Rome2Rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

Looks like a shared taxi (4 persons) would be ca 30-40 Euros each. Not bad.

 

[Kathor1]

check https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/ after 5 pm to see the schedule for the following day. Tomorrow, April 28, for example, three trains from Bayonne to SJPP are scheduled to run as usual (journey of about 1 hour) and two trains are scheduled to be replaced by a bus (journey of about 1h 40m).

Correction: I see now that the 17:13 train from Bayonne train station to SJPP is scheduled to be replaced by two buses. This is not surprising since tomorrow, Friday, is the start of the long 1st of May weekend and it will be busy with pilgrims. Bon voyage and buen Camino everyone!

 

[alexwalker]

Correction: I see now that the 17:13 train from Bayonne train station to SJPP is scheduled to be replaced by two buses. This is not surprising since tomorrow, Friday, is the start of the long 1st of May weekend and it will be busy with pilgrims. Bon voyage and buen Camino everyone!

Of course! Bad day for travel and walking, maybe. Nicely deducted, @Kathar1na !

 

[lanval]

Buen Camino, @lanval, you've been already given good advice and you will get to SJPP one way or the other. I am just curious:
- Is it on April 28 as in the title or on April 29 as in the first message?
- Was it departure from Biarritz with a change of train in Bayonne or departure from Bayonne?
- Is it "no trains at all and all trains are cancelled" or is it your train that is cancelled?

No need to reply , just as information for others: Due to sporadic and ongoing industrial action, trains on the line Bayonne to SJPP as well as trains on the line through Biarritz do get cancelled but some trains run as scheduled and others are replaced by a bus. French Railways recommend to check https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/ after 5 pm to see the schedule for the following day. Tomorrow, April 28, for example, three trains from Bayonne to SJPP are scheduled to run as usual (journey of about 1 hour) and two trains are scheduled to be replaced by a bus (journey of about 1h 40m).

Hi! Sorry, I’m already traveling tired.
I meant the 28th. It was from Biarritz - Bayonne - St Jean.
I’m thinking that we will take a quick taxi to the Bayonne station and see what is available; wether bus, train, or a taxi ride share.

 

[alexwalker]

Hi! Sorry, I’m already traveling tired.
I meant the 28th. It was from Biarritz - Bayonne - St Jean.
I’m thinking that we will take a quick taxi to the Bayonne station and see what is available; wether bus, train, or a taxi ride share.

As always: The best plan on the Camino is to not have a plan. As in wars, everything changes when you start.

Relax. All will be well. Live in the now, Camino-style.

 

[thejoker]

You could walk the very pleasant Voie de la Nive. You'd get to St Jean in 3 days and experience very quiet walking before you add to the masses.