Bus from Pamplona to St. Jean PDP

[captdave51]

My wife and I will be travelling in early April from Pamplona to St. Jean PDP. I have contacted Alsa for their bus schedule for April but they are saying that they do not make this journey. I know that do not make this journey at this time(winter) but I did tell them that I wanted to travel in April. Besides a taxi, does anyone have any other ideas?

 

[Iriebabel]

You can use https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Pamplona/Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. to get the schedule. ..also you can pay at the bus station. Once you get in the city. The bus station is location on the far edge of the city on in a concrete and glass building https://www.google.com/search?q=pam...ECA4QAw&biw=1366&bih=922#imgrc=Qx9hGXAkgRnSOM over by the old city walls not far from the cathedral. It’s downstairs. Also there is a supermarket located across the street if you want to get some supplies . Good luck Buen Camino. Here is the location of the station https://www.google.com/maps/place/P...m2!3m1!1s0xd509257e9f23ae9:0x60ba83c25e4ca401

 

[Deleted member 67185]

My wife and I will be travelling in early April from Pamplona to St. Jean PDP. I have contacted Alsa for their bus schedule for April but they are saying that they do not make this journey. I know that do not make this journey at this time(winter) but I did tell them that I wanted to travel in April. Besides a taxi, does anyone have any other ideas?

Hi, captdave,

I don't know how extensive your research was on taking a taxi, so I'll put this out there for your consideration.

When looking at transport options from Pamplona to SJPdP, I found this taxi company in Pamplona which specializes in taking pilgrims to SJPdP. You make an online reservation for pickup at your arrival location. During the reservation process, you have the option to select that you are willing to share a taxi with others going to SJPdP, so that the fare is split up. The company will work to schedule a full taxi for you, or assign you to a taxi from someone else's reservation to share.

 

[captdave51]

Thank you for the reply. I like the rometorio page also and have used it extensively before. I tried it before posting this thread but they are unable to find any tickets either. I travelled this route before so I know where the bus station is located.

 

[captdave51]

Dave, thanks for the taxi info. I will contact them as the date approaches if no bus decides to run the route.

 

[naplesdon]

The Napoleon is closed in April, so why not start in Pamplona.

 

[captdave51]

It was my research that said that it was going to open on April 1st. If the weather is bad, we will take the Valcarlos route.

 

[Iriebabel]

Hope this helps The information below is from the Conda website translate via google translate: ..


http://www.conda.es/eventos.php?tipo=3&id=438
Saint Jean de Pied de Port
St. Jean Pied de Port is a beautiful French town near Ostabat, where three of the great Jacobean cities converge within French territory:
The Podense from Le Puy, the Lemovicense from Limoges, the Touronense from Tours.
From this beautiful town part one of the most beautiful stages, the one that goes from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port to Orreaga / Roncesvalles (21km.) To make this stage, you can choose two alternatives:
The most accessible and recommended, especially when the weather conditions are adverse, leave St. Jean-Pied-de-Port on the road that leads to Luzaide / Valcarlos. (Learn more about Saint Jean de Pied de Port)
How to get?
It is a route that links Pamplona with the French town of Saint Jean de Pied de Port.
10:00 (1/6 - 30/9)
12:00 (20/6 - 5/9)
14:30 (1/3 - 2/11)
17:30 (1/4 - 2/11)
And from San Sebastian the schedule is as follows:
14:00 (1/7 - 30/8)
The service has been designed to serve as many passengers as possible, since it links with buses that come from both Madrid and Soria (first thing in the morning), Barcelona and Zaragoza (in the first available service), and those coming from San Sebastián.
Travelers from Madrid and Barcelona must purchase the ticket to access Saint Jean de Pied de Port as follows:
Ticket originating in your locality (Madrid or Barcelona) and destination Pamplona
Ticket from Pamplona and destination Saint Jean de Pied de Port,
Travelers from Zaragoza, Soria and San Sebastián will be able to place the French town of Saint Jean de Pied de Port directly.
For questions about services and schedules here
Buy your ticket

 

[captdave51]

Iriebabel, thank you for the reply. I did check out the Conda website also before posting the thread but was unable to buy tickets using the links provided. I guess I'll keep on trying.....

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Iriebabel, thank you for the reply. I did check out the Conda website also before posting the thread but was unable to buy tickets using the links provided. I guess I'll keep on trying.....

It may be that the site doesn't accept reservations until you get closer to the time of departure. As an experiment, try making a reservation for February 11 and see if it will accept the date. If it does, you might need to be within, say, 60 days of departure in order to make a reservation.

 

[captdave51]

Dave, that Conda site does not list St. Jean PDP as a destination for their trips to France from Spain. I'll just have to continue trying as the date approaches.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

In 2017 and 2018 ALSA/Conda started service in early March and in early April had two departures a day. They do not even show service until about two months before it starts. ALSA website handles the tickets. I believe the Conda webpage is out of date; treat it as an approximation. Anyway Artieda Autocares has service to Roncesvalles and PLM Autocares has Tuesday and Friday service to Valcarlos and Arneguy, both just a few hours walk from SJ.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Dave, that Conda site does not list St. Jean PDP as a destination for their trips to France from Spain. I'll just have to continue trying as the date approaches.

In case you searched for St. Jean; don't. You must spell St as Saint for the site to work.

 

[Sparrow in Texas]

Here are a few comments on taking a taxi from Pamplona to SJPdP which my daughter and I did in April 2016 sharing the cost. I generally prefer to not take a bus over the mountains. You are able to get a taxi right outside the train station in Pamplona and not have to cross town to the bus station, thus you will arrive in SJPdP somewhat earlier, good after a long transatlantic flight. It is a more expensive option but one of the few times I would splurge on transportation. The taxi driver told us all sorts of interesting and useful information during the trip and the views of the mountains beautiful.

 

[Judymiddle]

There will be 2 of us that are trying to get the bus from Pamplona to SJPP on April 10th in the afternoon. Alsa schedule shows a bus on April 9th and April 11th. Anyone else needing transport to SJPP at that time who would like to share a taxi? I tried clicking on the link above that DaveBugg suggested but it says it is an unsecure site. Do you have the name I could look up? Thanks everyone!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

There will be 2 of us that are trying to get the bus from Pamplona to SJPP on April 10th in the afternoon. Alsa schedule shows a bus on April 9th and April 11th. Anyone else needing transport to SJPP at that time who would like to share a taxi? I tried clicking on the link above that DaveBugg suggested but it says it is an unsecure site. Do you have the name I could look up? Thanks everyone!

I just tried it with http instead of https (the error message on my Chrome browser indicated to me that the problem was incompatible security protocols - other browsers may not be so specific with the message - and I trust the site anyway.) I was not able to get them to give me an April date. It is probably too far in the future.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

There will be 2 of us that are trying to get the bus from Pamplona to SJPP on April 10th in the afternoon. Alsa schedule shows a bus on April 9th and April 11th. Anyone else needing transport to SJPP at that time who would like to share a taxi? I tried clicking on the link above that DaveBugg suggested but it says it is an unsecure site. Do you have the name I could look up? Thanks everyone!

I do not think that the site being unsecure is much of an issue. If you need to do a transaction payment then I would be concerned unless that transaction is done through a secure site.

 

[Iriebabel]

@captdave51 I agree with most all the comments above in one way or another. .
I also agree with @davebugg to wait untill you get closer to your departure to make the reservations because this may be the reason for the problems on the site. when I walked there was 2 busses on the schedule perday from Pamplona.

I walked from SJPD 1 April 2018. I arrived in Pamplona 29 March then took the bus out on 31 March. Like you I had trouble booking and I had to wait in order to make the reservations. I bought my tickets at the bus station in Pamplona for the 1:30 Pm bus to St Jean on the day of departure. I didn’t have any problems and there were still seats on the bus. I don’t think you will have any trouble getting a seat as this time of year as not too many people are walking so I recommend buying your tickets in Pamplona. If you arrive early you can just walk over to the bus station to buy your ticket for the next day.

The Napoleon route is almost always closed 1 April so I am fairly sure you will have to go Valcarlos I think but you can check with the pilgrims office in St Jean for updated info ...they have a member here on the forum also. You will get a chance to see the route fron the bus . Good luck

 

[Priscilla NC]

There will be 2 of us that are trying to get the bus from Pamplona to SJPP on April 10th in the afternoon. Alsa schedule shows a bus on April 9th and April 11th. Anyone else needing transport to SJPP at that time who would like to share a taxi? I tried clicking on the link above that DaveBugg suggested but it says it is an unsecure site. Do you have the name I could look up? Thanks everyone!

Judy, there's a good chance I'll be doing that on April 10th. I buy my ticket this coming week. I'll PM you! And, I've had the same trouble checking all this out as you did.

 

[Ecuador12]

Dave,
I arrive Madrid on April 5th, from Dallas, and will be traveling from Pamplona to St Jean on April 7. I have read the bus is available as well. The Napoleon route is open as mentioned, but most will recommend you not take this route due to snow, however many people go anyway and are fine. I will be going the Napoleon route short of a blizzard, since last year I went Valcarlos.

 

[t2andreo]

It was my research that said that it was going to open on April 1st. If the weather is bad, we will take the Valcarlos route.

Only God and the weather determine when the pass is actually open. April 1 is a relative date for reference. You ought not rely on that for making hard and fast plans.

My suggestion, if you are fixed on starting at SJPdP, is to make three alternative plans:

Plan A - the pilgrim office tells you, when you arrive, that the Napoleon Pass is open or will be tomorrow... follow Plan A

Plan B - plan to follow the Valcarlos Route from SJPdP to Roncesvalles, many have done so. The difference is that this route more or less follows the serpentine road over the Pyrenees from France into Spain. So, it is kept clear of snow all year. There is some road walking. Research the Valcarlos Route here in the Forum.

Plan C - pre-investigate and make reservations as needed to have Express Bourricot drive you over the mountains to Roncesvalles the next morning. Plan to be taxied over in the morning, after breakfast at SJPdP. Then you can start fresh walking from Roncesvalles to Zubiri, or onwards towards Pamplona. The drive over the mountains is about 45 minutes, and is not for the faint-hearted. I have driven it in summer weather. It is very windy and equal to the world's best amusement park rides.

Failing all of this, and if you are open to it, consider starting at Pamplona. Personally, I plan to fly there from Madrid. Coming out of Florida, I fly from Miami to Madrid on Iberia, then connect in the same Terminal 4 to Pamplona. There are several flights daily. For me, flying into Madrid is straightforward and easy. From there I fly to Bilbao, Barcelona, Santiago, etc. with ease.

Hope this helps.

 

[Judymiddle]

Judy, there's a good chance I'll be doing that on April 10th. I buy my ticket this coming week. I'll PM you! And, I've had the same trouble checking all this out as you did.

 

[Judymiddle]

That would be awesome! I look forward to hearing from you!

 

[Iriebabel]

Dave,
I arrive Madrid on April 5th, from Dallas, and will be traveling from Pamplona to St Jean on April 7. I have read the bus is available as well. The Napoleon route is open as mentioned, but most will recommend you not take this route due to snow, however many people go anyway and are fine. I will be going the Napoleon route short of a blizzard, since last year I went Valcarlos.

Yes many people do go but its not only is it not recommended I believe it is illegal when is is closed by local authority. I do not recommend you take the Napoleon if closed. 2 Pilgrims were rescued last year in April the very week when I walked. They were fined and also had to pay the cost of the rescue. Storms are fast moving and even if you are a seasoned veteran mountain hiker you not only risks your life but you risk the life of those who come to rescue you. My recommendation is to check with the Pilgrim’s office in St. Jean to determine what conditions are before setting out. Also just as additional note I departed 1 April and parts of the Valcarlos route were impassable due to winter conditions we had to take to the road as recommend by the pilgrims office. By the way, don't discount the Valcarlos route it is equally beautiful and challenging. The climb at the end is not to be scuffed at....

 

[Jenyat53]

There will be 2 of us that are trying to get the bus from Pamplona to SJPP on April 10th in the afternoon. Alsa schedule shows a bus on April 9th and April 11th. Anyone else needing transport to SJPP at that time who would like to share a taxi? I tried clicking on the link above that DaveBugg suggested but it says it is an unsecure site. Do you have the name I could look up? Thanks everyone!

Judy I will also be looking for a taxi on April 10 but will be planning to leave Pamplina after breakfast so I can walk to Valcarlos that night. We may well meet on the road . Buen camino!

 

[Judymiddle]

Judy I will also be looking for a taxi on April 10 but will be planning to leave Pamplina after breakfast so I can walk to Valcarlos that night. We may well meet on the road . Buen camino!

Hope to see you on the trail! Buen Camino!

 

[Judymiddle]

Only God and the weather determine when the pass is actually open. April 1 is a relative date for reference. You ought not rely on that for making hard and fast plans.

My suggestion, if you are fixed on starting at SJPdP, is to make three alternative plans:

Plan A - the pilgrim office tells you, when you arrive, that the Napoleon Pass is open or will be tomorrow... follow Plan A

Plan B - plan to follow the Valcarlos Route from SJPdP to Roncesvalles, many have done so. The difference is that this route more or less follows the serpentine road over the Pyrenees from France into Spain. So, it is kept clear of snow all year. There is some road walking. Research the Valcarlos Route here in the Forum.

Plan C - pre-investigate and make reservations as needed to have Express Bourricot drive you over the mountains to Roncesvalles the next morning. Plan to be taxied over in the morning, after breakfast at SJPdP. Then you can start fresh walking from Roncesvalles to Zubiri, or onwards towards Pamplona. The drive over the mountains is about 45 minutes, and is not for the faint-hearted. I have driven it in summer weather. It is very windy and equal to the world's best amusement park rides.

Failing all of this, and if you are open to it, consider starting at Pamplona. Personally, I plan to fly there from Madrid. Coming out of Florida, I fly from Miami to Madrid on Iberia, then connect in the same Terminal 4 to Pamplona. There are several flights daily. For me, flying into Madrid is straightforward and easy. From there I fly to Bilbao, Barcelona, Santiago, etc. with ease.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for such a thorough response! We are definitely staying flexible on which route to take from SJPP! We are hoping to make reservations for Orisson night of 10/11.

 

[Judymiddle]

Dave, thanks for the taxi info. I will contact them as the date approaches if no bus decides to run the route.

A friend and are will be traveling from Pamplona to SJPP on April 10th. We are taking the train from Madrid and since it’s too early to book the train I’m not sure what time we’ll arrive in Pamplona, hoping to arrive early afternoon. I’m going to reserve a taxi for pick-up at the train station to go to SJPP. If you have same schedule we could also share taxi!

 

[Judymiddle]

I’ve checked out the taxi for Pilgrims, pick-up at Pamplona train station for transport to SJPP. It would be very reasonable cost if we were able to share. I look forward to hearing from you after you’ve decided on your schedule!

 

[Priscilla NC]

I’ve checked out the taxi for Pilgrims, pick-up at Pamplona train station for transport to SJPP. It would be very reasonable cost if we were able to share. I look forward to hearing from you after you’ve decided on your schedule!

Judy, I'm getting my plane ticket on Tuesday -- planning on being in Pamplona on April 10 after taking the bus from Madrid. My plane should arrive early morning. I'lll let you know for sure once I have my ticket in hand.

 

[Priscilla NC]

Judy, I sent you a message. You can find it in the 'inbox' heading at the top.

 

[Susan M Fron]

My wife and I will be travelling in early April from Pamplona to St. Jean PDP. I have contacted Alsa for their bus schedule for April but they are saying that they do not make this journey. I know that do not make this journey at this time(winter) but I did tell them that I wanted to travel in April. Besides a taxi, does anyone have any other ideas?

I have also used the Rome to Rio sight & I cannot get a bus schedule to come up even within the next month or two. I am traveling in August and I planned to take an early flight out of Madrid to Pamplona and then catch the bus in to St Jean. Now my flight connection from Madrid to Pamplona has been changed to 5 in the afternoon. I don't think there is a bus that late in the day. Does anyone know if that's true? I may just be staying in Pamplona overnight and then catching a bus out early the next day too st.jean and start my Camino to Orisson midday.

 

[captdave51]

Historically, I believe that the last bus leaves Pamplona at 5:30 in August with the first one out the next morning at 10am. Check out this link: http://www.conda.es/eventos.php?tipo=3&id=438

 

[Susan M Fron]

Great. Thanks. I may take a train to Pamplona and catch the earlier bus. Thanks, again.

 

[captdave51]

Yes, we're planning on taking a train from Madrid at 7:30am arriving in Pamplona around 11:15. The bus station is on the other side of town but a nice walk or taxi ride. You can then take the 2:30pm bus to SJPDP.

 

[trecile]

I have used https://loco2.com/en to search for train schedules, and if the train is not yet available to book you can sign up for alerts. Last time I did that I was able to get a preferente/first class ticket for 23.20€.

 

[Susan M Fron]

I have used https://loco2.com/en to search for train schedules, and if the train is not yet available to book you can sign up for alerts. Last time I did that I was able to get a preferente/first class ticket for 23.20€.

Thanks, good source.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Yes, we're planning on taking a train from Madrid at 7:30am arriving in Pamplona around 11:15. The bus station is on the other side of town but a nice walk or taxi ride. You can then take the 2:30pm bus to SJPDP.

Right outside the train station is a bus shelter. According to Pamplona's street bus stop there is an hourly bus (line A) direct to the bus station. There is also more frequent service on line 9 with stops along the way.

infotuc.com or .es

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Historically, I believe that the last bus leaves Pamplona at 5:30 in August with the first one out the next morning at 10am. Check out this link: http://www.conda.es/eventos.php?tipo=3&id=438

Don't trust those dates; I think the page is outdated. But over a couple of years the times are correct for the approximate dates.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Now my flight connection from Madrid to Pamplona has been changed to 5 in the afternoon.

The hourly line A bus I mention a few posts ago actually is a train station to bus station to airport (and reverse route.)

 

[Michael; Camino-addicted]

There is a bus from Pamplona to St. Jean, for example 5. and 6 April 2019.

Pamplona 14:30

St. Jean 16:15

price: 22,- €

www.alsa.es

To find it, you have to write: Pamplona and Saint Jean (not St. Jean)

I don´t know the exactly place, where the bus starts in Pamplona - Estacion de Autobus?????

 

[Iriebabel]

There is a bus from Pamplona to St. Jean, for example 5. and 6 April 2019.

Pamplona 14:30

St. Jean 16:15

price: 22,- €

www.alsa.es

To find it, you have to write: Pamplona and Saint Jean (not St. Jean)

I don´t know the exactly place, where the bus starts in Pamplona - Estacion de Autobus?????

See Post#2

 

[Susan M Fron]

My flight doesn't get in to Pamplona until 5:20 pm

 

[Michael; Camino-addicted]

Like it is written in another post, I can also not find a connection later than 5.30pm

 

[Susan M Fron]

Dave, that Conda site does not list St. Jean PDP as a destination for their trips to France from Spain. I'll just have to continue trying as the date approaches.

I think you have to type in Saint Jean Pied de Port

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I think you have to type in Saint Jean Pied de Port

You do but when the post was made that didn't help as the site said something like "destination not found" instead of something like "the schedule hasn't been entered for this year yet". The schedule for the next six months has now been entered and can be searched.