Do you know the way to Pamplona??

[Lurch]

Tried to find an answer in the archives, but no joy! There are 4 of us planning to do the Frances in late Sept/Oct. 2 are in great shape, my neighbor the Superintendant at Cedar Breaks Nat. Monument and his wife. The other 2, including me, are not in the same league. We would like to fly into Paris and start at SJPdP. I know with my dodgy knee that the Pyrenees are a no-go, and #4, another neighbor feels the same.

Question I have is, is there a bus that travels the Camino Frances that we could travel SJPdP to Pamplona, while the hikers walk the same route? Or should we travel separately to Madrid and bus it to Pamplona while the others go via Paris?

Thanks for any assistance you experienced peregrino/a’s can give us.

 

[Dorpie]

Hi Lurch,

Sympathies on the knee, I was relieved that mine held out on my first camino 6 months after a minor operation.

Looks like there's a bus that does run costing only 22 euro, though as far as I can tell only in season. What constitutes the season is unclear, they only seem to start on April 1st and a schedule up until September doesn't seem to have been published yet. ALSA.

Cheers,

Rob.

 

[Kanga]

Even if starting in SJPDP I find it cheaper to go from Madrid than Paris - there is a bus direct from Madrid airport to Pamplona, and a simple change at the bus station in Pamplona to a bus that goes direct to SJPDP.

Regardless of the way you make your way to SJPDP - there is definitely a bus that travels back to Pamplona and which you could take (in season). But you would then be three or four days ahead of your friends. The bus takes one hour and 45 minutes, the walk takes three or four days!

There are intermediate stops.

(Edited) I did think of sharing a taxi, but from SJPDP all the way to Pamplona would be pretty expensive.

 

[Robo]

How many days all up are you planning to walk? All the way to Santiago?

I presume part of the trip is about walking with your friends?

So why not just walk with your friends and skip the parts that might be hard on your knee?

What do you find hardest on your knee? Uphill? Downhill? Hard surfaces?

An option for example could be:

Walk part of Day 1 up to Orisson. And catch a lift back down with Express Bouricourt. (Book in SJPDP)
Jump ahead to Roncesvalles and meet your friends there, avoiding the steep down hill section.
Walk to Alto de Erro or just to Bizkarreta, and get a taxi to Zubiri avoiding the steep downhill. (Taxi numbers are displayed there)
The walk into Pamplona should be OK for you, but you cut that short too.

The infrastructure on the Frances is good, so getting buses and taxis along the way would help you to keep up with your friends.

Just a thought.

 

[Dorpie]

How many days all up are you planning to walk? All the way to Santiago?

I presume part of the trip is about walking with your friends?

So why not just walk with your friends and skip the parts that might be hard on your knee?

What do you find hardest on your knee? Uphill? Downhill? Hard surfaces?

An option for example could be:

Walk part of Day 1 up to Orisson. And catch a lift back down with Express Bouricourt. (Book in SJPDP)
Jump ahead to Roncesvalles and meet your friends there, avoiding the steep down hill section.
Walk to Alto de Erro or just to Bizkarreta, and get a taxi to Zubiri avoiding the steep downhill. (Taxi numbers are displayed there)
The walk into Pamplona should be OK for you, but you cut that short too.

The infrastructure on the Frances is good, so getting buses and taxis along the way would help you to keep up with your friends.

Just a thought.

Good points to raise Robo.

Personally I found the walk down the rocks from Alto De Perdon (just outside Pamplona) to Uterga far harder on the knees that the walk from SJPdP to Roncesvalles.

 

[Anamiri]

Yes they were awful, and I picked my way slowly slowly down. They were deliberately put there. WHY????

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Question I have is, is there a bus that travels the Camino Frances that we could travel SJPdP to Pamplona, while the hikers walk the same route? Or should we travel separately to Madrid and bus it to Pamplona while the others go via Paris?

There is the daily (in season) ALSA/CONDA bus from SJPdP to Pamplona (CONDA is partly owned by the bigger ALSA.) It will be a fare of 22 euros. But there is another bus that you may want to take (though it only runs Tuesdays and Fridays.) PLMautocares runs between Pamplona, Valcarlos and Arneguy (Pekotxeta.) You do the gentle walk from SJPdP to Arneguy or Valcarlos and then bus over the hard part.

See the schedules for both bus lines on a pdf put out by the SJPdP tourist office at http://www.saintjeanpieddeport-paysbasque-tourisme.com/content/download/1884/17030/file/MAJ COMPOSTELLE-2018 FRANCAIS.pdf

Ignore where it says 2017. They meant 2018 because their schedule for 2017 was different. The dates and times match up until September when ALSA's online booking fails because ALSA never loads the dates that far in advance. I checked the dates myself on the https://www.alsa.es/en/ website and so I trust SJ getting the later autumn dates correct on their schedule. On the site you have to spell Saint out in full.

 

[bernhugo]

Try checking with Caroline at Express Bourricot. Look her up on line.
Caroline can take you from SJPdP to Pamplona if that is want you want.
If there are other people who want to do the same thing, the fare will be divided by the number of people going.
You can't do any harm in ringing her to ask, she is a nice person and will help if she can.

 

[trecile]

Like others, I didn't find the Pyrenees any harder on my knees that some other sections of the Camino Frances.

 

[Lurch]

Like others, I didn't find the Pyrenees any harder on my knees that some other sections of the Camino Frances.

I may not, but will be 73, and this is my 5th right knee replacement...just planning ahead for “what-ifs”.

Both uphill and downhill are equally painful at present. Three months out from surgery, so stil some healing to go.

 

[Lurch]

How many days all up are you planning to walk? All the way to Santiago?

I presume part of the trip is about walking with your friends?

So why not just walk with your friends and skip the parts that might be hard on your knee?

What do you find hardest on your knee? Uphill? Downhill? Hard surfaces?

An option for example could be:

Walk part of Day 1 up to Orisson. And catch a lift back down with Express Bouricourt. (Book in SJPDP)
Jump ahead to Roncesvalles and meet your friends there, avoiding the steep down hill section.
Walk to Alto de Erro or just to Bizkarreta, and get a taxi to Zubiri avoiding the steep downhill. (Taxi numbers are displayed there)
The walk into Pamplona should be OK for you, but you cut that short too.

The infrastructure on the Frances is good, so getting buses and taxis along the way would help you to keep up with your friends.

Just a thought.

I’m planning on five weeks +/- travel time from Dulles and back to Las Vegas. Lot is going to depend on how the knee holds up in training beforehand. But have thought about using bus if necessary. Thanks for the corroboration, though.

 

[Lurch]

Wanted to thank everyone for their input. I have almost 7 months to determine my physical condition and how it will impact my walking ability on different surfaces. I do know that poles are a must. Loose downhills should not bother me. With size 16shoes, I may just ski down them!

 

[Susan M Fron]

Tried to find an answer in the archives, but no joy! There are 4 of us planning to do the Frances in late Sept/Oct. 2 are in great shape, my neighbor the Superintendant at Cedar Breaks Nat. Monument and his wife. The other 2, including me, are not in the same league. We would like to fly into Paris and start at SJPdP. I know with my dodgy knee that the Pyrenees are a no-go, and #4, another neighbor feels the same.

Question I have is, is there a bus that travels the Camino Frances that we could travel SJPdP to Pamplona, while the hikers walk the same route? Or should we travel separately to Madrid and bus it to Pamplona while the others go via Paris?

Thanks for any assistance you experienced peregrino/a’s can give us.

I am traveling from Pamplona to sjpdp so I'm thinking there is one going the other direction. Check https://www.rome2rio.com/map/St-Jean-Pied-de-Port/Pamplona

Or fly from Paris to Madrid and train to Pamplona?

 

[Maiz]

Even if starting in SJPDP I find it cheaper to go from Madrid than Paris - there is a bus direct from Madrid airport to Pamplona, and a simple change at the bus station in Pamplona to a bus that goes direct to SJPDP.

Regardless of the way you make your way to SJPDP - there is definitely a bus that travels back to Pamplona and which you could take (in season). But you would then be three or four days ahead of your friends. The bus takes one hour and 45 minutes, the walk takes three or four days!

There are intermediate stops.

(Edited) I did think of sharing a taxi, but from SJPDP all the way to Pamplona would be pretty expensive.

Hi Kanga Can you let me know what bus runs from Madrid airport to Pamplona? Do you know if the train from Madid airport will go to Pamplona? Thanks. Maiz

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Can you let me know what bus runs from Madrid airport to Pamplona?

PLM Autocares has a Monday to Saturday bus to Pamplona leaving T4 at noon (12:15). I think the cost is a bit less than 40 euros. There may be other lines too.

https://www.plmautocares.com/rutas/
https://www.plmautocares.com/servicio-aeropuerto-barajas-t4/
https://www.plmautocares.com/horarios/

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Tried to find an answer in the archives, but no joy! There are 4 of us planning to do the Frances in late Sept/Oct. 2 are in great shape, my neighbor the Superintendant at Cedar Breaks Nat. Monument and his wife. The other 2, including me, are not in the same league. We would like to fly into Paris and start at SJPdP. I know with my dodgy knee that the Pyrenees are a no-go, and #4, another neighbor feels the same.

Question I have is, is there a bus that travels the Camino Frances that we could travel SJPdP to Pamplona, while the hikers walk the same route? Or should we travel separately to Madrid and bus it to Pamplona while the others go via Paris?

Thanks for any assistance you experienced peregrino/a’s can give us.

Just thinking if the Valcarlos Route had been considered? Valcarlos is 12 km from SJPdP. The rise is not too bad, not anywhere like to Orisson. The second day does have a steep section but short compared to the Napoleon Route. If uphill is workable, Valcarlos and everyone jumping off from SJPdP could work. That way you cal all stay together.

 

[cesleeth]

Good points to raise Robo.

Personally I found the walk down the rocks from Alto De Perdon (just outside Pamplona) to Uterga far harder on the knees that the walk from SJPdP to Roncesvalles.

I agree. I thought that walk down from Alton De Perdon the worst.

 

[taozenqi]

Hi Kanga Can you let me know what bus runs from Madrid airport to Pamplona? Do you know if the train from Madid airport will go to Pamplona? Thanks. Maiz

I took the Metro train from Madrid airport to the second or third stop (ask at airport) and then took a train to Pamplona. Easy connections and very clean, comfortable trains.

 

[Kanga]

Hi Kanga Can you let me know what bus runs from Madrid airport to Pamplona? Do you know if the train from Madid airport will go to Pamplona? Thanks. Maiz

Sorry @Maiz but I did not see your question until today - to get someone's attention on the forum it helps to put the little "@" sign in front of their name - that way they will get an alert.

The bus that runs from Madrid airport to Pamplona - PLM Autocares leaves Barajas T4: 12:15h, arrives Pamplona at 18:15, or

ALSA: leaves T4 at 1:15 (am) and arrives at Pamplona at 6:30, leave T4 at 10:45 and arrives Pamplona at 15:35, leaves T4 at 15:15 and arrives Pamplona at 20:15, leaves T4 at 19:45 and arrives Pamplona at 1:00 (am). On ALSO you change buses at Soria - but it is easy, all in the one bus station.

You can book online for PLM Autocares here: https://www.plmautocares.com and on ALSO here: https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/national-destinations

For the train you travel from the airport to Atocha or Chamartin train station, and catch the train to Pamplona from there. I find it easiest to travel from the airport to Atocha or Chamartin by Cercanias train. You can do it by metro or the airport bus but I find it a bit more complicated and I go by Cercanias from the T4 terminal (which is where I usually arrive). You can buy your train ticket to Pamplona at the Renfe office in T4 (near where the Cercanias train departs) or online by using the Renfe site or an agency - Trainline is the one I find easiest and cheapest.

See this post for a complete compendium of links: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...to-roncesvalles-and-sjpdp-via-pamplona.23395/

 

[Maiz]

Thank you Kanga. That was my first post and had no idea to include the '@' sign.

 

[VNwalking]

Loose downhills should not bother me. With size 16shoes, I may just ski down them!

I thought that walk down from Alton De Perdon the worst.

It was nasty, indeed. Here's what that back side of Alto de Perdon looks like - the photo looks less steep than it is. But...I found the first time down much harder than the second, when I knew what was coming.

 

[Maiz]

@Maiz

Thanks for the photo. How soon after leaving Pamplona does this take place? How long does a careful descent take and what advice can you provide?

 

[t2andreo]

I have a question that some of you might have an answer for. I arrive at Madrid Barajas, Terminal 4, on American Airlines this Wednesday morning. My Camino starts at Ponferrada, and I already have a ticket for the ALSA bus that departs from Terminal 4 at Barajas.

Here is the question: Where in front of the exit from the Customs hall at Terminal 4 is the ALSA bus to be found?

My plane is scheduled to land at 08:20, and the bus departure is at 10:00. So, there is no time to waste. I would like to know where to go directly from baggage claim and the Customs exit.

Thanks in advance for the assist.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I agree with Kanga.
Having flown into both Paris and Madrid, Madrid is my destination of choice every year.
From there, I catch an easy bus right outside the terminal door to Pamplona.
Find schedules on the ALSA or CONDA website.

 

[apoivre]

If you are not familiar with European travel, there are lots of direct flights to secondary airports which are way closer to Pamplona than Madrid is. Seeing that your trip is 6 months out you have plenty of time to lock in a good price.

For example, non-stop flights from Paris Orly to Biarritz in September start at $60 (use www.skyscanner.com to track prices and book your tickets). And then it's a short hop by bus from the airport to Bayonne and on to St Jean Pied de Port.
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Biarritz-Airport-BIQ/Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
From the same airport you could travel to Pamplona in a couple of hours via Hendaye:
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Biarritz-Airport-BIQ/Pamplona.

Flying into Bilbao or even Zaragoza would work well for Pamplona, too. There's just very little sense in flying all the way to Madrid and then bussing it back, I think. Unless you like long bus rides, of course.

Hope it helps

 

[Dorpie]

@Maiz

Thanks for the photo. How soon after leaving Pamplona does this take place? How long does a careful descent take and what advice can you provide?

@Maiz

Sorry, very late reply, hope it's still of use.

The descent comes roughly 15km out from Pamplona almost immediately after the pilgrim sculptures. You go down 200m in about 1km of distance and then it becomes much less severe for another km or so. The time it takes very much depends but expect to be going at best half your usual walking pace.

Rob.

 

[Maiz]

Thanks for the reply Rob. Have completed the descent. I think the descent from Foncenbadon was similar. It has been a great journey and still some way to go before Santiago!@Maiz