Lost on travel from North Carolina US

[NCfishboy]

So I have been lurking around for a while now but am still lost on traveling. Does anyone have any tips on traveling from eastern North Carolina. I am looking to walk from St Jean Pied de Port to the ocean next September to October. Thanks.

 

[scruffy1]

NCfishboy
There are 1-2 almost daily direct flights from Raleigh/Durham to both Madrid or Paris-However-I have the opposite problem, must attend a conference at Duke and the direct flights from Europe have been booked ages ago so try and book well ahead of time. Other options are through Atlanta (bad) or New York (bad) or perhaps what I have down, a train to DC.

S

 

[Kitsambler]

... Raleigh/Durham... Other options are through Atlanta (bad) or New York (bad) or perhaps what I have down, a train to DC.

There are good international connections from Washington-Dulles (code IAD), with short connecting domestic flights down to Raleigh-Durham. Also Charlotte is a possibility.

 

[edandjoan]

Flew nonstop from Charlotte to Madrid a month ago. Only went to Leon so we took the wonderful trains they have in Europe..need those in the USA. Took 3 planes to return home from Santiago and some time consuming searches at each check point in Madrid.

 

[NCfishboy]

Thanks, I will take a look. Is it easy to get from Madrid to SJPP?

 

[jeff001]

If you are starting in St Jean it is much easier to fly into France rather than Spain. This usually involves connecting through Biarritz and taking the train from there to St. Jean.

 

[MMMoffitt]

Thank you for these posts. I am traveling from North Carolina and have been going back and forth regarding flying into France or Spain. If I fly into Paris, it is recommended to take a train to Biarritz and the on to SJPP?

Mary Margaret

 

[scruffy1]

Biarritz or Bayonne by bus but check the timetable, off season they are few and far between.

S

 

[jeff001]

I connected in Paris with a flight to Biarritz. From there you can catch a local bus - about 45 min - to the Bayonne train station. Because I arrived after the last train to St Jean I stayed overnight at the Hotel Paris Madrid which is right next to the stations and caught the early morning train to St. Jean. In the afternoon I walked up to Orisson to spend the first night. It worked out very well.

 

[whariwharangi]

The information about flights from North America to Europe is best found through online bucket shops such as Expedia.

Europe has a large number of discount airlines. Easy Jet, Ryan Air, Transavia are but a few. The best way i've found is to go to the destination airport and see who flies there. My flight from London to Biarritz ran about $80.00.

In my case I am travelling from Vancouver BC Canada. Best option was to travel to London and from there go to Biarritz. I'm spending a night in London to keep the travel 'day' from getting too long.

One advantage of going by way of London is that Britain is not a Schengen treaty country. That means your 90 day Schengen 'visa' doesn't start till you get to Biarritz.

There is a train several times a day from Biarritz to SJPP.

Its all online and in English.

 

[mspath]

.....
There is a train several times a day from Biarritz to SJPP.

I connected in Paris with a flight to Biarritz. From there you can catch a local bus - about 45 min - to the Bayonne train station. Because I arrived after the last train to St Jean I stayed overnight at the Hotel Paris Madrid which is right next to the stations and caught the early morning train to St. Jean. In the afternoon I walked up to Orisson to spend the first night. It worked out very well.

Two further points help clarify these helpful responses.

There is NO train from Biarritz to SJPdP.

However, As jeff001 mentions from Biarritz airport you take a local bus to the Bayonne train station for the local TER line 62 train to SJPdP. In Bayonne the Hotel Paris Madrid is presently CLOSED. One other hotel possibility close to the rail station is the Hotel San Miguel.8, Bis Rue Sainte Catherine. See this link >> http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/san-miguel.en.html.

Happy planning and Buen Camino,

Margaret Meredith

 

[Icacos]

However, As jeff001 mentions from Biarritz airport you take a local bus to the Bayonne train station for the local TER line 62 train to SJPdP.

All this info is very helpful. I expect to arrive at Biarritz airport at 9:30 one night in early April next year, and had expected to take a taxi to my hotel in Bayonne, which I chose because it is near the train station and easy access to SJPP. As my flight will be long (Vancouver BC, via Amsterdam and Lyon) I am booked for two nights in Bayonne to regroup before I start my camino. Two questions: Can I still get a local bus that late at night from Biarritz airport to the train station in Bayonne (and walk to my Hotel Cote Basque, 2 Rue Maubec) or should I stay with my taxi plan? And is Bayonne a good place to spend a day of sightseeing, or is it better to head out to SJPP the following day even if I do so later in the day? Or, third question: Is it simply a matter of personal preference? Thank you. :arrow:

 

[mspath]

charlesx,

The local bus company for travel from Biarritz airport to Bayonne is Chronoplus. Here is their web page >>http://www.chronoplus.eu/. Search what is presently available to assume what might be available next spring. Nothing is a sure thing when traveling!

To help you decide re visiting Bayonne here is the official city tourist board site >>http://www.bayonne-tourisme.com/.

I have never stayed there, but have only changed trains to board the line 62 TER for SJPdP.

Bon Voyage,

Margaret Meredith

 

[whariwharangi]

Biarritz airport link describing how to get to/from the airport

http://en.biarritz.aeroport.fr/location ... ccess.html

Two ways to get from Biarritz/Anglet/Bayonne Airport to Gare Bayonne. Both involve using the local bus service Chronoplus. Chronoplus schedule indicates the service shuts down arount 20h00 so if you arrive later ...

Chronoplus (local bus)
http://www.chronoplus.eu/

SNCF/TER (train) - for Acquitane Region
http://www.ter-sncf.com/Regions/aquitai ... fault.aspx

Option A: Ligne 14 which goes from Anglet Aeroport (as its called on chronoplus schedule) going in the direction Gare Bayonne. 1 euro. The schedule is not frequent ... every hour to hour and a half so detailed planning is needed. The bus ride is 45 minutes. This option is the simplest.

Option B: Ligne C which goes from Anglet Aeroport to Gare Biarritz going in the direction Bidart Izarbel. 1 euro. This bus runs every half hour. The bus ride is about 10 minutes.

From Gare Biarritz take the train to Gare Bayonne. 2.70 euro. The trains run frequently ... 2 or 3 per hour ... but at irregular intervals. See the schedule.

From Gare Bayonne the train goes to St Jean Pied de Port 4 times per day. 9.40 euro.

 

[miamijhp]

In this direction find all combinations of airline flights. When you get it you have to copy the information and then go to the website of the airline and put that information in order to buy the ticket.
This product is used by travel agencies to find the combinations, but do not let you buy the ticket there.

En esta dirección encuentras todas las combinaciones de vuelos de las aerolíneas. Cuando lo consigues tienes que copiar la información y luego ir a la página de la aerolínea y poner esa información para poder comprar el ticket.
Esta página es la que usan las agencias de viajes para buscar las combinaciones, pero no te deja comprar el ticket alli.


http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

 

[gigibarry]

Flew into Biarritz in August to start from SJPP. Arrived on a public holiday so the trains weren't very frequent. Ended up sharing a taxi from the airport to SJPP. It costed €25pp. Easy to find people to share - just look for the people with the backpacks rather than the suitcase people headed to the beach! Probably didn't cost a lot more than the bus/train option and got us in hours earlier as we would have just missed one train and hours to the next. Buen camino!