Needing a little bit of reassurance/clarity

Stephen Tran · Apr 23, 2016

Hi everybody. I plan to be in Spain from June 4th to July 18th, a total of 45 days. I haven't pulled the trigger on the plane ticket yet because I'm not sure if I should add a bit more if I wanted to get from madrid > sjpdp > muxia.

Am I underestimating the Camino and should add a bit more days?

I'm also not completely sure how to get to sjpdp from madrid, but with a a little research I've found answers such as:

-taxi from madrid all the way to sjpdp
or
--Take the Renfe train from Madrid to Pamplona.
Take a taxi from the train station to the bus station in Pamplona.
Take a CONDA bus from Pamplona to SJPdP.

I found these options to be simple as I do not want to fly from madrid. What would you suggest by my options to get to SJPDP? Also what are you suggestions on how to get back to Madrid?

And lastly I've read a while ago that there was a calendar where pilgrims could see who was going to be in town on each day and I believe that if I were to be in town on the same day as another pilgrim we could possibly split the cost, where would I find this calendar?

Forgive me for all the questions and thank you so much!

november_moon · Apr 23, 2016

To get to SJPdP, I'd take the train to Pamplona and the a taxi (or bus if available). To get back to Madrid from Santiago, you can also take the train.

Pilgrim-S-414 · Apr 23, 2016

I agree, I'd take a train to Pamplona as well.
There is one event calendar here
http://caminoteca.com/en/camino-frances/events-on-the-camino/eventsbyyear/2016/-

Buen Camino!

wayfarer · Apr 23, 2016

Hi Stephen, at the top right of this Thread you will see a drop down menu called thread tools, on that click on "add to calendar" then add your date, you should also be able to see everyone else listed there too.

mvanert · Apr 23, 2016

Stephen Tran said:
Hi everybody. I plan to be in Spain from June 4th to July 18th, a total of 45 days. I haven't pulled the trigger on the plane ticket yet because I'm not sure if I should add a bit more if I wanted to get from madrid > sjpdp > muxia.

Am I underestimating the Camino and should add a bit more days?

I'm also not completely sure how to get to sjpdp from madrid, but with a a little research I've found answers such as:

-taxi from madrid all the way to sjpdp
or
--Take the Renfe train from Madrid to Pamplona.
Take a taxi from the train station to the bus station in Pamplona.
Take a CONDA bus from Pamplona to SJPdP.

I found these options to be simple as I do not want to fly from madrid. What would you suggest by my options to get to SJPDP? Also what are you suggestions on how to get back to Madrid?

And lastly I've read a while ago that there was a calendar where pilgrims could see who was going to be in town on each day and I believe that if I were to be in town on the same day as another pilgrim we could possibly split the cost, where would I find this calendar?

Forgive me for all the questions and thank you so much!

Two years ago my sister and I flew into Madrid and got a bus from the terminal all the way to Pamplona for about 35 Euros (you'll have to check on the cost today) and about six hours. It was a pleasant trip with one change of buses. From Pamplona I recommend you take the bus to St. Jean. As to getting back to Madrid from Pamplona we took Ryanair, a short flight at a very reasonable cost. We caught a bus to the airport from a bus stop about four blocks from the cathedral. Easee Peasee as my granddaughter likes to say.

Castilian · Apr 23, 2016

Stephen Tran said:
What would you suggest by my options to get to SJPDP?

You have to reach Pamplona and, once in Pamplona, take one of the seasonal buses to SJPP (for schedules on your travel date take a look at www.alsa.es/en) or pay a taxi if you arrive after the (last) bus to SJPP departed and don't want to stay overnight in Pamplona and take a bus the next day.

In order to reach Pamplona from Madrid airport you have 3 options:

Cercanías train from the airport to Atocha train station plus train from Puerta de Atocha train station to Pamplona (the cercanías will be free if you take an Alvia from Madrid to Pamplona -no more than 4 hours after taking your cercanías- or if you make the route changing trains along it and your train out of Madrid is either an Alvia or an AVE -and doesn't depart more than 4 hours after you take the cercanías; see later for more info about free Cercanías tickets). Atocha and Puerta de Atocha are in the same train complex; i.e. you could consider them different areas of a single train station.
Bus from the airport to Pamplona with www.alsa.es/en You'll have to change buses in Soria (easy).
Bus from the airport to Pamplona with http://plmautocares.com No changes involved but they have just one bus at 12:15 p.m. daily except Sundays. They have more buses (and daily) to Pamplona but you would need to go to downtown Madrid (Avenida de América bus station) to take them.

Stephen Tran said:
Also what are you suggestions on how to get back to Madrid?

It depends on your preferences. You have several options:

To take a low cost flight back to Madrid. It may be a cheap option if you book it well in advance but read carefully the rules of the low cost airline to avoid surprises. And don't forget that if you miss your flight out of Madrid due to a late arrival of your low cost flight you'll have to look for an alternative flight to go home by your own and at your own expenses what won't be cheap.
If you didn't book your air ticket out of Madrid, you could look to add the SCQ-MAD leg to your ticket out of Madrid in which case the airline have to sort out for you an alternative to get home (at no cost) if you miss your flight out of Madrid due to a late arrival from SCQ. This option will work fine if you fly out of Madrid with an airline member of the Oneworld Alliance. If you are flying out of Madrid with an airline member of Skyteam, instead of trying to add a leg from SCQ to MAD, look for the cost of adding a leg from LCG to MAD.
To take a train to Madrid. Comfy and if you book in advance on the web of RENFE (www.renfe.com) you can get heavily discounted tickets. A daytime train would allow you to see the scenery along the route. If you prefer to travel by night to save a night on accommodation, you could take a train from Santiago de Compostela to A Coruña or to Ourense and to take the overnight train from A Coruña or from Ourense to Madrid. The overnight train from A Coruña and from Ourense to Madrid runs daily except Saturdays. Once in Madrid (Chamartín train station), take a cercanías train to the airport (they run every 30 minutes). The cercanías ticket will be free if you took an Alvia from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid (not sure if with the trenhotel too). Take a look at your ticket from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid and if you see a combinado cercanías code somewhere on the upper left corner, then your cercanías ticket will be free if you take it no more than 4 hours after your arrival to Madrid. Otherwise, you'll have to pay for it. To get your free cercanías ticket, introduce the combinado cercanías code you'll see on your ticket at any of the self service ticket machines or go to the cercanías sales desk.
To take a bus from Santiago to Madrid with www.alsa.es/en Some of them (e.g.: the overnight one) go till Madrid airport.

koilife · Apr 23, 2016

Another wonderful way to get from Pamplona to SJPdP is to have Corazon Puro (www.corazonpuro.es) pick you up at the Pamplona bus/train station. You'll stay the night at their pension, and then they'll drop you off at SJPdP the next morning. Istvan and Barbara are delightful hosts.

Stephen Tran · Apr 23, 2016

Wow thank you so much everybody. I find things much more simpler with my choices narrowed I have 2 more questions:

Can I bring my debit card along and convert my USD to euros somewhere along the way? Or do I have to bring cash?

and

Now that I can decide whether to take train, bus, or plane back to Madrid, is it ok for me to wait to buy the ticket back because I won't know when I'll finish the Camino?

Again thank you so much for your patience

koilife · Apr 23, 2016

You'll find ATMs all along the way. You might want to withdraw at the airport when you arrive, or use a currency exchange service before going. If in US, Wells-Fargo seems to have the lowest exchange rate markup with coverage in most major markets.

If you asking about your ticket back to home, I would suggest getting round trip (much less expensive than open-ended). If you are asking about the train/bus ticket back to Madrid, then I'm not sure it really matters all that much.

BTW --- 45 days is more than enough time. most folks make the trek from SJPdP to SdC in about 30-35.

trecile · Apr 23, 2016

Stephen Tran said:
Wow thank you so much everybody. I find things much more simpler with my choices narrowed I have 2 more questions:

Can I bring my debit card along and convert my USD to euros somewhere along the way? Or do I have to bring cash?

and

Now that I can decide whether to take train, bus, or plane back to Madrid, is it ok for me to wait to buy the ticket back because I won't know when I'll finish the Camino?

Again thank you so much for your patience

I always use my debit card when traveling abroad. You will get the best exchange rate at an ATM.
I use a Schwab account because they refund all ATM fees.

TaijiPilgrim · Apr 23, 2016

Stephen Tran said:
Hi everybody. I plan to be in Spain from June 4th to July 18th, a total of 45 days. I haven't pulled the trigger on the plane ticket yet because I'm not sure if I should add a bit more if I wanted to get from madrid > sjpdp > muxia.

Am I underestimating the Camino and should add a bit more days?

I'm also not completely sure how to get to sjpdp from madrid, but with a a little research I've found answers such as:

-taxi from madrid all the way to sjpdp
or
--Take the Renfe train from Madrid to Pamplona.
Take a taxi from the train station to the bus station in Pamplona.
Take a CONDA bus from Pamplona to SJPdP.

I found these options to be simple as I do not want to fly from madrid. What would you suggest by my options to get to SJPDP? Also what are you suggestions on how to get back to Madrid?

And lastly I've read a while ago that there was a calendar where pilgrims could see who was going to be in town on each day and I believe that if I were to be in town on the same day as another pilgrim we could possibly split the cost, where would I find this calendar?

Forgive me for all the questions and thank you so much!

Stephen, you don't say from where you are flying. That might make a difference regarding your options upon arrival in Madrid. Another option, not mentioned, is to buy your ticket not to Madrid, but to Pamplona. I did this and the cost difference is minimal - perhaps even less than paying for a train or bus ticket. Booking your return flight out of Santiago also saves a bit of hassle, and you can check fares by using "multi-city" option on websites. Last year I took 40 days to walk the Camino Frances, and I was going slow with two or so rest days. In Pamplona you have the choice of bus or taxi to St. Jean. Corazon Puro is another excellent choice. Istvan picks you up in Pamplona, takes you to their albergue on the Camino, provides dinner, breakfast, and a room - not bunk- for the night, and then transports you to St. Jean around 8am the next morning - all for about 43euro. You must reserve, and this has become popular so sometimes they have been completo. Buen camino.

bunnymac · Apr 23, 2016

Stephen Tran said:
Hi everybody. I plan to be in Spain from June 4th to July 18th, a total of 45 days. I haven't pulled the trigger on the plane ticket yet because I'm not sure if I should add a bit more if I wanted to get from madrid > sjpdp > muxia.

Am I underestimating the Camino and should add a bit more days?

I'm also not completely sure how to get to sjpdp from madrid, but with a a little research I've found answers such as:

-taxi from madrid all the way to sjpdp
or
--Take the Renfe train from Madrid to Pamplona.
Take a taxi from the train station to the bus station in Pamplona.
Take a CONDA bus from Pamplona to SJPdP.

I found these options to be simple as I do not want to fly from madrid. What would you suggest by my options to get to SJPDP? Also what are you suggestions on how to get back to Madrid?

And lastly I've read a while ago that there was a calendar where pilgrims could see who was going to be in town on each day and I believe that if I were to be in town on the same day as another pilgrim we could possibly split the cost, where would I find this calendar?

Forgive me for all the questions and thank you so much!

If you take the train from Madrid to Pamplona, you can stay at Corazon Puro (corazonpuro.es). They will collect you from the train station. you stay at their hostel in Viskarret and they'll drop you to to SJPP the following morning.

vgen5122 · Apr 24, 2016

I think 45 days is enough. This give you time to stay longer is you want to in any city or town. If you get injured you can take a day off.
When I completed the Camino Frances it took us 43 days but we stayed two days in Pamplona and one day in Samos. We are not. Fast walkers either.

rometimed · Apr 24, 2016

Stephen Tran said:
Wow thank you so much everybody. I find things much more simpler with my choices narrowed I have 2 more questions:

Can I bring my debit card along and convert my USD to euros somewhere along the way? Or do I have to bring cash?

and

Now that I can decide whether to take train, bus, or plane back to Madrid, is it ok for me to wait to buy the ticket back because I won't know when I'll finish the Camino?

Again thank you so much for your patience

1. I tried to keep $200 on me (in Euros) most of the time. You will find bank machines quite often but I found they were hit and miss if they worked with my Canadian debit card, some worked, some didn't. I found that early they all seemed to work and as I got closer to the end less and less did.

2. I think so. I ended up taking a bus the first time from Santiago to Porto Portugal which was very easy to buy and a Ryan Air flight to Madrid the 2nd time.

3. 45 days seems like a good round number. I did the Camino in about 30 (with 4 days off in there) then did 4 days through Muxia and Finesterra... with travel days everything was about 37 days. If you are a bit slower 45 seems like plenty.

annakappa · Apr 24, 2016

You don't say where you are flying from, but if you book Iberia to Madrid and onward to Pamplona with their local flight, you will find that the fare is most probably cheaper than overland transport ( at least it was each time we did this in the past), is more efficient and far less hassle, especially if you don't know your way around Madrid.
Also, as has been mentioned, don't rely on a cheapie airline back to Madrid, hoping to make your onward connection, as, should anything go wrong, such as delayed flight, or worse, cancelled flight, then you are on your own to get back home. If you fly Iberia and something goes wrong, then they are responsible for getting you a new connections! You simply book an open jaw ticket: your departure point to Madrid and onward to Pamplona and then open jaw it by booking Santiago, Madrid and then back home!

annakappa · Apr 24, 2016

bunnymac said:
If you take the train from Madrid to Pamplona, you can stay at Corazon Puro (corazonpuro.es). They will collect you from the train station. you stay at their hostel in Viskarret and they'll drop you to to SJPP the following morning.

Corazon Puro will collect you in Pamplona whichever way you arrive there. Bus, train or plane!

Liz Ward · Apr 24, 2016

koilife said:
Another wonderful way to get from Pamplona to SJPdP is to have Corazon Puro (www.corazonpuro.es) pick you up at the Pamplona bus/train station. You'll stay the night at their pension, and then they'll drop you off at SJPdP the next morning. Istvan and Barbara are delightful hosts.

I have a similar question but have solved half of it. I will be arriving in Madrid airport the morning of 9/13. I want to get to Pamplona somewhat quickly as I will be picked up by Istavan and staying at Corazon Puro. Taking the train seemed more complicated. What about flying from Madrid to Pamplona? It looks like a short flight for not too much $$$. Has anyone done this?

Mike Savage · Apr 24, 2016

Liz Ward said:
I have a similar question but have solved half of it. I will be arriving in Madrid airport the morning of 9/13. I want to get to Pamplona somewhat quickly as I will be picked up by Istavan and staying at Corazon Puro. Taking the train seemed more complicated. What about flying from Madrid to Pamplona? It looks like a short flight for not too much $$$. Has anyone done this?

I did it exactly that way last September. I did have a 6 hour layover in Madrid waiting for my flight to Pamplona though. In Pamplona I took a taxi from the airport to the bus station where Istavan picked me up. You may need to know a little Spanish to get a taxi from the airport to the bus station or atleast have "bus station please" (estación de autobus por favor) written in Spanish on a piece of paper and be prepared to pay with euros. It cost me 15.50 for the taxi last September.

Liz Ward · Apr 24, 2016

Mike Savage said:
I did it exactly that way last September. I did have a 6 hour layover in Madrid waiting for my flight to Pamplona though. In Pamplona I took a taxi from the airport to the bus station where Istavan picked me up. You may need to know a little Spanish to get a taxi from the airport to the bus station or atleast have "bus station please" (estación de autobus por favor) written in Spanish on a piece of paper and be prepared to pay with euros.

Thanks for the quick reply. Of course I already have my plane ticket so it will probably cost a bit more to do an add on to Pamplona. I assume you contacted Istavan about your arrival time? How long a trip from airport to bus station? Thanks for the spanish lesson. I am really trying to learn enough before September to "get by".

Mike Savage · Apr 24, 2016

Yes, Istavan knew when I would be there and picked me up an hour or two later. The wait was no big deal and he was picking up two other people so the wait was necessary so he only had to make one trip. The taxi ride from the airport was maybe 10 minutes.

whariwharangi · Apr 25, 2016

a. Take plane from Madrid to Biarritz BIQ

Take Chronoplus bus #14 from Biarritz/Anglet to Gare Bayonne

Take SNCF TER train from Bayonne to SJPdP.

b. Take Metro or Cercanias or EMT aeropuerto Express to Renfe Puerta Atocha.

Then take Renfe train to Pamplona.

Finally take CONDA (ALSA) bus from Pamplona to SJPdP.

c. Take EMT bus #200 from Airport to Avenida de America.

Take ALSA or PML Autocares bus from Madrid Avenida de America to Pamplona. Note that some buses will pick up at Airport.

Then take CONDA (ALSA) bus from Pamplona to SJPdP.

d. There are other ways but these are the most efficient.

Liz Ward · Apr 25, 2016

koilife said:
Another wonderful way to get from Pamplona to SJPdP is to have Corazon Puro (www.corazonpuro.es) pick you up at the Pamplona bus/train station. You'll stay the night at their pension, and then they'll drop you off at SJPdP the next morning. Istvan and Barbara are delightful hosts.

Hi again,
I bit the bullet and made a plane reservation from Madrid to Pamplona. I will arrive in Madrid at 7:40 am and leave for Pamplona at 12:55 pm. That should definitely give me enough time to get from one terminal to another. Thanks for all you help. Wish it were a bit cheaper but peace of mind is priceless. Liz Ward

Bumpa · Apr 28, 2016

mvanert said:
Two years ago my sister and I flew into Madrid and got a bus from the terminal all the way to Pamplona for about 35 Euros (you'll have to check on the cost today) and about six hours. It was a pleasant trip with one change of buses. From Pamplona I recommend you take the bus to St. Jean. As to getting back to Madrid from Pamplona we took Ryanair, a short flight at a very reasonable cost. We caught a bus to the airport from a bus stop about four blocks from the cathedral. Easee Peasee as my granddaughter likes to say.

How far is the bus depot from the Madrid airport?

mvanert · Apr 29, 2016

Bumpa said:
How far is the bus depot from the Madrid airport?

It is at the airport, right out front of the arrivals terminal. It is Alsac, check their web site for more information.

JohnMcM · Apr 29, 2016

Hi Stephen,
I've just read the answers you've had from some wise-heads.
I do believe you can consider yourself reassured and provided with clarity as you requested

Buen Camino

Stephen Tran · May 23, 2016

I leave in 2 weeks and really appreciate ALL the advice that y'all have given me. Thank you so much.

Mike Savage · May 24, 2016

Buen Camino Stephen!

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