Pre Booking bus tickets

[hannajo]

Is it critical to pre book bus tickets. I am planning to catch a bus from Bilbao to Burgos and see that the first bus after I arrive at the airport leaves an hour later from the city and will only be an hours journey (an express). The next bus will be three hours (all stops) later and is a three hours plus journey. I dont want to pre book a ticket for the one hour journey then find I dont have enough time to catch it.
Thanks for all help.
Jo

 

[jeff001]

If the bus leaves from the airport you may be OK if your flight is on time and you only have carryon luggage. If you miss the bus you will be out whatever the ticket cost you.

 

[aburlar]

I seem to remember the buses in Spain being first come first serve with tickets. They sold more tickets than there were seats, so it was a free-for-all. However, this was in Pamplona during San Fermin, so that may have been a big influence.

 

[Anniesantiago]

One of the joys of the Camino is spontaneity.
I had no problems getting on buses and I caught many on my last Camino.
However, it was not a Holy Year.

I'd say just wait until you get there... and if you have to wait until next day, enjoy the place you're in!

 

[WolverineDG]

An hour is cutting it really really close. Remember Murphy's Law--Anything that can go wrong will go wrong & at the most inconvenient time. You may want to give yourself a day in Bilbao to get over jet lag & acclimated to Spain. That way you can get rested up & take the express bus the next day. You could even go down to the bus station & try to buy a ticket for the next day. The worst they could do is say "No."

Kelly

 

[hannajo]

After repeated attempts at trying to get the Alsa.es web site I give up. Must be something about my lap top as my co-worker can get it on hers. Anyway looks like I will go the way of spontaneity Annie I suspect something I will be learning more and more of along the Way......assuming the volcanic cloud disperses by then!! :shock:

Jo

 

[pat.holland]

hannajo
some thoughts etc
Bilbao is a small airport and if there is no problem with your luggage collection you could be out the main door about half an hour after you land. Then you can either take the bus outside on the right I think to Termibus the main bus station or as we did, take a taxi there. If it is driven by the driver we had last time you should make it in about 20 minutes. More sedate driving might make it half an hour. So it is possible to make that bus.

However unless you are really stuck for time, then why not relax, take the local bus, get off at termbus, get the tram on the street outside and take that along the river and into the old town. I can give you the name of a hotel and a restaurant or two, you could spend the rest of the day seeing the Guggenheim, worth it for the building alone , never mind the art and then the following day, rested, set off for the camino

We have just finished the camino F. in four atapes of about 2 weeks each and one fo the good things about doing it this way is that you get a chance to see other things and towns such as Bilbao, San Sebastian, Vittoria etc. It is not very pilgrim like I know but we like to start and finish our walks with a bit of comfort and culture etc.

Yes there is some thing funny with the ALSA website. It refused my card telling me the bank here at home was denying the transaction but they had no record of such. It appears to be somehting at he spanish end. I got the Camino Travel centre to book the last two seats for us eventually after several attempts and some cursing

If you want more information re Bilbao just ask, we have kept all our bits of paper etc in a scrapbook
Pat

 

[hannajo]

Oh thank you Pat...that was really helpful.....I wonder how much I could expect to pay for a taxi...I read it is best to agree on a price before you start but i have no confidence in my spanish to be able to do that. I may well get a taxi and head straight for Burgos as I have booked a hotel there for the first night ( i need a decent nights rest before i start my Camino, long work hours and early flight from UK). But yes if you have the name of a reasonably cheap hotel I would welcome the information..who knows...I may well stay over one night and get a bus next morning.......I still have three weeks to make up my mind. I am planning on seeing the Gugenheim? before I return to UK and will be returning to Bilbao then. I am linking up with a friend later on the Way and we are returning via the Norde? route(I think) in any case via the coast back to Bilbao. Did you think it was necessary to pre book the bus ticket to Burgos in the end?

Thanks again
Jo