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No sorry. She needs to arrive on May 1
taxipamplona.com
Thanks. I will look for that - oh! You put me in it? thanks!
We (my wife and I) will be traveling on Saturday, May 7. I have checked the car rides. I am finding ridiculous prices - 230 Euros (1 way). Do you have a service that you can share that is less expensive --- if the buses are not running that day? Thank you in advance! Betty and Blaine
I arrived in Pamplona, rechecked my options for getting to SJPP, looked at my Brierly and thought "why not start in Pamplona" and I did. Dropping than tiny distance in no way diminished my Camino. And spending some time in Pamplona was great
Thank you! We thought about that strategy as well. Having said that...we really liked that first leg in the Pyrenes. However, we got caught in bad weather (rain, sleet and snow), so we did not get the perspective of the view that others did that were more weather fortunate. Hence, I want to give it another shot, and hopefully, we get better weather. Again, thank you for your response. That is always an option to begin in Pamplona - a perfect alternative. Best to you!
Yes, that's an option but my friend wants to begin in SJPP and already has lodging.
By "car rides" do you mean taxis? I'm not sure I would call those prices "ridiculous", although they may be higher than I would want to pay. The drivers will likely not be able to get passengers for the return trip, so the price must cover both ways.
Actually, 230 Euros is super high. It is a 45 mile trip one way. That is roughly 275 dollars USD for a 45 mile road trip - one way. The taxi driver can definitely call it a day after one trip. There will be options less than that, I am sure. I just checked UBER and it is 118 Euros...one option. Best to you.
Did you read @trecile's post #6 in this thread and click on the link? The prices listed there are what I'd expect (and remember) for a distance like Pamplona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, ie in the €110-140 range.
Yes. I have seen more information since my original post. But, that is still a high price at 120ish Euros, in my opinion. Now, if that fare is divided between 4 people, then it is more fair. Petrol is usually 4 times higher in Europe than the United States, but that is still a lot of money for a relatively short ride. Personally, I think half that amount is about right. I can guarantee you that at 120 Euros, I would drive that route from Pamplona to SJP de P all damn day - three or four trips a day - if I had that option as a taxi driver. LOL. The problem (of course) is the lack of buses that have been running between the two destinations since the pandemic, most likely. The taxis are taking advantage of that situation, I believe. However, we will make due when we get there - one way or the other. Thanks for the response.
50 a piece...okay. More reasonable, but still high. My thoughts...load up that taxi with pilgrims and defray the cost. Thanks for the information.
Since there are more people wanting taxis to St Jean Pied de Port from Pamplona than there are people wanting to go to Pamplona from St Jean Pied de Port I would think that a lot of taxis have to return empty. Therefore, they need to charge for their time both ways.
You may think that half that amount is about right but you will not find such low prices.
I was going to try to arrange a full taxi through the company that I linked to, but I left it too late. It needs to be arranged no less than 5 days before arrival. And we didn't meet any other pilgrims on the train to share with us. We might have been able to if we hung around the station a little longer.
I do not have a day job anymore, and I have the money. LOL. I have been traveling abroad to Europe each year since the mid 1980's -- save the last couple years due to COVID. I know how things work there and here. All I am saying is that is a lot of money for a taxi ride. But, it is what it is. We will deal with it accordingly. We speak both French and Spanish, so we can figure things out with the locals once we get there. Or, if there is a bus running one time a day, and we miss it...we will stay the night in Pamplona for old times sakes...and take the bus the next day. There is a lot to see and do in Pamplona, as you probably know as well. My point? 100 Euros plus is a lot for a taxi ride in Pamplona or Switzerland, for that matter, in my opinion unless the cost is divided between 3 or 4 people at that price. Best to you in your travels, and I sincerely appreciate your comments and information. Buen Camino!
This thread on Tripadvisor is already seven year old but it explains the principle. And it has the advantage that it is in English and not in French or Spanish ...
You are definitely entitled to your opinion on what is fair or not fair - as I am. Best to you!This thread on Tripadvisor is already seven year old but it explains the principle. And it has the advantage that it is in English and not in French or Spanish ...
Taxi from Hendaye station
BTW, I make a distinction between "That's a lot of money for me (or not) who lives and travels in the EU" and "That's a lot of money for the taxi driver who lives and works in Spain".
Yes, I hadn't thought of that as another reason why the Spanish taxis have to drive back to Pamplona empty. So @B&BTexas assertion that the fare should be half of what it is, is probably correct, but the taxi drive needs to be paid for his/her time on the return trip also, thus making the fare twice what it would be for the same distance in Spain without crossing borders.
This page gives estimates on taxi fares for Spain. Pamplona is on the lower end at about 1 euro per kilometer. Pamplona-->SJPdP is about 75 km and an hour and a half (any faster and you will be scared to death). When in a city you generally won't have to wait an hour and a half before getting back to an area where you can start collecting fares again. I estimate fuel cost at 10 euros but maybe that is part of the km cost.
Taxi Fare in Spain
Taxi fare tables (km and miles). Given two addresses in Spain, it finds the distance between them and estimates the fare for taxi services.www.numbeo.com
BTW when the ALSA/CONDA bus to SJPdP is in season it runs every day. Depending on the time of day it makes one to four trips daily. At least it did pre-covid.
Based on my internet searching and seeing schedules on blogs and posts written over a number of years I say roughly the ALSA/CONDA schedule has been:
Perhaps interesting to know for future reference that this is actually not an individual taxi company but a company that coordinates taxi reservations. Quote:This taxi company will attempt to pool pilgrims together.
The Way - Taxi Pamplona
Taxi Pamplona - Since 1984 serving citizensin Pamplona and the surrounding area. In a hurry?You need a taxi? Immediate attention 24 h - 365 days a year .Security. Professionalism. Trust. Confort. Availability. Speed
Yes! For our first camino, we wanted to get to SJPDP from the U.S. without an overnight. We flew to Madrid, took the train to Pamplona, which arrived at 3pm, then used this service to get to SJPDP, arriving in plenty of time to tour the town, pick up our credential and enjoy our communal meal at our albergue. I had communicated with them from the U.S. noting our desire to ride share. There were five of us, so our cost was only 20 euros each. Packed in tight, the five of us became instant peregrino soulmates. While we didn't walk together, we bumped into each other repeatedly, including at the end in Santiago, to hugs, tears and smiles.
Thank you for this feedback. It is so good to hear first-hand reports !!!
Our rideshare companions were a delightful Spaniard from Valencia, a young Japanese girl and a lady from California, nervous like us about what our first camino.Thank you for this feedback. It is so good to hear first-hand reports !!!
When I read on their website that they offer the possibility of ride-share for trips from Pamplona to SJPP, I wondered whether that actually happens or whether it is just words on the website ... so it does really happen. Good to know!
I did my CF Sep 2017 with wife and son; we did exactly the same arriving in SJPDP from Pamplona via shared taxi (a 12 seater mini van) early enough (late afternoon) to "tour" the town, get our Credenciales at pilgrims' office and in time for our first perergrino dinner that night at our albergue. No issues at all. Worked out to less than 20 Euros if I remember correctly. We were six I seem to remember.
Hi there my friend and I are traveling from Barcelona to Pamplona on 2 nd of May . Bus will already be gone by the time we arrive . Is it possible to still share a cab with you and your daughter ?
Mandy, I'll send you a private message to discuss.
Betty and Blaine,
Are you still interested in sharing a ride? I have just this week posted a request to share a ride from the Pamplona Airport to SJPdP on Saturday, 7 May, after my scheduled 1:00 arrival at PNA from MAD. It looks like reservation may be made with Taxi Pamplona 30 days in advance: it's on my calendar! They can accommodate 8 riders. (my post)
