Walking into Burgos on the Camino Vasco

[ebrandt]

Hi All, This forum on the Vasco has been very, very quiet! I am planning to walk the Vasco this fall , all pandemic things permitting. I am wondering about the last stage into Burgos. It looks to me like the walk into Burgos from Villimar (just after the BU30) ring road) is on busy city streets and not particularly attractive. Is this true? We have been to Burgos several times and are thinking about catching a bus through the city and staying on the far side at Tardejos. Is my impression accurate? Thanks. LizB

 

[VNwalking]

Is this true?

Yes. We walked as far as the train station, and then took a taxi into the center of town. Then we had a celebratory lunch (wonderful pizza!), and I kept walking as far as Rabé. (We had started the day from just past Monasterio de Rodilla.)

 

[C clearly]

It looks to me like the walk into Burgos from Villimar (just after the BU30) ring road) is on busy city streets and not particularly attractive. Is this true?

Yes, it is. I would grab a bus. My daughters and I walked into Burgos totally wet and bedraggled after 24 km without a place to sit down in the drizzle. We just put our heads down and slogged to our hotel. But I was glad we walked it because my daughters were on their first Camino and we had seen only a couple of pilgrims en route from Irun. In Burgos as we walked to our hotel, we saw other pilgrims, and even strangers said "buen camino", which was something they hadn't experienced.

 

[SabsP]

Yes. We walked as far as the train station, and then took a taxi into the center of town. Then we had a celebratory lunch (wonderful pizza!), and I kept walking as far as Rabé. (We had started the day from just past Monasterio de Rodilla.)

If I remember correctly the taxi drive was 18€ And we were timely in Burgos for a much needed visit to a phone shop for some information.

@ebrandt : that etapa has some nice surprises.

La Vía de Italia o Camino de los Romanos | Quintanapalla

Localidad: Quintanapalla (Desde Milán a León, pasando por Quintanapalla.)

www.quintanapalla.es

La calzada romana de Italia en Hispania

En lo referente a los restos romanos en general, y en concreto a las calzadas romanas en particular, tenemos tres formas de identificarlos:...

tierrasdeburgos.blogspot.com

 

[With backpack]

Autobús urbano desde la estación de tren hasta el centro.
Hace tres años caminé desde el centro hasta la estación sin prisas. La distancia es de unos de 6 km.

Autobús urbano - Movilidad - aytoburgos.es

Toda la información sobre líneas y tiempos de espera.

www.aytoburgos.es

 

[ebrandt]

Thanks all! I’m on my IPad now so translate isn’t easilyaccessible — can’t wait to read the links. One of the reasons I asked I’d that I know there is Roman stuff on that stage and didn’t want to plan something tha might cause us to miss it!

 

[AndrewDavOz]

Thanks all! I’m on my IPad now so translate isn’t easilyaccessible — can’t wait to read the links. One of the reasons I asked I’d that I know there is Roman stuff on that stage and didn’t want to plan something tha might cause us to miss it!

If you install Chrome browser on your ipad and use that on non-English sites, the translation to English is offered automatically. I’ve done that on my ipad often.
Good luck
Andrew

 

[Walking Lover]

Hi All, This forum on the Vasco has been very, very quiet! I am planning to walk the Vasco this fall , all pandemic things permitting. I am wondering about the last stage into Burgos. It looks to me like the walk into Burgos from Villimar (just after the BU30) ring road) is on busy city streets and not particularly attractive. Is this true? We have been to Burgos several times and are thinking about catching a bus through the city and staying on the far side at Tardejos. Is my impression accurate? Thanks. LizB

Once we got to this point, we took a taxi. My husband walked all the way in on his first trip and felt it was not a good walk.

 

[Michael; Camino-addicted]

I walked the Camino Vasco 2019 and took the train from Miranda de Ebro to Burgos, trainstation Rosa de Lima.
The plan was, of course, to walk all the way to Burgos, but I felt after nine days of solitude so lonely I could not do it any longer. The train stoped for sure in Pancorbo and I think I remember also in Briviesca (?).

The way from Rosa de LIma into the city was so nice, I did never expect. Originally I wanted to go by bus to the center, but I missed it.

When I came out of the trainstation I went to the right and then the very big, nearly trafficless street to the left. Only after a few minutes I came to a lovely little river and I could follow it to the right just into the center of the city. Almost all the time I walked under huge plane trees through the white seeds of these trees that reached my ankles. Not for allergy sufferers but beautiful.

Having been to Burgos twice before, I also walked through to Tardajos and finally found what I had been longing for - being with other pilgrims over a cold beer, delicious food and great conversation.

 

[Michael; Camino-addicted]

Two more clues come to mind.

I you plan to stay overnight in Zegama, make sure you find accommodation in advance. In 2019, the pilgrim hostel was located in the old sport hall. Normally not a problem, but the showers and also the toilets were in the new gym, a few hundred meters away towards the center of the village. For access I got a card, but between 9:00 pm and 7:00 am the new gym was closed and could not be entered with this card.

In Vitoria-Gasteiz, you must take the guided tour of the old Santa Maria Cathedral. The tour starts in the rocky foundation of the cathedral and ends at the top of the tower. Very big recommendation.

 

[SabsP]

Two more clues come to mind.

I you plan to stay overnight in Zegama, make sure you find accommodation in advance. In 2019, the pilgrim hostel was located in the old sport hall. Normally not a problem, but the showers and also the toilets were in the new gym, a few hundred meters away towards the center of the village. For access I got a card, but between 9:00 pm and 7:00 am the new gym was closed and could not be entered with this card.

In Vitoria-Gasteiz, you must take the guided tour of the old Santa Maria Cathedral. The tour starts in the rocky foundation of the cathedral and ends at the top of the tower. Very big recommendation.

New albergue in the making in Zegama.

2020 | Albergue en Zegama

Hostal/ restaurante is a nice place too.

Ostatu

Restaurante Ostatu Zegama - Goierri Turismo

Restaurante situado en la plaza de Zegama donde se ofrece una cocina tradicional vasca.

goierriturismo.com

 

[Michael; Camino-addicted]

Thank you SabineP.

I had tried my luck at Ostatu Zegama, unfortunately everything was fully booked.

Very nice the new Albergue. I should think about a new try on the Camino Vasco - this time without any rain.

 

[SabsP]

Thank you SabineP.

I had tried my luck at Ostatu Zegama, unfortunately everything was fully booked.

Very nice the new Albergue. I should think about a new try on the Camino Vasco - this time without any rain.

Ha! Good luck. Would like to do the same, also without rain...
I missed the Zegama to Salvatierra etapa due to illness so really want to go back to walk the Tunel de San Adrian!

 

[ebrandt]

Thanks @SabineP and @Michael; Camino-addicted! These are great tips. It will be two of us walking and we have done a couple of very lonely caminos so I think we will be OK in that regard.

 

[Vince Rollason]

Hi All, This forum on the Vasco has been very, very quiet! I am planning to walk the Vasco this fall , all pandemic things permitting. I am wondering about the last stage into Burgos. It looks to me like the walk into Burgos from Villimar (just after the BU30) ring road) is on busy city streets and not particularly attractive. Is this true? We have been to Burgos several times and are thinking about catching a bus through the city and staying on the far side at Tardejos. Is my impression accurate? Thanks. LizB

Hi Liz. I cannot comment on the Vasco but my first Camino was Frances and the route into Burgos from the airport was one of the most uninspiring parts of the journey and your description of Vasco sounds similar. I joked about how boring it was with other pilgrims on my subsequent Caminos and those who had walked it were in agreement. When you arrive in the old town it is worth the trek. I stayed in Alberque Divina Pastora a lovely quiet space above a small chapel where there is a pilgrim's mass a 20.00 each night. The walk out of Burgos on stage 13 of the Frances is equally uninspiring but leads you to the Meseta so is worth enduring.
Buen Camino
Vince

 

[Derek Booth]

Hi Liz. I cannot comment on the Vasco but my first Camino was Frances and the route into Burgos from the airport was one of the most uninspiring parts of the journey and your description of Vasco sounds similar. I joked about how boring it was with other pilgrims on my subsequent Caminos and those who had walked it were in agreement. When you arrive in the old town it is worth the trek. I stayed in Alberque Divina Pastora a lovely quiet space above a small chapel where there is a pilgrim's mass a 20.00 each night. The walk out of Burgos on stage 13 of the Frances is equally uninspiring but leads you to the Meseta so is worth enduring.
Buen Camino
Vince

Totally in agreement with this.
The Old Town is what makes this 'leg' worth wile.

 

[ebrandt]

New question about the walk into Burgos. It turns out my husband is a purist and is opposed to taking a bus/cab (who knew?). Maybe he will change his mind. But in the meantime, I was looking at maps and it appears that just after Villamar, the route crosses the Rio Vena. There appears to be a linear Riverside park along the Vena that can be followed all the way to the Plaza de Espana in the center of the city. Has anyone followed this river walk? It looks like it could be a very nice way to walk into Burgos. Thanks. LizB

 

[C clearly]

There appears to be a linear Riverside park along the Vena that can be followed all the way to the Plaza de Espana in the center of the city. Has anyone followed this river walk?

No, we didn't. As mentioned, we were wet and bedraggled and focused on our hotel destination! However, on Google Earth, that looks like a pleasant alternative through the city, depending perhaps on where your accommodation is located.

 

[Michael; Camino-addicted]

I looked again on the map. The river I walked along from Rosa de Lima station to the heart of Burgos was the Rio Vena.

 

[VNwalking]

there is Roman stuff on that stage and didn’t want to plan something tha might cause us to miss it!

No worries, @ebrandt . The Roman stuff is well before town. And you can't miss it - there are even interpretive signs.

There appears to be a linear Riverside park along the Vena that can be followed all the way to the Plaza de Espana in the center of the city. Has anyone followed this river walk? It looks like it could be a very nice way to walk into Burgos.

Yes: Michael did:

When I came out of the trainstation I went to the right and then the very big, nearly trafficless street to the left. Only after a few minutes I came to a lovely little river and I could follow it to the right just into the center of the city. Almost all the time I walked under huge plane trees through the white seeds of these trees that reached my ankles. Not for allergy sufferers but beautiful.

 

[Zordmot]

Walking into Burgos on the prescribed route was definitely not a highlight . At one point we hopped on a city bus that took us into the city center. The bus ride was pleasant and the driver was patient and helpful. Highly recommended if you find yourself walking mile after mile of one boring city block after another.