Arriving to the Caminos from France or Spain

I have started the Camino-Frances several times arriving at Paris, France. A transatlantic flight from New York, or Philadelphia or Miami is a long journey. A full day is lost traveling. My planning starts well before the Camino Santiago. Preferably, the first day can be a resting day in Paris before I start the journey early morning to St Jean Pied de Port ( Bayonne train stop ). There is a noon train & another at 2 pm that leaves Gare Montparnase TGV to St Jean Pied de Port. If you are over 60. you can obtain a senior card that lasts for 1 year with good discounts for 49 euros. Spain has a similar program at Renfe.

Today I arrive at Charles de Gaul Airport and arrive at the center of Paris. Good locations are hotels close to the Gare Montparnasse – the TGV train station that handles the Atlantic corridor to Le Nouvelle Aquitaine. The ideal destination stop is the train station at Bayonne. The next stop is either a bus / train connection at the Bayonne station to reach the village of St Jean Pied de Port. The Paris / Hendaye corridor is a heavily traveled. The TGV leaves every hourly. The train stop at Bayonne has a few schedules daily with connections to St Jean Pied de Port. If no connections take a taxi to St Jean Pied de Port.

Paris is full of hotels. Close to the Gare de Montparnasse are budget chain hotels like Best Western, and other very good local hotels. I use Bookings.com to search pricing & availability. As for the train ticket, these can be purchased the same day of arrival at the TGV Gare Montparnasse. A web site for the TGV can be located at www.scnf-voyageurs.com/en . In Paris keep a watch out for crowds, pickpockets & avoid the subway metro. The Gare de Montparnasse is located in the 14th arrondissement quarter. There are many hotels to choose from in the 14th & 15th arrondissement. A train trip on the TGV from Paris takes between 5 and 6 hours to arrive at Bayonne. Once in Bayonne a local train or bus or taxi takes you to St Jean Pied de Port in about 1 hour. There are at least 4 train connections from Paris to St Jean Pied de Port daily. Plan your connection in Bayonne at the SNCF TGV in Montparnase Gare in Paris.

Madrid, Spain

If you are arriving at Madrid then plan for a rest day. There are several modes of transportation at the Madrid airport. You take the bus at the airport, or a Renfe train or the Metro. I stay close to the Atocha train station. I have stayed at many different hotels in Madrid and one local chain that I have used after staying at hotels is Room 00. This is a shared hostel room and they are budget & clean & have high ratings. This could be your first experience of sleeping in an albergue (Pilgrim mode). Again use Booking.com to locate the accommodations you are most comfortable with. Travel light with a backpack. I have a separate topic on equipment & backpacking gear. Renfe train service : https://www.renfe.com/es/en Alsa bus service : https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/home

There is an early Renfe train that leaves the Atocha Madrid train station for Pamplona. You can buy your train ticket the day you arrive in Spain or book at Renfe web site. Renfe has a discounted rate program for retirees & students. Once you arrive at the Pamplona train station, take the bus to the center of town & arrive at the bus station in Pamplona. Buy the bus ticket to either Roncevalles or to St Jean Pied de Port. In Spain, the main bus line is Alsa. At Roncesvalles you can request a taxi to St Jean Pied de Port. In a few occasions I have started my early morning hike from Roncesvalles to St Jean Pied de Port walking downhill & have taken a taxi from Valcarlos to St Jean Pied de Port. The hike in the Pyrenees is spectacular. I walk on the side of the road with caution. This is not a heavily traveled road. I spend a full day at St Jean Pied de Port and start the official hike from there the following day. My itinerary for the Camino’s are very different from the travel books. My hikes are 20 – 27 kms / day. No 40 km hikes. Some hikes are just 3 kms – 10 kms / day. The Camino is a lifetime time experience so hike slowly. At some locations I take a bus to avoid difficult terrain.

Madrid – Pamplona – Roncesvalles

The Renfe train leaves early morning from Atocha to Pamplona. At the train station take the bus to the Pamplona bus station. There is a bus that leaves Pamplona to Roncesvalles Monday to Friday with Saturday service. There is extended bus service – 2 shifts during the last week of June until the end of August. The cost is ~ 6 euros. Buy the bus tickets at the Pamplona bus station. There is also an Alsa bus service to St Jean Pied de Port from Pamplona. In the event you arrive at Roncesvalles and would like to continue to St Jean Pied de Port there is taxi service. Ask at the La Posada – bar in Roncesvalles. Here is the Artieda Bus Line schedule : www.autocaresartieda.com. The schedule is fairly consistent for years.Verify the schedule as it may have changed. I took this same bus line to Roncesvalles in 2003. Same bus driver. If you arrive late at Pamplona, you can stay at the municipal albergue of Pamplona – the Jesuit Albergue is Jesus & Maria. They issue pilgrim passports as does Roncesvalles & St Jean Pied de Port. The Basque country is a world of it’s own. It is spectacular. The Basque country extends into France.

Bus Schedule from Pamplona to Roncesvalles

Connections from larger cities

St Jean Pied de Port – France

At St Jean Pied de Port I head towards the Pilgrim office to register and obtain the new Pilgrim passport. The town albergue is a few buildings away from the office and these are separate registration procedures. There are plenty of good restaurants and places to see. St Jean Pied de Port is an early medieval village with a lot of history. Some major peregrino city locations in the Camino :

Burgos – Alsa has frequent bus connections from Madrid to Burgos. There are also train connections from Pamplona to Burgos.

Logroño – Renfe train connections to Madrid as well as bus service. There is a new bus terminal. There is bus connection to the village of Viana [ last village of Navarra ].

Leon – Renfe train connections to Madrid as well as bus service – Alsa to Sahagun, Mansilla de Mulas & Astorga & other villages.

Sarria – has bus connection to Santiago de Compostella. There is also a Renfe train station in Sarria with a connection to Madrid.

Santiago de Compostella – Renfe train connections to Madrid as well as bus service. The Train and bus stations are now close to each other. Train is a better choice.