from Rome to SJPP... in 2 days!

[stephano]

So, I have a pretty urgent request!

I'm currently in Rome, Italy at the moment, and although I wanted to begin my camino this weekend, I haven't bought tickets yet... mostly because I didn't really understand the best way of getting to SJPP to start it off.

Now that I had some time to do my homework, I've come to the conclusion that the most efficient way to travel would be to fly to CDG, take a train to Bayonne, then a train to SJPP. Please stop me here if there is a better alternative. My total travel costs come out to little under 200 euro, without factoring in the train from Bayonne to SJPP--Can't seem to find that cost, but I'm assuming it's not much.

So, this is my tentative itinerary:

1. Arrive in CDG on Saturday, April 2nd at 19:05.
2. Spend the night somewhere...
3. Take a TVG train leaving from CDG to Bayonne Station, leaving Sunday, April 3rd at 07:30 and arrive in Bayonne at 14:55.

From Bayonne to SJPP is where I need someone's experience. There is a train departing Bayonne at 15:05 and arriving in SJPP at 16:23. The next one leave Bayonne at 21:09 and arrives in SJPP at 22:25.

Can I make the first connection in time? If all goes as planned, I'd have something like 10 minutes to leave the TVG train and get on the TER train. If the station is the same, and it just involves switching platforms, it seems possible.

Or, would I be better off taking the next train, even though it is 4.5 hours of waiting?

If something I've described doesn't make sense, please point it out for me... pretty confused right now. Thank you all in advance!

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Stephano ~
Sounds like a great itinerary. A couple of points:
1) You might want to consider the overnight train to Bayonne from Paris. It's not cheap but it does save you the cost of a Paris overnight. Note that there are also trains directly from CDG to Bayonne, allowing you to avoid the hassle of getting into Paris proper.
2) The Bayonne train station is quite small and the departure to SJPP is likely timed specifically so it will include passengers from the Paris train. The 10 minute gap is perfect to make it to a different platform and catch the SJPP train. No problems with the transfer. If for some reason the SJPP train has left (won't happen) you can take your ticket to the station agent and request a new ticket for the later train.

Buen camino ~
Sandy

[stephano]

1) You might want to consider the overnight train to Bayonne from Paris. It's not cheap but it does save you the cost of a Paris overnight. Note that there are also trains directly from CDG to Bayonne, allowing you to avoid the hassle of getting into Paris proper.

This is a great idea, and I would've went with this option if I were still flying into CDG. However, I think the flight I wanted is no longer available, and I may need to fly into ORY instead. Now I'm trying to figure out what options I have directly going to Bayonne from Orly somehow, or if I need to begin at CDG.

2) The Bayonne train station is quite small and the departure to SJPP is likely timed specifically so it will include passengers from the Paris train. The 10 minute gap is perfect to make it to a different platform and catch the SJPP train. No problems with the transfer. If for some reason the SJPP train has left (won't happen) you can take your ticket to the station agent and request a new ticket for the later train.

This is exactly what I needed to know, thanks very much for the tip. Even if my plans end up changing, I just want to say thanks for all of your experienced help, and maintaining these forums have made it a lot easier get on the Camino.

[stephano]

So, I'm all set, thanks to Sandy's advice and general information gathered from these forums.

I'll be flying in a few hours to Paris, CDG and then taking an overnight train to Bayonne. I have only 45 minutes or so to make the connection, but I hope that won't be a problem. Once arriving in Bayonne at 7am in the morning, I'm going to see what my options are to get to SJPP. I saw that there is a bus or train that leaves, but because there was only one running pretty late in the evening, I suppose because it's Sunday.

Anyway, I think I'll be alright, and hopefully will begin walking starting Monday, April 4th. Hope to see some of you on the walk, thanks again for the advice!

[Leslie]

45 minutes is tight - i hope you are taking a taxi