First Timer -

[cloud]

Hi everyone,
I am travelling from Australia to Paris in May, and wondering about best way of getting to St Jean...I land 7am and can catch a train at 9.15am to Bayonne then a bus to St jean....Is this too much in one day? Not too sure of the logistics!

Having never landed in CDG airport before , I am not sure if there will be delays coming off... Also...(lots of questions, sorry!) Do the buses leave from the same station in Bayonne that I arrive in from Paris...Is there an online timetable for the bus company?
Getting close now!

[Covey]

The chances of you making the 9.15 to Bayonne are zero!! Slow down, spend the day in Paris chilling out and catch the night train to Bayonne!

Welcome to the Forum.

[cloud]

Thanks Covey...I guess getting through the airport may take awhile from what you say...(BTW... I am 19, and travelling solo - my first trip solo to Europe and am trying to get my bearings) So if I get the train (or plane?) to Bayonne should I try and get a late bus or stay in Bayonne that night? Could someone advise what the Bus Company is called...I saw it somewhere on the site but can't find it again! Thanks!

[Covey]

If you catch the overnight train from Paris to Bayonne, that usually gets in to Bayonne about 0630am and then you catch the first train of the day to St Jean.

You could see how much a flight would cost from Paris to Bairritz from where you catch a local bus from outside the airport terminal to Bayonne railway station. Ask your travel agent if they can get you the Paris to Bairritz leg for free under the mileage rules!

[joe]

Hi Cloud, I am also travelling in May and will be arriving at CDG on the 18th. Here are my plans: 19th and 20th I will be spending in Paris to sight see a little. On the 21st at 7.00am I will be getting a train to Bayonne (which cost me £45 GBP), I arrive at Bayonne at around 12.10pm, I wanted to have a little look around Bayonne before heading straight to St. Jean. So I booked another train from Bayonne to St. Jean at 18.10pm which arrives at 19.37pm. It cost me a mere £6.60 for that train ticket. In St. Jean I booked a hostel, which costs €8 for the night, €9 for dinner (including wine, probably cheaper without wine), €3 for breakfast, and €3 for a packed lunch. It's called L'esprit Du Chemin. They serve dinner until 19.45pm, I asked about it because my train doesnt arrive until 19.37pm, and the kind person emailed me back saying that they wait for pilgrims who arrive on that train, so I was lucky!

If I were you I would book a hostel in Paris for 1 night (I booked Aloha hostel for 2 nights, €25 per night), and then book your train ticket in advance for the next day, if like me you don't want to rush around, leave a few hours between each train so that you can take time out to eat and casually walk around the city for a couple of hours (just remember where the train station is lol).

The train into St. Jean is only a 5 minute walk down the road to where the hostels and pilgrim office is, so it's hard to get lost if arriving by train.

I'll have just turned 21 so I'm around the same age, and this is also my first solo trip.

If you want any links to the trainline websites, or hostel websites then just send me a private message or reply here and I'll get them to you promptly. Also, what date in May will you be leaving? If it's any time around my dates then we may bump into each other along the way!

[cloud]

thanks Joe. I am still trying to work out how long it will take to get out of the International airport to the train station and therefore when to book a train from Paris!..but hope to start walking the 11th or 12th of May.

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Cloud ~
You can also catch the train directly from CDG to Bayonne without having to go into Paris proper, though you can't do the overnighter that Covey mentioned. Right now the overnight train is more expensive than the flight from CDG to Biarritz, so your best choice may be to fly.
--Sandy

[HuskyNerd]

Oops, forgot to mention, Cloud, that I'll be starting from St. Jean on May 12 so will hope to see you. Look for a 50ish guy with a green pack and his 50ish sister (green pack) and 23ish son (blue pack).

[BHinSanDiego]

Husky, when you mentioned your packs one of the things I always remember from my Camino was the variety of them, rarely did I see the same model (saw the same manufacturer a lot though) more than once it seemed except for people that were traveling together like you and your sister and son. It almost became ia little game to see how many different types there were!

[HuskyNerd]

You're right, BH -- multicolored backpacks in many shapes and sizes. Seems like you can almost tell the nationalities of the pilgrims by their backpacks, though. Spanish pilgrims usually sport "Quechua" brand mochilas. Germans wear their "Deuter" packs. Brits and Americans seems to wear the same brands. The French have Louis Vuitton (just kidding). It's great sport to see the many varieties out there.

[cloud]

Thanks Sandy... I have found a train that will leave Montparnasse at 12ish and gets to Bayonne around 5pm...Can anyone tell me time required for me to get to Montparnasse Station from International airport - dont know paris at all not sure how far from the Airport it is. After 32 hrs flying I don't want it to be too complicated!! That would allow 5 hrs between landing (if my flight lands on time) My aim is to try and get that last train to St JPP?

[joe]

You can the bus straight from the airport to Montparnasse for €14 (one way). It's a shuttle bus which takes about 40 minutes from the airport to Montparnasse. You don't have to buy a ticket or anything, you just pay the driver directly, and they leave approx every 30 minutes.

I have a link that I used to plan my bus into Paris (my hostel is near Gare Montparnasse so I chose to go straight there from the airport).

Here's the link: Paris airport shuttle services : schedules, fares travel time...

It's Air France Coach 4! Scroll down and you will see a map of all the routes for all the buses, Air France Coach 4 is the light yellow line route.

[joe]

I think the last train from Bayonne to SJPP leaves at about 6pm and arrives at about 7.40pm, so you'll have at least an hour spare from when you arrive at Bayonne from Paris.

[Covey]

Cloud........... You say you will have faced 30+ hours flying, then immediately a long train journey then the last train to St Jean.

You may well get to St Jean as planned and after a short nights sleep you are facing the hardest day on the Camino which is 20kms straight up followed by 7kms straight down to Roncesvalles followed by the next day to Zubiri which is 20+ kms and the next day which is 20kms to Pamplona etc etc.

I know that at 19 you are fit and can take on the World, but fit as you might be, your body will hardly know if it is coming or going. Jet lag is hard to adjust to and if you take my advice, you need to slow down and take a break before heading up over the hills to Roncesvalles.

Along the Way you will find those who start off with a rush and those who did listen to what their body is telling them. It is an absolute fact that most who have to give up are the youngsters. The Older Boys and Girls listen to their bodies, pace themselves and will remind you of the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare!

The Camino is not a race, and for 30+ days you have to get up every morning and do the same thing over again. Most can do a 40km day if needed, but few can do 40kms a day every day, rain hail or shine for 30+ days.

Think about it!!

[HuskyNerd]

So sad to rush through Paris. I agree with Covey that slowing down is a good thing. An overnight in Paris can be spendy, but how about this:

• Take the subway from the airport (very easy and direct) to the St. Michel/Notre Dame station.
• Come up out of the subway station and enjoy the center of Paris -- Notre Dame Cathedral, the Latin Quarter, the Left Bank, views of the Eiffel Tower, the Pont Neuf, coffee and croissant at a sidewalk cafe. Spend a couple of hours here just hanging out.
• Go back down on the subway at the same station and take the Porte d'Orleans subway to Montparnasse station. Just minutes away.
• When you get to SJPP give yourself a day of rest. Wander the souvenir shops, have a lazy lunch, tour the citadel, light a candle at the church, relax.
• Start the next day fresh -- you have a long climb ahead.

Just a thought. It's your camino and you will have a fabulous time however you do it. Buen camino!

[joe]

I agree with Sandy, it's a shame to rush through a city like Paris. I'll be spending a few days there, I bought a 2-day Paris Pass for €99 which allows me to visit over 60 tourist attractions, including the Louvre, Notre Dame, Palace of versaille, a river Sienne cruise, a wine tasting experience, Arc de triumphe, and the Grevin wax museum, that's just to name a few. I doubt I'll visit over 15 places in 2 days but it works out cheaper with the Pass anyway as you get a free Paris Visite pass which allows you to travel on all the metro trains a local buses for free for 2 days, and it includes a 2-day hop on hop off tour bus, which stops at 9 major attractions in order to save time! The only thing it doesn't give you is the Eiffel Tower (but you can get a ticket for €13 online).

Also if you stay at a hostel instead of a hotel it's fairly cheap. But, like Sandy said it is your Camino and you can do it which ever way you think is suitable for yourself. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you enjoy it.

[cloud]

Thankyou so much guys for your thoughtful and excellent advice - it is really appreciated.

I actually am having a week in Paris on my way back in a couple of months time - my great Mum has booked me a beautiful room so I will get to experience it properly then hopefully.
So...I think the best choice (since there might be plane delays) is to stay the night in paris and catch an early train to Bayonne and then to St Jean...then another restful night in there....though no doubt I will still be jet lagged...Maybe 2 days in St Jean?? I am in no hurry!

[joe]

It may be best to stay in St. Jean for 2 days, because of the time zone too, get your body more used to it. Sounds like you have an exciting trip ahead of you! I hope you enjoy each and every minute of it. You should still get a Paris Pass, there are 4 day and 6 day passes to buy as well, allowing you to see more of the attractions.

[Covey]

Thats what Mum's are for.............!

If you spend the night in Paris and then catch the early train to Bayonne you should only need 24hrs in St Jean. St Jean is not a very large place and 48hrs will probably leave you itching to set off with all the Pilgrims the next day. Just see how it goes and how you feel.

I rarely know where I am going to end up when I set off in the morning. It rather depends on the weather, how I feel and what my new companions are thinking of doing. Some start their Camino with rigid plans of where they must be each day and what they must see and do, but I would suggest that the best plan is to have a start date, and a flight home date and for the rest of the time, just take each day as it comes.

The Pilgrim Office in St Jean will give you a stage plan with the suggested 34 stages to Santiago. These are just a suggestion cos you do it your way. Day one is the only problem as far as accommodation is concerned because between St Jean and Roncesvalles there is only one stop on the Route Napoleon which is Orisson and you MUST book in advance to get a bed there, and it is quite expensive to stay there. Once you are past Orisson, there is nowhere to stay or get food or a hot drink for the next 20kms!

Every where else on the Camino Frances there are frequent places to stop for the night if your body tells you "enough". The Camino Frances is a bit of an industry and every small hamlet will have somewhere selling food and drink. That is why the Camino Frances is a good introduction to the Camino's. On other routes there are far fewer places to stop and 20kms between rest stops becomes the norm.

[ClaireB]

Thankyou so much guys for your thoughtful and excellent advice - it is really appreciated.

I actually am having a week in Paris on my way back in a couple of months time - my great Mum has booked me a beautiful room so I will get to experience it properly then hopefully.
So...I think the best choice (since there might be plane delays) is to stay the night in paris and catch an early train to Bayonne and then to St Jean...then another restful night in there....though no doubt I will still be jet lagged...Maybe 2 days in St Jean?? I am in no hurry!

When will you be in Paris (at the end)? I'm also spending a few days there at the end so we might cross paths! And the best part of my sightseeing plans at the end will be - a day at asterix park - by far the most awesome theme park I have ever been to!

Just a quick note - coming from Australia it takes around a week to recover from jetlag so the more days you can take to rest and sightsee and get to where you're starting from before you walk the more your body will thank you! Fortunately for me, I have relatives in Paris which means that after my ridiculously long flight (also 32 hours from melbourne) I will have a few days to recover (and somewhere to crash when I get back) - yay!