St Jean Pied de Port to Estello or Los Arcos

[brownetara]

Hi,

Myself and three friends are thinking of doing this section of the Camino in September this year. We did the 110 km into Santiago in 2010 so have an idea whats involved but would be grateful for any advice - from accommodation to transport to anything else you feel might help.

We are looking at flying into Biarritz and getting the bus/train to St Jean (please feel free to let us know the best way!).

We are also thinking that we would just book the hotel in St Jean and for the second night and then just book after that when we arrive in the evenings for the following night. Any thoughts on that?

Also, when we get to Estello or Los Arcos - does anyone know how we would get back to Biarritz?

Thanks in advance,

Tara

[quiet]

Hi Tara,
To get from Biarritz to St Jean you take the bus to Bayonne and then the train to St Jean Pied du Port there is a very good aubergue there
L'Esprit du Chemin if you look at their webpage they also have the train timetable and you can book your first nights stay there online.Getting home from Estella or Los Arcos will be more difficult. In Spain the big long distance bus company is called Alsa and Renfrew is the train company if not goggle Eurorail it leads you to the same timetables, there is no need to worry about booking ahead on either pay cash on the day it's the same price.Wherever you finish you'll need to get to Logrono first i'm not sure about the trains there but you can get the bus to either Vitoria or San Sebastion.There is a train from Burgos to Hendaye which stops at Vitoria. If you take the San Sebastion option i'm not sure if there is a bus to Hendaye but there is atrain.When you get to Hendaye you catch the bus outside the station to St Jean de Lux to a very small bus station where you take another bus to Biarritz airport.Sounds mighty complicated but i travelled Burgos- Biarritz in November 2011 without any problems but you will need to plan ahead and allow plently of time just in case you need an emergency taxi at the end i don't think Ryanair are too charitable with people who miss their flights.
Good Luck
Paul

[Leslie]

This part of the site is a day by day guide on the Camino Frances - it might help.

[rosie64]

Hi
There is a little book you can buy in France called Miam Miam Dodo (Eat eat, sleep) which gives all the kms, places to stay and services in each town/village. Even if you don't speak French you'll get the gist and its really useful for planning and not getting stuck on a long leg at the end of your walking day. If you do the first leg from SJPP to Refuge Orisson (+33 5 59 49 13 03 and +33 6 81 49 79 56), a good steep half day, you get a great 1st stop over, fantastic meal and make friends. Jean Jacques and the staff are welcoming and friendly and you might meet the mobile doc who walks the camino about 3 times a year!! quite a character. You do need to book. The next day is still a good walk to Roncevalles and if you don't fancy the big dorm, go on to the next village, Burguete, where there are a few casa rurals (a bedroom and bathroom in someone's house, no food), great value for money and very comfortable. Bon camino !!

[nathan]

the reply from quiet is excellant,may i add a little something?
If the camino trip is but a part of your vacation then you may consider quiet 's tips more carefully.
San Sebastion is well known for having the best food in Spain at cheaper prices than you may expect
St jean de Luc is a lovely sea side resort...good beach and a chilax venue
Between St jean de luc and biaritz is the tiny hamlet of Birdet?....there is a quaint hotel called Milady run by a mad french lady....worth a stop over....it helps that the hotel is next to the best surfing beach in France and you can hire all you need for a few euros
Aviod biaritz with the expensive hotels , spa , casinos
finally with 4 of you travelling a taxi may be within your budget for some of the transfers?

[brownetara]

OK, so we've booked our flights - into Biarritz on the 9th and home on the 16th, allowing us five days of walking and a day back in biarritz before we fly home. We plan on walking the following sections -

Day 1 - St Jean to Roncesvalles
Day 2 - Roncesvalles to Larrasoana
Day 3 - Larrasoana to Cizur Menor
Day 4 - Cizur Menor to Puenta la Reina
Day 5 - Peunta le Reina to Estella

Obviously I'll have the guide book and wil be reading through this website ad finitum but if anyone has any local knowledge please feel free to point it out.

We will probably book our accommodation in St Jean and Roncesvalles before we go and then just book in somewhere on the day. We would be happy to stay in cheap hotels or nice B&B's (we like our comfort at the end of the day) or even alberges with rooms for 4/5 that we could take to ourselves - so any pointers here greatly appreciated.

Also, I have bene trying the ALSA website for buses back to Biarritz but it doesn't seem to recognise the place name Estella - maybe someone else has done this route and could give me an idea what I need to put in.

I have been St Jean de Luz before and was thinking that might be a nice stop off point for our return trip to Biarritz so if anyone knows of a good hotel there, great!

Thanks for all the help, its nine months away and I'm way too excited!

Tara

[HuskyNerd]

Wow, you're truly and advance planner, Tara. The easiest way to plan your return to Biarritz would be to contact Caroline at Express Bourricot (Express Bouricot) and ask her to pick you up in her van. She doesn't list this in her routes, but she is usually flexible with advance notice.