Airport

[noekd]

Hi Everyone,
I'll be flying from the U.S. to Spain. Which airport is cheapest to fly into? I'm planning on starting either in Roncesvalles or St. Jean de Pied. What do you recommend?
~Kelly
P.S. I'm also willing to take a bus if needed. I'm on a budget.

[Leslie]

Yeah it is always a problem from the US. The airports that are nearest the Camino don't have international flights. I would say get the cheapest flight to Spain which would likely be Madrid and get the bus or train to Pamplona.

From there you can get the bus to Roncesvalles or a train to Bayonne and another local train to St Jean.

Also if you are money poor and time rich, I was when I first went, it might be worth while checking out the flights to Paris and getting an overnight train from there to Bayonne - booked well in advance the train can be as low as 50 or 60 euro.

Then getting home - maybe a flight from Santiago to London with Ryanair - very cheap. The more time you have the cheaper it can be.

Hope some of this helps.

[noekd]

I am definitely rich on time! I'm a teacher with summers off.

It sounds maybe cheaper for me to fly into Madrid and then take a bus to Pamplona and then onto Roncesvalles. I'm thinking that flying into Paris is going to be somewhat costly after a night in a hostel and a train, etc. If you have any more insights, please don't hesitate. Let me know! Thanks so much for your help.

BTW...do you think it is safe for a woman to do the Camino by herself? I would probably be going alone.

~Kelly

[spanishlancer]

Hi Everyone,
I'll be flying from the U.S. to Spain. Which airport is cheapest to fly into? I'm planning on starting either in Roncesvalles or St. Jean de Pied. What do you recommend?
~Kelly
P.S. I'm also willing to take a bus if needed. I'm on a budget.

Also consider a cheap flight to either Dublin or London and then switch to Ryan Air for a flight to Biarritz. Easy journey from there to SJPP by rail from Bayonne which is a few miles from the airport.Ryan Air is a low cost carrier and are cheaper the earlier you book.

Keep Walking Ron

[Leslie]

Yes I think it is safe for a woman on her own. Many do start that way, but a lot of pilgrims form loose groups quite quickly.

[toni,ok]

So we bit the bullet and are heading to Paris - to see a bit of the sites & get adjusted to the time change before heading out. Our original plan was to get a Eurorail pass for France and Spain (take the train to St Jean and then from Santiago BACK to Paris for our return flight). Now we are thinking that it would be cheaper (and much more fun) to just buy a train ticket to St. Jean, fly to London (via Ryanair), stay for a day or two, and take the chunnel back to Paris. My fear is purchasing plane tickets to London when we are fearful of our exact arrival date in Santiago. I know that Ryanair is cheap, but even at the last minute? If purchased now, it looks comparable to the Eurorail pass. Thoughts?

[Karla]

Hi Kelly,

I'm Karla and I am going to walk the Camino alone and traveling from Oregon. I'm visiting my son in Chicago and heading overseas from Chicago O'Hare. A flight from ORD to Dublin in July of 2009 is currently 709.00. I've found it's cheapest to fly into Dublin and then from Dublin you can fly into many cities in Europe for under a hundred dollars. I'm planning on looking around in Ireland at the sacred sites and then heading over to begin my journey. I plan on being in Spain for 3 months and then will head back to Ireland to fly back to Chicago and then on to Oregon. Maybe we'll see each other on our journeys... and I believe I am totally safe going alone.

[shirley]

There are inexpensive early morning flights from Madrid to Pamplona. On maps, it looks like it could be a quick taxi ride over the mountains to St.Jean... does anyone have experience with this route? Are the Pamplona cab drivers willing to make this trip? What would they charge? Do many other pilgrims take this option, in other words, would there be a strong likelihood of spotting others in the airport that might want to share the ride?
Shirley

[Leslie]

I don't know if you would spot others in the airport, but the shell on the bag is a give away.

There are buses every afternoon from Pamplona to Roncesvalles and you can get a taxi from there to St Jean fairly easy I am assured, I don't know for certain as I have not come at it from that direction before. I am certain of the buses though.

[Covey]

In the last few years when I have walked the Camino Frances, around 60% of the pilgrims have been female, and 95% have been walking solo.

The Camino is probably the safest treking route in the world for solo walkers, and the Spanish tend to still hold an affection for Pilgrims, even though the numbers have greatly increased over the past 10 years.

The pilgrim spirit of helping others who need help is alive and strong, and if you need help, your problem will be in deciding whose help to accept, rather than wondering if anyone will help.

The road from St Jean to Roncesvalles is where most pilgrims first meet other pilgrims, and groups form and disolve as people sort themselves out, and by supper in the evening, you are all old friends who have survived the hardest day of the Camino Frances.

The facinating part is where you meet people you have not seen for a week or so in the albergue, and you swap tales of where you have been and what you have seen.

Nobody is really interested in the material things in life, what job you have, or how wealthy you might be because every morning you all put on your boots, strap on your pack, and set forth on the days adventure, with new places to see and new people to meet.

There is one golden rule for solo female pilgrims!! There are those (mostly male) who assume that you must be facinated to hear their life story and are likley to bore you to death whilst walking. The rule is: Do not be afraid to tell someone to bugger off if you do not want their company! Just tell them that you want to walk on your own.

Enjoy