For centuries Saint Jean Pied de Port (SJPDP) has played an important role in European Christian culture. The town is the starting point of the Camino Frances, the most popular Camino de Santiago route. Thousands of people arrive every year at the small town of St.Jean Pied de Port in the French Pyrenees to start their journey on the Camino de Santiago. In this post, I’m going to explain different ways of getting to St.Jean by public transport.
There are different ways of getting to St.Jean Pied de Port. Whichever way you choose you’ll have to make at least one switch to get there. It’s a very small place, there are no direct transportation options from major cities in France or Spain. When I walked the French Camino I got to Saint Jean from Barcelona. First, I took a bus from Barcelona to Pamplona, and then another bus from Pamplona to SJPDP.
Departure times and ticket prices can change, please, confirm the information on the companies’ websites following the links provided in the post.
Getting to Saint Jean Pied de Port from Biarritz, France
The nearest to St.Jean Pied de Port airport is Biarritz (BIQ), France, 50 km away. Biarritz has stunning beaches and beautiful coastlines. If you decide to fly there you can combine walking the Camino with a beach holiday.
Getting to Saint Jean via Biarritz might be a good option for the off-season when there is no direct bus from Pamplona to SJPDP.
To find out which airlines have flights to your destination, estimated prices, and timetables we recommend using Skyscanner. This flight search aggregator has information on flights from all over the world. It’s very helpful in finding the best routes. We prefer to buy tickets directly on the airlines’ websites.
Step 1. Fly to Biarritz.
You can find direct flights from London, Bristol, Dublin, Paris, and Brussels as well as flights with one connection from pretty much any biggish European city. Ryanair is one of the airlines that operates flights to Biarritz. You can fly from London to Biarritz for as little as 15-20 Euro, one way if you buy your ticket in advance and are flexible with dates. It’s important to remember that Ryanair is a budget airline and your check-in luggage is not included in your ticket price. You have to pack light for the Camino or pay extra.
Step 2. From Biarritz Airport take a bus to Bayonne.
Txiktxak operates bus line 4 between Biarritz Airport (Biarritz Pays) and Gare de Bayonne (Bayonne train station). Buses leave regularly throughout the day (every 30 minutes or so). It’s a 35-minute ride, the price is 2 euros. Tickets can be purchased at the dispenser or on the bus. Bus lines 3 and 36 go to Bayonne as well but these are not direct lines you’ll have to do a switch.
