Doing the Camino Walk

We are planning to do the Camino walk – the Camino Frances – and we hope to walk from St jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Lugo Compostela in four weeks. However, we can’t seem to find information on how to get to St jean Pied de Port. Assuming we fly to Madrid, what is the best way of getting to St jean Pied de Port? Also, how do we get from Santiago de Lugo Compostela to Madrid to catch a flight back? - Gugu Nyanda

The first step of your journey is to get from Madrid to Pamplona by flight, bus or train. The distance between the two cities is just over 400kms and the bus takes 4-5 hours. The bus fare from Madrid to Pamplona should be around 30 Euros (check http://www.autobusesdenavarra.com/siv/internet/busquedas.jsp) Many people chose to go by bus, as it takes you directly to the bus station in Pamplona, where you catch another bus to Roncesvalles. These buses only run until 6pm during the week and 4pm on Saturdays. There is no service on Sundays. From Roncesvalles you catch a taxi to St Jean. Sharing the taxi with other travelers should bring the cost down to around 25 Euros per person. To get back from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid you can also choose between flying, taking the bus or the train. The bus service takes about eight hours and costs 60 euros.  (24 June 2012)