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Spain, Portugal & the Pays Basque Travel Planning & Custom Programs by Maribel July 2008 - Celebrating 10 Years of the Fiesta! Join us in Pamplona for the enceirro, the "running of the bulls" |
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IBERIA
has revised its web page making it far
easier to book flights to Pamplona and the
rest of Spain. The airline has also
initiated some very attractive discounted
airfares on the Madrid-Pamplona and
Barcelona-Pamplona routes via
AIR NOSTRUM, some as
low as 124 euros roundtrip, including
taxes and fees. Regular fares can
run as high as 430 euros roundtrip on the
Madrid-Pamplona route. The steepest
discounted Madrid-Pamplona airfare is for
the 4:50 pm flight, with a return flight
at 7:00 am. The least expensive fare
from Barcelona to Pamplona departs at 2:00
pm with a return departing at 9:15
pm. These flights may be very
practical for those staying in Madrid or
Barcelona prior to arriving in
Pamplona. Please note that
discounted fares on the Madrid and
Barcelona routes are limited. This
is a very popular route during the
fiesta. Check the IBERIA web site
(www.Iberia.com) for the most current
flight information and schedules on its
English page. Be sure to join the
'Iberia Plus' program if you are not
already a member of the American Airlines
or another One World frequent flyer
program. An
alternative to flying to Pamplona from
Madrid or Barcelona, is to fly to the
smaller regional airport of San
Sebastian-Donostia, in the village of
Hondarribia, with 8 non-stop flights daily
from Madrid and 4 from Barcelona.
Once there, you can then either rent a
car, take a taxi or a bus (from San
Sebastian), or we can arrange a private
transfer to Pamplona. Flying
to Bilbao is often the least expensive
option when traveling to Pamplona.
There are five daily Iberia flights from
Barcelona beginning at 11:30 and ten from
Madrid beginning at 6:50 am. Spanair
also offers seven non-stop daily flights
from Madrid and four from Barcelona.
In addition, there are non-stop and
connecting flights into Bilbao from
England (Heathrow & Stansted), France
(CDG Paris) and Germany (5 locations),
Belgium (Brussels), Italy (Milan) &
Portugal (Lisbon). Once
you arrive at Bilbao, you can either catch
the bus from the city Termibus terminal,
which will bring you to Pamplona in about
two hours at a very reasonable cost, rent
a car, hire a taxi, or we can arrange for
a private transfer. A private
transfer is the fastest way to reach
Pamplona from the Bilbao airport, and
economical for four or more
people. Currently,
first class passage on the Talgo costs
41.00 euros one-way, while first class
passage on the Estrella cost 39.50 euros
plus 71.00 euros per person for the deluxe
double compartment. The first class
compartment single supplement is 103.00
euros. There
are three daily departures from Madrid's
Atocha Station. Advanced
reservations are absolutely essential for
these trains. There
are several daily trains, the TGV, from
Paris-Montparnasse to Biarritz.
Bookings are generally available 90 days
in advance through the SNCF web site
(http://www.voyages-sncf.com). Coming
from the coast, the Biarritz-St.
Jean-de-Luz area, either drive to San
Sebastian, following the A-15 or take the
N-121 from Irun at the border through the
more scenic Bidasoa Valley, which brings
you into the city from the north.
This route is about a 1-1/2 hour long
drive from the airport or train station in
Biarritz. If
driving in through the area between
Toulouse and Pau, head towards St.
Jean-Pied-de-Port and take the N-135,
following the pilgrims' route of Saint
James over the Pyrennes at Roncesvalles,
arriving in Pamplona 76 kms away.
This drive usually takes at least 1-1/2
hours and connects to the N-121 as you
enter Pamplona from the
north. The
city has designated the majority of street
parking spaces as paid parking only, so
please be advised that if you are parked
in a blue zone, there is a time limit, and
it is enforced 24 hours a day. We
advise you to drop your rental car off
when you arrive and pick up another car
when you leave. Rental cars can be
dropped off at either the airport or at a
downtown location. There
is also daily bus service from Bilbao, San
Sebastian-Donostia and
Biarritz.
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