Pamplona

Pamplona (Basque: Iruña) is a city in Navarra, Spain. It is most famous world-wide for its San Fermín festival, held each year from July 6-14. San Fermín festival includes the legendary "Running of the Bulls", which features the daily bullrun or "Encierro" in Spanish. Pamplona is a beautiful green city and ranks the highest in environment and recycling cities in Spain & Europe. There are many interesting things to do and explore in Pamplona for a traveler as it is the first main city on the route of St. James (Camino de Santiago). It is a city with beautiful parks, historical buildings, medieval city walls and a river running through it too. The city is home of two universities: the public Universidad Pública de Navarra, and the private Universidad de Navarra, and two campuses in different but close parts of the city.

By train
Daily trains from and to Madrid, Barcelona, Vitoria, Galicia, Asturias, Zaragoza, Burgos. Also routes to other towns in the region of Navara like Tafalla or Tudela are available. Urban buses connect the train station and the city centre.

By car
Hire a car and drive from Madrid 4 hr, Barcelona 4 hr, Biarritz 1.5 hr, San Sebastián 1 hr, Bilbao 2 hr, Zaragoza 2 hr, Logroño 1 hr.

Underground parking is widely available.

By bus
The cheapest way to get in Pamplona. Several daily services from Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastián, Bilbao, Vitoria, Zaragoza, Logroño and many other cities. Almost all towns and villages of the region are daily connected to its Capital City, Pamplona, by bus. This is a very good option if you don't have a car but want to visit places like the Castle in Olite, the Romanesque art of Estella or the old streets and Cathedral of Tudela, just for instance.

Get around
Pamplona offers to very different faces to the visitor: while in San Fermín festival, the city is driven by music, drinking and the incredible number of people celebrating and packing the streets. People from all over the World "pay tribute" to San Fermín by having fun, and for the more adventurous, run in front of six bulls at 08:00. If you want to see the bullrun from the street, you must be in the spot at least two hours in advance to secure yourself some good sights of the event.

The rest of the year, Pamplona is a tranquil and yet vibrant place full things to do. It is indeed a great place to walk the streets and parks. Food and wine is also a big part of the navarrese culture, so make sure you taste some local specialties.

See

 * Aside from the evening bullfights, at 11:00 some mornings during San Fermin, there is a chance to enter the bullring for free, and watch student bullfighters hone their craft. Pamplona's bullring is the second largest in Spain. To gain free access to tha main event in the bullring after the bullrun is to run at the last segment of the bullrun to gain access to the bullring for free.
 * July 5 is becoming an extra day of fun, as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has a "running of the nudes" to protest the bullfights. No-one is totally naked, though, as it's against the law.
 * Plaza de Toros, the bullring and end point of the encierro, is still used for bullfights. The stadium was built in 1922 and holds over 19,000 people.
 * Pamplona Cathedral: Pamplona's gothic cathedral was constructed during the 14th and 15th centuries. The church has a neoclassical façade completed by Ventura Rodriguez in 1783. The cathedral is listed as one of the most important religious buildings in Spain. There is a museum next to the cathedral which has exhibits on the history and architecture of the building.
 * Pamplona Cathedral: Pamplona's gothic cathedral was constructed during the 14th and 15th centuries. The church has a neoclassical façade completed by Ventura Rodriguez in 1783. The cathedral is listed as one of the most important religious buildings in Spain. There is a museum next to the cathedral which has exhibits on the history and architecture of the building.

Do
This event is only a little less controversial than the Faroe Islands' Grindadrap - some see it as tradition and cultural heritage, some as animal cruelty one should not support.
 * Sanfermines, the Festival of San Fermín, is held city-wide July 6-14. It begins with the txupinazo, a rocket fired from the City Hall balcony at noon on the 6th. A large street party ensues that night and for the rest of the week. The best-known feature is the encierro (running of the bulls) every subsequent day at 08:00 (not on the 6th since the festival only starts at noon). Six bulls run through town centre towards the bullring; the adventurous and foolhardy run in front of them. If you want to run with the bulls, then arrive at the track for 07:30. Police will eject you if you are drunk, also runners are not allowed to carry a camera.
 * Football: CA Osasuna play soccer in La Liga, Spain's top tier. Their home ground Estadio El Sadar (capacity 23,500) is 1.5 km south of city centre.

Learn
San Fermin has a nightly fireworks show. Each night a different company (many international) competes for a prize. This happens nightly near the ciudadela or fortress, former citadel to defend the city and nowadays the biggest park of all.

Pamplona has many old palaces, most of them in the heart of the city. One of them, on the outskirts of town in Gorraiz used to belong to Sir Lancelot (of King Arthur fame). He received this palace upon marrying a Spaniard. The palace has a nice upper class bar and restaurant, and an excellent wine cellar below.

Work
English teaching is the main source of income for many tourists who come and eventually fall in love with Pamplona. In Sanfermines, many tourists end up working for some hostels to get free lodging. They may be soliciting fellow tourists to get a room in the hostel where they are lodged or giving out pamphlets to tourists.

Buy
You can buy good wine, Patxaran, ham, and tins of peppers the best are from Lodosa, and of course asparagus from Navarra. Presents can be bought on every corner, like small bulls, red & white clothes, and festival T-shirts. Also you can find the Shop of Kukuxumusu at the beginning of Estafeta Street.

In Old Town you will find kiosks throughout selling Navarrese handicrafts.

Eat
Outside Sanfermines day, many eateries close at 15:30. Dinner is served up from 21:00 There is plenty of restaurants in the old city, from budget menús del día for lunch to more expensive and renowned venues. Navarra's cuisine stands out for the quality of its vegetables, e.g. asparagus, artichokes, piquillo red peppers. Plus, visitors can always try typical Spanish dishes.

In Pamplona, tapas are called "pintxos", and in contrast with other places in the south of Spain do not come free of charge with drinks. However, most of these "pintxos" are small-sized nouvelle cuisine dishes, so it is really worth to try. Remember that going out to a bar to have a drink and some "pintxos" is pretty much a social event, and there is not a settled time for it. Normally, the same bars that offer "pintxos" prepare menús del día and dinner at Spanish lunch and dinner time.

Drink
In Pamplona you can find good wine from Navarra, try it! it's really good. You can order it in every bar as "tinto" (red wine) or as "clarete" or "rosado" (rose wine). Besides there's a liquor called "Patxaran" that should be tried.

You should also make sure you try the Sangria. It's a red wine punch, usually with some fruit, red wine, and some honey to sweeten. The alcoholic content can vary greatly from place to place.

Calle San Nicolas, Calle Estafeta, and Calle de Jarauta are all lined with different bars, pubs, and bodegas. Most do not have signs so feel free to wander around in and out of these places.



Budget

 * Many sleep in the open for free in the parks throughout Pamplona.
 * The El Molino campground is nearby Pamplona. It has campsites, cabins and rooms.  Definitely requires booking during San Fermín festival.  Is about 25 min from the center of Pamplona and there are standard €40 per shuttle rides, and there are always others around keen to share.
 * A good camp close to Pamplona is Lizarra at Estella. Approx. 1/2 away by coach. Has bar, restaurant, shop, showers, & pool.
 * Camp in Tali Mendi, Zarautz (on the coast) Approx. 1hr 15 minutes away by coach. Few hundred metres from the beach.
 * A good option is to have a room in one of the makeshift hostals on Calle Estafeta (a segment where the bulls run and where the fun is located). Always bargain for a terrace when asking for the price. Price range between €30 and €100 per night.

Splurge




Stay safe

 * Watch out for the bulls!
 * There is quite a lot of pickpockets at sanfermines time, experts at spotting visitors, so try to be careful, do not leave things unattended. Suspect from those gypsies that just want to talk to you or do palm reading.
 * At San Fermines do not wear flip-flops or sandals, as streets are quite filthy and there can be broken glass pieces on the ground. Traditionally locals wear white t's and pants, a red neckerchief and some kind of red scarf round their waist. You can buy this outfit at street shops and mingle with the crowd.

Connect
As of June 2022, Pamplona has 4G from MasMovil/Yoigo, and 5G from Movistar, Orange and Vodafone.

Go next

 * San Sebastian / Donostia is a charming old port on the Basque coast.
 * Zaragoza has an impressive cathedral and a moorish palace.