Pamplona/Iruña

Summer is the warmest season, with pleasant days. Spring and autumn are mild but rainy, and winters are cold and wet.

San Fermín runs from 6 to 14 July. The city is crowded and expensive then, so book rooms months ahead. The bull run takes place at 8 a.m. each morning, and it is dangerous.

• Catedral de Pamplona has a neoclassical façade and a Gothic interior, with a fine cloister.
• Bullring of Pamplona is the bullring where the bull run ends. It is one of the largest in Spain.
• Plaza del Castillo is the main square, with cafés. It appears in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.
• Estatua a Ernest Hemingway is a statue of the writer Ernest Hemingway, outside the bullring.
• Monumento a los Fueros de Navarra is a monument to the old laws of Navarre.
• Iglesia de San Nicolás is a fortified Gothic church in the old town.
• Casa natal de Sabicas is the birthplace of the flamenco guitarist Sabicas.
• The Ciudadela is a 16th-century star-shaped fortress with a large park.
• The Encierro route runs through the old town, along Calle Santo Domingo and Calle Estafeta.

• Walk the route of the bull run through the old town, outside festival time.
• Go on a pintxo crawl on Calle Estafeta and Calle San Nicolás, tasting small snacks on bread with a glass of wine.

• Logroño (about 90 km, 1 hour by car): the capital of the Rioja wine region.
• Zaragoza (about 170 km, 1.5 hours by train): a large city with a basilica and Roman remains.
• Olite (about 40 km, 35 minutes by car): a town with a fairy-tale royal palace.
• Roncesvalles (about 50 km, 1 hour by car): a mountain pass on the Camino de Santiago, on the way to France.

Other places nearby:

• Wine: Logroño is the center of Rioja.
• Aragon: Zaragoza is the nearest large city.

• By air: Pamplona airport (PNA) has limited flights, mostly from Madrid and Barcelona. Bilbao airport is about 160 km away, and San Sebastián airport is about 90 km.
• By train: Trains run from Madrid, Barcelona and Zaragoza. Book on Renfe.
• By bus: Coaches run to San Sebastián, Bilbao, Logroño and Zaragoza.

• On foot: The old town and the center are compact and mostly flat.
• Cycling: The city has a good network of cycle paths.

• Is a car worth it?: Not for the city, but a car helps for the Pyrenees and the wine towns.
• Parking: Use an underground car park near the old town.
• Restrictions: The old town has restricted access, and streets close for the festival.

Navarre has excellent pintxos (small snacks, often on bread). Try pimientos del piquillo (red peppers), chistorra (a thin cured sausage), cordero al chilindrón (lamb with peppers) and trucha a la navarra (trout with ham). The local rosé (rosado) is well known, and pacharán is a sloe liqueur.

Pamplona is a safe city. During San Fermín, the crowds are dense, so watch your belongings. The bull run is dangerous and injuries are common, so watch from a balcony or on TV rather than joining.

Pamplona is named after Pompey, the Roman general who founded it in 74 BC. It became the capital of the Kingdom of Navarre in the 10th century.

In the Middle Ages the city was a stop on the Camino de Santiago. Navarre joined the Crown of Castile in 1512. Hemingway made the San Fermín festival famous worldwide in 1926.

Quick practical facts for Spain at a glance: