Pamplona

Overview

Pamplona is famous for eight days a year and underrated for the other 357. The bulls run from 7 to 14 July; for one week the city is on every front page in the world; then the streets clear, and what’s left is a 209,676-resident Basque-Navarrese capital with a star-shaped fortress, a French-Gothic cathedral, and a pintxo culture that quietly competes with anywhere on the peninsula.

The city sits at 450 metres on the Navarrese plain, with the Pyrenees rising 30 km north and the Ebro valley falling away to the south. Locals call it Iruña in Basque; the Roman general Pompey founded it as Pompaelo around 74 BC, and the city marked its 2,100th anniversary of foundation in 2025. The shape of the modern city is dictated by two layers of fortification: the medieval walls running along the bluff above the river Arga, and the pentagonal Citadel that Philip II commissioned in 1569 to defend against French incursions.

Pamplona is the capital of the autonomous community of Navarre and the major city on the Camino Francés, the route Camino pilgrims use after crossing the Pyrenees from France. Pilgrim traffic and baserritarra farmers and Basque-speaking civil servants and university students all share the same arcaded squares. The food is excellent, the wine is local, and the city operates on Basque rather than Madrid hours.

Two days here, outside fiesta week, gives you the cathedral, the Citadel, the old town, and a long pintxo crawl on Calle San Nicolás. Add a third for Olite (the medieval royal palace, 40 km south) or for the Camino’s Roncesvalles entry route. During San Fermín, plan in years rather than days: most regulars book the next year’s accommodation as soon as they leave.

Neighbourhoods

Pamplona is a small city by capital standards (just over 25 km² inside the municipality) and most visitor-relevant neighbourhoods sit within a 30-minute walk of the cathedral. The shape is determined by the medieval walls and the Citadel, with the ensanche expanding south of them through the twentieth century.

Casco Antiguo (the old town)

The medieval core on the bluff above the Arga, divided historically into three burgos: San Cernin (the Frankish merchant quarter, around Calle Mayor), San Nicolás (the original Navarrese quarter), and the cathedral burg around the Catedral de Santa María. The streets are tight, granite-cobbled, and dense with bars. Plaza del Castillo at the southern edge is the civic centre; the encierro route runs through the eastern half. Most visitors base here or in the ensanche directly south.

Ensanche

The early-twentieth-century expansion south of the Plaza del Castillo, organised on a grid of broad streets running south to the Citadel. Avenida Carlos III is the main commercial spine, with the Palacio de Navarra at its northern end and chain shops, banks, and most of the city’s mid-range hotels along its length. The streets between Carlos III and the Plaza de Toros (Calle García Castañón, Calle Roncesvalles) hold a second pintxo circuit that’s denser and slightly less touristy than the old town’s.

Iturrama and the south

The 1960s–70s residential expansion south of the Citadel, organised on grids around Avenida Pío XII. Mostly apartment blocks and university buildings (the University of Navarra, founded in 1952, has its main campus here). Limited tourist interest beyond the university itself.

Rochapea and the Arga banks

The riverside neighbourhood at the foot of the medieval walls, on the northern flank of the city. Walking and cycling paths run along the Arga’s both banks, used heavily by locals at weekends. The Parque Fluvial del Arga runs out of the city to the west, eventually connecting to the Camino’s exit route toward Cizur Menor.

San Juan and Iturrama

Mid-twentieth-century residential districts west of the centre, mostly apartment blocks. The Mercado de Santo Domingo in the old town and the larger Mercado de Ensanche (Calle Estella) cover most produce shopping; San Juan has its own neighbourhood market.

Burlada and the satellite municipalities

Pamplona’s metropolitan area sprawls into separate municipalities (Burlada, Berriozar, Barañáin, Villava) directly contiguous with the city. Combined metropolitan population is around 360,000. Most are residential and only matter for visitors if you’re booking a peripheral hotel.

See & do

Catedral de Santa María la Real

Pamplona’s main church, mainly fourteenth- and fifteenth-century French Gothic, with Romanesque remnants on the cloister and a Neoclassical façade by Ventura Rodríguez completed in 1799. The cathedral cloister is widely cited as one of the finest Gothic cloisters in Europe; the alabaster tomb of Carlos III the Noble and his wife Leonor in the centre of the nave is one of the great medieval royal monuments in Spain. The Occidens museum in the cathedral complex traces the building’s two-thousand-year archaeological layering, from Roman through Visigothic to Gothic. €5 standard.

Ciudadela (Citadel)

The pentagonal star fort begun in 1569 under Philip II, designed by the Italian engineers Vespasiano Gonzaga and Giacomo Paleari Fratín, modelled on Antwerp. It served as a working military garrison until 1964 and is now a public park. Three of the original five bastions survive; the central parade ground is used for outdoor concerts and exhibitions. Free, open from sunrise to sunset. The walk from the Citadel south through the Vuelta del Castillo park is one of the city’s quiet pleasures.

Casco Antiguo (the old town) and the encierro route

The medieval old town sits on the bluff above the Arga, the densest concentration of bars, churches, and civic buildings in the city, and the literal site of the running of the bulls. The 875-metre route runs from the Corralillos de Santo Domingo through Calle Santo Domingo, across the Plaza Consistorial, up Calle Mercaderes, around the famous “Estafeta corner”, along the long straight of Calle Estafeta, and into the Plaza de Toros bullring. Walk it at any time of year; the cobbles still carry the traces of the morning of 7 July to 14 July.

Plaza del Castillo and Café Iruña

The wide arcaded square at the heart of the old town, with bandstand at the centre and the Café Iruña under the eastern colonnade. Iruña has been trading since 1888 and was Hemingway’s favourite; a bronze statue of him leans on the bar. The square is the natural starting point for any walk through the city.

Plaza de Toros and the Espacio SanFermín

The bullring at the eastern end of the encierro route, built in 1922, with a capacity of around 19,500. The Espacio SanFermín is an immersive interpretation centre dedicated to the festival, with film, photography, and audio recreations of the encierro and the wider fiesta. €13. Opens daily except festival weeks.

Museo de Navarra

The province’s flagship museum, in a sixteenth-century former hospital on Calle Santo Domingo. Roman mosaics from Andelos and Liédena, the Casket of Leyre (a tenth-century carved-ivory Hispano-Muslim casket from the Aljafería tradition, the museum’s headline piece), Romanesque capitals from the cathedral cloister, and a strong twentieth-century painting collection. €2.

Iglesia de San Saturnino and Iglesia de San Nicolás

Two thirteenth-century fortified churches, built when religious foundations needed to double as defensive structures. San Saturnino sits at the start of Calle Mercaderes and is the patron of the Burgo of San Cernin (the medieval French quarter). San Nicolás, on the eponymous street, is the heart of the pintxo circuit, and the church bell still rings at 6.45am on encierro mornings to wake the runners.

Camino Francés and the Portal de Francia

The Camino Francés enters Pamplona via the medieval Portal de Francia on the northern wall and leaves westward toward Cizur and Puente la Reina. This is the most heavily used pilgrim entry into Spain; backpacks and walking poles are visible all year, peaking April to October. The Albergue de Peregrinos Jesús y María at Calle Compañía 4 is the public pilgrim hostel; a stamp on your credencial here is a Camino milestone.

Other notable sights

• Palacio de Navarra: the seat of the regional government, on Avenida Carlos III in the ensanche.
• Planetario de Pamplona: in the Citadel area, with weekend public shows.
• Sanfermines monument: bronze sculpture of bulls and runners at the western end of Avenida del Ejército.
• Murallas medievales: the walking route along the medieval city walls.

Food & drink

Pamplona eats Navarrese: a hybrid Basque-Aragonese template with strong vegetable plates from the Ribera del Ebro south of the city, the Pyrenean meats and sheep-cheeses from the north, and a pintxo culture that has quietly refined itself in the shadow of San Sebastián. The defining city street for food is Calle San Nicolás in the old town.

Pintxos

Same general grammar as the rest of the Basque Country: small bites laid out on the bar, eaten with a glass of wine or a zurito, paid for at the end. Pamplona’s particular bias is toward warm, technically-cooked pintxos: cured-yolk dishes, bone-marrow tartlets, miniature stews. The single densest concentration is Calle San Nicolás in the old town; Calle Estafeta runs a close second; the ensanche circuit on Calle García Castañón and Calle Tudela holds the more recent gastrobar wave. €2.50–€4 each, four to five for a meal.

Ajoarriero and bacalao

Salt cod is the regional staple. Ajoarriero (the muleteers’ garlic) is the Navarrese version: cod shredded and stewed with garlic, paprika, peppers, tomato, and (sometimes) lobster or river crayfish. Bacalao al ajo arriero without the lobster is the standard tavern version. Try it in any traditional restaurant in the old town.

Chistorra

The thin red Pamplona sausage, made of pork and paprika, fried in slices and served on bread or with eggs. Standard breakfast and bar snack year-round; during San Fermín, bocadillo de chistorra is sold from street stalls until dawn.

Verduras and the Ribera

Navarre’s vegetable horticulture from the Ebro flats south of the city is some of the best in Spain. Espárragos de Navarra (white asparagus, IGP-protected, available canned year-round and fresh in May–June), alcachofas de Tudela (the small tender artichokes, fresh winter to early spring), and pimientos del piquillo (small fire-roasted red peppers, IGP from Lodosa) are the three to look for. Ordered as a side of menestra (mixed seasonal vegetable braise) or as a starter on its own.

Cordero

Cordero al chilindrón is the regional lamb dish, slow-cooked with peppers, tomato, garlic, and onion. The lamb is from the Pyrenean pastures north of the city and the dish is heavier than its Castilian cousins; one cazuela feeds two.

Wine

The DO Navarra wine area runs immediately south of the city, with Ribera del Queiles and Tierra Estella as the strongest sub-zones. Grenache (garnacha) is the historic regional grape; tempranillo, cabernet, and merlot have widely been planted since the 1990s. Restaurant house bottles run €15–€20; serious producers (Ochoa, Chivite, Pago de Cirsus, Otazu) €25–€55. Across the boundary, La Rioja DOCa wines also dominate the city’s wine lists.

Cheese and dessert

Idiazabal sheep’s milk cheese (smoked or unsmoked, DOP) and Roncal (raw sheep’s milk, the older Navarrese DOP) appear on most cheese plates. Pacharán is the regional digestif: a bittersweet liqueur infused from sloe berries, served cold at the end of the meal.

Where to look (district level)

For the densest pintxo crawl, walk Calle San Nicolás, Calle Estafeta, and the streets between them. For more recent gastrobar cooking, the southern ensanche (Calle García Castañón, Calle Tudela). For traditional Navarrese sit-down menus, the streets behind the cathedral. For market shopping, the Mercado de Santo Domingo at the foot of the encierro route.

Nightlife

Pamplona has two completely different nightlife systems. There is San Fermín (a single eight-day continuous riot, 6 to 14 July) and there is the rest of the year. Both are worth knowing about. Both run on Basque-Navarrese hours: dinner at 9 or 10, bars filling at 11, late drinks until 02:00–03:00.

Calle San Nicolás and Calle Estafeta

The two main bar streets in the old town. San Nicolás is the broader and more traditional, lined with pintxo bars and bodegas under the medieval church bell-tower. Crowds from 7pm; food slows around 11pm; drinks until 02:00. Estafeta, the long encierro straight, has a denser cluster of younger bars and a few of the city’s busier cocktail places.

Plaza del Castillo

The big arcaded square is more for sitting than for clubbing. Café Iruña and the row of cafés under the colonnade fill with after-work drinkers from 7pm; the bandstand at the centre hosts free summer concerts. Open until midnight on most weekday evenings, later at weekends.

Ensanche cocktail circuit

Calle García Castañón and Calle Tudela in the ensanche hold most of the city’s serious cocktail bars and a few late-night drinking holes that stay open until 04:00. Older crowd, slightly higher prices, less old-town theatre.

Clubs

Pamplona’s club scene is small. A few full clubs around Avenida Bayona and the Avenida San Jorge open Thursday to Saturday and run until 06:00, with mixed Spanish pop, reggaetón, and electronic nights. €10–€15 cover with a drink.

San Fermín (6 to 14 July)

A genuinely separate phenomenon. The fiesta opens with the Chupinazo rocket from the balcony of the Casa Consistorial at 12:00 on 6 July, ignites a city-wide street party, and runs continuously, peaking each morning at the 8.00am encierro (running of the bulls) on 7 to 14 July, with the after-bull party in the Plaza Consistorial. Locals and most visitors wear the white shirt, white trousers, red sash (faja), and red neckerchief (pañuelico). A daily 10am procession marches the saint through the old town. Bullfights at 6.30pm in the Plaza de Toros; the Pobre de Mí ceremony at midnight on 14 July in Plaza Consistorial closes the fiesta.

Festival logistics outside fiesta

Outside San Fermín, Pamplona’s biggest single nights are San Fermín Txikito (small San Fermín) on the last weekend of September, San Saturnino (the Burgo of San Cernin’s patron) on 29 November, and the Privilegio de la Unión anniversary on 8 September.

Last buses

The municipal urban bus operator (Mancomunidad de la Comarca de Pamplona) runs day services until about 23:00 with reduced weekend service. Limited Friday and Saturday night-bus routes connect the centre to Burlada, Berriozar, and Barañáin until about 04:00. Taxis are easy to flag at Plaza del Castillo and Avenida Carlos III.

When to go

Pamplona has the same Atlantic-influenced oceanic climate as the rest of the western Pyrenean foothills, modified by altitude (the city sits at 450 metres). Summers are warm but rarely hot, winters are cool with occasional snow, and rainfall is moderate and spread across the year. Best months for the city outside fiesta week are May, June, and September. Best month for the experience of being in Pamplona at peak intensity is the first half of July.

January–February

Cold and damp, with daytime highs around 8–11 °C and overnight lows often near freezing. Snow falls a few times each winter. The city is at its quietest; pintxo bars half-empty on weekday lunchtimes and serious discounting in hotels. Carnival (variable date) brings two days of street parades and ends on Ash Wednesday.

March–April

Cool and changeable. Highs of 13–17 °C, rain in short bursts. Easter (Semana Santa) is the busiest week of spring, with religious processions through the old town. The Camino Francés starts to fill up: pilgrim numbers rise sharply from late March, peaking in May.

May–June

The sweet spot for the city outside fiesta. Daytime around 18–24 °C, low rainfall, the parks at peak. The Festival Flamenco On Fire (May or early June) brings flamenco concerts to the old town venues. Pilgrim numbers heavy on the Camino but the city absorbs them.

July (San Fermín)

The defining month. San Fermín runs 6 to 14 July. Daytime highs around 27 °C; the city’s population effectively triples; hotels at five times normal price; old town closed to traffic; encierro at 8.00am every morning from the 7th to the 14th; bullfights at 6.30pm; concerts and street bands until dawn. Outside those eight days, July elsewhere in the city is warm, lighter on traffic, and one of the best months for day trips into the Pyrenees.

August

Warm, with highs around 27–30 °C and frequent thunderstorms in the late afternoon. The city is calmer than July’s fiesta but the Spanish-mainland holiday flow keeps hotels busy. Several smaller saint’s-day festivals run in the surrounding villages.

September

Often the best month overall outside the fiesta. Daytime around 22–26 °C, low humidity, post-summer crowds gone, and the city’s calendar fills with cultural events. The Privilegio de la Unión anniversary on 8 September is the city’s medieval-foundation commemoration; in 2025 the city celebrated the 602nd anniversary with fairs, concerts, and guided tours. The last weekend of September is San Fermín Txikito, a smaller version of the fiesta run for the locals’ benefit.

October–November

Cooler and wetter; highs of 14–18 °C falling to around 10 °C by late November. The city’s classical-music and theatre season at the Teatro Gayarre and the Auditorio Baluarte picks up. The San Saturnino patron’s festival on 29 November is the year’s other medium-sized event in the old town.

December

Cold and short days. Highs around 8 °C, overnight lows often below freezing. Christmas market in Plaza del Castillo through most of December. The Olentzero parade on Christmas Eve, with the traditional Basque Christmas charcoal-burner figure, runs through the old town.

What to time around

If you’re here for	Best months
Running of the bulls / encierro	7–14 July
San Fermín full festival	6–14 July
San Fermín Txikito	last weekend of September
Privilegio de la Unión	8 September
Camino without crowds	March, October
Quiet city days, low prices	January–February

Getting there

Pamplona has its own small airport, decent rail links to Madrid and Barcelona, long-distance bus routes from across Spain, and direct motorway access from France through the Pyrenees. Most international visitors arrive via Madrid or Bilbao.

By air

Pamplona-Noáin Airport (PNA) is 6 km south of the city, with a limited route map: a few daily Iberia flights to Madrid, seasonal European charters, and limited routes to Frankfurt and London via Lufthansa and similar codeshares. Bus line 21 connects the airport to the central interchange (around 30 minutes, €1.40), and a taxi runs around €20.

For most travellers the better gateway is Bilbao Airport (BIO), 160 km west on the AP-15 / AP-68 motorways. ALSA runs hourly buses from Bilbao Airport to Pamplona via Vitoria (around 2h 30m, €17–€20). Madrid–Barajas (MAD) is the alternative international gateway, with onward AVE to Madrid Atocha and a connecting train to Pamplona.

By train

RENFE runs Alvia and intercity services from Madrid Chamartín (3h–3h 30m, several daily) and from Barcelona (4h, twice daily). Trains arrive at the Estación de Pamplona at the western edge of the city, ten minutes from the centre by bus 9.

From	Time	Frequency
Madrid Chamartín	3h–3h 30m	several daily
Barcelona Sants	4h	2 daily
Zaragoza	1h 50m	several daily
San Sebastián	1h 45m	2 daily (via Vitoria)
Vitoria	1h 20m	several daily

The Y vasca high-speed line connecting the Basque cities to the AVE network, currently under construction, is scheduled to reach Pamplona in stages later in the decade. When complete, journey times to Madrid will fall to around 2h.

By bus

ALSA, Conda, and La Estellesa dominate the regional and long-distance network. Direct services run from Madrid (5h, €25–€45), Barcelona (6h, €40–€55), Bilbao (2h, €15), San Sebastián (1h 30m), Vitoria (1h), and the Pyrenean valleys (Roncesvalles, Estella, Sangüesa). The main bus station is on Calle Yanguas y Miranda, 800 metres south of the centre.

By car

The AP-15 motorway connects Pamplona to Zaragoza (1h 30m) and on to Madrid via the AP-2 (4h 30m). The AP-68 runs west to Vitoria, Logroño, and Bilbao. The N-135 climbs north through the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles and the French border at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (90 minutes from Pamplona). The A-15 dual carriageway runs north-east toward San Sebastián.

By foot (the Camino)

The Camino Francés enters Pamplona from the north-east, descending from the Pyrenees through Roncesvalles, Burguete, and Larrasoaña. Pilgrims arrive at the Portal de Francia on the medieval city wall, walk through the old town, and exit westward toward Cizur Menor. Pamplona is Stage 4 or 5 of the Camino from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (depending on stage divisions). Pilgrim hostels along the route are open year-round.

Getting around

Pamplona is small. The old town and the ensanche together fit inside a 2-km square, and most visitor-relevant sights are within a 20-minute walk of Plaza del Castillo. There is no metro and no tram. The city runs on buses, walking, and a flat enough centre to make either work.

Mancomunidad buses

The metropolitan bus operator (TCC, run by the Mancomunidad de la Comarca de Pamplona) covers the urban grid plus the satellite municipalities (Burlada, Berriozar, Barañáin, Villava). Around 25 lines, services running roughly 06:30–22:30. Single fare €1.40 in cash; the contactless MUGI card cuts it to about €0.65 with a free 45-minute transfer. The single most useful line for visitors is Line 9 (train station ↔ Plaza del Castillo ↔ University) and Line 21 (airport ↔ centre).

Walking the centre

Plaza del Castillo, the cathedral, the Citadel, and the Plaza de Toros are within a 15-minute walk of each other on flat to gently sloping streets. The Recorrido de las Murallas, the walking route along the medieval walls, takes about an hour and gives the best perimeter view of the old town. The Citadel itself is a public park and walkable from one corner to the other in 15 minutes.

Taxis

Metered, regulated, and easy to flag at Plaza del Castillo, the train station, and Plaza Príncipe de Viana. Standard urban rides run €5–€10. The fixed airport fare is around €20.

Bicycle

The city has a steady network of cycle lanes, especially along the Arga river path and through the ensanche. The Mancomunidad operates a public bike-share scheme (nbici) with stations across the centre. Day passes around €5; the app handles registration. The flat Parque Fluvial del Arga path runs from the centre out to the satellite villages and is the easiest casual ride.

Driving

Possible but not advised inside the centre. The old town is largely pedestrianised and ringed by controlled-access bollards; the ensanche is metered. Underground car parks at Plaza del Castillo, Plaza de Toros, and the Salesianos area run €15–€20/day. The AP-15 and AP-68 motorways ring the city’s outside.

San Fermín transport disruption

During the fiesta (6 to 14 July), the entire old town is closed to traffic, most central bus routes are diverted, and parking is impossible. If you’re driving in, park outside the city ring-road and bus in. Note that encierro mornings (7 to 14 July) seal the route from about 7am to 9am; central buses don’t run during this window.

Rural day-trips

For Roncesvalles, Olite, and Estella, La Estellesa and Conda run regional buses from the main bus station on Calle Yanguas y Miranda. Roncesvalles in particular runs only twice daily and at peak Camino season fills with pilgrims; book ahead.

Where to stay

Pamplona has two completely different accommodation markets: San Fermín week (6 to 14 July) and the rest of the year. Outside fiesta, prices are lower than in Bilbao or San Sebastián and the city has plenty of mid-range options. During fiesta, prices triple to quintuple, every property fills, and most regulars book the next year’s stay as soon as they leave.

Casco Antiguo (the old town)

The most atmospheric base, with a handful of small boutique hotels, renovated apartment rentals, and family-run pensions in restored medieval houses around Plaza del Castillo and Calle Mayor. Walking distance to everything; loud at night during pintxo hours; impassable during fiesta. Outside fiesta: €100–€180 high season, €70–€120 off. During fiesta: €400–€800 minimum, four-night minimum stay common.

Ensanche (around Avenida Carlos III)

The default base for most visitors. A row of three- and four-star city hotels (NH, AC by Marriott, Eurostars, Sercotel) along Avenida Carlos III, Calle Marqués de Zafra, and the streets behind. Walking distance to the old town and to the train and bus stations. €90–€160 high season, €60–€110 off. During fiesta: €300–€600.

Iturrama and the south

Cheaper neighbourhood hotels and pensions in the residential district south of the Citadel. Less central but still 20 minutes’ walk to Plaza del Castillo. Useful for cheaper bases or for university stays. €60–€110.

Burlada, Barañáin, and the satellite municipalities

Several mid-range and chain hotels in the Pamplona metropolitan area, mostly on the AP-15 ring road. Quieter, cheaper, with bus connections into the centre. Useful for fiesta if you book late and don’t mind a bus. €70–€140.

High-end

The city’s top end is led by the Gran Hotel La Perla (in the old town, where Hemingway stayed during his 1923 visit) and the Hotel Muga de Beloso (a high-end design hotel in the riverside Beloso district). Rates from €180–€280 outside fiesta.

Apartments

Booking and Idealista apartments are widely available in both the old town and the ensanche. One-bedrooms run €70–€140/night outside fiesta, €350–€700 during. Check that listings have a Navarrese tourism registration number (the prefix is VT, vivienda turística).

Camino albergues

Pilgrim hostels (albergues) along the Camino Francés operate a different system: bed-only, dormitory-style, requiring a credencial and walking the previous stage. The public Albergue de Peregrinos Jesús y María at Calle Compañía 4 in the old town is the city’s main pilgrim hostel; donation-based, first-come-first-served, closed during fiesta week. A handful of private albergues operate alongside.

San Fermín booking

Ground rules: book by November of the previous year for any reasonable property; expect a four-night minimum stay; expect 4–5x normal rates; expect deposits of 30–50% taken in advance. Some apartment owners only rent whole-fiesta packages (8 nights). If you arrive without a booking during fiesta, the tourist office can sometimes find a private home rental, but you’ll pay a premium and may have to commute.

Practical info

For Spain-wide details (currency, plug type, tipping norms, country-wide emergency numbers), see the country guide’s practical info. Pamplona has a few city-specific points worth knowing, most of them tied to the fiesta calendar.

Tourist information

The main municipal tourist office is at Calle San Saturnino 2, with phone +34 948 420 700. High-season hours (1 July to 15 September): Monday to Saturday 10:00–18:00, Sunday 10:00–14:00. Mid-season (16 March to 30 June and 16 September to 31 October): 10:00–14:00 and 15:00–18:00 Monday to Saturday, Sunday 10:00–14:00. Low season (1 November to 15 March): 10:00–14:00 and 15:00–17:00 Monday to Saturday, Sunday 10:00–14:00.

Languages

Spanish and Basque are both official, though Basque is much more widely spoken in the rural north of Navarre than in Pamplona itself. Place names appear in both Spanish and Basque on official signage (Pamplona/Iruña). Conversation in shops, restaurants, and hotels is overwhelmingly in Spanish; English is reasonable in tourist-facing businesses around the old town and the ensanche.

San Fermín practical rules

If you’re attending the fiesta, a short list:

1. Book accommodation by November. Most regulars book a year ahead. The tourist office maintains a private-rental list for last-minute requests but expect to pay heavily.
2. Wear the uniform. White shirt, white trousers, red sash (faja), red neckerchief (pañuelico). Cheap sets sold from street stalls from 5 July.
3. Encierro is at 8.00am sharp. Streets seal from 7am. If you’re not running, watch from a balcony, the bullring stands, or a TV bar.
4. Don’t run drunk. Authorities check, and the rules forbid it.
5. Pickpocketing peaks during fiesta. Front pockets and zipped bags only.
6. Bullfights at 6.30pm. Tickets sold at the Plaza de Toros and online; cheaper “sol” seats cost €20–€40.
7. Pobre de Mí at midnight on 14 July. The Plaza Consistorial closing ceremony is the city’s most emotional moment.

Mobile and Wi-Fi

4G and 5G are reliable across the city. Free public Wi-Fi covers Plaza del Castillo, the Citadel, and most civic buildings.

Public toilets

Cafés are the standard solution. Free public toilets at the tourist office, the Plaza de Toros, the Citadel, and the bus and train stations. During fiesta, the city installs portable toilets across the old town; they fill quickly.

Petty crime

Pamplona’s safety profile is low-risk outside fiesta. During San Fermín, pickpocketing peaks; the encierro route in the early morning, the Plaza Consistorial during after-bull crowds, and the bars on Calle San Nicolás and Calle Estafeta are the hot spots.

Cathedral and Citadel hours

The Catedral de Santa María and the Espacio SanFermín close during fiesta week. The Catedral de Santa María tour is bookable online; the Espacio SanFermín closes mostly during fiesta itself but reopens immediately after.