Pamplona

Introduction

Running With The Bulls

© Pamplona

Pamplona (Basque: Iruñea) is the capital of Navarre and has about 200,000 inhabitants, the metropolitan area well over 300,000. The city is located in the middle of Navarre in a rounded valley that connects the mountains of the North with the Ebro valley. The city started as a Roman camp for the Roman general Pompey from 75 to 74 BC. Until the 11th century the city was more like a fortress changing hands between different Christian rulers, Basque leader and the Moors. After this period the city started to grow but it remained within the city walls. That means people built up instead of out, which made for some great architecture.

It wasn't until 1915, because World War I showed that Pamplona's fortifications were out of date, that the army allowed destruction of the southern wall and ended the construction ban. This allowed people to build in the country side outside the walls. In the 2nd half of the 20th century the city exploded and became a center for modernization. Although political life is a bit hostile because of the Basque Nationalist's view Pamplona as the historic capital of Basque Country.

Neighbourhoods

Because of the inability to grow outside the city walls Pamplona has an amazing old city. The old city is very easy to find and is a great place to roam around. In the last 50 years there has been massive growth into new neighborhoods, which look like any other modern city.

Sights and Activities

Churches

• Saint Sernin is a 13th century gothic church.
• Saint Nicholas is a 13th century gothic church.
• Saint Dominic is a 16th century gothic church.
• Saint Augustine is a 16th century gothic church.
• Saint Ignatius of Loyola Basilica.

Other Sights and Activities

• Parks - Explore the many wonderful parks in the city.

Events and Festivals

Running of the bulls; day time party

© clancy_of_

Running of the Bulls

The running of the bulls is the highest profile even of the Saint Fermin Festival. The course is about 825 metres long and goes through 4 narrow streets in the old city center. The only requirements for entering is being over eighteen, choosing a street to run in and starting to run at the right time. Before the run starts people pray to Saint Fermin to protect them and dress in a white shirt and pants with a red waistband and neckerchief. It is also common to run with a rolled day's newspaper to distract the bull's if necessary. The fastest part of the run is up to Santo Domingo and across the Town Hall Square. The event is not without danger. Around 200 to 300 persons are injured every year and since 1910, 15 people were killed in the running. The last person killed was in 2009.

Running of the Nudes

Since 2002 a few days before the Running of the Bulls, the Running of the Nudes is staged as a protest to bullfighting. It started with a couple of streakers in 2002, but quickly grew into a annual event with hundreds of participants. The running of the nudes is backed by a couple of animal rights groups, including PETA.

Weather

The climate of Pamplona is normally classified as oceanic with influences of a semi-continental mediterranean climate. Precipitation patterns do not vary much over the course of the year as is typical of marine climates, but both classifications are possible due to the Mediterranean patterns of somewhat drier summer months. Sunshine hours are more similar to the oceanic coastal climate in nearby Basque locations than typical Spanish mediterranean areas are, but rainfall is significantly lower than in Bilbao and especially San Sebastián.

Getting There

By Plane

Pamplona Airport (PNA) is a small airport outside the city. There are regular flights every day operated by Iberia and TAP Portugal to Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon.

By Train

RENFE, the Spanish Railway Company, has trains to Pamplona to several cities, including Madrid and Zaragoza.

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.

Eat

Outside Sanfermines day, many eateries close at 3:30pm. Dinner is served up from 9:00pm. There are plenty of restaurants in the old city, from budget menús del día for lunch to more expensive and renown venues. Navarra's cuisine stands out for the quality of its vegetables, e.g. sparragus, 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.

Sleep

Budget

Upscale

Learn

• University of Navarre

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet is widely available within Spain. Most airports have wifi-zones and in most towns there are internet cafés or shops where you can use internet for a fixed price. Wi-Fi points in bars and cafeterias are available after ordering, and most hotels offer Wi-Fi connection in common areas for their guests.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The international access code for Spain is +34. The emergency number for police, ambulance and the fire brigade is 112.

In cities you can find plenty of public phones, and 'locutorios'. The latter are small shops where you can use the phone and use internet. Most of them also sell prepaid cards for mobile telephones. These shops are used a lot by foreigners to call to their mother country.

The main mobile network operators in Spain are Yoigo, Vodafone, Movistar and Orange, as in most of Europe voice and data coverage is generally good in urban areas however it can be patchy in rural locations. Cheap mobile phones (less than €50) with some pre-paid minutes are sold at FNAC or any phone operator's shop (Vodafone, Movistar, Orange). Topping-up is then done by buying scratch cards from the small stores, supermarkets, vending points (often found in tobacco shops) or kiosks.

Post

If you want to post a card, you can head to the post office (Correos). The Spanish post is not yet as efficient as colleagues in other countries so receiving a card can take a bit longer than the number of days that it should take. On the website of Correos, you can find the locations of nearby post offices.
Post offices are generally open from 8:30am to 2:00pm, although times will vary according to the size of the city/town and the main post offices might be open until the early evening. Most will also open again on Saturday mornings, but in the smaller towns will close as early as 12 noon. When posting a letter, look for a yellow box and, if possible, post at the post office itself where there will also be divisions for local, national and international mail. Be prepared for long queues at the post office. This is why tobacco shops sell stamps and many will also have the facility to weigh packages. Standard letters/postcards of up to 20 grams sent within Spain are €0.34. However, non-standard letters/postcards of up to 20g are €0.39. Letters/postcards of 20 to 50 grams are €0.45. In the case of international shipping, the price is €0.64 to most countries within Europe for standard envelopes (letters/postcards) up to 20g, for a few European countries and outside Europe it is €0.78. If you want to send a package you are probably better off with a private courier company like TNT, DHL or UPS, as they offer quick and reliable services against competitive prices.

External Links

• Official Website