Bucket list destination:
Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
Credit Shutterstock.com/Alberto Loyo
Navarra’s hilltop capital offers much more than its San Fermin festival and memories of Ernest Hemingway, who made it world-famous in his novel, The Sun Also Rises.
Nicknamed the ‘Gateway to Spain’, it was famously destroyed by Charlemagne (the Basques got their revenge at Roncevalles); not long after it became the first Spanish city on the Camino.
Home to two universities, a beautiful Cathedral, an evocative Casco Viejo (historic centre), and Renaissance-era walls and a citadel, it’s a pleasingly buzzy place filled with hundreds of bars.
It’s also an ideal base for exploring the fascinating but little-known autonomous community and province of Navarra.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this destination, plus helpful tickets and transfers
Pamplona
Price: €160
Min age: 0
Rating 5 / 5 [12 ratings]
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Not surprisingly Pamplona is busiest in July during the San Fermin festival when hotel prices soar, but it also gets hundreds of pilgrims passing through from April into October.
Pamplona is far enough inland to have a continental climate with cold, rainy winters and warm, sunny summers. In winter, snow is not out of the question, but even then, with so many young people in residence, it’s full of life.
Pamplona Airport is 6km from downtown, and is served mainly by domestic flights. Taxis are the only public transport to the city.
For international flights the nearest airport is Bilbao, an hour and 45 minutes by car, or just over three hours by bus to San Sebastian, then connecting train to Pamplona. There are at least five direct trains a day from Madrid, taking just over three hours.
Pamplona train station, 2km from the centre, is linked by frequent city bus or taxi; the new underground bus station is at Avenida de Yanguas y Miranda.
Once in Pamplona, all the major sights are within easy walking distance, especially now that the city centre is now mostly pedestrian-only. If you’ve come in by car, there are convenient 24-hour parking garages at Plaza del Castillo, the Plaza de Toros and Carlos III.
Staying in or near the Casco Viejo is the best place to enjoy Pamplona’s sights, restaurants and pintxo (Basque tapas) bars; though with 20,000 students in the city the streets can get noisy at night, especially on weekends.
For a quieter stay, look at the Segunda Ensanche neighbourhood south of the Casco Viejo. There’s a big cluster of modern budget hotels south of the Parque Yamaguchi near the university and hospital which are quiet but dull.
Pamplona has some 700 bars, and they are rarely empty, especially around Plaza del Castillo. The surrounding Casco Viejo is full of restaurants, from cheap and cheerful to authentic Basque. There are elegant gourmet choices in the Segundo Ensanche; another good place to look, especially if you want some a bit different (Indian, Japanese etc) is the modern San Juan quarter west of the Ciudadela.
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