Getting to Pamplona for the running of the bulls

FLYING TO PAMPLONA - IBERIA, the only airline currently serving the city on a daily basis, offers a few discounted fares on the Madrid-Pamplona and Barcelona-Pamplona routes, 119 EUR (Madrid-Pamplona 8 flights/day) and 166 EUR (Barcelona-Pamplona 3 flights/day), including taxes and fees, for a roundtrip ticket. Regular fares can run as high as 637 EUR from either Madrid or Barcelona.

These routes is a very popular during the fiesta and discounted seats sell out early.  Check the IBERIA web site for the most current flight information and schedules.

An alternative to flying to Pamplona from Madrid or Barcelona, would be to fly to the smaller regional airport of San Sebastian-Donostia (Hondarribia), with 9 non-stop flights daily from Madrid and 3 non-stops from Barcelona.  Once there, you can then either rent a car, take a taxi or a bus (from San Sebastian), or we can arrange a private transfer to your hotel in Pamplona.

FLYING INTO BILBAO - Bilbao, Spain's leading business center in the Basque Country, is located 130 kms northwest of Pamplona, on the Basque coast, and is served by a number of international carriers.  SpanAir (www.spanair.com) and Air Europa (www.aireuropa.com) also offer daily service to Bilbao from various airports within Spain and on connecting flights from the rest of Europe and North America.

Flying to Bilbao is often the least expensive option when traveling to Pamplona for the fiesta. In addition to the non-stop flights from Madrid and Barcelona, there are non-stop and connecting flights from the UK (Heathrow & Stansted), France (CDG Paris) and Germany (5 locations), Belgium (Brussels), Italy (Milan) & Portugal (Lisbon).

Once you arrive at Bilbao, you can either take the bus from the city's Termibus terminal, which will bring you to Pamplona in about two hours at a reasonable cost, rent a car, hire a taxi, or we can arrange for a private transfer.  A private transfer is the fastest way to reach Pamplona from the Bilbao airport, and reasonably priced for four or more people traveling together.

Check Iberia and Spanair for their updated flight schedules.

TRAVELING BY TRAIN - There is excellent train service from Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastian-Donostia to Pamplona.

Barcelona - There are two morning and one afternoon trains from Barcelona to Pamplona. Reservations are required.

• The ALVIA departs Barcelona at 07:35, 09:20 and 15:35 daily. There is an additional train running three days/week, departing Barcelona at 16:35.

Madrid - There are now four daily departures from Atocha Station to Pamplona.  Advanced reservations are absolutely essential for these trains.

• The ALVIA departs at 07:35, 10:35, 15:05 and 19:35.
• The 07:35 and 10:35 trains do not run on Sunday.
• The 07:35 train does not run on Saturday.

San Sebastian-Donostia - There are two daily departures from Donostia to Pamplona.  Advanced reservations are highly recommended for these trains during the fiesta.

• The ALVIA departs daily at 07:48 (1hr 43 min), 16:13 (1hr 42 min).
• All trains begin in Irun, at the French-Spanish frontier.
  

You should check the Renfe schedule at least 62 days in advance of your departure date to see if there are any schedule changes and to book your ticket.

PARIS TO PAMPLONA BY TRAIN - SNCF, the French national railroad, shows two TGV trains from Paris Montparnasse station to Pamplona, one connecting through Vitoria-Gastiez, the capital of the Basque country, while the faster connection is through Irun (7h45m).

There is still one overnight train, departing Paris-Austerlitz station at 11:14 pm, connecting in Hendaye-Irun the next morning, arriving in Pamplona at 12:32 pm. 

There are several daily TGV trains from Paris-Montparnasse to Biarritz and Hendaye.  Bookings are generally available 90 days in advance through the SNCF web site.

DRIVING UP FROM MADRID - The shortest route (391 km) is to take the A-2 to the A-15/N-111 and then north on the A-15 to the AP-15 (Autopista), which takes you into Pamplona on Avenida Zaragoza. We usually follow the A-1 north to Burgos, stopping overnight at the Parador in Lerma, before heading to the Rioja and then up to Pamplona on the A-12, driving into the city on Avendia de Pio XII.

DRIVING IN FROM BARCELONA - From Barcelona head west to Lérida (Lleida), then past Zaragoza toward Logroño.  At Exit 17, take the A-15 Autopista to Pamplona.  This route covers 483 km and should take you around 5 hours.  There is another more picturesque Pyrenees route through Huesca and Jaca but adds about an hour to your driving time.  Both connect to the A-15 and finally to the N-240 (Avenida Zaragoza) into Pamplona.  If you follow the more scenic Pyrenees route we suggest lunch in Jaca at La Cocina Aragonesa at the Hotel Conde Aznar.  If you decide to spend the night, we suggest the Sos del Rey Catolico Parado, about one hour east of Pamplona.  This historical monument set in a charming medieval town, the birthplace of Ferdinand of Aragon, is an excellent place to spend a restful night amidst the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

DRIVING IN FROM SAN SEBASTIAN-DONOSTIA - It is an easy one hour drive in from the Basque coast following the A-15 (82 km), entering the city of Pamplona from the northwest.

DRIVING FROM FRANCE - You have two main options.

Coming from the coast, the Biarritz-St. Jean-de-Luz area, either drive to San Sebastian, following the A-15 or take the N-121 from Irun at the border through the more scenic Bidasoa Valley, which brings you into the city from the north.  This route is about a 1-1/2 hour long drive from the airport or train station in Biarritz.

If driving in through the area between Toulouse and Pau, head towards St. Jean-Pied-de-Port and take the N-135, following the pilgrims' route of Saint James over the Pyrennes at Roncesvalles, arriving in Pamplona 76 kms away.  This drive usually takes at least 1-1/2 hours and connects to the N-121 as you enter Pamplona from the north.

PARKING IN PAMPLONA - Parking has always been a problem during the fiesta, even with the addition of several new underground parking facilities located around the city, including the underground parking garage in the new bus station, Estación de Autobuses de Pamplona on the north side of the Ciudadela.

The majority of street parking is paid parking only, but the city has, the last couple of years, allowed everyone to park free beginning on 6 July, and as such, finding a place to park on the street can be difficult during the fiesta.

Rental cars can be dropped off at either the airport or at one of the downtown locations.

RENTAL CARS - National-Atesa, Europcar, Avis and Hertz are the four companies with offices in the city and at the airport.  You can hire a car directly through them, or through Auto Europe.

TRAVELING BY BUS - Bus service in Spain is very comfortable, affordable and efficient.  Pamplona is served by Conda from Madrid and Vibasa from Barcelona.  Reservations are highly recommended. 

There is also daily bus service from Bilbao, San Sebastian-Donostia and Biarritz.

LOCAL BUS SERVICE - You can check the lines, routes, schedules and cost of the city's excellent bus service on the official website: City Bus Service

CITY TAXI SERVICE - Check the taxi service and zones on the official website: City Taxi Service and Zones. The city has 313 taxis working during the year, but only about half the fleet will be working each day during fiesta.