When to go

The festival of San Fermin is held from July 7-14 every year with the opening ceremony kicking off at noon on July 6 from the Town Hall. A huge street party ensues with the music, sangria and champagne flowing.

The encierro, or bull run, is held at 8am every morning from July 7-14 with the six bulls brought back to the arena at 6.30pm to face a matador in a bull fight.

At 11pm each night, fireworks are set off from the moats of the citadel. These can be seen from a large part of the city, particularly Vuelta del Castillo.

The closing ceremony is held on July 14 with the locals gathering at the Plaza de Castillo to lead a candle-lit procession to the old church to farewell the festival. The final fireworks display begins at midnight.

Getting There

Fly to Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao or Biarritz and catch a train or bus to Pamplona. Alternatively, there are flights from Madrid and Barcelona to Pamplona.

Cost

Joining a tour company is probably the most cost effective way of joining the festival of San Fermin, as you will be provided with important tips and transfers to accommodation outside of Pamplona, which becomes booked out early.

Eating and drinking

The sangria, champagne and beer are readily available throughout the festival while tapas bars, famous in the Basque region, serve a wide range of tasty Spanish food. For those not up to the varied flavours of tapas, hot dogs stalls and kebab shops are never too difficult for the drunken revellers to find.

Where to watch the Running of the Bulls

At street level

To watch the run from the outer barrier you should get there at least 90 minutes before the start as these areas tend to fill quickly.

In the bull ring

A ticket for the tier or upper tier of the bull ring costs 4 euros while it is free to watch from the open terrace. At weekends, all tickets cost 5 euros.

From a balcony

Balconies are rented out for 20 or 30 euros a day but may not be the easiest to come by.