Pamplona during festival in July

[thetravellingpen]

I just realised that I will most likely be in Pamplona during the running of the bulls festival in July... can't be helped. Can't leave a week earlier, and need to be back for a wedding early August...
Is this a good or a bad thing? Will the Aubergues be full? Only pilgrims can stay in them, right? So although other accommodation will fill up, they should be fine?
Advice please...

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Bad thing. The largest albergue simply closes. Hotel rates go up about 10X. The bull running route crosses the Camino, so it is blocked from about 0700 to 1000, and very crowded all morning.

I suggest that you keep walking when you hit Pamplona.

 

[stevenjarvis]

.. and look out for bulls !

 

[mralisn]

I was able to return to Pamplona after my first walk for the festival. It is an incredible experience and a wonderful way to "celebrate" after my walk. However, I have rarely read anything positive about being in Pamplona while walking the Camino. As above, I would suggest you walk right on through. It is a HUGE festival. It may be fun to walk through during the afternoon, stop for a break, enjoy a little festivities, and then move on.

I like how you're walking no matter what the timing might be. Good on you for seeing the window of opportunity and walking for yourself.

You will have the best of all times.

Trust in the arrows,
Simeon

 

[D.Matthew]

I really enjoyed the San Fermin Festival, it's a spectacle to behold. The entire city participates, young and old. I agree with the two above that it's probably not ideal to stay in town while on the Camino. If you'd like to see the festival though, I stayed at Hostel Hemingway (Calle Amaya, 26, 1º Izq, 31004 Pamplona, Spain), and booked a week in advance. It's a short walk from the city center, and they were very accommodating for a pilgrim.

 

[nreyn12]

I was in the Pamplona-area this year in July and I loved feeling the buzz of the festival. While I didn't actually stay in Pamplona during the festival, I enjoyed being in Zubiri and Villava for the two nights before passing through Pamplona. All the local bars had the bull run on, and it was so interesting and even exhilarating to watch the bull run from 20 and 4 kms away (and the slo-mo replays were great!). Then by the time I walked into Pamplona, the city was still buzzing from the run.

I'm not normally a festival person, so passing through was enough for me. Pamplona was a mess, with trash everywhere and the smell of the previous night's parties in the streets; in other words, you won't be seeing the city at its finest.

If you do want to sleep in Pamplona during the festival, expect to pay around 50 euros for a dorm bed in one of the private albergues, or the cheapest pension will run about 80 euros a night for a private room with shared bathroom (try Pension Escaray). You must book ahead, even for the private albergues. As Falcon said, the municipal albergue will be closed for the duration of the festival, but the municipal albergue in Villava should be open, and according to the Eroski website, they take reservations. (http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/albergue-municipal-de-villava)

 

[thetravellingpen]

Bad thing. The largest albergue simply closes. Hotel rates go up about 10X. The bull running route crosses the Camino, so it is blocked from about 0700 to 1000, and very crowded all morning.

I suggest that you keep walking when you hit Pamplona.

So how much further would that be then... to walk on to the next town? Is it doable?

 

[thetravellingpen]

Thanks for all the advice... so I suppose best to stay in a town before and a town after? Will have to research which those are.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Cizur Menor is another hour past Pamplona, but will have a lot of pilgrims headed for it. I spent the night in Pamplona at the start of San Fermin this year, and my room was a college dorm room near the airport for nearly 200E. It was more expensive than my stays in Paradores. It was full. A cement brick college dorm room with vending machines downstairs for the price of the best room in a Parador!!!

I highly recommend not trying to stay there. With about 30 days to go to the festival, booking.com showed the lowest price hotel room downtown at 350E. You may be able to reserve for less further in advance, but the cheap rooms are nearly booked already. The website shows the least expensive hostal room right now as $215.

 

[whariwharangi]

There is Camino Vasco del Interior that starts in Irun and joins Camino Frances at Santo Domingo de la Calzada. That allows you to bypass Pamplona by a wide berth and avoid the problem of finding accomodations.

 

[Al the optimist]

I stayed in the Albergue at Zariquiegui. It had a bar, restaurant and small shop. Great for climbing up to Alto del Perdon (2.4K only as you are already at the foot of the mountain). I enjoyed it there. I had walked from Zubiri and it had been a hard 32K so earl;y in the walk. I would recommend checking it is open and booking though as it is just too much to go on over the mountain to Uterga.

 

[scruffy1]

Yes they Can! Check the upper left corner of the picture.