A Day in Pamplona

Welcome to Pamplona! The city, mostly known for its bullfight tradition, has an ancient history that starts with the Romans. As the matter of fact it was founded by Pompeo, in the 75 b.C. as a military camp and it had its moment of glory during the Roman Empire.
Due to the its proximity with the French boarder and the continuous threats of invasion between the 16th and 18th centuries it became a fortified city, to protect the Navarre royal court.
Today the part of the city that carries the marks of the history is the Ciudadela, which include the ancient fortification project with bastions and ravelins, designed by the engineer Giacomo Paleari for the King Felipe II.
The entrance in the area of La Ciudadela is permitted Monday to Friday from 7.30 am to 9.30 pm, Saturday 8 am to 9.30 pm and Sundays and holidays from 9 am to 9.30 pm. When you arrive you can check one of nearest public parking lots to leave the car and enjoy the visit of city by walk.

Just 10 minutes away from the Ciudadela, there are the Jardines de la Taconera, the most ancient park of Pamplona, dated back to the 19th century.
It hosts a lot of tree species, among which a 40 mt tall Sequoia, and a small open-air zoo with ducks, deer, swans and peacocks.
The garden is also surrounded by two important portals, that are El Portal de la Taconera and the main entrance, El portal de San Nicolàs.

In the heart of the old town, there is Plaza del Castillo, the main center of social life in Pamplona, historical landmark and also until the half of XIX century the place that hosted the bullfights.
The square was built in the 14th century and it hosted the royal fortress that was subsequently moved to La Ciudadela.
In the center of the square there is a kiosk with a ionic colonnade, that replaced the Abundancia Fountain -known as the Mariblanca - designed by Luis Peret which has been now moved to the Taconera Gardens.

Still walking in the center of the old town, the lunch stop is at the restaurant La Fogoneta, one of the best places to try the local cuisine.
It a small bar-restaurant runs as a family business, especially regarding the preparation of the meals, with the local products bought from the market and prepared as they say "with the affection of a mother".
Since the restaurant is very small is better to make a reservation. The opening hours are 1 pm to 4.30 pm and 8 pm to midnight, except on Friday and Saturday which is open until 1.30 pm and Sunday is closed.

An interesting stop after lunch is the Pamplona bullring Plaza de Toros, which preserves the history of this unusual tradition.
The Plaza de Toro is one of the largest bullfight arena in the world, after the one in Mexico and in Madrid, with a capacity of almost 20,000 spectators.
Built in 1920 and inaugurated in 1922, it is known as the arrival point of the San Fermin running with the bulls, which started in the streets of the city.
The visits - which include an exhibition with audiovisual material about the San Fermin tradition and also a walk in the arena - are possible from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4.30 pm and on Sunday and holidays from 10 am to 2 pm, while on Monday is closed.
More information about the timetable and the guided tour can be founded on the website. Also keep in mind that the arena is closed until 24th of July for renovations.

Here it is the sacred symbol of the city, the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Real. The structure of the cathedral is made of various architectures but the main style is the gothic one, since most of the building was built between the 14th and 15th centuries.
It is located in the oldest part of the city, where once the cardo and decumanus met, testifying the presence of its ancient Romans origins.
One of the most significative part of the Cathedral is its cloister, example of the finest gothic architecture. Besides the sacred building, it is possible also to visit the Diocesan Museum close to the Cathedral.
The site is open to the public for the mass from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm and until 8 pm on Saturday; while the museum is open from the last week of March to the last week of October, from 10.30 am to 7 pm and October to March from 10.30 am to 5 pm. All the other info you can find here.

Following the traces of the history of Pamplona, the route brings you to the Museum of Navarra, which preserves the heritage of Navarrese dinasty.
It was established in 1844 with the aim to collect and safeguarding the history of Navarrese family, and its collection includes a chronology of pieces from the Prehistory to the 21st century.
It has also a section of temporary exhibitions, which hosts a varied cultural program of talks and workshops, in addition to the specialized library.
The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to 7 pm, while on Sunday and holidays from 11 am to 2 pm. It closed on Monday. More info here.

Last stop before the dinner break takes you back to the beginning of the history of the city, to its defensive walls.
They are one of the best preserved military complex in Europe, dated back to the Renaissance time.
It is a path of about 5 km, which was built to surround first the boroughs of Navarreria, San Cernin and San Nicolas and later in the 1423, after the Privilege of Union, the fortification extended to the entire city.
Today, three quarter of the perimeter of the walls is still intact and has been declared National Monument.
If you want to visit it, you can choose to go for the upper part - starting from the Media Luna and continuing through the Paseo Ronda until Taconera Gardens - which will assure you also a view of the city. Or choosing a "lower visit", admiring the majestic structure and walking alongside the river Arga.

For dinner, the stop is the restaurant El Bùho, located in the old town, between the defensive walls and the Taconera gardens.
Besides specialties from Navarran cuisine, it also offers a terrace with a view on the city, to enjoy a unique time.
The restaurant is open Thursday to Sunday from 12.30 pm until 1 am.

This lovely trip ends in Pamplona, so you can take a look at some hotels in town to spend the night at and get ready for another adventure. Have a look at the list of the best hotels for overnight.
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