Pamplona in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for Pamplona covers 15 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; Pamplona rewards a detour.

Day 1

Morning

1. Running of the Bulls (Encierro): The world's most famous bull run, held every morning from July 7-14 at 8am through Pamplona's old town streets, covering 875 metres from the corral to the bullring, attracting thousands of runners from around the world since the 14th century.
2. Pamplona City Walls: The most complete Renaissance military fortifications in Spain, 5 kilometres of 16th-17th century walls, bastions, and moats encircling Pamplona's old town, among the best-preserved defensive sites in Europe and one of the finest examples of bastioned military engineering in Spain.
3. Pamplona Cathedral & Gothic Cloister: A magnificent 14th-15th century Gothic cathedral with the finest Gothic cloister in Spain, the carved stone tracery of the cloister is considered one of the masterpieces of Gothic craftsmanship, and the cathedral contains the magnificent alabaster tombs of King Carlos III of Navarre.
4. Café Iruña: Pamplona's most famous café, opened in 1888 on the Plaza del Castillo, Hemingway's favourite gathering place during his San Fermín visits, with its original Belle Époque interior of ornate mirrors, columns, and dark wood that has barely changed since his time.

Afternoon

1. Plaza del Castillo: The heart of Pamplona, the elegant arcaded main square where all life in the city converges, the social centre during San Fermín, and the location of the famous 'chupinazo' opening rocket that signals the start of the festival each July 6.
2. Calle Estafeta: Running of the Bulls Route: The most famous stretch of the encierro route, the straight 280-metre Calle Estafeta where runners have the longest sprint with the bulls, and the street most associated with Hemingway's accounts of San Fermín.
3. Plaza de Toros de Pamplona: The third-largest bullring in the world, built in 1922, with a capacity of 19,720, it is the final destination of the encierro each morning and the venue for the afternoon corridas, considered among the most prestigious in the global bullfighting circuit.
4. Museo de Navarra: Navarre's leading regional museum, housed in a former 16th-century hospital, its collections span Roman mosaics, medieval Romanesque capitals, Gothic altarpieces, and Goya's portrait of the Marqués de San Adrián.

Day 2

Morning

1. Pamplona Old Town (Casco Antiguo): The medieval heart of Pamplona, a compact old town of narrow streets, Gothic churches, Renaissance palaces, and pintxos bars, enclosed within 16th-century walls and gates, entirely walkable and extraordinarily dense in historic character.
2. Pamplona Citadel (Ciudadela): One of the best-preserved Renaissance star-shaped fortresses in Europe, built between 1571 and 1645 to the design of Giacomo Palearo "el Fratín", it now serves as a public park and exhibition space, its five arrow-shaped bastions still perfectly intact.
3. Church of San Saturnino (San Cernin): A magnificent fortified Gothic church in Pamplona's old town, built from the 13th to the 15th centuries, its two defensive towers dominate the neighbourhood, and it stands on the site where Saint Saturninus (first bishop of Toulouse) is said to have baptised the early Christians of Pamplona.
4. Portal de Francia & Camino de Santiago Entry: The medieval gateway through which Camino de Santiago pilgrims from France have entered Pamplona since the 11th century, the Portal de Francia (France Gate) marks the official start of Stage 3 of the Camino Francés within the city walls.

Afternoon

1. Arga River Valley & Magdalena Bridge: The medieval bridge through which Camino de Santiago pilgrims officially enter the historic city of Pamplona, the Puente de la Magdalena dates from the 12th century and spans the Arga River below the city walls, with the riverbank park a popular walking route.
2. Roncesvalles (Orreaga): Pyrenean Gateway: The ancient Pyrenean pass where Charlemagne's rearguard was ambushed in 778 AD and where the Camino de Santiago crosses from France into Spain, the 12th-century monastery at Roncesvalles has been sheltering pilgrims for over 900 years.
3. Navarre Wine Region & Comarca de Pamplona: The historic wine-producing region surrounding Pamplona, the Denominación de Origen Navarra produces reds, whites, and rosados (rosés) from Garnacha, Tempranillo, and Chardonnay; the locally produced rosado is the traditional wine of San Fermín and Navarrese cuisine.

Full Pamplona guide and all stops →