Running of the bulls
Nov 17th, 2004, 04:39 PM
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Running of the bulls
Hi,
I'm wanting to go to next years running of the bulls. Going to be there with a mate. I would love to get any feedback at all from anyone who has experienced it. Wanted to know where the best place to stay is. I have been told by a friend that san sabastian is the place to be, although its 30 min away. Is it a good week of partying? Any hostel/hotels that you would recommend? What are the prices like during the week?
Feedback greatly appreciated
I'm wanting to go to next years running of the bulls. Going to be there with a mate. I would love to get any feedback at all from anyone who has experienced it. Wanted to know where the best place to stay is. I have been told by a friend that san sabastian is the place to be, although its 30 min away. Is it a good week of partying? Any hostel/hotels that you would recommend? What are the prices like during the week?
Feedback greatly appreciated
Nov 17th, 2004, 06:32 PM
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The Fiesta de San Fermín and the encierro, "the running of the bulls", is one of the most unique and exciting fiestas in Europe. If you are looking for a place to stay during the fiesta, then I would suggest that you check on-line at Sanfermin.com. They have a notice board where some of the people in Pamplona offer accommodations during the fiesta. In most cases, these are shared accommodations with those traveling on a budget. Finding a hostel is fairly difficult, but there is some information available on the same website.
There is another Pamplona based web site, Sanferminonline.com, which is another source for finding a place to stay during the fiesta.
There is a company call The Scarlet Macaw which offers hotels packages during the fiesta, but these tend to be a little more exclusive since some of the packages include balconies and bullfight tickets.
San Sebastian-Donostia is a great city, but your friend was wrong. It's about an hours drive from San Sebastian to Pamplona on a good day. If you're planning on driving, parking is all but impossible during the fiesta. If you park illegally, they have a tendency to ticket and tow and it can get expensive. You can take the bus everyday, but you have to be up very early in the morning to make it into Pamplona in time for the encierro.
Prices of hotels, if you can find one, are on the high side, as are hostels. There are also some apartments available in the outlying neighborhoods. Food is generally reasonably priced at most of the restaurants, but you will need to make reservations well in advance or have the right contacts. The food tents offer a variety of menus and are quite good, but be prepared to pay for the service and expect a crowd. There are a lot of people that need to be fed during the fiesta.
It's a great party and yes, there is a fair amount of drinking, all day and all night, especially among the Brits, Aussies and American backpackers who are usually there in large numbers during the first three days of the fiesta, but most of the people in this group have no idea what the fiesta all about. All they are interested in doing is drinking until they can no longer stand.
Running the bulls can be extremely dangerous for anyone and it becomes even more dangerous if you've been up partying all night. So if you go and are planning on running, wait until after the run before you have your first beer and be in bed by mid-night so you will be alert when the first rocket goes off in the morning. Remember, the bulls are big, aggressive and always win any confrontation out on the street. Some even win in the bullring that afternoon. Once they target you, you're usually theirs, so make sure your insurance is paid up.
There is another Pamplona based web site, Sanferminonline.com, which is another source for finding a place to stay during the fiesta.
There is a company call The Scarlet Macaw which offers hotels packages during the fiesta, but these tend to be a little more exclusive since some of the packages include balconies and bullfight tickets.
San Sebastian-Donostia is a great city, but your friend was wrong. It's about an hours drive from San Sebastian to Pamplona on a good day. If you're planning on driving, parking is all but impossible during the fiesta. If you park illegally, they have a tendency to ticket and tow and it can get expensive. You can take the bus everyday, but you have to be up very early in the morning to make it into Pamplona in time for the encierro.
Prices of hotels, if you can find one, are on the high side, as are hostels. There are also some apartments available in the outlying neighborhoods. Food is generally reasonably priced at most of the restaurants, but you will need to make reservations well in advance or have the right contacts. The food tents offer a variety of menus and are quite good, but be prepared to pay for the service and expect a crowd. There are a lot of people that need to be fed during the fiesta.
It's a great party and yes, there is a fair amount of drinking, all day and all night, especially among the Brits, Aussies and American backpackers who are usually there in large numbers during the first three days of the fiesta, but most of the people in this group have no idea what the fiesta all about. All they are interested in doing is drinking until they can no longer stand.
Running the bulls can be extremely dangerous for anyone and it becomes even more dangerous if you've been up partying all night. So if you go and are planning on running, wait until after the run before you have your first beer and be in bed by mid-night so you will be alert when the first rocket goes off in the morning. Remember, the bulls are big, aggressive and always win any confrontation out on the street. Some even win in the bullring that afternoon. Once they target you, you're usually theirs, so make sure your insurance is paid up.
Nov 18th, 2004, 04:50 PM
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Thanks scarlett and thank you very much robert. The info regarding the info is sensational. It will really help out. Looks like us aussies will have some friends over there at the same time. ha ha
Jan 31st, 2005, 11:37 AM
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San Sebastian is more than 30 minutes away unless you take the train. But that is a real hassel to try to get in and out of pamplona for the encierro in time in the morning. Some people will come and stay in pamplona ll night and thne go back to SS to sleep. You miss a lot by doing this. There are places to stay in pamplona you just need to look in the right places. Check out www.pamplonaadventuretours.com They offer accommodation right in the heart of the fiesta, clean safe and no long wlks or train rides.
Feb 13th, 2005, 10:42 AM
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I'm going to be there as well. I can't get any of my friends to come with me, but i'm hoping I can meet some people to hang out/party/drink with. I'll be there from the 4th or 5th (maybe sooner) until the 9th. If anyone is trying to get a group together for one of the flats like on sanfermin.com let me know. I'm a 25 y/o american student (male) looking for a place to sleep. Oh, and I speak decent spanish.
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