Pamplona-St Fermin
 

College daughter and her friend (two very adorable gals Hawaii) are hellbent on going to Pamplona for St Fermin when their study program in France is over. Of couse there are no hotel rooms available. Where do all these hotel-less people stay? Piled up in public parks? Where do they store their stuff? I think it all sounds like a very baaaaaaaaad idea but they are not wanting any of my "advice" LOL.

When my sister was on holiday in Bilbao, she and her friends went to Pamplona, partied all night, and then took the bus back to Bilbao in the morning.

Another option might be to go and check http://www.hospitalityclub.org, this is a community of travel-minded people who are willing to provide accomodation and/or information to other travellers in their region. Let them get in touch with some people from Pamplona, perhaps they can help them out!

Where you daughter and her friend end up staying depends on which day they plan on arriving. They'll have to sleep in the park along with a few thousand others if they are there between the 6th and 10th (over the weekend) this year. There just isn't anything else available. If they arrive after the 10th, then they may be able to find a place at one of the hostels. They can check with the tourist office to see what ‘s available.

There is a baggage storage area at the school in Plaza de San Francisco in the old city, which is also where the tourist office is located.

My now wife and I were in Pamplona a couple of years ago. We stored our big bag packs at the train station, and only took the little back pack with us, with some toiletries. We didnt' have any sleeping bags or what not, we tried to sleep on a bench in a park, but it gets so cold at night that we ended up going bar hoping drinking sangria all night, plus if you want to get a good spot to view the running of the bulls you have to "save" your spot early early. Just tell them to keep warm, because at night gets cold

I read recently, Newsweek?, that the bulls are shipped in from S. Spain. But there is a quaranteen for some disease, so there may be a problem getting the bull into the North of Spain. Does anyone have more current info?

Michelle

Michelle have you tried getting more info about this news in www.sanfermin.com??

Oh, yes, in the night gets colder but...who thinks on sleeping in the night in San Fermin? :)

Soon you will have to book a place in the parks to sleep there, hahaha.

We went to the St. Fermin Festival about 5 or 6 years ago, and we all loved it despite our age differences (my late husband, who was in his 60s, I in my 40s, and our teenage daughter). We stayed at a small pension hotel near the University of Navarre and took the bus back and forth to the center of town. Transportation was not a problem. I think if you do a search you might find one of these smaller, out-of-the-way places, but do it very, very quickly.
Our experience was different than it would be for college-age girls---so I will guess that they will sleep during the day and stay up all night, as many people do. To see the Running of the Bulls, you have to be in place in the wee hours of the morning anyway, and throughout the evening there is non-stop music and partying (and, yes, lots of drinking). Still, we kept marveling at how safe we felt walking the streets--and even late at night, you would see entire families dancing, from the grandparents down to the toddlers. For all the revelry, it remains very much a family event.
The Spaniards were very happy drunks, and we did not see even one incident during our stay of two days. We were amazed at the good behavior, as here in the States, that combination of people, drinking, and partying would inevitably lead to problems.
It's true that lots of young people just sleep during the day in the parks, using backpacks for a headrest, and nobody seems to bother them. I don't know where they store their things--I think they just keep their backpacks with them.
I don't blame you for being worried about the prospect of two girls on their own without a hotel, but having been there, it would make me less worried. In fact, I am now 55 and hope to return to Pamplona someday because I just loved the atmosphere. By the way, we watched the bulls run into the bullring at the end of the run, which was a fun experience and a way of seeing the bullring (it's free). Keep in mind that the Running of the Bulls lasts about two minutes, but the Festival goes on 24 hours a day. Also, to be in style, suggest they take white slacks, a white shirt or blouse, and buy a red sash for the waist when they get there, as practically everybody in Pamplona is dressed liked that during the Festival, and it will make them feel much more a part of things.
All in all, it will probably be safer than any place they might go during Spring Break back here. They will run into young people from just about everywhere----just remind them to use their common sense and to stay together. I do think there is safety in numbers--it would be almost impossible for them to be accosted in any way unless they wander off into a dark alley or something---there are just too many people around. They should make sure their money and/or credit cards and passport are stashed safely--I recommend a money holder they can keep inside their shirt or slacks, for instance. But, that is practical travel advice that I would give them even if they were visiting the Vatican.
I guess my bottom line is that if my now-college age daughter and a friend were determined to go to Pamplona, I would worry like I worry about everything she does, but I would let her do it because it's such an amazing experience. (You might insist that they read "The Sun Also Rises" before they go--Hemingway brought worldwide renown to this event, and there is a bust of him outside the bullring. At least if they do that, you can consider it educational!)