Getting
to Pamplona for the running of the
bulls
Flying to
Pamplona - You can
fly into Pamplona (PNA - Noain
airport) on Iberia or it's
subsidiary, Air Nostrum, with
connections from Madrid and
Barcelona.
IBERIA
has revised its web page
making it far easier to book
flights to Pamplona and the
rest of Spain. The
airline has also initiated
some very attractive
discounted airfares on the
Madrid-Pamplona and
Barcelona-Pamplona routes via
AIR
NOSTRUM, some as
low as 124 EUR roundtrip,
including taxes and
fees. Regular fares can
run as high as 430 EUR
roundtrip on the
Madrid-Pamplona route. The
steepest discounted
Madrid-Pamplona airfare is for
the 4:50 pm flight, with a
return flight at 7:00
am. The least expensive
fare from Barcelona to
Pamplona departs at 2:00 pm
with a return departing at
9:15 pm. These flights
may be very practical for
those staying in Madrid or
Barcelona prior to arriving in
Pamplona. Please note
that discounted fares on the
Madrid and Barcelona routes
are limited. This is a
very popular route during the
fiesta. Check the
IBERIA
web site for the most current
flight information and
schedules on its English
page. Be sure to join
the 'Iberia Plus' program if
you are not already a member
of the American Airlines or
another One World frequent
flyer program.
An
alternative to flying to
Pamplona from Madrid or
Barcelona, is to fly to the
smaller regional airport of
San Sebastian-Donostia, in the
village of Hondarribia, with 8
non-stop flights daily from
Madrid and 4 from
Barcelona. Once there,
you can then either rent a
car, take a taxi or a bus
(from San Sebastian), or we
can arrange a private transfer
to Pamplona.
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Flying to
Bilbao - Bilbao,
Spain's leading business
center of the Basque Country,
is located 130 kms northwest
of Pamplona on the Basque
coast and is served by a
number of international
carriers. SpanAir
(www.spanair.com) and Air
Europa (www.aireuropa.com)
also offer daily service to
Bilbao from various airports
within Spain and on connecting
flights from the rest of
Europe and North
America.
Flying
to Bilbao is often the least
expensive option when
traveling to Pamplona.
There are five daily Iberia
flights from Barcelona
beginning at 11:30 and ten
from Madrid beginning at 6:50
am. Spanair also offers
seven non-stop daily flights
from Madrid and four from
Barcelona. In addition,
there are non-stop and
connecting flights into Bilbao
from England (Heathrow &
Stansted), France (CDG Paris)
and Germany (5 locations),
Belgium (Brussels), Italy
(Milan) & Portugal
(Lisbon).
Once
you arrive at Bilbao, you can
either catch the bus from the
city Termibus terminal, which
will bring you to Pamplona in
about two hours at a very
reasonable cost, rent a car,
hire a taxi, or we can arrange
for a private transfer.
A private transfer is the
fastest way to reach Pamplona
from the Bilbao airport, and
economical for four or more
people.
Check Iberia
and Spanair
for the updated flight
schedules.
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By train -
There is excellent
train service from Barcelona,
Madrid and San
Sebastian-Donostia to
Pamplona.
Barcelona
- There are three morning
trains from and one afternoon
train running to Pamplona.
Reservations are
required.
- The
ALVIA departs at 06:40,
07:40 and 09:40. The trip
takes about 3 hrs 51 min.
The 06:40 train is
scheduled to run 5 days
week (Monday-Friday). The
07:40 train is scheduled to
run Wednesday-Sunday and 7
days/week on certain
holidays. The 09:20 is
currently scheduled to run
7 days/week.
- The
Miguel de Unamuno (Talgo)
departs daily at 12:30 pm,
arriving in Pamplona at
6:30 pm.
- The
Pio Baroja (Estrella -
sleeper) is no longer
running on this
route.
Madrid
- There are now
four daily departures from
Atocha Station to
Pamplona. Advanced
reservations are absolutely
essential for these
trains.
- The
ALVIA departs at 07:40
(3hrs 15 min), 10:35 (2hrs
59 min), 15:05 (3hrs 9 min)
and 19:35 (3hrs 30
min).
- The
10:35 train does not run on
Sunday.
- The
19:35 train does not run on
Saturday.
San
Sebastian-Donostia
- There are now three daily
departures from
Donostia. Advanced
reservations are highly
recommended for these trains
during the
fiesta.
- The
Miguel de Unamuno (Talgo)
departs daily at 10:45 am,
arriving in Pamplona at
12:30 pm.
- The
ALVIA departs daily at 4:10
pm (1hr 43 min), 5:51 (1hr
41 min).
- All
trains begin in Irun, at
the French-Spanish
frontier.
You
should check the
Renfe
schedule at least 62 days in
advance of your departure date
to see if there are any
schedule changes and to book
you ticket.
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Paris to Pamplona by
train - There is an
overnight train departing
Paris-Austerlitz station at
11:14 pm, connecting in
Hendaye and Irun (at the
frontier) the following
morning, arriving in Pamplona
at 12:32 pm. This train
cannot be booked on the
SNCF
web
site,
but it can be booked at
Rail
Europe,
or through your favorite
travel agent.
There
are several daily trains, the
TGV, from Paris-Montparnasse
to Biarritz. Bookings
are generally available 90
days in advance through the
SNCF
web
site.
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Driving from Madrid
- The most direct
route recommend by mappy.com
is to take the A-2 from Madrid
(direction Zaragoza) as far as
Medinaceli (exit 150) where
you will pick up the N-III and
head to Soria. At Soria,
you take the N-122 as far as
Tudela. Here you have
the option of taking the A-15,
the motorway (Autopista)
directly into Pamplona, or
following the N-121 into the
city. The N-121 becomes
Avenue Zaragoza once you reach
the city limits. It also
leads you directly to our main
hotel, the H. Avenida.
This route, as suggested by
viamichelin.com, is 409 kms in
length, and one we've used
many times over the
years. The trip will
take 4-1/2 hours, but we
highly recommend a two-hour
lunch stop at the Soria
Parador, or in the village of
Cintruenigo at the acclaimed
Hotel-Restaurante Maher
(http://www.hotelmaher.com).
This Michelin rated restaurant
provides an excellent
introduction to great Navarran
cuisine. Closed Sunday
night and Monday.
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Driving from
Barcelona - From
Barcelona head west to
Lérida (Lleida), then
past Zaragoza toward
Logroño. At Exit
17, take the A-15 Autopista to
Pamplona. This route
covers 483 km and should take
you around 5 hours.
There is another more
picturesque Pyrenees route
through Huesca and Jaca but
adds about an hour to your
driving time. Both
connect to the A-15 and
finally to the N-240 (Avenida
Zaragoza) into Pamplona.
If you follow the more scenic
Pyrenees route we suggest
lunch in Jaca at La Cocina
Aragonesa at the Hotel Conde
Aznar. If you decide to
spend the night, we suggest
the Sos
del Rey Catolico
Parado,
about one hour east of
Pamplona. This
historical monument set in a
charming medieval town, the
birthplace of Ferdinand of
Aragon, is an excellent place
to spend a restful night
amidst the beauty of the
surrounding countryside.
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Driving from San
Sebastian-Donostia
- It is an easy hour's drive
in from the Basque coast
following the A-15 for a
distance of 82 kms, entering
the city of Pamplona from the
northwest.
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Driving from France
- You have two main
options.
Coming
from the coast, the
Biarritz-St. Jean-de-Luz area,
either drive to San Sebastian,
following the A-15 or take the
N-121 from Irun at the border
through the more scenic
Bidasoa Valley, which brings
you into the city from the
north. This route is
about a 1-1/2 hour long drive
from the airport or train
station in
Biarritz.
If
driving in through the area
between Toulouse and Pau, head
towards St. Jean-Pied-de-Port
and take the N-135, following
the pilgrims' route of Saint
James over the Pyrennes at
Roncesvalles, arriving in
Pamplona 76 kms away.
This drive usually takes at
least 1-1/2 hours and connects
to the N-121 as you enter
Pamplona from the north.
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Parking in Pamplona
- Parking has
always been a problem during
the fiesta, even with the
addition of several new
underground parking facilities
located around the city,
including the underground
parking garage in the new bus
station, Estación
de Autobuses de
Pamplona
on the north side of the
Ciudadela.
The
city has designated the
majority of street parking
spaces as paid parking
only, so please be advised
that if you are parked in a
blue zone, there is a time
limit, and it is enforced
24 hours a day.
We advise you plon on droping
off your rental car when you
arrive in the city, picking up
a new car when you
leave. Rental cars can
be dropped off at either the
airport or at their downtown
locations.
- The
H. AC Ciudad de Pamplona
has limited, short-term
parking available on the
street in front of the
hotel, but it offers guest
parking in the underground
garage across the
avenue. Spaces must
to be reserved in advance,
especially during the
festival.
- The
H. Albret has a limited
number of guest parking
spaces in the lot adjacent
to the hotel, but they also
have an underground garage
for clients.
Reservations are
required.
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Rental Cars -
National-Atesa,
Europcar, Avis and Hertz are
the three companies with
offices in the city and the
airport. Hire a car
through them directly or
through Auto
Europe.
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Traveling by Autobus
- Bus service in
Spain is very comfortable,
affordable and
efficient. Pamplona is
served by Conda
from Madrid and
Vibasa
from Barcelona.
Reservations are highly
recommended.
There
is also daily bus service from
Bilbao, San Sebastian-Donostia
and Biarritz.
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Return
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Iberian
Traveler
2145
N 115th Street
Seattle, WA 98133
Serving Clients Around The World
Toll Free:800.491.7240 (USA &
Canada)
Tel: 206.778.0127
Fax: 866.797.3747
Spain Mobile: +34 649 347 213
info@iberiantraveler.com
The
Scarlet Macaw
"Adventures
in Travel"
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Recognized by the Tourist Office of Spain,
Tourespaña and the Government of
Navarra as the leading expert for the
fiesta in Pamplona.
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Scheduled Guided Tours for 2009
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Barcelona
to Bilbao
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Guided and Self-Guided Tours
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Barcelona
& Catalunya
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Wine
and Gastronomy Tours:
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*
Navarran
Wine & Gastronomy
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*
La
Rioja Wine &
Gastronomy
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*
Basque
Country Wine &
Gastronomy
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