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Welcome to Pamplona, a friendly and simple city which harmoniously combines ancient and modern features. With 190,000 inhabitants, it offers a wonderful quality of life, with no traffic jams or pollution, and has wonderful facilities. As you explore its historic centre, you will see “the Three Pamplonas”; the Burgos de "San Cernin” and “San Saturnino”, “San Nicolás” and "Navarrería” which dominate old Pamplona. We begin our tour along the Paseo Sarasate, which links the older part with the rest of the city. Here we can see the Monumento a los Fueros de Navarra and the Iglesia de San Nicolás, which was designed as a church-fortress for defence purposes. We continue our tour by walking towards the Plaza del Castillo, the hub around which the city sprang up. Here, on one side starts the Avenida Carlos III, the site of the Teatro Gayarre and the Palacio de la Diputación Foral de Navarra (Navarre Government building). Just across the square, we take Calle Chapitela and, turning right, come to Calle Estafeta (known because this is where the bulls run during the famous San Fermín festivals, from 6th to 14th July) and Calle Curia. Down this street, we come to the Catedral de Santa María; now Pamplona's Cathedral, built in a Gothic style on the ruins of an old Romanesque cathedral demolished in 1391. Its construction spanned several centuries; it was begun in 1394, continued right through the 15th century and was completed in 1501. The façade was built in the 18th century: between 1783 and 1803 the Romanesque façade that had been preserved until then was demolished to be rebuilt in a neo-classical style, and the cathedral was extended. Continuing through the Plazuela de San José, we come to El Redín, whose walls form a viewpoint to the part of the city standing on the other side of the river. Going back to Calle Chapitela and turning left, we take Calle Mercaderes which leads us to the Ayuntamiento (Government building), from where, every 6th July, the traditional Chupinazo is set off, marking the beginning of the San Fermín festivals. Going up some steps on our right, we can visit the Museo Sarasate (museum) and Mercado de Santo Domingo (market), and continuing up the hill of the same name, the Museo de Navarra (museum). As we come back down, we find ourselves at another of the area's most typical churches, the Iglesia de San Saturnino or San Cernin, a Gothic church which, like the Iglesia de San Nicolás, played a defensive, military role. The third church worth mentioning is the Iglesia de San Lorenzo, which overlooks the Parque de la Taconera and houses San Fermín’s relics in one of its chapels. Nowadays, Pamplona is visited by people from all over the region, making it a meeting point combining the surrounding mountains and plains. Pamplona believes it is one of the greenest cities in Europe, with 4 million square metres of parks and gardens. You can visit the Parque de la Taconera, the Parque de la Vuelta del Castillo and the Parque de la Medialuna, in which you can admire genuine works of floral art, especially in the spring, and the Parque Yamaguchi which is wide open, designed in an oriental style, includes a geyser and is home to Pamplona's planetarium. We should not forget that the River Arga flows through Pamplona, giving it leafy riverside walks. Navarre is an area which produces some very good wine. Since time immemorial, thousands of hectares of vines have provided for wonderful wine-making traditions. Under Navarre's Denominación de Origen (a label identifying wine of quality), you will discover excellent wines and wineries.
Welcome to Pamplona, a friendly and simple city which harmoniously combines ancient and modern features. With 190,000 inhabitants, it offers a wonderful quality of life, with no traffic jams or pollution, and has wonderful facilities.
As you explore its historic centre, you will see “the Three Pamplonas”; the Burgos de "San Cernin” and “San Saturnino”, “San Nicolás” and "Navarrería” which dominate old Pamplona.
We begin our tour along the Paseo Sarasate, which links the older part with the rest of the city. Here we can see the Monumento a los Fueros de Navarra and the Iglesia de San Nicolás, which was designed as a church-fortress for defence purposes.
We continue our tour by walking towards the Plaza del Castillo, the hub around which the city sprang up. Here, on one side starts the Avenida Carlos III, the site of the Teatro Gayarre and the Palacio de la Diputación Foral de Navarra (Navarre Government building). Just across the square, we take Calle Chapitela and, turning right, come to Calle Estafeta (known because this is where the bulls run during the famous San Fermín festivals, from 6th to 14th July) and Calle Curia. Down this street, we come to the Catedral de Santa María; now Pamplona's Cathedral, built in a Gothic style on the ruins of an old Romanesque cathedral demolished in 1391. Its construction spanned several centuries; it was begun in 1394, continued right through the 15th century and was completed in 1501. The façade was built in the 18th century: between 1783 and 1803 the Romanesque façade that had been preserved until then was demolished to be rebuilt in a neo-classical style, and the cathedral was extended.
Continuing through the Plazuela de San José, we come to El Redín, whose walls form a viewpoint to the part of the city standing on the other side of the river.
Going back to Calle Chapitela and turning left, we take Calle Mercaderes which leads us to the Ayuntamiento (Government building), from where, every 6th July, the traditional Chupinazo is set off, marking the beginning of the San Fermín festivals. Going up some steps on our right, we can visit the Museo Sarasate (museum) and Mercado de Santo Domingo (market), and continuing up the hill of the same name, the Museo de Navarra (museum).
As we come back down, we find ourselves at another of the area's most typical churches, the Iglesia de San Saturnino or San Cernin, a Gothic church which, like the Iglesia de San Nicolás, played a defensive, military role.
The third church worth mentioning is the Iglesia de San Lorenzo, which overlooks the Parque de la Taconera and houses San Fermín’s relics in one of its chapels.
Nowadays, Pamplona is visited by people from all over the region, making it a meeting point combining the surrounding mountains and plains.
Pamplona believes it is one of the greenest cities in Europe, with 4 million square metres of parks and gardens. You can visit the Parque de la Taconera, the Parque de la Vuelta del Castillo and the Parque de la Medialuna, in which you can admire genuine works of floral art, especially in the spring, and the Parque Yamaguchi which is wide open, designed in an oriental style, includes a geyser and is home to Pamplona's planetarium. We should not forget that the River Arga flows through Pamplona, giving it leafy riverside walks.
Navarre is an area which produces some very good wine. Since time immemorial, thousands of hectares of vines have provided for wonderful wine-making traditions. Under Navarre's Denominación de Origen (a label identifying wine of quality), you will discover excellent wines and wineries.
Festivals of interest
Navarre has a wealth of customs and traditions: carnivals, dances, rural sports, pelota, cows and txaranga (traditional festivities in the streets), jotas (Aragonese dance with typical music) and much more.
And, of course, the Running of the Bulls: at San Fermín sheer madness overcomes the streets, bringing out indescribable emotions. At 12 midday on 6th July, thousands of young people meet in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Many other people from around the region come together in the Plaza del Castillo and nearby streets to cheer when the 'Viva San Fermín, Gora San Fermín' rings out and the Chupinazo is set off.
The Carnivals in Navarre are well worth seeing, original and brightly coloured, with people dressed in regional costumes. The Carnavales de Lanz, Alsasua, Ituren and Zubieta, at the end of January and coming to a climax in February, are most popular.
The gatherings include one in which the people of Navarre pay homage to San Francisco de Javier, their patron saint, on the first Sunday in March.
A much-loved tradition is the Día de las Almadías in Burgui. On the first Saturday in May, former mariners pay tribute to their dangerous profession by going down the river in wooden rafts.
Another story worth telling is the Tributo de las Tres Vacas. Close to Isaba, alongside the Piedra de San Martín, on 13th July, French mayors hand to Roncalés mayors three cows as payment for use of water and borderland pasture.
At Christmas, in the centre and to the north, on 24th December, the Olentzero arrives, a much-loved coal-seller, fond of good food and a drink or two, who comes down the mountain to announce Jesus' birth.
The rural sports or herri kilorak were born from the bets made on rural tasks between those attending: lifting stones, felling trees, moving weights, etc. It is quite surprising to see what these participants manage.
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