Fiesta de SanFermin: Run with the Bulls, Dance with History!

Grab your white attire, tie a red scarf around your neck, and pack a sense of adventure (and maybe a dash of recklessness) because we're diving headfirst into the riotous whirlwind to the heart of Navarre, Spain, where the cobblestone streets of Pamplona come alive with the vibrant Fiesta de San Fermín. Fiesta de San Fermin, held every year from July 6th to July 14th, has attracted countless global tourists thanks to Ernest Hemingway’s timeless novel The Sun Also Rises, which famously puts Pamplona on the map for something other than its delicious tapas.

What to do:Highlights and Activities in San Fermin Festival:

• Running of the Bulls:This will happen from July 7 to 14, starting at 8:00 am. It’s the perfect way to test your speed, bravery, or foolishness—take your pick.
• Bullfighting: The cornerstone event during Pamplona’s San Fermin Festival. Take this prime opportunity to witness this grand (if not controversial) cultural tradition. You may also consider family-friendly activities such as the Pamplona Bullfighting Tour or Torero Bullfighting Training.
• Giants and Big-Heads Parade: Every morning, marvel at 4-meter-tall, some over 150-year-old giants representing kings and queens from different continents dance to traditional tunes.
• Chupinazo : The kick-off on July 6th, marked by the launch of a pyrotechnic rocket, sets the tone for the days ahead. It’s the signal to start partying as if you needed one.
• Riau-Riau: This traditional dance event is a perfect warm-up for running from bulls.
• Struendo : On an unscheduled night, everyone brings any kind of musical instrument they can find (or anything that makes a loud noise) and parades through the streets, making as much noise as possible. 
• Pobre de Mí : The closing ceremony where everyone sings about how sad they are that the party’s over. Spoiler: There’s always next year.

What to Eat:Find Great Foods Around SanFermin Festival

• Pintxos: Typical Spanish Tapas
• Fish: specialty dishes such as Bacalao al ajoarriero or Trucha de Navarra
• Txistorra: The Navarrese type of chorizo
• Bull’s Tail stew
• Churros with choc

You may search for the best restaurants in Pamplona from TRIP ADVISOR, review the ratings and hundreds of customers’ comments, and even reserve your table online.

How to Go: Transportations to Pamplona for the San Fermin Festival

Daily flights are from Paris, Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona to Pamplona. Trains and buses are also available. Pamplona is the capital of Navarre Province, located in the north of Spain and just south of the Spanish-French border. The Pamplona Airport is 6 km from the city center. 

Where to Stay: Best Choices of SanFermin Hotels

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10 Tips for Surviving and Striving the SanFermin Festival：

1. Plan early, or you’ll end up sleeping on a park bench. Use our free Travel Itinerary Planner. You may save money for accommodations by arriving one or two days after 7 July, if you don’t mind missing the opening ceremonies.
2. Secure reservation for your activities: Bullfighting tickets are only offered to the public, with 1,000 tickets daily. Spectating balconies will be in very short supply.
3. Stay a little sober: The wine flows like water, but you want to witness the festival, not become an unintentional participant in your slapstick comedy.
4. Give Bulls the Right of Way: If you run with the bulls, remember: these beasts don't do detours. Best case scenario: you get a story for the grandkids. Worst case: you become way too intimate with a bull's horn.
5. Safety tips for the mortals: Enjoying the bull-running party by watching from a balcony won’t be a shame.
6. Beyond the Bulls: When you’re not running for your life, check out the city’s rich history and mouth-watering food, and maybe even learn something at a museum, like Musso de Navarra (if you can find the door). 
7. Side note:Pamplona is a major stop on theCamino PilgrimageRoute to Santiago.
8. Mind your property: It may be a good idea to Invest in a FANNY PACK WALLET.
9. Have a meet-up planin case you get separated from your companions. 
10. Use a local guide:A good idea for festival traveling is to book flights and hotels by yourself for flexibility while reserving a local guide or tour to secure all your activities. Viator You may reserve a SanFermin local tour on Viator with a cancellation policy of 24 hours in advance.

So heed Hemingway’s call. Take the Fiesta de San Fermín as your next adventure—a story you'll hold close under the Spanish sun, find a piece of history, a touch of wildness, and a celebration of life. Remember: this is one festival where the stories write themselves. Vamos!