You have a number of choices when deciding on where to stay when attending the Running of the Bulls at the San Fermin Festival, Pamplona. You can book a hotel in Pamplona, stay in a nearby city or stay further away and travel overnight. On this page you will find information on each option and links to book your accommodation for the Pamplona Running of the Bulls.

Hotels in Pamplona during the festival are very expensive.

A good alternative is to do a Pamplona Guided Tour. There's one that takes in Barcelona, Pamplona, San Sebastian and Bilbao, with two days at the festival.

Staying in Pamplona

There are hotels in Pamplona, but many of these will be fully booked months beforehand. Also, as the whole of Pamplona turns into a party zone at night during the San Fermin Festival, getting a decent night's sleep might be difficult. However, if you stay up all night to enjoy the festivities, there's nothing better than being able to fall into bed after the running of the bulls in the morning. If you intend on sticking around for the bullfighting in the evening, you'll welcome somewhere to sleep in Pamplona itself.
Book Pamplona Hotels
If you'd like to stay in private accommodation along the route, San Fermin Travel Central can help you book a place to stay during the festival.

Camping near Pamplona

There is one campsite just 6km outside of Pamplona (Camping Ezcaba and a few other campsites further out. Read more about Camping near Pamplona.

Home Exchange and Couchsurfing in or Near Pamplona

A home exchange is a great way to get what would normally be expensive accommodation during high season.
If you don't have a home to swap, maybe you could just borrow someone's couch for a few days (known as 'couchsurfing').

Your host should also act as a handy guide during the festivities.

Check out my page on Home Exchange and Couchsurfing for more details.

Staying near Pamplona

It may be possible to stay in a hotel just outside Pamplona, though you will need to make transport arrangements if you want to get into the city for the bull run. A Canadian company, SPYNS, offers an up-market Pamplona Bull Run Tour where you stay in a hotel a few minutes's walk outside the city centre. This ensures you get a good night's sleep before the bull run.

You could also stay in one of these nearby cities:

• Vitoria Not the most exciting city in the world, but Vitoria is the closest city to Pamplona, making it an idea base to visit the Pamplona Running of the Bulls.
  Book Vitoria Hotels
• Bilbao Home to the Guggenheim Museum and some of the best Basque pintxos .
  Book Bilbao Hotels
• San Sebastian Excellent beaches and even better pintxos.
  Book San Sebastian Hotels

To get to Pamplona from these cities, you'll need to look into Trains to Pamplona and Buses to Pamplona.

Traveling Overnight to Pamplona from Further Away

To save on accommodation costs, many people travel overnight from a city further away. These cities have buses and trains that arrive in Pamplona in time for the running of the bulls in the morning.

• Madrid The capital of Spain and closer to Pamplona than you might think. It is a simple overnight train or bus to Pamplona from here.
  Book Madrid Hotels
• Barcelona A little further from Pamplona but one bus or train from Pamplona.
  Book Barcelona Hotels
• Zaragoza A couple of hours away from Pamplona, which makes the overnight journey a little difficult (you have to stay up till late to catch the train) but the journey is shorter.
  Book Zaragoza Hotels

• Next Pamplona Running of the Bulls FAQ: What should I bring to the Pamplona Bull Run & What Should I Wear?

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