Things to do in Pamplona
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Sarasate
This bright, uncluttered vegetarian restaurant on the 1st floor offers excellent veggie dishes and gluten-free options. It's run by the same people as the Baserri, so the quality is undoubted. It's well worth getting stuck into one of its €10.50 menús del día.
reviewed
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The Running of the Bulls
Liberated, obsessive, or plain mad is how you might describe aficionados (and there are many) who regularly take part in Pamplona's Sanfermines (Fiesta de San Fermín), a nonstop cacophony of music, dance, fireworks, processions - and the small matter of running alongside a handful of agitated, horn-tossing toros - that takes place from 6 to 14 July each year.
El Encierro, the running of the bulls from their corrals to the bullring for the afternoon bullfight, takes place in Pamplona, every morning during Sanfermines. Six bulls are let loose from the Coralillos de Santo Domingo to charge across the square of the same name (a good vantage point). They continue up the stre…
reviewed
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Catedral
Pamplona’s main cathedral stands on a rise just inside the city ramparts amid a dark thicket of narrow streets. The cathedral, which was undergoing a radical makeover at the time of research but was still open to the public, is a late-medieval Gothic gem spoiled only by its rather dull neoclassical facade, an 18th-century appendage. The vast interior reveals some fine artefacts, including a silver-plated Virgin and the splendid 15th-century tomb of Carlos III of Navarra and his wife Doña Leonor. The real joy is the Gothic cloister, where there is marvellous delicacy in the stonework. The Museo Diocesano occupies the former refectory and kitchen, and houses an assortmen…
reviewed
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Cathedral
Pamplona's main cathedral stands on a rise just inside the city ramparts amid a dark thicket of narrow streets. The cathedral is a late-medieval Gothic gem spoiled only by its rather dull neoclassical facade, an 18th-century appendage. The vast interior reveals some fine artefacts, including a silver-plated Virgin and the splendid 15th-century tomb of Carlos III of Navarra and his wife Doña Leonor. The real joy is the Gothic cloister, where there is marvellous delicacy in the stonework. The Museo Diocesano occupies the former refectory and kitchen, and houses an assortment of religious art, including some fine Gothic woodcarvings.
reviewed
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Baserri
This place has won enough pintxo awards to fill a book. In fact, it's staggering to know that so many food awards actually exist! As you'd expect from such a certificate-studded bar, the pintxos are superb; sadly, the full meals play something of a second fiddle in comparison. Even so, locals still flock in for the €14 lunch menu.
reviewed
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Bodegón Sarria
It could be the cured hams hanging from the ceiling and the used napkins thrown haphazardly on the floor, or it could be the pictures of Hemingway and bull bravado. Whatever it is, it certainly makes for a macho air about this place - as well as a bar bursting with pintxos and some simple lunch menús.
reviewed
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Mesón del Caballo Blanco
Country comes to town at this enduring favourite. It's in a converted church just inside the city wall to the north of the cathedral. Inside and out you have a charming sense of escaping claustrophobic city streets and the across-country views are refreshing. It also does decent food and fairly good wine.
reviewed
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Café Iruña
Opened on the eve of Sanfermines in 1888, Café Iruña's dominant position, powerful sense of history and frilly belle-époque decor make this by far the most famous and popular watering hole in the city. As well as caffeine and alcohol, it also has a good range of pintxos and light meals.
reviewed
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Casa Otaño
A little pricier than many on this street but worth the extra. Its formal atmosphere is eased by the dazzling array of pink and red flowers spilling off the balcony. Great dishes range from the locally caught trout to heavenly duck dishes. The €17.80 menú del día is good value.
reviewed
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Museo Oteiza
Around 9km northeast of Pamplona in the town of Alzuza, this impressive museum contains almost 3000 pieces by the renowned Navarran sculptor Jorge Oteiza. As well as his workshop, this beautifully designed gallery incorporates the artist's former home in a lovely rural setting.
Three buses a day run to Alzuza from Pamplona's bus station. If you're driving, Alzuza is signposted north off the NA150, just east of Huarte.
reviewed
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Ciudadela
The walls and bulwarks of the grand fortified citadel, the star-shaped Ciudadela, lurk amid the verdant grass and trees in what is now a charming park, the portal to three more parks that unfold to the north and lend the city a beautiful green escape.
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Ciudadela & Parks
The walls and bulwarks of the grand fortified citadel, the star-shaped Ciudadela, lurk amid the verdant grass and trees in what is now a charming park, the portal to three more parks that unfold to the north and lend the city a beautiful green escape.
reviewed
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Vinoteca Murillo
For penny-pinching partygoers, this wine shop supplies 5L containers of fiesta-quality wine for only €6.50. But if you're the sort who thinks wine shouldn't taste like vinegar, then they can sort you out too.
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Museo de Navarra
Housed in a former medieval hospital, this museum has an eclectic collection of archaeological finds (including a Roman mosaic), as well as a selection of art including Goya's Marqués de San Adrián.
reviewed
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Bar San Nicolás
Prices are a bit kinder here than in some nearby places, so try the Spanish standards, such as paella and bacalao (salted cod), as well as a Basque menú.
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El Adoquin de la Estafeta
This unassuming corner bar has delicious chunky pintxos such as roquefort con salmon and setas con jamón (mushrooms and ham).
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Restaurante San Fermín
A fairly top-end place that produces classics such as cogote de merluza (tender neck of hake) or centollo el horno (baked spider crab).
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Dom Lluis
Other good bars include the intimate Dom Lluis, which rolls on through the night when many others are safely tucked up at home.
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Sagardotegi Iruñazarra
Beef up on solid Navarran meat dishes and trimmings at this popular cider house Included in the price is all the cider you can drink.
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La Cepa
A grungy bar full of hardcore Basque hairdos and simple meals appealing to young pockets. Alternative music scene at night.
reviewed
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Cool
As the name suggests, this clean steel bar on the edge of the old city is a place to lounge around, seeing and being seen.
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Mesón Pirineo
There's nothing fancy and modern about this place: it's just old Navarran style and superb pintxos all the way.
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Cafeteria Belegua
This is where young mothers and other tired sorts come for a caffeine pick-me-up and a cake in the late afternoon.
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Marengo
Open after 11pm Thursday to Saturday and the cover charge tends to be around €8 to €12, depending on the night.
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Reverendos
Open after 11pm Thursday to Saturday and the cover charge tends to be around €8 to €12, depending on the night.
reviewed
