Fiesta de San Fermin Pamplona (Running of the Bulls)?

770 Views | 11 Replies | Last: 24 days ago by Apache
Catag94
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AG
Who here has done this?
Did you use a reliable service to book balconies, etc?
What portion(s) of the festival did you see?
What recommendations would you offer?
What challenges did you face?

Thanks in advance. Wife and I plan to attend possibly in 2025.
Catag94
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AG
Anyone?
Apache
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AG
Ran in '04, so I don't know if what happened that long ago still holds true. At the very least keep your stuff close to you in crowds, pickpockets abound.
We stayed up all night and partied, slept in a park on the ground during the day after running early.
Probably not the experience you & the missus are looking for!

Crocker91
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AG
Been several times (most recently in 2022). Hotel Maisonnave is where you want to stay. Get there on the 5th to see the city before it gets wild with the start on the 6th. Drink and dance at the Cafe Iruna. Don't know about balconies as I prefer to run rather than watch. Viva San Fermin! Gora San Fermin!
2wealfth Man
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AG
I will be there this year; also interested in feedback. I have heard it is very important that you walk the course beforehand. Also, at the start you want to be at the back because they pull people off of the front when crowding becomes an issue.
Apache
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AG
By all means walk the course, but know it's going to look very different with thousands of people and the chaos that is going on. There is a particularly sharp corner... don't remember the name but you want to stay on the inside of the turns in general. The Bull's momentum carry them to the outside typically & they will slide as well.

You can do everything right & things can still go wrong - kinda like driving a car.
A dude fell in front of me and I went end over end as I was looking back at a bull. This was a rookie mistake.
You need to look sideways keeping both the bulls behind you & the mass in front of you in sight with your peripheral vision to avoid this. Wear good shoes for traction.

I stayed on the ground for a bit until the bulls passed & then got up to finish the run. By all means run all the way to the bull ring & don't crawl over a fence and stop. I have to say running through the tunnel & out into the Plaza del Toros I felt like Maximus entering the Colosseum.

Pic of me back in the day running lol that feels like a lifetime ago.


Matsui
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AG
That's incredible!
Catag94
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AG
Truly cool. Thanks for sharing.
AggieOO
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Apache said:

Ran in '04, so I don't know if what happened that long ago still holds true. At the very least keep your stuff close to you in crowds, pickpockets abound.
We stayed up all night and partied, slept in a park on the ground during the day after running early.
Probably not the experience you & the missus are looking for!




Sounds similar to my experience in '08. I also slept in the park.
AggieOO
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Also, can't agree enough with Apache on running into the stadium. It's a must.
JobSecurity
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AG
That's such a good picture lol. Adding that to the bucket list for sure
Apache
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I will also add that 2-3 days stop in San Sebastian/Donostia is a must while in the Basque Country.
This is one of my favorite spots in the entire world & I wish I had taken more time there on my trip.

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