A white t-shirt and white trousers or skirt with a red neckerchief (pañuelico) and sash (faja)is the official San Fermín outfit. If you don’t wear it, you’ll feel like a fish out of water.

And you don’t need to spend a fortune; you can bring all the white things from home and buy the red accessories at practically any street stall in the city

Celebrate the start of the festivities in Plaza Consistorial. It’s quite a unique experience, but it’s only suitable for the brave.

If you’d prefer a calmer alternative, you can see it broadcast live on the giant screens set up in Antoniutti park, Paseo Sarasate, Avenida Carlos III, Plaza del Castillo and Plaza de los Fueros.

If you want to see the encierro from the front row, you have to get to the double wooden fence which lines the route between 6 and 6.30 a.m. After that, every inch of it is packed and you won’t be able to see a thing.

Another good option is to see the bulls as they enter the bullring. Arriving there at 7 a.m. and singing alongside another 20,000 people is an experience never to be forgotten.

Don't dream of running after a night out on the town. If you’re going to run, be sure to rest, wear suitable footwear, warm up, choose your stretch and fan out after entering the bullring if you get that far. The most dangerous sections are the uphill stretch on Calle de Santo Domingo because of the speed the bulls reach when they’re let loose, the corner between Calle Mercaderes and Calle de la Estafeta due to the 90º angle, and the narrow alley leading into the bullring where runners often trip and cause human pile-ups at the end of the run. The least dangerous place to run is the 100 metres from Plaza Consistorial to the end of the Calle Mercaderes stretch.

During the festival, the capital of Navarra is open to the whole world and the people of Pamplona are quite the hosts. It’s impossible not to get wrapped up in their hospitality, the joyfulness of the peñas, the impromptu conversations you get drawn into and the friendly atmosphere pervading the entire city.

Our advice: enjoy and respect the wonderful atmosphere of Pamplona during the San Fermín festival.

But make sure you have it out in the street! And anywhere in the city because the excitement reaches every neck of Pamplona. And not just on 6 July, the most traditional day for almuercicos, but any day during the festivities. It’ll put you in good stead for the rest of the day.

You’ll find whole groups of friends sitting at tables joined up outside the doors of bars and restaurants, their plates brimming with fried eggs, rice and tomato, ham and potato omelette. Or at least, that’s the most typical menu, but there are seafood and gourmet options, too. It’s up to you what you eat here!

It’s one of the things everyone likes to get their hands on during the festival. Not just to keep as a souvenir but also because it tells you about everything that’s going on.

It’s essential if you want to make the most of the San Fermín festival, selecting what you’re most interested in from all the sports, cultural, children’s and bullfighting events listed. 

Pamplona is a medium-sized city and the festival mainly takes place in the old town and the area around it. You can park in one of the adjoining neighbourhoods, your hotel car park or in one of the makeshift car parks cordoned off for the festival. And if you need to get around, we recommend you take public transport, which runs 24 hours a day.

You’ll see that the municipal services work flat-out day and night so you can enjoy yourself without a worry. Safety and cleanliness are key during the San Fermín festival.

You can come and enjoy the San Fermín festival and combine it — or round off you time here — with a few days of rest getting to know some of the wonderful countryside found in Navarre.

What would you say to a relaxing time in such spectacular landscapes as the Irati Forest or the source of the River Urederra, the peace and quiet of the nearby Ultzama and Baztan valleys or in the nearest thing to a moonscape in Bardenas Reales?