Can someone tell me what Pamplona Spain is like?

Question

Weather, events (besides the bull run), what the city is like thank you

Answer 1

In summer 2005, I was only there for 2 days out of a 16 day trek across Spain and Portugal. The days I was there happened to be the 3rd and 4th days of San Fermines (the bullrunning festival) in July. The experience is well worth it in my opinion; I definitely can see why they call it the world's largest party.

For 8 days, the city essentially shuts down - people enjoy the sun during the day and catch up on some sleep, and then once the sun goes down, the fun begins. Tons of people are out and about, looking for a good time - both locals and tourists.

The weather there in July was quite warm during the day... I remember it being slightly cooler than Madrid, with temperatures up around 85-90 Fahrenheit (30 Celsius I think). Tons of sunshine as well...

Really, it's a lot of fun in my opinion, but it's also quite easy to get caught up in the events and fun. At times, because there were so many tourists there, the city felt a bit impersonal - I wasn't sure if the Pamplona I was experiencing was the true Pamplona, and it was quite difficult to interact with locals and get a true feel for the town.

If you do decide to go to San Fermines, the advice I'd give (others given me the same advice, so I'm just passing it along) is to finalize your plans early and book a place to stay - that was our biggest mistake! At some point, you'll want a quiet place to rest your head away from all the madness. Otherwise, be prepared to have some fun in the sun!