Frequently Asked Questions About San Fermin.  If you have more questions, see our message boards or ask us on Twitter.

Where can I find cheap accommodation during the week of San Fermín?
It’s best to look in the outskirts of Pamplona.  Another popular and cheap option is to stay at a campsite. You need to start looking for accommodation many months in advance. There is a lot of accommodation on offer, but bear in mind that the population increases fourfold over the weekend. It’s far easier to find a place if you come mid-week, and the prices are lower.

Get the info at the Pamplona tourist office (+34 848 420 420).  For camping:  www.campingsnavarra.com.

Where can I find telephone numbers for private households in the city centre offering accommodation over the San Fermín week?

Some companies let out flats and balconies for watching the encierro. Info available from the Pamplona tourist office (+34 848 420 420).

Can you sleep outdoors or in a park?

It’s not officially allowed and the authorities could have a problem with it. Lots of people do sleep outdoors, but you could get moved on by police, and would of course be exposed to all the usual noise of a city in fiesta season, and to all kinds of goings-on.

Can you sleep in a car or in a car park?

For safety reasons, it is strictly prohibited to sleep in a car park. It’s up to you if you want to sleep in a car parked on a street.

Haven’t the bulls ever escaped the course of the encierro?

The only time in history that a bull broke the enclosing fence and ran off down a street was in 1939.

What kind of pass do I need to enter the fenced enclosure to take photographs? Who do I need to show it to?

You need a pass issued by Pamplona City Hall to enter the outer corridor of the double-fenced enclosure. Passes are limited, and priority is given to press and/or news agency photographers.

Where can I get tickets for the encierrillos held the night before?

To see the encierrillo on the Cuesta de Santo Domingo you need to pick up a pass from the City Hall a few days before the start of the fiesta. It is still not known when passes will become available to the public. Last year, they were handed out on 4 July from a mobile office set up on the Paseo de Sarasate.

How long does an encierro last?

An encierro lasts just over two minutes, the time it takes for the bulls to run the 845 metres of the course from Santo Domingo to the bullring. But if a bull straggles behind or turns around to head the other way, an encierro can take longer. The longest-ever happened on 11 July 1959, and took thirty minutes. One of the bulls was held up, and once in the ring the herders and dobladores had great difficulty getting it into the pens.

Where can I buy member tickets for the San Fermín bullfights?

Member tickets are distributed by the Casa de Misericordia, but they are hard to get hold of, because they are assigned to private individuals. Tickets for a bullfight are available from the bullring box office after the previous day’s bullfight has ended. Ticket scalping is widespread.

Where can I get videos of past years’ encierros?

You can get in touch with us and see all the Sanfermines videos on this website or on www.directa.tv.

Where can I get a job over San Fermin week?

Over the San Fermín fiesta, the hospitality industry offers the most job openings. The bars, cafés and restaurants of Pamplona, especially in the old quarter, need to hire more hands than usual to cater for the thousands of people flocking to the fiesta.  See our message boards and join our BullRunning community for more opportunities!