Pamplona is a perfect city for travelling with children because of everything it has to offer in a very small area: nature, narrow streets full of legends, city walls and even one of the best-preserved military forts in Europe. All you need to do is put on some comfortable shoes and start running, but without the bulls behind.
Selection of child-friendly plans
The San Fermín festival with the family
We have all seen on television that exciting moment when a rocket is fired and the bullpen opens for the bulls to run through a crowd of runners. Doing the route with children (with no horns or danger) is one of the most eagerly awaited plans by children.
It is best to start at Corralillo de Santo Domingo and, on Cuesta de Santo Domingo, look for San Fermín, the saint to whom all the runners, with a newspaper in their hands, sing every day during the bull run, seeking his protection. From there, the race with children becomes more interesting because you realise how small and steep these streets are for so many runners and bulls to pass.
From there you run to the Town Hall Square, Calle Mercaderes, Calle Estafeta and the bullring.
If you arrive there with your adrenaline running a little high, the bullring is a good place to take a tour and look for the famous statue of Hemingway, one of the international bullfighting fans who did the most to make the bull runs famous.
City walls
Pamplona is a fortified city and it is well worth strolling around its walls and bastions. Most of them were built to defend this ancient city, one of the main on the Way of Saint James, from almost constant attack by the French.
The best thing to do is start by strolling through the Plaza de la Virgen, a square with worthwhile views, until you reach Portal de Francia, the main gate through which pilgrims came from France. It was built in the 16th century and is the only one that remains of the six that the city had. It is also known as Zumalacárregui, after the Carlist general who left Pamplona for the war. The gate still preserves the structure of a drawbridge that was in use until the beginning of the 20th century.
Galaxy Garden and Planetarium
Yamaguchi Park, where both the Galaxy Garden and Planetarium are located, is worth a visit in itself because of its Japanese design, cherry trees, lake and pagoda. It is also an adventure for children to walk through a garden that reproduces, with more than 500 bushes, the Milky Way and part of the galaxy, including a 30-metre black hole.
Very close to this unique garden -there is only one similar structure in Hawaii- is the Planetarium, with one of the largest domes in the world that projects images over a 20-metre sky. It also has other fun exhibitions for children where they can learn about prehistoric times and how to study dinosaurs and even become an astronaut.
Taconera Gardens
They are the oldest gardens in the city, designed in a romantic style allowing for a relaxing stroll surrounded by large trees and flowering plants. One of the best plans for kids in its 90,000 square metres is the viewing platform where a kind of small zoo has been created where you can see rabbits, deer, fallow deer and even goats. There are also ducks, pheasants and swans. Peacocks also roam freely like the other animals in the area. If you travel at Christmas, this is one of the most popular places for families, with a life-size nativity scene that attracts children and adults alike.
Plaza del Castillo and Gayarre Theatre
The Plaza del Castillo (Castle Square) is the heart of Pamplona and is always very lively, making it a unique place to rest, have a coffee and let the children run around the bandstand in the centre. A fun mission for children is to find Hemingway’s statue in Café Iruña, one of the most traditional places in Pamplona and one of the favourite cafés of the American writer and author of Fiesta (The Sun Also Rises).
Near the square is the famous Gayarre Theatre, with a very extensive programme, and where you can attend one of its performances or take one of the guided tours provided by the theatre itself.
The Citadel
The Citadel is another must in Pamplona that children will love. It is a Renaissance military fortification, one of the best preserved in Europe, with a pentagon-shaped bastion, although today only three of its five points remain.
It still maintains its walls, bridges, passageways and even some cannons, which are an attraction for children to understand what this major defensive construction meant for Pamplona.
In addition, its 280,000 square metres provide plenty of space to run, jump, play and even see an exhibition or show that is held inside almost every month of the year.
The Cathedral and Mary’s bell
The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal is one of the most complete in Spain. It owes part of its greatness to the fact that Pamplona was one of the main cities from which the Way of Saint James started for pilgrims coming from France.
In addition to the spectacular interior of the Gothic-style cathedral, its royal tombs, cloister and works of art, one of the musts with children is to go up to see Mary’s bell, the second largest in Spain after the one in Toledo, which is impressive when it is both stationary and in motion.
In fact, when the bell is rung on special occasions, its sound can be heard up to 14 kilometres, i.e. throughout the Pamplona basin.
Strolling along the river Arga
The area around the river Arga is an incredible natural space for cycling with children, going for a run, playing or doing any other sport with the family.
The path runs along one side of the river but there are bridges and footbridges to cross to the other side and continue your adventurous exploration.
The ideal thing to do if you are going to do a bicycle route or spend time there with children is to bring your own drinks and snacks because there are no kiosks or restaurants in this natural area.
You can end your route next to the Labrit Bastion, which is part of the city walls, and continue your walk through Pamplona’s defensive area. You could also simply remain in Arga park and enjoy the trees and river.
Recommendations and advice
Pamplona is a very easy city for travelling with kids. The distances are not very long and the centre can be easily covered on foot. If you want to visit other neighbourhoods, you can take one of the city buses or a taxi.
Pamplona also has well-tended green areas where children can easily relax, play and run around.
There are also 60 kilometres of cycle lanes which can be very useful if you want to cycle with children.
You can travel to Pamplona at any time but, although there are specific plans to experience the San Fermín festival with children, it is perhaps the worst time to visit due to the large crowds. Therefore, you should avoid July.
Remember that Pamplona is a city where it tends to rain on many days so, if you are travelling with children, it is best to bring suitable footwear and a mackintosh.
