Pamplona Running Of The Bulls - Insane, Risky And Enormously Fun

Spain is a fabulous holiday destination and the fact that a few years back it was the second most visited country in the world after France gives you an indication of its popularity. Its mild climate, its sandy beaches, its entertainment hot spots, nightlife and festivals ensure Spain remains a sparkling gem in the tourism crown.

Spain really has some world renowned festivals. One of those is La Tomatina, held in Bunol, near Valencia. This festivals involves people throwing tomato at each other! But by far the biggest and best festival is the San Fermin, which is held in Pamplona every July. The San Fermin is best known for its crazy Running of the Bulls held every morning of the festival.

I wasn't really sure before going to the Pamplona Running of the Bulls whether I would have the guts to actually run, but I thought I would look first and make my decision later. Nevertheless, it is something that I've always watched on TV and thought "This looks crazy!". Well once I made my mind up to go, I guess there was no going back, so when we booked the trip for the whole San Fermin festival between July 6 and July 14 I knew I would have to give it ago.

One thing that I didn't realise is that most towns and cities across Spain have an annual festival that involves a morning Bull Run. However, it is the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona that everyone wants to go to. I fortunately did my homework and discovered that during the Pamplona Bull Run accommodation can be very expensive. If you want to do things on a bit of a budget then there are a few camp sites close to Pamplona. There is also tour operators that do Pamplona tours, where they plan everything for you, including transport, bed and breakfast. I certainly wasn't on a low budget for my Pamplona Bull Run trip, so we were booked into a hotel known as Gran Hotel La Perla. This hotel had a great location with a balcony that looked over the road where the running of the bulls took place.

The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona is a totally chaotic experience, some would say it is for the insane. I wanted to be insane just this once, envisioning the faces of friends and family back home when I relayed the events. One thing is for sure, my friend and I were intending to be part of the week long party and the ongoing flow of traditional sangria.

Anyway, there is heaps to do in Pamplona during San Fermin other than the Bull Run and parties start during the day go on throughout the night. There are lots of trendy little bars and restaurants for you to catch a bite during the Pamplona San Fermin Festival but tapas is perfect for snacks to keep you going any time during the day. Nobody can predict how events will turn out and this is the spice of the entire event. The running of the bulls takes place every day with each race lasting about three minutes and starts at 8am in the morning. There is different sorts of parades going on all throughout the day and fireworks happen every night around 11pm.

Ok, so back to the Bull Run. When it finally came time for me to run with the bulls, I said no. I have to say I was actually not happy with the participants in the running of the bulls. When I saw people simply pounding over the people who had fallen in front of them it got me a little worried. Like I watched the casualty report on the first morning after the bull run and some people were seriously hurt. We did however stay for the full seven days, because I really enjoyed that there was simply more to the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona than a crazy and insane Bull Run.

Pamplona is a great place to walk around and soak up the music, the people, and the atmosphere. The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona should be on your bucket list if you, like me, want to be part of something that is utterly uniquely Spanish and above all, enormous fun.

For an extensive array of information and advice for the Pamplona Running of the Bulls, including travel options, travel tips, party spots and other activities you should contact the events and festival travel specialists, FOMO Travel.. Free reprint available from: Pamplona Running Of The Bulls - Insane, Risky And Enormously Fun.