Planning a trip to Pamplona

Getting There -- Not many people fly to Pamplona’s Aeropuerto de Noaín (tel. 91-321-10-00), because service consists of only a few direct flights a week from Madrid on Iberia (tel. 90-011-15-00) and infrequent flights to the Canary Islands with Bintercanarias. The airport is located 6.5km (4 miles) from the city and can be reached most economically via the subsidized taxi service which runs between 5:30am and 9:30pm. It needs advance booking and leaves from Paseo de Sarasate, 1. The modest fare of .70€ must be paid in cash. Book over the phone: 94-823-23-00 or 94-835-13-35. (A privately arranged taxi to or from the center will cost about 20€.)

Up to seven trains connect daily to and from Madrid (trip time 3–5 [bf]1/2 hr.) and four with Barcelona (trip time 4 hr.) Pamplona also has four daily connections with San Sebastián to the north (trip time 1[bf]3/4–3 hr.). There are also direct trains to other destinations, such as Zaragoza and Burgos. Visit renfe.com for train details and bookings. The train station is located outside the city center, a bus ride, on line 7 or 9.

Buses connect Pamplona with several Spanish cities and regional towns: up to eight per day with Madrid (trip time 5‒6 hr.), one per day with Barcelona (trip time 6.5 hr.), six per day with Zaragoza (trip time 2‒3 hr.), up to eight per day with Bilbao (trip time 2 hr.), and a dozen daily with San Sebastián (trip time 1[bf]1/4 hr.). Information for all routes is available at estacionautobusesdepamplona.com, by phone at 94-820-35-66, or in person at the underground bus station, Estación de Autobuses, at Avenida Yanguas y Miranda.

The AP-15 Navarra national highway begins on the outskirts of Pamplona and runs south to Olite and onwards toward Madrid, 4[bf]1/2 hrs away. For Logroño, choose the A-12 to arrive within the hour. Northwards from Pamplona, the AP-15 continues to San Sebastián, the journey taking 1.25 hours.

Visitor Information: The tourist office, Calle San Saturnino, 2 (tel. 94-842-07-00), is open Monday to Saturday 10am‒2pm and 3‒5pm (Mar–May until 6pm, July to mid-Sept 10am – 6pm), and Sunday 10am to 2pm.