Learn Spanish

• Home page
• Why learn Spanish?
• Why don Quijote?
• Spanish in Spain
• Why in Spain?
• Destinations
• Madrid
• Barcelona
• Granada
• Salamanca
• Tenerife
• Valencia
• Sevilla
• Marbella
• Alicante
• Malaga
• Cadiz
• Pamplona
• Spanish in Latin America
• Spanish Courses
• Course Activities
• Accommodation
• Scholarships
• Pricelist
• Special offers
• Free brochure
• Book now
• News
• Student articles
• Newsletter
• dQ in the Press
• Contact us
• Sitemap

• The city of Pamplona

• Learning Spanish in Pamplona

THE CITY:

• Population: 200,000.
• Location: capital of the Navarra region in Northern Spain.
• The city is famous for its annual (July 7^th-14^th) San Fermin celebrations: the “Runnings of the Bulls” attracts thousands of people from all over the world.
• Excellent motorways link Pamplona with the cities of San Sebastian, Vitoria and Zaragoza where the international airports are located.

Pamplona is a typical Spanish interior city, full of culture and history and one of the greenest European cities: it has many parks and gardens; while the Arga River almost completely surrounds the city on one side, the lush alpine valley of the Pyrenees is on the other side. As the historical capital of the Basque Country, Pamplona also maintains a very youthful feel as a university city. It is very easy for foreigners to mix and make friends with the locals because the Spanish student population is quite large.

Pamplona's main sights are dispersed throughout the "old town", which is divided into three parts: La Navarrería, the oldest part of the city, and the 12^th century boroughs of the once rivaling towns of San Nicolás and San Cernín.

It is a pleasure to wander through Pamplona´s city centre as it is full of unexpected places, unique museums, wonderful architecture, and much more. And while the Plaza del Castillo is the spirit of the old town (and where there is a flurry of constant activity), the magnificent Romanesque Gothic cathedral (which has seen many archeological excavations), the remaining stretches of Pamplona's formidable defensive walls, and the Ciudadela are also intriguing places that you should explore.

The 11^th century marked Pamplona's “golden years” as the city's location along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route brought economic success and development. This religious pilgrimage to the Galitzian city of Santiago de Compostela still completed by thousands of pilgrims each year, sparked cultural and trading exchanges with the European cultures and countries on the other side of the Pyrenees. During the 16^th century Pamplona became a key defensive outpost against France, and by the 18^th century Pamplona had become a wealthy city and its infrastructure had been improved.

Pamplona offers a vibrant nightlife to all students of Spanish. A way of beginning a night out is to go to the old quarter and start eating pintxos (tapas) with drinks, then continue onto the night clubs and bars. Navarra and the Basque country are well known for having one of the healthiest gastronomies in Spain due to their location by the sea, fertile valleys, mountains and rivers.

One thing that Pamplona is definitely well known for are the San Fermines celebrations where hundreds of Spaniards and foreigners gather to participate in the famous Corrida or running of the bulls. The streets are crowded with men, and sometimes women, who run through Pamplona while being pursued by bulls talking them to the Plaza de Toros or bullring. Overall, Pamplona has one of the best standards of living in Spain as its inhabitants enjoy leisure areas and parks, good health and education systems, low crime rates, a beautiful, friendly and tranquil city as well as a high level of industry.