Visit Pamplona

The old town is best read by following the route of the bulls, about 850 metres from the Santo Domingo slope to the bullring, via the town hall square and Calle Estafeta. The baroque town hall, the balconies and the stacked fence posts tell the story of the festival even out of season. Behind its neoclassical facade, Santa María cathedral hides a remarkable Gothic cloister; its museum closes on Sundays. Café Iruña, on the Plaza del Castillo, keeps Hemingway's memory alive.

Pamplona has kept most of its fortifications. The walkway starts at the Portal de Francia, where pilgrims still enter the city, and follows the bastions above the River Arga. The Citadel, a star-shaped fortress from the late 16th century, has become a large park open to all. It joins the Taconera gardens, where deer live in the old moat. The whole circuit is free and makes an easy half-day walk through the greenest part of town.

From 6 to 14 July, the chupinazo launches nine days of festivities: a bull run every morning at 8 am, giants and big-heads in the streets, fireworks at night. Book several months ahead, as hotels triple or quadruple their rates. France Diplomatie advises against taking part in open-air bull runs: watch from a rented balcony or on a bar television instead. Outside that week, the city returns to its usual calm and its usual prices.

Navarre is explored by car, in a star pattern from the capital. To the south, the royal palace of Olite and its crenellated towers lead on to the fortified village of Ujué, then the clay cliffs of the Bardenas Reales biosphere reserve. To the north, Roncesvalles opens onto the Irati forest, stunning in October. To the west, the Camino runs through Eunate, Puente la Reina and Estella. To extend towards the sea, Bilbao combines easily on a tour of northern Spain.