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Square · Pamplona, Navarra
Plaza del Castillo
The main square of Pamplona, with a bandstand, arcades and historic cafés such as Café Iruña, associated with Hemingway and the San Fermín festivities.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Discover
About Plaza del Castillo
The Plaza del Castillo is the center of Pamplona's life. The name recalls a castle that once stood on the site in the Middle Ages. For centuries the square was the setting for markets, tournaments and even bullfights before the bullring was built. Today it is a large stone rectangle with a bandstand in the middle, trees and buildings with balconies and arcades around it.
On one side is Café Iruña, opened in 1888, with rooms decorated with mirrors and columns. The writer Ernest Hemingway, who visited Pamplona several times from the 1920s and described the San Fermín festivities in the novel The Sun Also Rises, used to frequent the café, and a life-size statue of him stands at the counter of one of the rooms. In the same square is the Gran Hotel La Perla, where he stayed.
The square is the city's meeting point: children play around the bandstand, locals have coffee at the outdoor tables and, during the July festivities, it fills with people dressed in white and red scarves.
From the corners of the square lead Estafeta street, part of the encierro route, and the streets of pinchos bars in the old town.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
From 30 minutes to 1 hour, with a coffee.
Best time
In the late afternoon and evening, when cafés fill up. During the San Fermín festivities the square is packed day and night.
How to get there
It is in the old town, about a 10-minute walk from the bus station and 30 minutes from the train station, which has city buses to the center.
Tip
Have a coffee in the Café Iruña room and look for Hemingway's statue at the counter in the side room.
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Plaza del Castillo
What is Pamplona's main square?
The Plaza del Castillo, with a bandstand, arcades and historic cafés, in the old town.
Where did Hemingway go in Pamplona?
To Café Iruña, in the Plaza del Castillo, opened in 1888. There is a statue of him on the counter of one of the salons. He stayed at the Gran Hotel La Perla, on the same square.
Is the Plaza del Castillo on the encierro route?
No, but it's next to it. Rua Estafeta, one of the sections of the route, starts near one of the square's corners.