The iconic bull runs, or encierros, of Pamplona, Spain happen every morning between July 7th and July 14th.
During this event, the bulls run roughly 850 meters in total, covering several streets: 1. Calle Santo Domingo, 2. Plaza Consistorial, 3. Calle Mercaderes, leading into Dead Man's Corner, 4. Calle Estafeta, 5. the short portion of Telefónica, which is a name for the "street" made by wooden barricades during the festival, 6. the callejón (the short passage directly into the bull ring), and, finally, 7. the Plaza de Toros, or the bull ring.
If you're booking a balcony spot to watch the run, you may be wondering what viewing space will give you the best view. Unfortunately, there is no one right answer; it all depends on what you're looking for, and you can never predict what the most action-packed section of the run will be on a specific day. But if you'd like to learn more about the most highly requested spots along the bull run, read on!
- Dead Man's Corner: The most coveted viewing spots along the bull run are located at "La Curva," or "The Curve," which is frequently called Dead Man's Corner in English. This infamous 90-degree turn is half-way down the bull run, and the balconies and barricades at this corner offer views of the bulls and runners attempting to navigate the sharp turn at high speed. Due to the uneven streets and sharp turn, both people and bulls frequently lose their footing at "La Curva," often leading to dramatic falls, serious injuries, and general chaos. This is especially true if a bull becomes separated from the herd after recovering from a fall: bulls separated from their herd tend to become extremely dangerous and aggressive, leading to significantly more danger.
- The Left Side of Estafeta: Choosing a balcony on the left side of Estafeta, in the direction the bulls run, will allow you to watch the bulls for the longest possible amount of time. This means you maximize your chances of seeing the most action during the run.
- The End of Estafeta: Furthermore, the end of Estafeta allows you to watch the bulls running towards you for the longest amount of time, while also providing a view of one of the final sections of the route. By this point of the route, bulls have been running at full speed for over two minutes, and they start to slow down. Their slightly slower pace allows expert runners to run "on the horns" - directly in front of a bull - in ways that wouldn't be possible during the earlier sections of the run.
- From the Arena: Watching the bull run from the arena is not only one of the most affordable ways to watch the bull run, but it's also one of the most entertaining! While the bulls only run through the streets for around 2-3 minutes every morning, on average, the entertainment in the Plaza lasts for several hours. The morning starts around 7:00AM with live music, horse parades, and other entertainment in the arena. By around 7:55AM, runners will start flooding into the arena - yes, even before the bulls have been released! - and by 8:03AM, the bulls will run across the arena as runners escape to safety on the side. Then, around 8:10AM, small "vaquillas" - which are small cows with horns that looks like small bulls - will be released into the arena, one by one until around 8:45AM, to dash through the crowd of runners who just survived running with the bulls.
Contact us if you'd like to learn more, or book your balcony viewing spaces here or your entrance into the arena here if you're ready!