La Tomatina Festival was on my list since I can remember and when it was finally time to take the flight to Spain, I could not believe it! After Azores adventure, I had 15 days to plan La Tomatina and trust me it’s super easy and a piece of cake! Here’s everything you need to know to plan your La Tomatina trip to Spain.
Flight tickets!
Book a flight to Barcelona? or Valencia?
I started my trip from Seville and made my way to Valencia two days prior to the festival. Flight tickets are understandably expensive closer to the date of the festival. However, it is the most convenient and the fastest way to get there from Seville.
You could either plan to fly to Barcelona or Valencia. Since I started from Seville, I flew to Valencia, got a train from the airport to Pucol station and a bus from Pucol station to the campsite in Pucol. You could also directly land in Barcelona and then go down south.
You could also use Bla bla cars to get a ride share from Valencia or where you are in Spain!
Stay!
I was staying with Stokes Travel on a campsite in Pucol which is an hour and a half away from Bunol. It was definitely a mixed experience.
You could also stay in Valencia or Bunol. There are ample of airbnbs’, hotels or couch surf. However, for Bunol and Valencia you might need to book months in advance as everything tends to be sold out. You can find more information on where to stay in Bunol.
Tours or DIY?
If you are staying close to the Festival venue, you definitely don’t need a tour as you can leave all your expensive belongings home and can just walk to your hotel for a fresh bath.
If you are staying in Valencia or somewhere away from Bunol there are ample of tour operators who pick you up from their pick up spot and drop you at the venue. You can leave all your belongings and change of clothes in the bus.
The only rule with tour operators is you need change of clothes, which means you need to wash yourself before getting into the bus. If I hadn’t booked with Stokes, I would have definitely done it myself by booking a place near Bunol and getting the Tomatina tickets online.
With tours, I would suggest checking if they will give you the entry band as well. Because there is a huge line at the entrance for bands. With Stokes travel we got our bands on the first day of arriving on their campsite, we could skip the long line and go straight to the festival.
Stuff you need for La Tomatina
You need to wear everything white for the festival coz it’s the tradition!!
You need swimming goggles to protect your eyes and most importantly enjoy the festival without getting severely hurt. You could get more creative by wearing shower caps to protect your hair and a raincoat if you don’t want your clothes to get dirty. We saw ample of people do that at the festival.
If you are planning to take your camera’s with you (which I don’t really recommend) make sure to get waterproof cases for them, you could also get them at the venue for real cheap (cash only).
Change of clothes is a must if going through tour operators. Make sure you take some cash/coins with you for the shower after. Although it could get very crazy and there have been stories of theft in the festival, you do need cash for drinks, food and shower.
Rules for La Tomatina
If you follow the Tomatina rules you’ll probably be able to enjoy the festival better!!
The Soap pole ceremony begins early morning around 9:00am and ends at 11:00am regardless of anyone being able to get the ham from the top of the greasy pole. After which the gunfire goes on and the fight begins!
At the entrance of the venue, they do check your bags for any kind of sharp objects which are not allowed inside. So make sure you don’t carry anything sharp, including glass bottles.
Squash the tomatoes before throwing at others to make it less painful for everyone.
When the trucks arrive, make way for them and get on the side of the street.
At the second firework, stop throwing tomatoes, fight is over!
How to get to La Tomatina?
La Tomatina in Bunol by car, bus or train?
whichever is more convenient and best suited from where you are staying. Car is my favorite option as it is faster, just around 25 miles of total distance.
By Train: Transfer from the Valencia Metro stop at Sant Isidre to the Spanish Railway Cercanías Renfe.
There are two ways to arrive to San Isidre from the city center: from Colon, rail line 7 towards Torrent Avinguda or from Plaza Espanya, rail line 2 towards Torrent Avinguda. San Isidre will be the fifth and fourth stop, respectively. From there you will find the Suburban Train Station Renfe (Valencia San Isidre) where you must ride line C3. This same service is also offered as the return route.
By Bus: To get to the Tomatina festival in Bunol by bus from Valencia, you can take bus 265a from Angel Guimera directly to Bunol. It is approximately a 55 minute ride.
Cleaning up after the Fight!
This is the most fun part of the festival. Locals everywhere near the festival offer showers for 2 euros which is pretty sweet. There are tones of showers around however, be ready to stand in the long lines!
La Tomatina after Party and if you should go for it!
La Tomatina after party is the second most awaited event after Tomatina! And is usually always sold out. After the Tomatina madness, I decided to skip it and get some rest before leaving for Barcelona next day.
No party is worth my sleep or rest time!
But if you are up for more drinking and getting sloshed, After party is definitely a must. You can get the tickets online!
Hope this was helpful!! Hit me up if you have anymore questions and I would be happy to help.
Been to Tomatina?? Share your experiences in the comments below!
P.S: You can see I didn’t take any pictures from Tomatina, as I chose to be safe than sorry!
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