La Tomatina is a festival that is held in Buñol (map), in the East of Spain 30 km (19 mi) from the Mediterranean and is situated approximately 38 km west of the provincial and autonomous community capital city, Valencia.
It is believed to have begun in 1945, when some youths threw tomatoes at town authorities in retaliation for being denied permission to participate in a parade. The incident was repeated for several years until 1950, when after an attempt by Franco government to halt the practice, most of the townspeople began participating and it became a regular event.
As a means of crowd control the town has begun selling tickets to the event, which much be purchased in advance online. The Tomatina lasts only one hour, from noon until 13:00
+ More information > Wikipedia • Wikivoyage
At around 11am many trucks haul the bounty of tomatoes into the centre of the town, Plaza del Pueblo (map). Do not miss the Palojabon – a greased pole with a Spanish ham at the top. Whoever can climb the pole and get the ham can keep it!
The Rules of La Tomatina
- Do not bring bottles or hard objects as they can cause accidents and hurt other participants.
- Do not rip other people’s T-shirts.
- You must squash the tomatoes before throwing them as this reduces the impact.
- Ensure you keep a safe distance from the lorries.
- As soon as you hear the second shot, you must stop throwing tomatoes.
From Barcelona you can either make your way to Valencia the day before by train (journey time 3.5 hours, tickets 25-50 euros each way – book via Renfe) or by bus (4.5 hours around 20 euros) and stay the night there, before making your way to Bunol the next day.
La Tomatina 2022 : 31st of August
La Tomatina 2023 : 30th of August
La Tomatina 2024 : 28th of August
La Tomatina 2025 : 27th of August
The public transport in the city and the surrounding area managed by Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM)
The public transport in the city is mostly managed by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) + a separate site dedicated for tourists > holabarcelona.com.
TMB • FGC • Tram + Night Bus Service
+ Getting around the city (barcelonaturisme.com) • Getting around Spain (spain.info)
Always check whether the bus or the train is more convenient. The least expensive way to get around most parts of Spain is by bus.
BUS > Virtually all companies operating Intercity buses in France including Ouibus and even German players Flixbus offer buses to/from Spanish destinations. ALSA • Grupo Avanza • Socibus and Secorbus. You can also see what is all available on Movelia.es.
RAIL > The city’s main Inter-city rail station is Barcelona Sants railway station (map). The main train operator is RENFE, including AVE (Spanish high speed train) or Talgo intercity services. (*Rail travel in Europe)
AIRPORTS > Barcelona is served by Barcelona–El Prat Airport, about 17 km (11 mi) from the centre of Barcelona. Information about Spanish airports > aena.es.
WATERWAYS > Some of the largest shipping companies includes Baleària • Grimaldi Lines • Trasmediterranea. +Spain’s main sea connections (spain.info)