Navarre, an autonomic community of Spain, that has inherited the essence of its ancient Kingdom. It is a special land thanks to its diversity, a land of contrasts that is accessible, close, historical and natural.
Navarre is a place to walk, listen, relax and enjoy good cuisine, to travel through and talk in. It is a full of nuances of the past, which watches us from its tranquility. There is always something for us to discover there.
Navarre is a land of routes, trails, and endless surprises: a series of landscapes that can be visited unhurriedly because its variety is with easy reach. Just 60 miles in a straight line separate the majestic Pyrenees from the plains of La Ribera, the areas into which Navarre is divided together with the Central Zone and the Pamplona Basin.
Wherever you choose to stay, it is easy to visit all the corners of Navarre at your leisure. Some are spectacular, others mysterious, but all will always surprise you.
The Pyrenees: forests, mountainous and valley.
The Pyrenees rise up in the north of Navarre in an area that has seen warriors, shepherds, pilgrims, kings, heroes and smugglers over the centuries. They form a landscape of high peaks and deep valleys, shady woods and large, open meadow, gorges and historic livestock trails.
The Pyrenees mountain range falls away gradually from east to west. From the border with Aragon to the coast of the Bay of Biscay, the Continental climate becomes Atlantic and the landscape changes along the way. From the imposing rock faces of Larra and the extensive beech and spruce forests of Irati, via the Collegiate Churchof Orreaga/Roncesvalles, the landscape softens as it drops down to the Baztan-Bidasoa valley and the imposing plateaux of Aralar, Urbasa and Andía.
The Pamplona Basin: history and festivities.
Pamplona is the political, administrative, economic and cultural center of Navarre. Well-known thanks to the fiesta of Sanfermines and the Pilgrim's way to Santiago de Compostela, the ancient walled city now extends across the plain of the river Arga and joins up with the surrounding towns to form an urban sprawl that is home to a quarter of a million people. In addition to the city's attractive historic center, the traveller will find Pamplona a dynamic place with a great variety of architecture, excellent shopping, large parks and many bars and cafeterias to meet.
The Central Zone: villages, castles and monasteries.
The Central Zone oozes history, evoking monarchs, abbots, fortresses, castles, and palaces. The Centuries slip by hire in the wind, clouds, gentle hills, vineyards and cereal fields, and the earth itself. The Central Zone has a variety of different areas that are crossed from east to west by the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela: the area around Sanguesa (also called Baja Montaña, literally, “Low Mountains”), the central part thar includes Olite and the Valdorba, and Tierra Estella to the west.
There are several places here that retain the mark of their medieval origin, thanks to their enormous importance during the history of the ancient Kingdom of Navarre.
The Ribera: landscapes and market gardens along the river Ebro.
The Ribera is a happy, welcoming place, an area of wide plains with a market gardening tradition that goes back to the Arabs. The products of the area are the basis for a gastronomy that is unique in the world. La Ribera is also home to the natural park of Bardenas Reales, a desert-like area declared a Natural Reserve of the Biosphere by UNESCO.
The capital of La Ribera, Tudela, evokes its foundation by the Arabs and the Jewish community with is beautiful cathedral (built between the 12th and the 18th centuries) that stands on the site of an ancient mosque, and in nearby towns such as Corella jewels of Baroque and Renaissance architecture are to be found.
More information about Navarre at www.navarra.es