Although many associate Navarra with the bulls in Pamplona, Navarra's real charm is its small towns, with fine monuments ranging from the Romanesque to the Renaissance. Several worlds intersect in Navarra: Pamplona , The Middle Zone, The Navarra Pyrenees and The Riverside.

  

In the Middle Zone, Southeast of Pamplona, along the road to Aragon (N240), there are a handful of interesting places such as Sanguesa, the Javier Castle and the grand Leyre Monastery. The N111 is the main route west out of Pamplona. Dotted with the charming villages of Puente La Reina and Estella, it's one of the more enticing stretches for those walking the Camino de Santiago.

The soft greens and bracing climate of the Navarra Pyrenees lie like a cool compress across the sunstruck brow of the south, which is all stark plains, cereal crops and vineyards, sliced up by high, forbidding sierras. avarra is pilgrim territory: for centuries the faithful have used the pass at Roncesvalles to cross from France on their way to Santiago.

The scenic Sierras de Aralar and Andia were much beloved by Hemingway, an avid trout fisherman. From Lekunberri, the area's main town, which also has a tourist office, the NA1510 leads southwest through the most scenic countryside, culminating (after 21km) in the austere 9th centurySantuario de San Miguel de Aralar, which lies in the shadow of Monte Altxueta (1343m) and has attractive circular naves and a 12th century altarpiece. Most buses between Pamplona and San Sebastian-Donostia stop in Lekunberri, but you will need your own vehicle to explore the sierras.  Read more »

Olite is a medieval jewel, home to dynasties of Navarra monarchs. The Monastery of Leyre, a tomb of kings, a place surrounded by legend and Gregorian chants. Puente la Reina is a crossroad on the Pilgrims Way to Compostela. Sanguesa has superb Romanesque architecture  ...

Pamplona (Iruña) has been the capital of Navarra since the ninth century, and long before that was a powerful fortress town defending the northern approaches to Spain at the foothills of the Pyrenees. Even now it has something of the apprearance of a garrison city  ...