Love food and wine? Then visit Navarra and spend a few days savoring the amazing dishes and visit nearby family-run wineries just 30 minutes outside of Pamplona. The region is a food and wine lovers paradise, rich in history, and located just four hours northeast of Madrid and one hour south of San Sebastian.
The diverse landscape is a nature-lovers dream, as one can go for a hike in the forests of the Pyrenees Mountains in the morning and visit Europe’s largest desert, “Bardenas Reales” just an hours-drive south.
Navarra has a longstanding winemaking tradition dating back to the Romans. And, thanks to the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James), the winemaking tradition flourished back in the medieval times to provide wine for mass and the Royal court. Visit the Roman Villa “La Villa de las Musas” and walk along the Way of St. James while you visit the vineyards.
We’ve put together for you a few routes for you and recommended wineries to visit along with a list of towns and places of interest not to be missed.
Pamplona is the capital of Navarra and well communicated with transportation. The downtown area near the Plaza Castillo is the center of the historical quarter with so many “pintxo” places to visit you’ll need more than a few days here. Don’t forget to check out our “top 10” pinxto bars before you go.
Just 30 minutes from Pamplona, along the Way of Saint James (El Camino de Santiago), you’ll find it easy to visit nearby wineries, such as these:
Wineries:
Nearby towns of interest:
Other places of interest:
Local ingredients:
Olite, picturesque Medieval village, just 30 minutes south of Pamplona can easily be another place to stay for a few more days to explore Navarra. Treat yourself like a “Queen” or “King” and spend a few nights in a Medieval Palace – Parador de Olite.
Wineries:
Nearby towns of interest:
Places of interest:
Las Bardenas Reales, Europe’s largest desert, UNESCO heritage site, where Game of Thrones was filmed, just 45-minute drive southeast from Olite.
Local ingredients:
Restaurants with wine-pairing menus:
Additional information:
Official Kingdom of Navarra Tourism: http://www.turismo.navarra.es/eng/home/
Hemingway’s Steps: http://www.turismo.navarra.es/eng/organice-viaje/recurso/Rutas/4798/Ruta-de-Ernest-Miller-Hemingway.htm
Festival dates to keep in mind: http://www.turismo.navarra.es/eng/asi-es-navarra/informacion-practica/informacion+practica.htm