From Pamplona, Spain

Here is a list of things I did and places I visited from Pamplona, Spain during my semester there... maybe it will help someone. :)

Priority is given to places that are in Navarre or even Pamplona itself, and to places that don't require private transportation. You could easily make many of these a weekend trip or combine several of them for a full weekend trip. Pamplona is also within pretty easy reach of Barcelona, Madrid, etc, but this list was created to focus on closer destinations. :)


Afternoon Activities:
- Walk around Pamplona itself! It's a lovely city with a lot of different areas. Go up on the old city walls, follow one of the rivers all the way through, go out towards Huarte for a great view of the mountains rising behind the cathedral, go to Arre to see La Trinidad de Arre, an old mill and bridge over a little waterfall.
- Take a little hike... From Pamplona it's a nice good walk to several other towns. Zizur Menor and Mayor are especially close and one day I followed the Ulzama river to Sorauren and back. There's also the Aqueduct of Noain in the other direction. Feel free to cheat with busses or even cars as appropriate, but the walk can be half the fun!
- Take the bus to Puente de la Reina. It's a very small, sweet old town with an impressive bridge giving it its name.
- Go Pintxos hopping and try whatever strikes your fancy - but make sure that includes the Foie at Gaucho!
- Explore every inch of the maze-like Ciutadela park
- Try to catch some Basque cultural events such as Pelota (handball) or Bertsolaritza (improv poetry competitions)
- Try cooking (or at least eating) Navarrese dishes such as Baztanzopas, Ajoarriero ... and especially Relleno, (bloodless blood sausage made with rice, egg, saffron, and suet... pour tomato sauce over), which is found only within Pamplona city limits!


Day/Weekend Trips:

In Navarre:

- The Camino de Santiago: Do a day on the Camino Santiago, starting in Pamplona and returning by bus. I went south to Puente de la Reina (see afternoon activities), passing the epic Alto del Perdon with its monument to pilgrims, windmills all around, and a great view of Pamplona below.

- Bardenas Reales: Go south to Navarra's badlands for some fantastic desert landscapes... also visit nearby towns such as Tudela and keep your eye out for vinyards, herds of livestock weaving through the canyons, and the cave-houses nearby. You sort of need a car for this one.

- Olite Castle: Not far south of Pamplona, one of my favourite castles ever... really elegant especially in fall when much of it was covered in thick red ivy. There are plenty of busses going here.

- Foces de Lumbier y Arbayun: To the east of Pamplona are these beautiful canyons. Arbayun is perhaps even more stunning especially from the viewpoint, but not as accessible to hike. Lumbier has a very good and accessible trail leading all the way through (and if you're brave, take the the much worse trail to the Devil's Bridge, or hike around in the mountains nearby on other trails.) These trips are much easier to do by car, but I managed it by bus by disembarking at Liedena, hiking along the river to and through the canyon, and bussing back from Lumbier. Pay close attention to the schedules if you do this.

- The Witch Caves of Northern Navarre: In the far north of Navarra, near the border with France, you can visit the witch caves of Zugarramurdi and Urdax. Urdax is a more traditional cave with some nice formations, while Zugarramurdi is sort of creepy with its huge chambers, history as a location for witches' sabbaths, and a clay-red river flowing through. Just over the border you can also hit Ainhoa and Sare, both of which make the list of 100 most beautiful French villages. Much easier to do this one with a car.

- The Baztan Valley: Just south of the Witch Caves (see above), you'll find the Baztan Valley with its many lovely small towns. Elizondo is the biggest and has some charming architecture, I also really enjoyed stopping in tiny Amaiur. You can get to Elizondo by bus, but a car is better since you'll want to explore all the tiny towns and the countryside in between.

- Javier Castle: A nice castle in the Southeast of Navarra - I've heard that its defenses are in great shape and that an interior tour is in order. I only saw the outside but it was nice as well! Difficult by bus but maybe not impossible. There is a pilgrimage from Pamplona to Javier every spring called the Javierada which is a lot of fun! The nearby city of Sanguesa is also worth a stop as it has a lot of famous churches.

- El Embalse de Yesa: A big lake on Navarra's southeastern border (a lot of this is technically just over the border into Aragon). Home to an abandoned bath town, Tiermas, as well as a monastary partway up the mountain behind it. All not far from Javier and Sanguesa and likewise hard to do by bus.

- Arangoiti: This mountain in South-Eastern Navarra seems to be a well kept secret. There's almost nothing about it online, but I saw it on a map and realized there was a road leading all the way to the top! If you can make it past the semi-wild horses that roam around up there, you can see for miles and miles, including great views of the Embalse de Yesa, the Leyre Monastary, and the Foz de Arbayun.

- The Salazar and Roncal Valleys: Further east yet the terrain grows quite mountainous and you come to the Salazar and Roncal Valleys, dotted with lovely small towns and fantastic cliffs and canyons. I especially recommend hiking near Burgui or stopping for lunch, souvenirs, whatever in Ochagavia.

- The Pyrenees: Right on the border with France in the extreme east of Navarra, the Pyrenees start rising in real force! There are great opportunities for skiing, snowshoeing, hiking etc here - I climbed the mountain Petretxema which was challenging but fantastic!

- The Forest of Irati: One of the great beech-and-fir forests in Europe is in eastern Navarra, high in the mountains and often obscured by fog. The place feels magical and I loved hiking there and picking mushrooms in the fall!


In the Basque Country: 

 - San Sebastian - Pamplona's beach as I liked to think of it, but so much more! It has lovely bright blue, calm water around green islands and hills and a little crescent of a beach, a fun film festival and other cultural events, and the best food in the world. I'm not just making this up - the Pintxo crawling tradition is a must-try! http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2005/mar/13/foodanddrink.shopping2 Easy by bus.

- Bilbao - Maybe the most famous nearby attraction due to the Guggenheim museum. Bilbao has its charming areas, delicious food, and, of course, the Guggenheim museum. Easy by bus.

- Vitoria - Actually the main capital of the Basque country, but it seems sort of neglected compared to the two above! It's definitely worth a visit through for its lovely twisty alleys, the escalators that go up some of the streets, the proliferation of artistic murals, the beautiful main plaza, and most uniquely a cathedral that you can visit, with a borrowed hard-hat, while its under construction! Easy by bus.

 - The Basque Coastal Train - You can hop on this in San Sebastian and go all the way to Bilbao, and stop at any little town in between. I especially recommend Zumaia for the awesome Flysch geology along the coastline. You can also take this in the other direction into Hendaye, France.

- Gaztelugatxe - One of the top attractions of the Basque country - an island with a hermitage along a rough part of the Basque coastline. There's a causeway going out to it that you can walk on, which looks like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Causeway_to_the_Ermita_de_San_Juan,_Biskaia,_Spain_02-2005.jpg In the summer, there are some ways to get there by public transit. In the winter, not so much, although theoretically you could bus to a nearby town and then hike the rest of the way. 

- Other Basque Towns - If I had had more time, I would have loved to visit a bunch of other places in the Basque Country. Briefly, consider going to Guernica (famous for the Picasso painting and also formerly a major seat of Basque power, with a huge tree symbolizing the rights of the Basque people) and Durango (here not a car or a Mexican state but a nice Basque town... I visited for the Basque book fair.)


In Aragon:

- Zaragoza - The capital of Aragon with some very impressive architecture, including TWO cathedrals. It was about the furthest north that the Moors had significant power, so there's a lot of blending of architectural styles and also the Aljaferia Islamic palace. Also great for shopping and for visiting one of the big festivals here. There are plenty of busses going here from Pamplona.

- Canyons of Huesca - This is probably really pushing the envelope as a day trip, but definitely worth a weekend. You can go canyoning (like kayaking... with only a wetsuit) in the narrow, twisty canyons around here like the world is just your natural waterpark. There's also some good hiking, some very old cave paintings, and an absolutely stunning little town, Alquezar.

In Castille:

Burgos - I didn't make it here myself, and I'm sad about it. Although a little far, its quite accessible and is worth visiting for a number of reasons. This is pretty much the epicenter of where the modern Spanish language is said to originate, and its famous for an amazing cathedral and monastery, a towering old city gate, and a new museum of Human Evolution that's supposed to be one of the best museums in Spain.