Regional information for Navarre

Navarre is an autonomous community in Spain which is governed by its own parliament and is bordered on the west by the Basque Country, on the south by La Rioja, Aragon on the east and France to the north.

As in other regions of Spain, health, employment, education and social services, together with housing, urban development and environment protection policies are under the responsibility of its own institutions. Unlike other regions, it has almost full responsibility for collecting taxes, which must follow the overall guidelines of the Spanish government but may have some minor differences.

The history of the ancient Kingdom of Navarre has always been determined by its border situation and the fact that the pilgrims’ way ‘Camino de Santiago’ (Way of Saint James) crosses it is an additional reason for its extraordinary richness in monuments. Beautiful towns, like Artajona (which is surrounded by medieval walls), Estella, Olite (former seat of Navarre's kings), Tudela and Roncesvalles are worth a visit.

Navarre is divided into three sectors: the mountain range of the Pyrenees in the north, with terrific landscapes in the Baztan valley; La Riviera in the south, a plain land with small lagoons and the fertile valley of Ebro river and in between, la Zona Media, with impressive landscapes and canyons as such Hoces de Lumbier and Arbayun.

Navarre has no fewer than 50 nature reserves, the most outstanding of which are Reserva Integral de Lizardoia and Parque Natural de Señorio de Bértiz. Both offer great possibilities for pastimes such as hiking, climbing, fishing and they are an ideal place if you want to spend active holidays in Spain.

Cultural Heritage

Navarre is a mixture of the Basque influence from the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean influences coming from the Ebro. It was a part of the Roman Empire and in the Middle Ages it became the taifa Kingdom of Tudela.

The climate and fertility of the soil in the Ebro valley make it an ideal area to grow crops such as wheat, vegetables, grapes for wine making, and even olive trees.

Tourist Attractions

One-third of the population lives in the capital, Pamplona which is a quiet, pleasant city world-famous for the Running of Bulls, which forms part of its most famous festival, Sanfermines, in July.

You can visit the largest and oldest Beech forest in Europe (the Irati forest) where Hemingway went fly-fishing for trout or the beautiful Pyrenean village of Burguete where traditional dishes of vegetable soup and fresh trout stuffed with ham are served.

Other attractions of interest are the Navarrese Carnivals with their typical Zanpantzarrak.

Also worth mentioning is the town of Puente La Reina and its large medieval bridge of five arches, the church of San Pedro, from the 14th century and the convent of the Comendadoras de Sancti Spiritus.