Central Area

Located between the mountain and the Ribera del Reyno de Navarre, and crossed from east to west by the St James Way, you can enjoy the beauty of medieval towns and villages, visit their rich monumental, artistic and cultural heritage, take part in their festivals and traditions and socialise with their people.

Central Navarre serves as a passage between the green horizons of the north and the drier areas of the Ribera, which does not mean that this area does not have its own unique environment. Here, there are no longer the abundant forests and trees of the area of Baztán-Bidasoa, Aralar-Urbasa and the Navarrese Pyrenees, but you can see mixed wooded areas of holm oaks and oaks, with a predominance of rosemary, lavender, gorse, kermes oak bushes and sloe, with the latter being important as an ingredient of the traditional Navarrese pacharán. The abundance of olive groves in this area is also worth noting: where every year families gather together to continue the tradition of collecting this fruit.
Gastronomy is one of the strengths of this territory, which has always had a great winemaking tradition, as it is one of the best areas for growing grapes due to its location and variety of landscapes. So it is not surprising that the Navarre Wine Route initiative brings together the wines of numerous wineries in the central area of Navarre, which open their doors to publicise their premises and to have tastings of their musts and wines. It is also highly recommended to visit the central area market gardens, characterised by their vegetables and legumes, such as poached beans and asparagus, in addition to trying the succulent roasts of Tierra Estella.
One very remarkable thing about this area is the cultural wealth from the Middle Ages, indicative of its strategic importance at the time. The jewel of this central area is the Royal Palace of Olite, home of Charles III, “the Noble”, an example of financial extravagance and excessive whim in its interior, with a majestic silhouette from the outside. Another key point in Navarrese geography is the Puente la Reina, where the two routes of the French St James Way converge from Roncesvalles and Sangüesa; this represented a great cultural openness, and still does today. Other treasures are the Romanesque-style Santa María la Real de Sangüesa church, declared a National Monument in the 19th century, the San Salvador Monastery in Leyre, and the medieval fortress of Ujué.
This central area also has the Roman archaeological sites of Andelos, Arellano and Santa Criz, some of which are the best preserved in all of Navarre; while the famous Romanesque legacy is reflected in the Valdorba area in its hermitages and summer solstice symbolism.
Of course, this section would not be complete without mentioning the Low Mountain area, where we find such Navarrese symbols as Javier Castle, which honours that Saint, and is surrounded by a unique territory of towns, each with a particular charm, where you can enjoy gastronomy, hiking, mountain biking and Nordic walking routes in the middle of nature, in addition to the warmth of its people.

A rich and varied cultural environment bathed by the vineyards of the best wines in Navarre.

Organise your trip to this Navarre area to learn about the roots and history of a varied people, where you can also enjoy authentic, quality rural tourism, and receive friendly and personal treatment from everyone, making sustainable tourism possible.