Route of the Path - Saborea España

Route of the Path

28 Apr Route of the Path

Posted at 11:11h in by

Located on the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James), Pamplona is the first city on the pilgrimage from Roncesvalles, which has conditioned its history and character since ancient times. As the first town on this pilgrim’s way, it is also the first point of support and reference for the thousands of pilgrims who arrive throughout the year, offering them a wide variety of services geared to their needs.

One of the greatest attractions that pilgrims or tourists on the Camino can find is undoubtedly the rich and varied cuisine. In particular, if you follow the stages of the French Way, you will not only be able to enjoy its spectacular landscapes and friendly people, but also its famous gastronomy, which will make your trip a complete experience in all senses.

Points of interest:

Puente de la Magdalena y Crucero

  • Address: Calle Santo Domingo, 1
  • GPS: 42.82110, -1.63833
  • Email: turismo@pamplona.es
  • Web: go to the web
  • Access:  Over the Curtidores bridge you will reach the famous slope of Santo Domingo. And if you continue along the street a few meters ahead on the right hand side you will find the niche of San Fermin.
  • Language: Spanish, Euskera and English.
  • Description: For centuries, millions of pilgrims have crossed this bridge to enter the city of Pamplona. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims crossed the bridge in the hope of finding rest after having overcome the hard stages that the Camino de Santiago had put them through during the course of the Pyrenees. It is a 12th century building that has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and a Historic-Artistic Monument. The origin of the bridge is Romanesque, although it has been remodelled over the years, which is why it can be seen to have Gothic details, as well as more modern materials. At one of the ends of the bridge, a cross points out to the traveller the entrance of the Camino de Santiago to the city. On it you can see the image of the saint and two shells. Access to the Old Quarter is through Pamplona’s Renaissance walled complex, one of the most majestic entrances on the entire route.
  • Resident’s tip: If you are at this point, don’t miss a stroll through the Magdalena orchards, on the banks of the river Arga. 
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Portal de Francia or Zumalacárregui Portal

  • Address: Calle Paseo del Redín, s/n
  • GPS: 42.82035, -1.64317
  • Email: turismo@pamplona.es
  • Web: go to the web
  • Access: Access to the old town is restricted and controlled. This is one of such points. Find out before you take the car.
  • Resident’s tip: If you are in Pamplona on 5 January, don’t miss out on welcoming the Three Wise Men. On this day, the raising gate is lowered to welcome the Three Wise Men. A show not to be missed.
  • Description:The Portal de Francia, built in 1553 by the viceroy Duke of Alburquerque, is the best preserved of the six gates of the old walled enclosure of the city. Travellers from the neighbouring country used to enter and leave the city through it, hence its name. Of the two main doors that make up the gateway, the inner one preserves a Renaissance coat of arms carved with the double-headed eagle and the imperial arms. A plaque commemorates the departure from Pamplona in 1833 of General Tomás Zumalacárregui to lead the Carlist troops. Since 1939 this gateway has also been known as the Zumalacárregui gateway. Since medieval times this has been the gateway for pilgrims arriving in Pamplona on the Camino de Santiago. Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, after crossing the Magdalena Bridge, discover the city through this historic gateway.

Casa Ibarrola

  • Address: Calle Carmen, 31.
  • GPS: 42.82142, -1.64321
  • Phone: 948 22 33 32
  • Email: info@casaibarrola.com
  • Web: go to the web
  • Access:   Access to the old town is restricted and controlled. This is one of such points. Find out before you take the car.  
  • Description: Casa Ibarrola was an old inn with more than 300 years of history that now, after a refurbishment, has regained its old spirit. Hostel for tourists, pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago and groups during the famous fiestas of San Fermín. Located in Calle del Carmen, the old pilgrims’ street, right at the entrance to Pamplona through the Zumalacárregui Portal or Portal de Francia. With a capacity of 20 people, a relaxing atmosphere is guaranteed for the visitor. Its spectacularly designed atmosphere and location make the Ibarrola House a unique and refreshing experience.
  • Resident’s tip: “A modern concept for the oldest of roads”. 

    The idea comes from Japan’s “capsule hotels”, the cabins of ships and the international space station. 

La Capilla Restaurant

  • Address: Calle Dos de Mayo, 4
  • GPS: 42.81859, -1.64427
  • Web: go to the web
  • Access: Access to the old town is restricted and controlled. This is one of such points. Find out before you take the car.
  • Description: The restaurant is located next to the Portal de Francia, the natural entrance for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, surrounded by the walls of Pamplona and just a few metres from the Cathedral. Located in a remodelled former chapel of the old convent of the Mothers Adorers. It is the restaurant of the exclusive 4-star boutique hotel “Pamplona Catedral” which offers traditional cuisine with avant-garde touches. Only food from home is worshipped. “It is a sensible proposal with local and seasonal products, without going crazy with techniques, distant products or strange things. It’s about going back to the tradition of Navarre and Pamplona, to that cuisine that is known and liked”, says Pamplona chef Eduardo Martínez.
  • Resident’s tip: Don’t miss a walk along the walls, past the General Archive, the old Royal Palace and the White Horse Corner.

The White Horse Corner

  • Address: Calle Redín, s/n
  • GPS: 42.82152, -1.64100
  • Web: go to the web 
  • Access:   From the Portal de Francia or from the Plaza San José or the Cathedral. Restricted access for vehicles.
  • Description: This is undoubtedly one of the most charming corners of the city, a beautiful place for a stroll behind the Plaza de San José and the Cathedral. It is the highest part of the Bastión del Redín, where a palace once stood, of which only the Cruz del Mentidero, a place of executions dating from 1500, remains. The Redín Bastion was considered to be the best defensive point in the city and the most inaccessible of the entire walled complex. Its star-shaped, three-pronged form meant that the cannons could cover all angles of fire. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the walls were reinforced with new constructions, as the defensive apparatus had to be adapted to the new times and war apparatus. Thus, moats were dug at the foot of the bastion and new fortifications were built, such as the Baluarte Bajo de Guadalupe.
  • Resident’s tip: The views are considered to be the best in the city. The Caballo Blanco inn stands in the middle of this corner, and its terrace often hosts open-air concerts in the summer months, taking advantage of the gentle summer breeze that blows here at sunset.

Pamplona Cathedral

  • Address: Calle Dormitalería, 1.
  • GPS: 42.82027, -1.6415
  • Email: turismo@pamplona.es
  • Web: go to the web
  • Language: Spanish and English
  • Access:  
  • Description: It was built during the 14th and 15th centuries on the remains of a Romanesque temple. The neoclassical façade from 1799 is by Ventura Rodríguez and the interior is French Gothic. The Maria bell, located in the left tower, is the second largest in Spain, weighing 12,000 kilos.  The cloister, completed in 1472, is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. The refectory, formerly the canons’ dining room, was also used as a meeting room for the Royal Courts. Nowadays, the refectory is the venue for gastronomic events, presentations, and company dinners … a very special place.
  • Resident’s tip: Don’t miss the Occidens exhibition, which has won several awards. The exhibition is housed in original rooms of great interest, such as the cillería or the refectory.

Pastas Beatriz (Bakery)

  • Address: Calle Curia, 16.
  • Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm and Saturdays from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
  • Access: From Calle Mercaderes, going up towards the Cathedral, on the right-hand side, you will find the bakery.
  • GPS: 42.81862, -1.642618
  • Phone: 948 78 35 64
  • Web: go to the web
  • Access:   From Calle Mercaderes, going up towards the Cathedral, on the right-hand side, you will find the bakery.
  • Description: If there is a must in Pamplona (apart from everything that sounds like San Fermín) it is undoubtedly Pastas Beatriz. An emblematic bakery if ever there was one, this wooden and puff pastry bakery has been feeding feelings and stomachs for decades. New premises next to Pamplona Cathedral, a landmark that gives this emblematic bakery a certain sacred character. There are stories that tell of naps among puff pastries and boxes of pastries. To enter ‘Pastas Beatriz’ is not only to breathe in the melted chocolate of its pastries, it is to hear and feel the names that have also contributed to the endearing character of this shop. 
  • Resident’s tip: Don’t miss the famous “garroticos”, as well as the delicious filled madeleines, the traditional Txantxigorri cakes and the txandrios.

Iruñazarra Restaurant

  • Address: Calle Mercaderes, 15
  • GPS: 42.81922, -1.64343
  • Phone: 948 22 51 67
  • Web: go to the web
  • Access:    
  • Description: It has a small entrance with small tables and inside a corridor with a bar on the right full of pintxos that stretches all the way to the kitchen. It is one of the gastronomic magnets of Pamplona’s old quarter. It is almost impossible to see it empty. Its formula successfully combines haute cuisine pintxos with an à la carte menu and menus of more classic dishes. And all of this without losing a philosophy that has been preserved by four generations of restaurateurs: love and work. Product and Tradition: The motto of Bar Restaurante Iruñazarra, with which they aim to offer a cuisine with quality products and traditional food. They work with local products, selected ingredients and take great care with the raw materials.
  • Resident’s tip: “It’s in the pintxos that we go over the top and make haute cuisine”, says Gorka. Although it is difficult to choose one of the pintxos, the Iruñanguilazarra, winner of the Gold Award in the Navarre Pintxo Week, is a crispy quinoa with guacamole, salmorejo, smoked eel, red seaweed pearls, black seaweed and mandarin flower.

    The point is for the pintxos to tell a story, they have to take you somewhere”, explains the chef. With Setera they manage to transport people from the palate to the mountain. 

Interpretation centre of the Camino de Santiago. Ultrei Centre

  • Address: Calle Mayor, 20.
  • GPS: 42.81875, -1.64668
  • Phone: 948 42 07 05
  • Email: ultreia@pamplona.es
  • Web: go to the web
  • Access:   Access to the old town is restricted and controlled.
  • Description: The Ultreia Interpretation Centre of the Camino de Santiago presents the history of the city and its relationship with the Camino de Santiago by means of interactive and audio-visual resources. It is designed as a centre with universal accessibility, so it is adapted to all audiences. The space is distributed as follows:

    Area 1. Entrance and reception.

    Area 2: Jacob@ccess. It allows you to consult the pilgrimage routes to Santiago that pass through Pamplona with emphasis on their accessibility characteristics.

    Area 3: Pamplona, the first on the Camino. Outstanding places, traditions and gastronomy. 

    Area 4: Pamplona, a place of crossroads. It presents the complex and rich history of the creation of the city of Pamplona.

    Area 5: The way of the stars. 

  • Resident’s tip: A good opportunity to get into the Camino de Santiago. It is free.

Hotel Tres Reyes and its restaurant

  • Address: Calle Taconera, 1 (Jardines de la Taconera)
  • GPS: 42.81655, -1.64910
  • Web: go to the web
  • Email: reserv@hotel3reyes.com
  • Languages: Spanish, English and French
  • Phone: 948 22 66 00
  • Description: Comfort and relaxation are the adjectives that best suit this hotel. All the rooms are exterior, with views of the old quarter or the Taconera Park. Savour the excellent gastronomy in the Tres Reinas Restaurant with its creative cuisine and traditional Navarrese cuisine. They offer dishes prepared with top quality and seasonal products, based on the fusion of traditional Basque-Navarrese cuisine with modern cuisine, under the guidance of the gastronomic advisor and chef Enrique Martinez Burón.

    – In the Bar Inglés (the English Bar) you can enjoy good cocktails accompanied by live music with Jazz & Music.

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