Estella-Lizarraldea is a municipality of Navarre. The town is settled in a great meander of the river Ega, which makes its way through the mountains that surround it by what is known as the city of the Ega. Through it passes the Way of Santiago in the section between the capital of the community Pamplona, of which it is 44 km and the city of Logroño, in the Rioja. It has a rich cultural and religious heritage, to the point of being known as the Toledo of the north. Among them, the XIII century monastery of Iratxe stands out, which is only 3 kilometers away and the palace of the Kings of Navarre, the only example of Romanesque civilization in Navarre. Another of its great tourist attractions is its proximity to the Urbasa-Andía Natural Park.

What to see in Estella

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Santamaria Jus del Castillo, Church of San Miguel, Church of San Juan, Basilica del Puy, Convent of Santa Clara, Church of San Pedro de la Rua, Old Palace of Justice, Palace of the Sancristobal, , Convent of concepcionistas recoletas, Town hall, Basilica of Our Lady of Rocamador, Palace of the Kings of Navarre.

Park Natural Urbasa-And

The Natural Park of Urbasa and Andía is a natural space endowed with a wide range of geological, biological, ecological, landscape, archaeological and socio-cultural values. The sierras that form it, Urbasa and Andia, are average mountains that form a geographical barrier between two great bioclimatic zones: Atlantic-Mediterranean. The subsoil of the Natural Park is formed by rocks of limestone nature supported on Cretaceous marls of more than 140 million years. The limestone rock is formed by remains of living beings that lived in the sea that 65 million years ago covered the area where the Park is now. The peculiar characteristics of the limestone rock relative to the rainwater, make up the exterior and interior relief of the Park with the characteristic forms of the karstic relief. The vestiges found in the territories of the Park indicate that the human beings who inhabited them about 100,000 years ago based their subsistence on the hunt.

What to see along the railway

Church of the Invention of the Holy Cross, palace-houses and Maeztu town hall. Hermitage of Santo Toribio and Romanesque church of San Esteban in Aletxa. Parish Church of Cicujano. Romanesque church of Santa Eufemia in the town of Leorza. Church of San Martín de Musitu (12th century). Stations of the Vasco Navarro railway. Izkiz Natural Park, Church and Sanctuary of Ibernalo in Santa Cruz de Campezo.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu

Although from the year 1918 the Virgin of Arantzazu is patron of Gipuzkoa, this image takes its shelter beyond the provincial limit, even arriving until America with the missionaries.

History takes us back to 1469, a year in which tradition dates the discovery of the image. It tells that tradition that a shepherd of Uribarri found that it looked for its goats by these surroundings. The pastor was called Rodrigo de Baltzategi. And, according to this tradition, the image was left in a hawthorn; Hawthorn that has since been used as the image of life. And indeed, in Arantzazu abound arantza or thorns.

What to see in Arantzazu

The basilica and the crypt of the Sanctuary of Arantzazu are open every day throughout the day (the Franciscans open the doors around 9am and close them by 8pm) and each can visit them on their own in any moment.

Valley of the Burunda

It is one of the most tourist areas of the region due to its natural beauty and the cultural heritage of the municipalities that form it. These municipalities are Bacáicoa, Iturmendi, Urdiáin, Alsasua, Ciordia and Olazaguitía. These are small towns but with great charm.

The Valley is formed by the basins of the river Burunda, in Alava and by the river Alzania. It is an area in which we find a large number of natural places among which stand the Sierras de Urbasa and Aralar, in addition to the Alzania. Between these three places they form a stone triangle that can only be accessed by the Port of Echegarate and by the Barranca.

Historically it is also a place of great importance. Some of the events that took place as much in real confrontations as in battles in the old kingdom of Navarre have happened in this Navarrese place. Some of the most outstanding confrontations were battles in the Carlist wars and the exile of the old Maria Martiz, well-known for being guilty of performing witchcraft.

Goierri region

The Goierri offers an extraordinary natural environment and landscape, known as the Basque Highlands, the Natural Parks of Aizkorri-Aratz and Aralar make Goierri the main reference of rural tourism and nature of the Basque Country.

Culture is another of the basic axes of the Goierri. Different museums and interpretation centers offer a wide range of plans and activities. The diversity of themes are perfectly adapted to the needs of visitors.

What to see in Burunda Valley – Comarca del Goierri

The basilica and the crypt of the Sanctuary of Arantzazu are open every day throughout the day (the Franciscans open the doors around 9am and close them by 8pm) and each can visit them on their own in any moment.