Stage 4 / 33 · Camino Francés
Pamplona to Puente la Reina
The stage from Pamplona to Puente la Reina is 23.5 km, about 6 h 30 min on foot, with 400 m of total ascent and 500 m of descent.
| Distance | 23.5 km |
|---|---|
| Estimated time | 6 h 30 min |
| Elevation gain / loss | +400 m / −500 m |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Highest point | 747 m |
| Lowest point | 343 m |
| Villages with services | 7: Pamplona, Cizur Menor, Zariquiegui, Uterga, Muruzábal, Obanos, Puente la Reina |
| Longest stretch without services | 6.2 km |
| Updated |
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Where to stay in Puente la Reina
You pay at the property.
Where to stay in Pamplona
Antique Pamplona Tres Reyes Apartments
House / apartmentApartamento Larrabide Nórdico
House / apartmentPilgrim hostels in Puente la Reina(1)
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Elevation profile
400 m600 m800 m ▲ 747 m PamplonaPuente la Reina
Waymarked route (OpenStreetMap); official distance: Junta de Castilla y León; elevations from a digital terrain model.
Map
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What you will see on the way
From Cizur Menor you climb to the Alto del Perdón, with its iron pilgrim silhouettes and the inscription “where the way of the wind crosses the way of the stars”. The stony descent leads to Uterga, Muruzábal (detour to the octagonal chapel of Eunate) and Obanos, then Puente la Reina, where the French and Aragonese routes merge and the Romanesque bridge crosses the Arga. The steep part comes after Zariquiegui (km 10.8), the last bar before the top at 770 m. On the far side you lose 280 m to Uterga in 3.4 km. From there every village has a bar, and Obanos also has a shop and a pharmacy.
History of Puente la Reina
Puente la Reina (Gares) is the town in Navarre where the two branches of the Camino Francés meet, the one from Roncesvalles and the one from Somport. It is named after the 11th-century Romanesque bridge over the river Arga that a queen had built.
A bridge almost a thousand years old, a town laid out for pilgrims and a little bird that, legend says, looked after the Virgin.
What not to miss in Puente la Reina
- Romanesque bridge
- Church of the Crucifijo
- Church of Santiago: Romanesque doorway and the «Santiago Beltza»
- Calle Mayor: medieval main street leading to the bridge
Origins and the Camino
Tradition credits the bridge to Queen Mayor, wife of Sancho the Great, though some point instead to Queen Estefanía, wife of García of Nájera. It is about 110 metres long.
In 1122 Alfonso the Battler granted its settlers a charter, and the town was laid out with three parallel streets in the style of French bastides. The Calle Mayor leads straight to the bridge.
Anecdotes, curiosities and legends
The church of the Crucifijo, of Templar origin, holds a 14th-century Christ on a Y-shaped cross, with the bark still left on the wood.
Pilgrim tip
Cross the bridge slowly and turn round from the far bank to see it whole. In the church of Santiago, look for the «Santiago Beltza», the Black Saint James.
Legends & tradition
The Obanos Mystery Play
Obanos stages an open-air play about Saint Felicia, a princess who gave up her rank after a pilgrimage, and her brother Guillén, who killed her and ended his life as a penitent hermit. First performed in 1965 with hundreds of locals in the cast, it was declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in 2001.
Source: es.wikipedia.org
Villages along the way
| Village | km | Altitude | Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pamplona · Places to stay | 0 | 450 m | BarShopPharmacyATMDoctorWater fountain |
| Cizur Menor | 4.6 | 480 m | BarShopATMDoctorPharmacyWater fountain |
| Zariquiegui | 10.8 | 620 m | BarWater fountain |
| Alto del Perdón | 13.3 | 770 m | — |
| Uterga | 16.7 | 490 m | BarWater fountain |
| Muruzábal | 19.2 | 440 m | BarWater fountain |
| Obanos | 20.9 | 410 m | BarShopPharmacyATMWater fountain |
| Puente la Reina · Places to stay | 23.5 | 345 m | BarShopPharmacyATMDoctorWater fountain |
© OpenStreetMap
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