A new stage of 22 kilometres starts which finishes in the capital of Navarra, Pamplona. The route runs through the municipality of Iza and level with Erice, 4 kilometres away beneath a rocky wall, comes to the small Chapel of the Virgen de Oskia. Following the EuroVelo 1 path we leave behind Añezcar, where riding enthusiasts can take a spin on a horse, to then arrive in Pamplona.
Pamplona/Iruña, founded by the Romans and crossed by the Pilgrim’s Route to Santiago, is now a modern and welcoming city offering a wide range of activities: strolling among centenary walls and cobbled streets; relaxing in parks and at pavement cafés; savouring its delicious tapas; visiting historical monuments; attending excellent shows, and admiring traditional sports such as pelota vasca.
A stroll through the cobbled streets of the Old Town allows the cyclist to get to know remnants of the past, crossing the three boroughs and their defensive churches: La Navarrería, San Cernin, and San Nicolás. Each of these with its layout and its fortress-church (the Cathedral in Navarrería, the Church of San Saturnino, and the Church of San Nicolás) was the origin of what is now the old part of the medieval city, surrounded by walls and with narrow streets, small squares, and palaces watched over by towers and belfries.
In the middle of the three boroughs in the heart of the Old Town stands the Pamplona Town Hall, a symbol of the consolidation of a single city. It is noted for its colouristic façade which combines baroque and neoclassical styles. The central row of balconies is where the rocket is launched every year on 6th July to initiate San Fermín, a Festival of International Tourist Interest.
Comments: Section 3