Western Pyrenees Circular Tour PC5
Navarra and Aragon – circular
Based on 10 nights self-drive independent tour in Spain
Bring your own car and discover the sunny Spanish Pyrenees in Navarra and Aragon.
From the verdant hills which rise up from the Bay of Biscay this adventure will quickly whisk you up into the high, rocky Pyrenees. Through eastern Navarra with its dramatic gorges and immense native woodlands the route will take you, via the desert landscapes of Las Bardenas, to some of Spain’s most spectacular National Parks including Ordesa & Monte Perdido, Posets-Maladeta.
There are lovely villages and towns to discover; Urdax and Ochagavia in Navarra, medieval Uncastillo, Ainsa, Alquézar and Huesca itself. Of course the mountains are the star, with fantastic walking, scenery and wildlife throughout, but here you’ll also find delicious regional dishes and fine local wines and a surprisingly rich architectural heritage – a real treasure trove, full of Romanesque gems.
- Tour Highlights:
- Baztan valley & Basque coast
- Irati forest & Gorges of Lumbier & Arbayun
- Las Bardenas Reales & Medieval Uncastillo & Sos
- Castillo de Loarre & Mallos de Riglos
- Superb birdwatching & wild flowers
- National Parks Ordesa, Monte Perdido & Posets-Maladeta
- Delicious Somontano wines, cheeses & mountain fare
£1175 p/p
* Indicative mid-season prices for 10 nights (including car hire – flights not included) in our suggested hotels. Ferry-drive based on 2 people from £1325 p.p. for 10 nights.
Day 1 & 2 – North West Navarra
- Valleys of Baztan & Bidasoa – lost in time
- Picture-postcard villages of the French Pays-Basque
- Hondarribia, San Sebastian, Biarritz & St Jean de Luz
- Ride the train to the peak of La Rhune, stunning views
- Head south for vineyards, castles & don’t miss Pamplona
Day 3 & 4 – Zaragoza & Las Bardenas
- Spaghetti-western desert landscape of Las Bardenas
- Romanesque delights of Uncastillo & Sos del Rey Católico
- Castillo de Loarre & Mallos de Riglos
- Monasterio de Leyre & Castillos de Javier y Olite
- Birdwatching, mountain biking, trekking…
Day 5 & 6 – Ordesa, Monte Perdido, Sierra de Guara
- Moorish Alquézar & Christian Ainsa – two charming medieval villages
- Ordesa & Monte Perdido – Spain’s first National Park
- Sierra de Guara – cut through by dramatic gorges
- Delicious local Somontano wines
- Superb bird watching. Lammergeyer centre in Ainsa
Day 7 & 8 – Huesca, Valle de Tena
- Stunning glacial scenery in the Tena Valley
- Reindeer, bison, bears and more in La Cuniacha
- Castillo de Loarre & Mallos de Riglo rock formations
- San Juan de la Peña monastery, the spiritual heart of Aragon
- Huesca, the tiny capital with a gastronomic side
Day 9 & 10 – North East Navarra
- Irati forest – immense native woodlands
- Lumbier & Arbayun, stunning gorges with vast resident vulture colonies
- Ochagavia & Isaba; Ori, your first 2000m mountain
- Wonderful cheeses from Roncal & Ossau-Iraty
- Roncesvalles, start for the Camino de Santiago
The itinerary includes the following:
- Accommodation in our listed hotels – 2 sharing 1 std. double ensuite, B&B
- Economy 4dr car hire
- or ferry crossings with Brittany Ferries (car + 2 berth interior cabin)
- Regional guide book
- Personal Travel App including highlights, weather forecast and restaurant suggestions for all areas en-route
- Instructions to find all accommodation
Not included:
- Flights – but we are able to advise
- One-way car hire charges, where applicable (see your quote email)
- The following car hire extras – these can be added at pick-up point
- extra driver
- child seats
- GPS
- Garage parking where applicable (mostly city stops) – please ask us about parking charges
Getting there
A circular itinerary designed with ferry travel in mind, though equally suited to fly-drive:
- Flights: connections from-to
-
- From Stansted: Biarritz with Ryanair / Zaragoza with Ryanair
- From Gatwick: Bilbao with Vueling or Easyjet
- From Manchester: Bilbao with Easyjet / Santander with Ryanair
- From Dublin: Bilbao with Aer Lingus / Biarritz with Ryanair
- From Edinburgh: Santander with Ryanair
Please note that hire cars must be returned to their country of origin. It is therefore usually convenient to fly into and back from airports within the same country.
NB: Flights are not included
- Ferry: if you wish to bring your own car, classic car or motorbike we can include the ferry crossings as part of the package
Getting around
For passengers travelling by air we will include a hire car as part of the package. Normally we include a 4 door economy class car but please let us know if you would like something different.
We will provide full instructions to arrive at each hotel, complete with GPS co-ords, as well as a touring map of the area.
Northern Spain with Casas Cantabricas – first class holiday
Casas Cantabricas put together our itinerary from 3 of their tours. It met every requirement we had.
-client 2019
We overall loved the whole trip. Casas Cantabricas Vamoos app is also terrific, really useful.
-client 2019
We toured for 10 days from the mountians in the north and plains of Aaragon and Navarra. We saw lovely countryside and a wide range of wildlife, particularly birds of pray.
-client 2017
The hotels – 6 of them located in villages rather than towns – were all good and most outstanding and all about 2 to 2 1/2 hours’ drive from each other. Each hotel gave us info on what to visit nearby so we were able to make the most of this great holiday.
-client 2016
Our two-week fly/drive tour took us through the beautiful Alpine-like Basque territory, the spectacular mountain landscapes and medieval villages of Navarra, and the wine-producing area of Rioja. The tour was well put-together and went without hiccup.
-client 2016
Brittany Ferry to Santander then Pyrenees, fiesta in Uncastillo with bull running and Tudela cathedral, Bilbao and Guggenheim . A wonderful variety of locations. Excellent selection of small hotels, good food and historic sites. Sunshine.
-client 2016
