This 10th-century castle, strategically located on the border between the kingdoms of Navarra and Aragón, is Javier's main attraction. Inside, there's a small museum dedicated to the life of San Francisco Xavier, the patron saint of Navarra, who was born here in 1506.
Xavier spent much of his life travelling, preaching, teaching and healing in Asia. Today his body lies in a miraculous state of preservation in a cathedral in Goa, India.
23.5 MILES
Carlos III is to thank for the exceptional Palacio Real, which towers over the village. Back in Carlos’ day (early 15th century), the castle's inhabitants…
Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
28.64 MILES
The road from Santa Cruz winds 7km up to the 10th-century Monasterio Viejo, tucked protectively under an overhanging lip of rock. A fire in 1675 led the…
26.91 MILES
Housed in a former medieval hospital, this superb museum has an eclectic collection of archaeological finds (including a number of fantastic Roman mosaics…
26.71 MILES
Pamplona’s cathedral stands on a rise just inside the city ramparts amid a dark thicket of narrow streets. The cathedral is a late-medieval Gothic gem…
26.76 MILES
The walls and bulwarks of the grand fortified citadel, the star-shaped Ciudadela, were built between 1571 and 1645 under the direction of King Felipe II…
24.55 MILES
Around 9km northeast of Pamplona in the town of Alzuza, this impressive museum contains almost hundreds of impressive works by the renowned Basque…
28.38 MILES
Surrounded by cornfields and brushed by wild flowers, the near-perfect octagonal Romanesque Santa María de Eunate, 5km east of Puente la Reina, is one of…
Monasterio de San Salvador de Leyre
3.65 MILES
In the shadow of the Sierra de Leyre, this historic complex is packed with architectural treasures. Highlights include an 11th-century crypt containing…
1. Monasterio de San Salvador de Leyre
3.65 MILES
In the shadow of the Sierra de Leyre, this historic complex is packed with architectural treasures. Highlights include an 11th-century crypt containing…
2. Castillo de la Peña Feliciano
6.69 MILES
The 12th-century keep and some of the walls are all that remain of the castle that once guarded the frontier between the two Christian kingdoms of Aragón…
6.69 MILES
This Romanesque-Gothic church, with a weathered Romanesque portal, has a deliciously gloomy crypt decorated with medieval frescos.
6.74 MILES
Lording it over Sos's little central plaza, the Renaissance-era town hall is one of the village's grandest public buildings. Duck inside to admire the…
6.78 MILES
Fernando II of Aragón was born in this building in 1452. It's an impressive mansion – more so now than back then, following a major expansion around 1600…
6. Iglesia-Fortaleza de Santa María de Ujué
15.76 MILES
Standing at the highest point in the village, this church of mixed Romanesque-Gothic style was completed in 1094. Aside from magnificent views over the…
16.63 MILES
This Romanesque-cum-Gothic church contains a museum of colourful religious art from area churches, the highlight being San Martín's own gilded-wood mid…
16.7 MILES
Uncastillo's castle, rising unmistakably above the rest of the village, dates back to the 11th century and contains remains of a 14th-century Gothic…