Camino de Santiago Day 6: Pamplona to Puente la Reina
Day six on the Camino was my first day back on the trail after three days of rest, and my knee mostly behaved. Ryan and I hiked about 23 km from Pamplona to Puente la Reina, past canola fields, a famous pilgrim monument, and a whole lot of very quiet villages. I'd call it one of the prettiest and most pleasant days of our first week.
This guide covers the route, the Alto del Perdón, where we slept, and what the day cost. I flagged the extras I researched but never tried, so you always know which tips came from our legs and which came from the internet.
The Day 6 Route at a Glance
The official stage guide lists 24 km, and we figured about 23 km on our own. The climb starts as a slow incline, gets steep near the summit, and then drops sharply on the far side. If your legs fade, a stop in the middle of the stage lets you split the day.
- km 0Pamplona. Leave the Old Quarter and follow the markers through the city parks.
- km 5Cizur Menor, a small village with the church of San Miguel.
- km 11Zariquiegui, the last village before the summit.
- km 13.4Alto del Perdón. This ridge holds the pilgrim monument and the Navarre memorial.
- km 16.8Uterga, the first village on the far side of the ridge.
- km 19.5Muruzábal, with its parish church of San Esteban.
- km 21.3Obanos, where the Camino Francés meets the Aragonese route.
- km 24Puente la Reina, our stop for the night.
The village list comes from the official guide, so your own watch may disagree by a few hundred meters.
Our Backpack Weight Hack
An old neck injury and a backpack that keeps getting heavier don't mix, so I use a trick that keeps the load off my shoulders. Ryan's big fanny pack has a nice flat top, and I fill it with the heaviest gear. That means the camera batteries and what I call the brick thingy (our data storage drive). My backpack then sits right on top of it, so the weight lands on my glutes and hip bones instead of my neck.
Your glutes can handle the heavy stuff. Your shoulders can't. Load accordingly.
Trail Highlights Along the Way
Following the Markers Through Town
If you worry about getting lost leaving Pamplona, please don't. Camino markers show up about every five paces through the city and its parks, and we counted them out loud to prove it. The path winds through city parks full of pretty dogwoods, and the markers make a missed turn tough to pull off.
Climbing to the Alto del Perdón
Once we cleared the city, we walked through miles of bright green and yellow canola fields. We'd heard the climb is a slow incline with a steep push near the top, and the hike felt pretty easy overall. The Alto del Perdón (Hill of Forgiveness) sits at about 756 m, and it holds a monument of metal pilgrim silhouettes from different eras.
Visiting the Navarre Memorial
Near the summit, a spiral of standing stones looks like an old Celtic stone circle, but it's far newer than it looks. A collective of residents from nearby villages organized it, and it was inaugurated in 2017 to remember 92 people killed in 1936 and 1937 and buried in the Sierra del Perdón.
The story starts with the Spanish Civil War. Navarre fell to the rebels almost immediately in July 1936, so the region never had a front line. The violence happened behind the lines instead, and historians count around 3,500 people killed in Navarre's repression, mostly left-wing supporters and landless farm workers. The 92 remembered here were taken from their homes, executed without trial, and buried in the sierra.
Each of the 19 stones carries the name of a village that lost people, and a 20th stone in the center honors the victims no one could identify. The collective behind the memorial says institutions ignored these victims for 81 years. It's easy to walk past, but a few quiet minutes here add real history to a day that otherwise runs on scenery.
Descending Through Empty Villages
Everyone warned us about the steep, rocky downhill on the far side, and it turned out to be no big deal. My feet still complained about the rocks all afternoon, and my knee only twinged once or twice (nothing like my Day 2 disaster). Almost every mountain village we passed felt completely empty. We saw a stray cat, a few birds, a café, and some pilgrims, and that was about it.
Detouring to Eunate
researched, not triedNear Muruzábal, a Romanesque chapel called Eunate sits off the main trail. The official guide says the detour adds about 3 km and recommends it for its peaceful atmosphere. We stayed on the main route because the day was already long and we didn't want to test my leg's patience, so treat this one as a tip from the internet.
Where We Slept in Puente la Reina
We checked two private hostels first, and neither had bunk beds. They only offered private rooms, which cost more than we wanted to pay. We landed at the Albergue de los Padres Reparadores for €7 per person.
It turned out to be a really nice hostel. Friends had complained about the Zubiri hostel being one giant room with hundreds of beds, and this one felt gorgeous and clean by comparison. We found vending machines, a good eating area, solid Wi-Fi for my work, and a big lawn out back where pilgrims stretched and did yoga. Like most Camino hostels, it handed out disposable paper sheets, and the mattresses wore plastic covers like almost everywhere we've stayed, but I'll take that over bed bugs every time.
Meeting the Queen's Bridge
Puente la Reina means "the Queen's bridge," and the bridge is the star of the town. The rest of the town is small, with a few restaurants, a beautiful little church, and one stunning 11th century Romanesque bridge with six arches. Sources credit a queen, usually named as Doña Mayor, with building it so pilgrims could cross the Arga River. Guards once watched it and collected a toll in medieval times, but today it's totally free and the view is incredible.
Puente la Reina also sits just past the point where the Camino Francés and the Aragonese route join. We showered, did some work, and went to bed around eight o'clock, because that's what you do on the Camino.
Day 6 Spending Breakdown
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Pamplona to Puente la Reina on the Camino?
Pamplona to Puente la Reina (Stage 4 of the Camino Francés) covers about 24 km on the official stage guide, and we figured about 23 km. Expect a slow climb, a steep push near the Alto del Perdón, and a rocky drop on the far side. If you need to split the day, a stop in the middle of the stage offers beds.
Is the hike from Pamplona to Puente la Reina hard?
The hike from Pamplona to Puente la Reina feels moderate, and we found it pretty easy overall. The climb stays gradual until the final stretch, and the rocky descent is the part everyone warns about. Take the boulders slowly and your feet will survive.
Where can you stay in Puente la Reina on the Camino?
You can stay at a few private hostels or at the Albergue de los Padres Reparadores. The private places we checked only had private rooms, so we paid €7 each at the pilgrim hostel in spring 2023. The current listing shows about €9 per night, so check before you go.
What is the Alto del Perdón on the Camino?
The Alto del Perdón (Hill of Forgiveness) is the ridge about 13 km into this stage, and it holds a monument of metal pilgrim silhouettes at about 756 m. A memorial to people killed in the area in 1936 and 1937 sits nearby.
Missed the start of our journey? Read our Day 1 guide, check the Camino prep guide, or see our packing list.
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