Royal Palace of Olite
1 h 30EveryoneAll year
The palace of Charles III the Noble, with towers, courtyards, galleries and hanging gardens · 1 h 30 · €4.40, guided €7.50
From €4
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AccessAP-15 or N-121, 40 km from Pamplona
Royal Palace€4.40; 10:00–18:00
Minimum timeHalf a day
Without a carBus from Pamplona
What to do
What to do in Olite
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Guided tour of Olite and its Royal Palace
1 h 30EveryoneAll year, according to calendar
The Royal Palace inside and the medieval streets with an official Navarre guide · 1 h 30 · €12 adults, €7 children
From €12
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Medieval streets and the church of Santa María la Real
1 hEveryoneDog-friendlyAll year
A walk round Olite's old town: the Chapitel tower, Plaza de Carlos III, medieval galleries and the Gothic doorway of Santa María · 1 h · Church €2
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Olite, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Olite
In spring and in September and October, with the grape harvest and mild temperatures. In August there are medieval festivities and many people; in winter the palace closes earlier and the village is quiet.
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How you travel
Olite your way
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Olite on foot, the area by car
Olite is next to the AP-15 and the N-121, 40 km from Pamplona. Leave the car on arrival and tour the village on foot; pick it up again for Ujué, the Pitillas lagoon, the monastery of La Oliva or the Bardenas, all less than an hour away.
80–150 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel El Juglar, with a…
- Getting aroundUjué, about 20 km via…
- Where to eatAsador Erri Berri, open at…
- ServicesTourist office on Plaza de…
Where to sleep
- Hotel El Juglar, with a private garage and pool
- Parador de Olite, in the Old Palace
- Hotel Merindad de Olite, on the wall
Getting around
- Ujué, about 20 km via San Martín de Unx
- Monastery of La Oliva, in Carcastillo, on the way to the Bardenas
Where to eat
- Asador Erri Berri, open at midday on Sundays
- Casa Zanito, on the Rúa Mayor
Services
- Tourist office on Plaza de los Teobaldos
By bus from Pamplona, and everything on foot
Olite is one of the few destinations in the area that works well without a car. The Grupo Interbus line 320-321-322 links Pamplona, Tafalla and Olite with several departures a day, and the palace, churches, the village's wineries and the restaurants are a few minutes' walk apart.
80–140 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepParador de Olite, on Plaza…
- Getting aroundBus Pamplona – Tafalla…
- Where to eatAsador Erri Berri, Thursday to…
- ServicesFor Ujué or Pitillas without…
Where to sleep
- Parador de Olite, on Plaza de los Teobaldos
- Hotel Merindad de Olite, on Rúa de la Judería
- Hotel El Juglar, on Rúa Romana
Getting around
- Bus Pamplona – Tafalla – Olite: check the timetable on the operator's website
- On foot: Bodegas Ochoa, a few minutes from the palace
Where to eat
- Asador Erri Berri, Thursday to Monday at midday
- Tastings at the Reyna de Copas wine shop
Services
- For Ujué or Pitillas without a car, ask the tourist office about excursions from Olite
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
Olite for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
A real castle to explore
The Royal Palace of Olite looks as if a child had drawn it: towers, battlements, spiral staircases, passageways and hanging gardens. It is one of the castles in Spain that works best with kids, and the village can be toured without a car.
- What works bestThe Royal Palace with its…
- Where to sleepHotel El Juglar, with a…
- Where to eatAsador Erri Berri, two minutes…
- Worth knowingThe tower staircases are narrow…
What works best
- The Royal Palace with its towers; on set dates, a family visit or a dramatised children's one
- The Rutas Vivamus guided visit, free for under-6s
- The Marco Topo game around the old town, free with your phone
- The Pitillas lagoon with binoculars
Where to sleep
- Hotel El Juglar, with a garden and pool
- Parador de Olite, inside the palace
Where to eat
- Asador Erri Berri, two minutes from the palace
Worth knowing
- The tower staircases are narrow: do not take a pushchair up
- At the Ochoa winery children aged 4 to 17 pay €6
What to do as a family
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingwithout a car
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
© ParadoresHotelParador de Olite-Erriberri
Why we like it: Parador in the Old Palace of the kings of Navarre, next to the Royal Palace and the church of Santa María, on Plaza de los Teobaldos.
Hotel Merindad de Olite
Why we like it: Ten-room hotel with balconies over the Roman wall, with views of the Royal Palace and the Sierra de Ujué; wine bar, restaurant and terrace.
Hotel El Juglar
Why we like it: Mansion with a garden and pool beside Olite's old town, with nine different rooms, a garage with a lift and fireplaces in the lounges.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Olite old town | Hotels next to the palace, everything on foot | |
| Ujué | Medieval village on a hill, about 20 km away | |
| Tafalla | More services, 5 km away |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Olite
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Asador Erri Berri
What to order: the Tudela lettuce heart or the grilled artichokes to start, and the Turina beef T-bone to share; for dessert, the intxaursalsa
Casa Zanito Restaurant
What to order: on weekdays, the €27 executive menu; à la carte, the Maribel vegetables, the Navarre lamb ingot and the Ultzama curd
Reyna de Copas Wine Shop
What to order: a guided tasting of Navarre wines and cheeses, or a bottle from the shop uncorked there and then for €8 extra
Map
Everything on the map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Nearby
Near Olite
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
42.20° N · 1.50° W
Bardenas Reales
By car
41.91° N · 1.73° W
Tarazona and the Moncayo
By car
43.00° N · 1.14° W
Irati Forest
By carBy bike
42.55° N · 2.59° W
Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa
By carCar-freeLuxury
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy the palace ticket on the website
Especially at weekends and if you want a guided visit, which has fixed times.
- 2Climb the towers
From the Four Winds tower you see the village and the vineyards of the Ribera.
- 3Ask for the Marco Topo game map
It is a free game for exploring medieval Olite as a family, with your phone; the map is at the tourist office.
- 4Book the winery in advance
Winery visits are by appointment and some only on certain days.
What Olite is
Olite, Erriberri in Basque, is a town in the Zona Media of Navarre that was the court of the Navarrese kings. Its Royal Palace was built in the 15th century by Charles III the Noble on a 13th-century fortress, in the style of French castles: towers, galleries, courtyards and hanging gardens. It has been a National Monument since 1925. One part, the Old Palace, is now the Parador; the other, the New Palace, restored since 1937, is the part you can visit.
Around it is a medieval old town of narrow lanes with the Chapitel tower, the Plaza de Carlos III, the Gothic church of Santa María la Real attached to the palace and that of San Pedro. And around the village, vineyards: Visit Navarra calls Olite the "wine capital of Navarre", and there are wineries with visits a short walk from the centre.
How to get there
Olite is 40 km from Pamplona, 5 km from Tafalla, next to the AP-15 motorway and the N-121 that go to Tudela and Zaragoza. Approximate times, estimated by road: from Pamplona, about 40 minutes; from Zaragoza, around an hour and a half; from Logroño, an hour and a quarter; from San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz, around an hour and a half; from Soria, an hour and three-quarters; from Huesca, about two hours.
Without a car, the 320-321-322 Pamplona – Tafalla – Olite trunk line of Grupo Interbus (NBus) leaves from Pamplona, with several departures a day: check the current timetable on its website before you go. In Olite everything is done on foot, and the old town fits into a half-hour stroll.
Where to park
The old town is narrow and it is best to leave the car outside the lanes: park on the streets at the edge of the old town and walk in to the palace, five minutes away. Hotels in the centre, such as the Juglar, have their own garage. In August and at the medieval festival a lot of people come: arrive early.
How much time and when to go
Half a day is enough for the Royal Palace, the church of Santa María and a stroll around the old town. With a full day you add a winery visit and a long lunch. With two, Ujué, the Pitillas lagoon and the monastery of La Oliva.
The palace is open every day: in autumn 2026, from 10:00 to 18:00, and from 1 December, from 9:30 to 17:30, with the last recommended entry an hour before closing. Spring and autumn, with the grape harvest, are the best seasons. In summer there is a theatre festival, from late July to early August, and a weekend of medieval festivities in August.
Wine and surroundings
You can feel the wine in the village itself. The Enozentrum, next to the tourist office, explains the area's wine culture at weekends and is free. The Cosecheros Reunidos cooperative shows its winery-museum during shop hours, and Bodegas Ochoa, a family winery from 1843 with an organic vineyard, runs visits with a tasting from €25. On the Plaza de Carlos III, the wine shop Reyna de Copas organises tastings and walks with a glass in hand.
For the afternoon, three short drives. Ujué, about 20 km away, is a medieval village on top of a hill with a fortress-church and a wall walk. The Pitillas lagoon, to the south, has a bird observatory that opens at weekends from November. And the Cistercian monastery of La Oliva, in Carcastillo, is on the way to the Bardenas Reales, which are less than an hour away: Olite and the Bardenas combine well in a weekend.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to enter the Royal Palace of Olite?
General admission costs €4.40 and reduced €2.50. The guided visit, €7.50 and €5.50; the audio guide, €4.
What are the Royal Palace's opening hours?
In autumn 2026, every day from 10:00 to 18:00; from 1 December, from 9:30 to 17:30.
Can you go to Olite without a car?
Yes, by bus from Pamplona on line 320-321-322 of Grupo Interbus. The village is explored on foot.
What is there to see near Olite?
Ujué, a medieval village on top of a hill; the Pitillas lagoon, with a bird observatory; the monastery of La Oliva, in Carcastillo, and Artajona with its walled enclosure.
Can you visit the medieval galleries?
According to the tourist office, in autumn 2026 they can only be seen from outside, from the grille door.