# Holy Week from Pamplona: getaways from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday Five days from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday: the Volatín and the Angel of Tudela, the Pyrenees' last snow, the La Rhune train newly open and Romanesque in Palencia. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/navarre/pamplona/getaways/easter-holy-week · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Pamplona - [The Bardenas by 4x4 and lunch in Tudela](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/navarre/bardenas-reales/itineraries/4x4-through-the-bardena-blanca.md) (Day itinerary, Bardenas Reales): In Tudela, on Holy Saturday the Volatín is hung and on Easter Sunday, at 8:00, a child dressed as an angel descends on ropes to the Plaza de los Fueros to remove the Virgin's veil. Both are festivals of national tourist interest and free. Afterwards, a 4x4 through the Bardena Blanca. - [Formigal: a day on the slopes and a grill at Sarrios](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/tena-valley/itineraries/skiing-at-formigal-and-grill-on-the-slopes.md) (Day itinerary, Tena Valley): If Holy Week falls before the season closes, which Formigal announces each spring, it is the last chance of the winter: spring snow, soft at midday, and long days. Go up early, while it is still hard, and buy the lift pass online, because the price changes by date. - [La Rhune: rack railway and Espelette](https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/french-basque-coast/itineraries/sunday-la-rhune-and-espelette.md) (Day itinerary, French Basque Coast): The La Rhune rack train starts running again at the end of March, so at Easter it is in its first weeks. In France Easter Monday is also a holiday: that day the train queue is longer. Go up on the first clear day of the five. - [A weekend in Urdaibai, an hour from Vitoria: the estuary by canoe, Gernika and Gaztelugatxe](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/urdaibai/itineraries/urdaibai-canoe-gaztelugatxe-weekend.md) (1 night, Urdaibai): The Bizkaia provincial council sets each year the days of controlled access to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, and Holy Week is usually among them: book the free ticket on its website. The canoe along the estuary to Laida goes out at the time the tide dictates. - [A weekend in Alquézar: canyoning, walkways and Somontano wine](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/alquezar/itineraries/alquezar-canyoning-walkways-somontano-wine.md) (2 nights, Alquézar and the River Vero): Five days allow the long trip to Alquézar and back without rushing. In spring the Vero walkways run over a river with water, and the collegiate church is seen in the low afternoon light. The guided canyon is done in thick wetsuits: in April the water is cold. - [A weekend in Covarrubias and Silos, an hour from Burgos](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/covarrubias-and-silos/itineraries/covarrubias-silos-gregorian-chant-weekend.md) (1 night, Covarrubias and Santo Domingo de Silos): In Silos the monks sing vespers every afternoon, and in Holy Week the monastery church receives many more people: arrive in good time. Sleeping opposite the monastery lets you hear them without watching the clock. Lunch at Casa Galín is booked beforehand. - [A weekend in Aguilar de Campoo: Romanesque, Las Loras and bison, an hour and a quarter from Burgos and Santander](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/aguilar-de-campoo-romanesque-and-bison-weekend.md) (1 night, Aguilar de Campoo and the Romanesque of Palencia): With four or five free days, the Romanesque of northern Palencia is within reach. The Convento de Mave is open from late March to October, and in Holy Week it starts its season: order the roast lamb when you book. The Sunday bison visit is also booked. ## In Navarre it is five days Navarre has Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday on its calendar, so Holy Week stretches from Thursday to Monday without asking for anything at work. That is five days, and it changes what is worthwhile: with five there is room for two nights away and a calm day back, or two short getaways with a night at home in between. One way of dividing them: Maundy Thursday for travelling, Friday and Saturday for the destination, Sunday on the way back via Tudela to see the Angel, and Monday at home or on a day plan. ## The Angel of Tudela, an hour away Tudela keeps two sixteenth-century ceremonies. On Holy Saturday the Volatín is hung in the Plaza de los Fueros, a puppet that spins amid firecrackers. On Easter Sunday, at 8:00, a child dressed as an angel descends on ropes from a house in the square to the image of the Virgin and removes her black mourning veil. Both are free to attend and are declared of national tourist interest. If you go for the Angel, get up early: leave Pamplona before seven or sleep in Tudela the night before. And make the most of the trip. Half an hour away are the Bardenas, which in spring have their best light, and in Tudela you eat Ribera vegetables. ## Is there still snow in the Pyrenees? It depends on the date. Holy Week moves between the end of March and the end of April, and the Aragonese Pyrenees resorts close in spring depending on the snow. If it falls early, Formigal may have the last big week of the winter, with soft snow from mid-morning and sun until late. If it falls at the end of April, there will most likely be no pistes open. Check the report a few days ahead. ## French spring, across the Baztán On the French Basque coast, the La Rhune train reopens at the end of March and the mountain fills again with pottoks and sheep with lambs. One thing to bear in mind: in France Easter Monday is also a holiday, and that day Espelette and Ainhoa fill as on a summer Sunday. On Friday or Saturday, on the other hand, the coast is quieter. ## Urdaibai and Gaztelugatxe Urdaibai is the sea getaway with a night away. The hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe has controlled-access days that the Bizkaia provincial council sets each year, and spring holidays are usually included: without a free ticket you do not pass the checkpoint. Book the earliest slot. The canoe along the Mundaka estuary to Laida beach depends on the tide, so the company will tell you what time it goes. ## Getting up early for the Angel Children love the Angel of Tudela, even if you have to get up early. The La Rhune train suits any age. In Urdaibai, the canoe along the estuary is calm water and ends on a beach. And in Aguilar de Campoo, watching European bison with a guide is one of those plans that is not forgotten. ## What to book first and what to avoid At Easter everything fills at once, because it is a holiday in half of Europe. Book the two-night accommodation first, then whatever has places: the Alquézar canyon, the Gaztelugatxe ticket, the bison visit and the meals in Silos and Mave. Avoid Easter Sunday afternoon on the return from the Pyrenees and from France: the A-21 and the Dantxarinea crossing get heavy. And do not count on Irati: until May the beech wood is bare and Casas de Irati may have its services closed. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Which days are holidays in Navarre at Easter? Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday, besides Sunday. Five days in a row. ### What time is the Descent of the Angel in Tudela? At 8:00 on Easter Sunday, in the Plaza de los Fueros. The Volatín is on Holy Saturday. Both are free. ### Can you ski at Easter? Only if it falls before each resort's season closes, which depends on that year's snow. Check the report a few days ahead. ### Do I have to book Gaztelugatxe? On controlled-access days, yes: a free ticket on the Bizkaia provincial council website. Those days are set by its annual calendar.