# May long weekend from Pamplona: getaways for 1 May, Labour Day One- or two-night getaways from Pamplona for 1 May: the Bardenas before the heat, the newly leafed Irati beech wood and Pyrenean canyons with water. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/navarre/pamplona/getaways/may-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Pamplona - [A night in the bubble at Hotel Aire de Bardenas, with the Bardena Blanca by 4x4 and Tudela](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/navarre/bardenas-reales/itineraries/one-night-in-a-bubble-and-desert-bardenas.md) (1 night, Bardenas Reales): May is one of the last good months for sleeping in the desert: in June the heat bears down from mid-morning. The park is toured from 8:00 to an hour before dusk, and the bubble, the 4x4 and the hotel dinner are booked beforehand. - [A weekend in Ordesa, 1 h 20 from Huesca](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/ordesa-valley/itineraries/ordesa-weekend-torla-from-huesca.md) (2 nights, Ordesa Valley): The Torla bus to the Pradera runs on the May long weekend too, on the dates Ordesa Bus publishes each year. With the thaw, the Cola de Caballo and the Estrecho waterfalls run with a lot of water. The valley admits 1,800 people at a time: go up early. - [Irati: Cubo Waterfall and Ochagavía](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/navarre/irati-forest/itineraries/beech-forest-cubo-waterfall-and-ochagavia.md) (Day itinerary, Irati Forest): In May the Irati beech wood puts out its new leaf, of an almost yellow green, and it is one of its two best seasons along with autumn. The 10 km to the Cubo Waterfall barely climb and the water comes down strongly after the winter. - [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): Spring is the Bardenas season: it is good for walking among the rocky outcrops and there is no summer dust. In the Ribera it is asparagus season, so the vegetable lunch in Tudela has produce of the day. The guided 4x4 is booked. - [A weekend on the French Basque Coast, 30 minutes from San Sebastián](https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/french-basque-coast/itineraries/weekend-from-san-sebastian.md) (2 nights, French Basque Coast): In May the La Rhune train and the cliff boat are running, as they stop from November to March. 1 May is also a holiday in France, so Saint-Jean-de-Luz fills with French visitors: book the hotel and the timed train. - [A weekend in Aínsa: Añisclo, a canyon descent and the square at dusk, an hour and a half from Huesca](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/ainsa-and-sobrarbe/itineraries/ainsa-anisclo-canyoning-weekend.md) (2 nights, Aínsa and the Sobrarbe): From April to June the Bellós river runs with water and the Añisclo canyon is green as far as La Ripareta. In the morning the canyon's narrow road is quiet. For the guided Guara canyon, book a place before the long weekend. - [San Millán: Yuso, winery and Cañas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/la-rioja/san-millan-de-la-cogolla/itineraries/yuso-monastery-winery-and-canas.md) (Day itinerary, San Millán de la Cogolla): Spring with the vineyard budding between Badarán and San Millán, and a lunch inside the monastery itself. Watch the day: Yuso is closed on Mondays, so if the long weekend falls on a Monday, do the visit on Saturday or Sunday. - [A weekend in the Matarraña: Valderrobres, Beceite and the Puertos, under two hours from Zaragoza](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/valderrobres-and-matarrana/itineraries/matarranya-valderrobres-beceite-weekend.md) (2 nights, Valderrobres and the Matarraña): The Parrizal de Beceite walkways carry water in spring, and in May it is not yet the heat that fills the pools in summer. The Parrizal ticket has places by time slot: buy it beforehand, like the 4x4 to the Ports. ## Three days or four: what 1 May gives you 1 May is a holiday across Spain, but in Navarre it brings no extra day: the long weekend depends on how Labour Day falls. If it falls on a Friday or Monday you have three days; if it falls on a Thursday or Tuesday and you take the day in between, four. With three, a night away and a calm return. With four, two nights and a spare day in case it rains. From Pamplona everything on this page is less than three and a half hours away, and most less than two. The Bardenas and Olite are a stone's throw; the Huesca Pyrenees and the Lapurdi coast call for at least a night. ## May before the Ribera heat arrives May is the last comfortable month for southern Navarre. From June, in the Bardenas the sun beats down from mid-morning and there is not a shadow for kilometres. Now you can still walk at midday by Castildetierra, and the night in a bubble is spent in a jacket, watching the sky. If you prefer not to sleep there, the 4x4 through the Bardena Blanca with lunch in Tudela can be done in a day. To the north the opposite happens: the hills have just woken. In the Irati Forest the beeches have tender leaves and the ground still glistens with water. And in Ordesa and Añisclo the rivers are swollen by the thaw. ## Meltwater in the Huesca Pyrenees Ordesa in May is the valley of waterfalls. The path from the Pradera to the Cola de Caballo passes the Estrecho, Arripas and the Cueva, and at this time all of them carry water. On the long weekend the Torla bus runs: you park free beside the Visitor Centre and go up for €6 return. Higher up, above the Gradas de Soaso, there may be snow at the start of the month; ask at the Visitor Centre before continuing towards the ledges. Añisclo is the other half of the park: narrower, greener and with fewer people. From Aínsa you reach it in half an hour and walk beside the Bellós to La Ripareta. ## If you prefer the sea: Lapurdi with the train running The French Basque coast is an hour and a quarter away via the Baztán. The La Rhune rack train starts running again at the end of March, and in May it already has its full timetable. Go up on the first clear day: in mist, the summit shows nothing. Bear in mind that in France 1 May is also a holiday, and so is 8 May, so in those two weeks the coast has more French visitors than the rest of the spring. ## A 1924 train and a short canyon The La Rhune train, of wood and from 1924, appeals at any age. The route to the Cubo Waterfall is flat and suits from about age eight. In the Bardenas, the guided 4x4 accepts children and the Cortinas canyon is a one-kilometre walk. And if the children are small, Sendaviva, in Arguedas, is on the way. ## What sells out first First, the small beds: the Bardenas bubbles, the hotels in Torla and Broto and the houses in Aínsa. Then whatever has places by time slot: the Parrizal de Beceite, the Bardenas 4x4, the Guara canyon and the La Rhune train. In Ordesa the bus is not booked, but the valley closes ascents when it reaches its 1,800-person limit; on a long weekend, that can happen by mid-morning. ## The exit and the return On the eve of the long weekend, the exit from Pamplona on the A-15 towards Tudela and on the AP-15 gets heavy in mid-afternoon. Towards the Pyrenees, the A-21 via Jaca is the most direct to Ordesa. The return on the last day, especially from France via Dantxarinea, becomes slow from six o'clock. Eat early and leave earlier. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is Ordesa worth it on the May long weekend? Yes, if you like waterfalls: the thaw fills them. The Torla bus runs and there may be snow up high, so the classic path to the Cola de Caballo is the safe option. ### What do I do if it rains? On the French coast, the Biarritz aquarium; in Navarre, the Olite Royal Palace, 40 minutes away, which is visited under cover and through its towers. ### Is it already hot in the Bardenas? In May it does not yet bear down as in summer, but the sun is strong and there is no shade. Bring water and a cap, and leave the longer things for the morning. ### What is open in France on 1 May? The La Rhune train and the boats operate, but many shops and some restaurants close that day. Book lunch.