# Pilar long weekend from Pamplona: getaways for 12 October, the National Day Getaways from Pamplona for the Hispanidad long weekend: the Rioja grape harvest, Ordesa with its first ochres, Burgos, Silos and the Arcachon bay without crowds. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/navarre/pamplona/getaways/pilar-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Pamplona - [A weekend in the Rioja Alavesa, 45 minutes from Vitoria](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa/itineraries/rioja-alavesa-wine-weekend-laguardia.md) (1 night, Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa): In October Rioja Alavesa is in full harvest or just finished, with grape trailers on the roads and the vineyard changing colour. Sleeping inside the Laguardia wall on those days needs booking weeks ahead, as do the tastings under its streets. - [Haro: winery, grill house and Briñas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/la-rioja/haro/itineraries/station-quarter-wineries-and-lamb.md) (Day itinerary, Haro): September and October are Haro's months: the century-old wineries of the Station District receive grapes and smell of must. The Muga visit lasts an hour and a half and admits over-12s. The 1877 grill serves lunches on Sunday: book it. - [Laguardia: tower, calado and Riscal](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa/itineraries/wine-cellars-tower-and-marques-de-riscal.md) (Day itinerary, Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa): It is the day plan for those who do not want to sleep away: an hour and a quarter by car and the harvest around the wall. Marqués de Riscal has a daily visit from €30 with a tasting. Amelibia is closed Tuesday and Wednesday: if the holiday falls on those days, eat elsewhere. - [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): October is one of Ordesa's best months, with the beech wood at the valley floor beginning to turn. The Torla bus to the Pradera runs on October weekends and long weekends, with the first departure at 7:00: arrive early, as the valley has a limit. - [A weekend in Burgos and Atapuerca, an hour and a half from Valladolid](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/burgos/itineraries/night-with-atapuerca-from-valladolid.md) (1 night, Burgos): In autumn the Trinchera de Atapuerca sites are visited with a guide, and the long weekend is among the days of greatest demand: book the visit by phone before setting out. In Burgos many museums close on Monday; if the holiday falls on a Monday, ask first. - [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): October is the best season in the Arlanza valley, with the juniper woods dry for walking and mild days. In Silos the monks sing vespers every afternoon, on the long weekend too, and at night the village falls silent again. Book the olla podrida in Covarrubias. - [An oyster weekend on the Arcachon bay, 2 h 30 from San Sebastián](https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/arcachon-bay/itineraries/oyster-weekend.md) (2 nights, Arcachon Bay): 12 October is not a holiday in France, so the Pilat dune and the oyster farmers' huts have the rhythm of any autumn weekend. In September and October they are still open, the water is warm and a dozen costs €10 to €13. - [Olite: palace, grill and Ujué](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/navarre/olite/itineraries/royal-palace-grill-house-and-ujue.md) (Day itinerary, Olite): Forty minutes away, for the day you have free: in September and October the Zona Media vineyards are in harvest and Ujué is seen above a sea of golden stubble. The grill on the Rúa Mayor closes Tuesday and Wednesday, not Sunday. ## 12 October on the Navarrese calendar The grapes are coming into the Rioja wineries when 12 October arrives, the Pilar and Spain's National Day, a holiday in Navarre too, with no other day attached. The Hispanidad long weekend is three days if it falls on a Monday or Friday, and four if it falls on a Tuesday or Thursday and you take the day in between. If it falls on a Wednesday, the October long weekend stays a single holiday and a normal weekend, and the sensible thing is a day getaway. For that case there are three plans to be back for dinner: Laguardia, Haro and Olite and Ujué. With three or four days, the harvest is best enjoyed sleeping among vineyards, and the Pyrenees, with two nights. ## The harvest, an hour from home October is the month when Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta smell of grapes. Between Laguardia, Elciego and Haro the wineries receive trailers, Laguardia's cellars are in use and the vineyard begins to turn red and yellow. The best is a night inside the wall of Laguardia: in the afternoon, a tasting under the streets; in the morning, the Abbey Tower and the walk to Elciego. In Haro, the Station District brings together several century-old wineries within a few hundred metres. Whoever drives does not taste. If you are several, let someone stay on water, or sleep there. ## Ordesa, in its month The Ordesa valley changes in October: less heat on the Gradas de Soaso, beeches and maples beginning to turn and a low light on the walls of Monte Perdido. That is why the autumn long weekends fill up. The Torla bus runs on October weekends and long weekends, on the dates Ordesa Bus publishes each year; the first departure is at 7:00 and it is wise to be in the queue beforehand. Two nights in Torla or Broto give you the Cola de Caballo one day and Bujaruelo the other. ## Towards Castile, stone and silence To the west, two and a half hours away, autumn is dry with clear skies. In Burgos the cathedral, the castle and, 20 minutes away, the Atapuerca sites come together, visited with a guide and by booking. A little further south, Silos and Covarrubias call for a night: vespers with the monks, La Yecla the next day and olla podrida in Covarrubias. There, 12 October does not show in the village's rhythm, although it does at the tables: book. ## And an idea nobody else has that day The Pilar is not a holiday in France. If the sea tempts you, the Arcachon bay is a little over three hours away and that weekend is an ordinary autumn weekend: dune without queues, boats to the huts on stilts and oysters at the producer's hut. ## Atapuerca for the curious Atapuerca is the clearest plan: the Trinchera with a guide and then the Museum of Human Evolution, with skulls and tools at their height. In the Rioja, the Laguardia lagoons are a flat walk for those who do not drink wine. In Ordesa, the route to the Cola de Caballo is long; with little ones, stay at the Estrecho and Arripas waterfalls, an hour from the Pradera. ## What sells out and what to avoid The first things to fill are the beds in Laguardia, Torla and Silos, and then the tastings with limited places: at harvest time, small wineries offer few slots. The day before, the exit south on the AP-15 and towards Huesca on the A-21 gets heavy in mid-afternoon. And do not go up to Irati expecting the great colour: the Navarrese beech wood is usually at its best a few weeks later, from mid-October to early November. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Can you see the grape harvest on the Pilar long weekend? In Rioja Alavesa and Haro the harvest runs from mid-September to October, depending on the year. By mid-October it may be finishing, but the vineyard and wineries are still in full activity. ### Does the Ordesa bus run in October? Yes, on October weekends and long weekends, with the first departure at 7:00. Outside those days you drive up to the Pradera. ### What do I do if I only have the 12th? Laguardia, Haro or Olite: all three are an hour and a half away or less and have a winery, lunch and a walk. ### Is France open that day? Yes: 12 October is a normal day across the border, with everything open like any other day of the year.