Burlada: Routes, Festivals and History

If you are looking for a hotel in Burlada, you can plan your trip around the things that interest you locally: the town’s history, cultural events or a stage of one of the routes described here. Burlada is directly connected to Pamplona and is 3 km from the city. Regional bus routes 4, 7 and 19, as well as night route N5, serve the town. As transport services can change, check connections for your travel dates.

Cultural Events and the Rhythm of the Town

From September to May, the Casa de Cultura de Burlada offers a regular performing arts programme as well as a wide range of sociocultural courses. The venue includes an auditorium-theatre, an exhibition space and a cafeteria open to the public. If an event date is important to your trip, check the current programme.

The patron saint festivities of Virgen de la Asunción usually take place from 14 to 19 August, around 15 August. The festival programme includes a tournament in the traditional Basque handball game pelota mano; individual events may change. La Martingala has been the specific name for Burlada’s carnival since 1988. During the celebration, Lukas de Aierbe is captured and led through the town; his capture is celebrated with the MARTINGALA dance.

A regular weekly event is the market, held every Wednesday at the site known as “El Soto”. For specific market and event dates, it is advisable to check the latest information before travelling.

Bridge, Garden and Sacred Art

The Parque Municipal is an extensive garden surrounding a beautiful palace in Burlada. Another notable structure is the medieval Puente de Burlada, with its six round arches. It is located in the El Soto area on the route to Mendillorri and has been reconstructed several times. The garden and bridge offer contrasting features: one is a garden laid out around a palace, the other a historic crossing with a long building history.

The altar area of the Parroquia de San Blas is dominated by a neoclassical altarpiece from Tudela, dating from 1766. It also houses a crismón, dated to around 1110, which comes from the Ermita de Irangote in the Comarca de Aibar. The works differ in their origins and dates: the altarpiece is an 18th-century work from Tudela, while the crismón is an older object from the Comarca de Aibar.

Local History and Music

Miguel Hilarión Eslava y Elizondo (1807–1878) was a composer, educator and musicologist. He was born in the Benitorena house, on the site where the music school now stands. His tomb is in a mausoleum in the Burlada cemetery, built in 1936 during the Republic.

Political decisions and building-related events are among Burlada’s historical landmarks. In 1390, the royal family spent the summer in a palace in Burlada. The Cortes held here in 1494 reformed the courts of the kingdom. The former church of San Juan was demolished on 24 June 1951; its main altarpiece, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, is now in the chapel of the Museo de Navarra.

Routes Through Burlada

Several route descriptions pass through Burlada, but they refer to different routes. Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela cross the town from north to south. In Burlada, the Camino de Santiago Baztanés continues along Calle Mayor. The EuroVelo 3 also passes through Burlada before reaching Pamplona. Pilgrim route paving markers point towards the “Camino de Burlada”, the access route to Pamplona. If you are planning your trip around a route, pay attention to its exact name and course.

Discover more destinations: Etxauri, Huarte, Barillas, Artariáin, El Bocal, Lodosa, Mélida, Ostiz.

For the broader travel overview: Navarra.