Logroño to Nájera (30.4 km)

Camino Frances Stage Guide: Logroño – Nájera (30.4 km)

This stage of the Camino Frances crosses the heart of Rioja Alta from Logroño to Nájera, around 30 kilometres of endless vineyards. It passes through the pottery town of Navarrete, skirts the Poyo de Roldán of the Ferragut legend, and ends at the foot of the red sandstone cliff sheltering the Monasterio de Santa María la Real, burial place of the kings of Nájera-Pamplona.

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Logroño

The route leaves Logroño through the San Miguel and Ebro parks, passes the Grajera reservoir — a pleasant spot for a walk — and climbs to its high point. A long straight stretch alongside the N-120 road, with the wire fence where pilgrims weave crosses out of twigs, leads on to Navarrete.

12.5 km

Navarrete

At the entrance, the ruins of the Hospital de San Juan de Acre (13th century), whose doorway was moved to the cemetery gate. The village, with its steep streets and pottery tradition, holds one of the most spectacular baroque altarpieces in La Rioja, in the church of la Asuncion. The route leaves through wineries and vineyards.

18.5 km

Ventosa

A small village gathered around the church of San Saturnino. Before arriving, the route passes the Alto de San Antón and the Poyo de Roldán, where legend places the fight in which the French knight killed the giant Ferragut, guardian of Nájera, with a single stone.

30.4 km

Nájera

The route enters Nájera by crossing the Najerilla river. At the foot of a red sandstone cliff stands the Monasterio de Santa María la Real, burial place of the kings of Nájera-Pamplona, with the cave of the apparition of the Virgin and the flamboyant Claustro de los Caballeros.

Logroño – Nájera: Complete Guide

Stage profile: distance, elevation and difficulty

Distance: 30.4 km. Walking time: 7–8 hours. Elevation: roughly +370 m and –330 m. Difficulty: moderate to high, more for the distance than the terrain. The ground is easy, a track through vineyards with only three gentle climbs (Alto de la Grajera, the climb into Navarrete, and Alto de San Antón), but the day is very long and runs alongside the N-120 at times. You can split the stage at Navarrete (12.5 km) or at Ventosa. By bike this is an easy, fast-rolling stage.

The sea of vines of Rioja Alta

This stage heads straight into the heart of La Rioja wine country. As soon as you leave Logroño, the landscape turns into a rolling sea of vineyards dotted with wineries, many of them in Navarrete and the nearby villages of Fuenmayor and Cenicero. The Rioja wine trade grew in no small part thanks to the traffic of pilgrims and muleteers along this very road. On the way out of Logroño, a fairly recent custom lives on: walkers weave little crosses of twigs into the wire fence bordering the path.

Qué ver: monumentos y patrimonio

In Navarrete, the Romanesque doorway of the Hospital de San Juan de Acre, reinstalled at the cemetery — one of the most photographed spots on the Camino — and the great baroque altarpiece of the church of la Asuncion. Near Ventosa, the Poyo de Roldán and its legend. In Nájera, the Monasterio de Santa María la Real: the Royal Pantheon with the tombs of the kings of Nájera-Pamplona, the Gothic tracery of the Claustro de los Caballeros, the choir stalls, and the cave where, according to tradition, the image of the Virgin appeared.

A Bit of History

Nájera was the capital of the kingdom of Pamplona-Nájera in the 10th and 11th centuries, under Sancho Garcés III the Great. In 1044, King García Sánchez III founded the monastery after finding, according to legend, an image of the Virgin in a cave while hunting with his falcon. That same king promoted the route of the Camino through the city. Nearby, the Battle of Nájera was fought in 1367, during the Castilian civil war between Pedro I and Enrique de Trastámara, with the intervention of the English Black Prince.

Gastronomía

We are in the wine country of Rioja Alta, with dozens of Rioja D.O.Ca. wineries right on the path. On the table: patatas a la riojana, vegetable menestra, lamb chops grilled over vine cuttings, caparrones (the local red bean) and pochas (fresh white beans). Navarrete keeps its traditional pottery craft alive, and you can buy ceramics at the village workshops.

Consejos prácticos

This is a long stage: set off early and consider splitting it at Navarrete or Ventosa. The stretches running alongside the N-120 call for attention to traffic. There are fountains and bars in Navarrete and Ventosa; between Logroño and Navarrete, only the picnic area at the Grajera reservoir. Nájera has several hostels — the municipal one, donation-based, is very large and sits right by the river — but demand runs high in season.

Services and accommodation by town

Listings published in our guide for the towns along this stage.

Logroño

Hostels

Accommodation

Churches

Navarrete

Hostels

Hostel Municipal de Navarrete

Ventosa

Hostels

Hostel Saint Saturninus de Ventosa

Nájera

Hostels

Hostel Municipal de Nájera