Puente la Reina

Puente la Reina (Gares in Basque) is built along a single main street — the Calle Mayor — that runs from the Iglesia del Crucifijo at the eastern entrance to the famous medieval bridge at the western exit. In between lies a handsome town of stone houses, arcaded streets, and two churches worth seeing. The town's medieval grid of three parallel streets, laid out in the French bastide style, survives largely intact.

The Iglesia del Crucifijo, at the entrance to town, was founded by the Knights Templar in the late 12th century. It houses a striking Y-shaped crucifix — a 14th-century work, likely of German Rhineland origin, that arrived here via pilgrim hands. The unusual shape, with Christ's arms raised above his head on a tree-like cross, makes it unlike any other crucifix on the Camino. The church has two naves: the original Romanesque nave and a Gothic addition from the 14th century.

Further along the Calle Mayor, the Iglesia de Santiago has a Romanesque doorway with a multilobed arch showing Moorish influence — one of the finest carved portals in Navarra. Inside is the Santiago Beltza, a 14th-century Gothic wooden statue of Santiago Peregrino, darkened by age and once coated in soot. The name means "Black Santiago" in Basque.

The bridge itself — the Puente de los Peregrinos — is a six-arched Romanesque span over the Arga, 110 meters long, with smaller vent arches between the main arches to handle flood waters. It originally had three defensive towers, though only fragments of one survive. Cross it at the end of the day when the light hits the stone and you'll understand the fuss.

Several albergues operate in town, along with a handful of hotels and pensiones. Bars and restaurants line the main street, and there's a supermarket for provisions. The town has a pharmacy and an ATM. If you're arriving from the Camino Aragones via Eunate, you'll enter from the south and join the Frances here.