Valcarlos

Valcarlos, known in Basque as Luzaide, is a municipality in the Navarra foothills at the entrance to the Spanish Pyrenees. The town sits in the narrow valley of the Valcarlos river and is the first significant settlement in Spain for pilgrims following the lower valley route from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

The valley through which Charlemagne’s army passed in 778, the historical background to the Song of Roland, runs through this terrain. The town’s Basque-Spanish character, with its white-and-timber houses, reflects the cultural transition of the border zone. The route continues steeply upward from Valcarlos toward the Puerto de Ibañeta, rejoining the Napoleon Route near Roncesvalles.

Despite its small size, Valcarlos provides basic services and is the last significant supply point before the monastery of Roncesvalles for those taking the valley road.