The main town and service centre of the central zone of Navarre, Tafalla is located 21 miles south of Pamplona, very close to Olite.
Crossed by the river Cidacos, the town maintains a mediaeval air in its highest part and a more modern atmosphere in the centre, where most of the shops and services are found.
The main square is the meeting place of the people of Tafalla and the scene of the main events. The original fountain is almost a symbol of the town.
Popular tradition says that it was founded by the
first populator of the Iberian Peninsula, Túbal, who gives his name to a street and the most famous restaurant in the town. The narrow mediaeval streets of the old quarter, flanked by stone houses, invite you to stroll through it and discover its heritage.
Notable are the more than thirty coats of arms on the facades of the houses, some of them
hundred-year-old palaces such as those of the Marqués de Feria or the
Mencos family; the latter stands next to the convent of the Recoletas and its arch is one of the most representative images of Tafalla.
The church of Santa María jealously guards an altarpiece by
Juan de Anchieta, one of the greatest Romanesque works and remains of the old wall and the ancient palace make up the architectural heritage of the town.
As well as the weekly market -held every Friday- on the 9th February the town holds the best-attended
livestock fairs in the region, and has done so since the 15th century. Another livestock fair takes place on 25th October.
Tafalla locals embark on a
pilgrimage to Ujué the Sunday after Saint Marcos (25th April).
Another key date in the town's diary is the month of August, when its festivities take place. They are well-known thanks to
their bull runs and bullfights. Tafalla is also known for its well-known pine nut sweets "
El Caserío".