Discover El Bocal on the Canal Imperial de Aragón

El Bocal is located in Navarre, southeast of Fontellas, between the Ebro and the Canal Imperial de Aragón. The Bocal de Fontellas, the starting point of the Canal Imperial de Aragón, has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest as a monument; after a total length of 108 kilometres, the canal ends in Fuentes de Ebro.

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in El Bocal, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the listing pages. This information helps you organise the individual offers by travel period and preferred type of accommodation.

Culture and history

The Palacio de Carlos V is a 16th-century building that was extensively remodelled in the 19th century, particularly on its main façade. It consists of a stone ground floor and two brick storeys; its main façade features two towers as well as lower and upper arcaded galleries. Originally, the Palacio de Carlos V was the Casa de Compuertas of the Acequia Imperial, dating from 1528.

The gardens surrounding the Palacio de Carlos V contain ponds and statues. The Casa de Compuertas channels the water of the Ebro through eleven openings, each fitted with its own gate. It was originally built as the residence of the governor of the canal.

The historic settlement area of El Bocal included an inn next to the landing place for travellers, as the canal was navigable. The church located upstream dates from the 18th century and was established on the initiative of the Aragonese canon Ramón de Pignatelli. Behind the Palacio de Carlos V is an older 16th-century church, a dressed-stone building by Gil de Morlanes.

More destinations

For further travel planning, you can also include Urdániz, Cadreita, Irurozqui, Zudaire, Etxauri, Añorbe, Allín and Salinas De Oro in your plans.

Nature and trails

The Roble de El Bocal oak in the garden of the Palacio de Carlos V is designated as a natural monument of Navarre. The natural monument is located in the El Vivero area of El Bocal next to the source of the Canal Imperial de Aragón; the tree is more than 30 metres tall and more than 500 years old. The Laberinto Carlos is a hedge maze covering an area of more than 1,700 square metres.

The Camino Natural del Ebro GR-99 leads from the main entrance of El Bocal over the Formigales bridge and then through the Soto de Fontellas. The route reaches the historic hydraulic complex of El Bocal via a path lined with reeds. A walking trail through nature begins at the Palacio de Carlos V and leads to the end of El Bocal.

The El Bocal complex is divided into two areas: one contains the dam from 1790 and the Casa de Compuertas from 1780, while the other contains the Palacio de Carlos V; the two areas are connected by a paved road. For planning purposes, the trails can be compared by route, distance and difficulty level.

The Cortes–Tudela section of the Camino de Santiago del Ebro is a 25.17-kilometre linear route with a low difficulty level. Along the route beside the Canal Imperial, the Camino de Santiago del Ebro reaches the Bocal de Fontellas approximately five kilometres after Ribaforada.

For the overall travel overview: Navarre.