Olite is a small market town in Navarre, just across the border from Rioja. The parador is located in one half of what used to be a palace of the Kings of Navarre, a dynasty of French origins, which is reflected in the building's architecture, it could easily be mistaken for a French chateau. The other half of the palace has been coverted into a museum displaying various rooms as they were in the middle ages. The inside of the parador has a distinctly medieval character, with suits of armor on display and stained glass windows and some of the rooms have faux (fortunately, I would not want to have to sleep on the real thing) medieval four poster beds. At some time in the fifteenth century a Prince of Viana (the title given to the heirs of the Kings of Navarre), in the course of a dynastic dispute, was imprisoned in what is now the parador and the room in which he was held is on display, furnished as it was then. The parador is both pleasant and quiet and the overnight stay of choice if one wishes to commute to Calahorra, I would not like to have to do the windy drive to the nearby parador of Sos late at night. But a word of caution, parking is a problem, there's no garage and no spaces immediately in front of the building, one has to leave one's car at some distance, outside the old town walls.
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