It stands in the middle of the Llanada Alavesa, on the
road that joins Madrid to the rest of Europe, via the N-1 highway. The
city has always been a major stopping place on this important communications
route and has acted like a bridge between Europe and the rest of the
Iberian Peninsula. The city is less than an hour from Bilbao, one hour
from Pamplona, two hours from Santander, three hours from Zaragoza
and less than four hours from Madrid.