The Green Belt of Vitoria-Gasteiz - Green walks

Southern walk, from Armentia to Olarizu - Halfway between the city and the mountain

Located between the parks of Armentia and Olarizu, this path allows you to enjoy the tranquillity of the expansive rural area that extends to the south of Vitoria-Gasteiz, halfway between the city and the Mountains of Vitoria.

From the city, the walk rises gently following the course of the River Batán until it reaches the village of Lasarte, and from there, between crop fields, it approaches the Armentia forest, descending again to the city.

Technical data sheet

Length: 6 km | Approximate time: 1 hour and 30 minutes | Type of path: urban path, agricultural track and local road | How to get there: L4, José María Cagigal, 4 stop

Click on the map to see a bigger PDF version.

Route

• The path starts at Alto de Armentia, beside the statue of the Saint, at approximately km 19 of the Route around the Green Belt.
• Descending down the San Prudencio Path turn right at the first crossing. Following the direction posts of the Belt, we continue along Maite Zuñiga Street and cross the A-3102 road that heads to Zaldiaran.
• A section starts where there is a pedestrian path and a separate cycling lane. To our left, the Mendizabala Hill and at its bottom a large car park.
• A little further ahead, the path and the cycling lane go through a walkway over the River Batán. After the walkway, we cross the road, separate from the Belt and continue along the sidepath between houses.
• A few metres ahead, we take an agricultural track to the right which, between crop fields, heads south, towards the Mountains of Vitoria.
• To our right we leave behind the Lasarte gravel pits and reach the village, a section which coincides with the GR 25 (Trail around the Plains of Alava along the foot of the Mountains).
• We enter Lasarte and after reaching the church we turn right.
• We cross the River Batán, leaving the Olabide School to our left, cross the A-3102 road and head towards Armentia.
• We continue along the path that goes up towards the village and when it ends we turn right again towards the starting point. Before returning we can take a path on the left which enters the Armentia Park.

Points of interest

1. San Prudencio Path / La Senda Path
   The San Prudencio Path continues with the Cervantes Path, the Fray Francisco Path and the La Senda Path forming a tree-lined urban axis around 3 km long, from Armentia to the city centre, passing by Vitoria-Gasteiz's main early 20th century mansions and palaces. This itinerary is often used by walkers and cyclists for their daily exercise and also to exit the city towards Armentia and the Mountains of Vitoria.
2. Mendizabala Hill
   Popularly called the "omelette mountain", it is a small hill to the south of the city. It is a location of interest due to the elevated vantage point that offers broad panoramic views of the city and of the rural-natural environment that extends towards the south of the municipality. From the point of view of nature, it is a hill practically without trees; however, it has several relictic herbaceous and shrub formations that have survived the urbanisation process, with an important botanical value, notably some species of orchids. Measures for their recovery and improvement have been proposed.
3. Batán or Avendaño and Zapardiel Rivers
   The Batán and Zapardiel Rivers are two of the numerous streams that originate in the Vitoria Mountains and flow down to the city and the River Zadorra. Both the Batán and the Zapardiel Rivers, which run almost in parallel and close to each other, have enormous ecological value as in the large agricultural area that extends between the city and the mountains they are the main natural paths or corridors that allow the transit of species from the forests towards other natural areas. The name of the River Batán comes from the fulling mills that were installed on its banks, along the section between the Salbatierrabide Path and the Prado Field, and which were used for pounding and washing the wool that was used in the Hospice for making cloth.
4. GR 25
   It is one of the routes of the Long-Distance Trails (paths that pass through and communicate a large part of the Peninsula). The GR 25 "Trail around the Plains of Alava along the foot of the Mountains", with 180 kilometres, borders this region allowing us to discover its variety of landscapes, from the agricultural areas to the mountains and forests, such as the Mountains of Vitoria and the Badaia and Arrato mountain ranges, belonging to the municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
5. Lasarte
   The church of Asunción de Nuestra Señora, with an 8th century façade and 16th century masonry, preserves between its walls one of the most beautiful examples of Alava's Romanesque art, a window of an admirable size and great symbolism.

Download

Related information

If the information on the page does not match your information requirements, please apply via the Citizens' mailbox.