Calle Laurel, Logroño
A street of pintxo bars
Each bar does one thing — mushrooms, ears, a bocadillo — so order its signature and a crianza, then move on.
LogroñoEveningPintxos
La Rioja, Spain
Ideal: 3 daysBest: Apr–Jun, Sep–OctPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
La Rioja in 60 seconds
Rioja is Spain's most famous wine region, a valley of vineyards along the River Ebro with hilltop villages, medieval monasteries and bodegas that range from 19th-century cellars to Frank Gehry's ribbon-wrapped hotel at Marqués de Riscal. Base yourself in Logroño, the regional capital, and spend the evening on Calle Laurel, a short street of bars each famous for one pintxo, a glass of crianza at every stop. In Haro, the Barrio de la Estación packs more century-old bodegas around the railway station than anywhere else; in Laguardia, a walled village sits above a warren of cellars. Further south the monasteries of San Millán, where the first written words of Spanish were found, are a UNESCO site. Book tastings ahead. Three days.
WineVillagesCountryside
Best for
- Food
- Hidden gems
Known for
- Rioja wine
- Calle Laurel
- Haro's station district
- Marqués de Riscal
Skip if
You do not drink wine — Rioja is lovely countryside, but tastings and long lunches are the point.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well La Rioja fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Barrio de la Estación, Haro
Century-old bodegas round the station
López de Heredia, Muga, La Rioja Alta, CVNE and others within a few hundred metres; the oldest need booking weeks ahead.
HaroBook aheadWine
Marqués de Riscal, Elciego
ExpensiveFrank Gehry's winery hotel
Ribbons of pink, gold and silver titanium over an old cellar; take the tour and taste.
ElciegoArchitectureWine
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Laguardia
A walled wine village over its cellars
Medieval gates, a carved painted church porch and family cellars dug into the hill beneath the streets.
Rioja AlavesaVillageWine
San Millán de la Cogolla
InexpensiveMonasteries where written Spanish began · UNESCO
The early medieval Suso and the great Yuso monastery in a quiet valley; glosses in a manuscript here are counted among the first written Spanish.
San MillánMonasteryUNESCO
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Logroño old town
Cathedral, Camino and pintxo streets
On the Camino de Santiago: pilgrims, the twin-towered cathedral and Calle Laurel and San Juan for evenings.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Logroño
ModerateCity base with trains
The most practical base, with the best evening life.
RestaurantsTrains
Haro & Laguardia
ExpensiveWine-village hotels
Sleep among the vineyards and walk to the bodegas.
QuietWine
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Trains and buses reach Logroño from Madrid in around three to four hours; Bilbao airport is about 90 minutes away by car.
- Getting around
- A car, or a driver for tasting days; villages are 20 to 40 minutes apart.
- Tastings
- Most bodegas need a reservation, especially at weekends.
- When to go
- Spring and the September–October harvest; Haro's wine battle is on 29 June.
- Taste locally
- Crianza and reserva Rioja, patatas a la riojana, chuletillas grilled over vine cuttings and peppers from the valley.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1000s
Monks at San Millán gloss a Latin text in an early form of Spanish.
- 1860s
Bordeaux techniques and the railway reach Rioja; Haro's station bodegas follow.
- 1925
Rioja becomes Spain's first regulated wine region.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Bilbao
The Guggenheim and pintxos
Bilbao & the Basque Coast has its own guide.
1 hr 30 min by carArtCity