Logroño
The best base for a Rioja trip. Stay two nights and use it to crawl Laurel and day-trip the bodegas.
The natural base for Rioja — a compact old town with one of Spain's best tapas streets (Calle del Laurel) and easy access to the wineries.
At a Glance
- — You don't drink wine
A compact grid of streets in the heart of La Rioja, this city is defined by the relentless, delicious pace of the Calle del Laurel. Between dusk and midnight, the alleyways fill with locals nursing small glasses of Rioja red and balancing plates of mushrooms or skewered meats. It serves as the most efficient base for wine travelers, offering a concentration of bars and bodegas that can be explored entirely on foot over two nights of wandering.
How it got here
The site gained prominence during the Middle Ages as a crossing point on the Ebro River. The bridge constructed under the direction of San Juan de Ortega in the eleventh century connected the city to the pilgrimage route toward Santiago de Compostela. Centuries of conflict between the kingdoms of Castile and Navarre determined the strategic control of the city walls. Following the incorporation into the Crown of Castile during the twelfth century, the local economy relied on trade and the development of viticulture. The architecture reflects this past in the fortified remains of the Revellín gate and the Gothic foundations of the older parish churches.
Where it sits
The city occupies a fertile plain along the banks of the Ebro River surrounded by the low hills of the Sierra de Cantabria. Vineyards stretch across the undulating landscape to the south where the soil turns to clay and limestone. Dry, cold winds blow from the north during the winter months while summer temperatures rise under a harsh sun. The narrow grid of the old quarter sits apart from the modern expansion. The atmosphere shifts from the quiet pace of morning commerce to a density of people crowding the small alleys after sunset.
What to eat and drink
Rioja wine defines the glass here, specifically the Tempranillo variety aged in oak casks. Culinary customs center on the produce of the surrounding Ebro valley. Champiñones, small mushrooms sautéed with garlic and topped with a shrimp, appear on plates across the bars of the historic center. Chuletillas de cordero, tender lamb chops grilled over vine cuttings, provide a distinct smoky aroma. Fresh vegetables from the local gardens, such as artichokes or asparagus, arrive at the table depending on the season, while Pimientos del Piquillo, roasted red peppers, accompany almost every meal served in the region.
La Rioja: the whole region
One product, done better here than anywhere else in Spain: a wine region that fits inside a valley, vineyards running from the Ebro plain up into the Sierra de Cantabria, and every town on the road between Haro and Logroño involved in it.…
Minimum 3 days · better 4-5 days · deep 7 days
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Experiences worth booking ahead
- Hot Air Balloon over Segovia with Optional Transfers from Madrid5.0 (397)4 hrsFrom €205
- La Rioja wines and Laguardia tour from Logroño4.9 (51)6 hrsFrom €90
- The Most Complete Tour of Zaragoza: Mysteries, Photos & Surprise4.9 (16)2.5 hrsFrom €20
- Wine tour: winery and traditional lunch from La Rioja5.0 (5)7.5 hrsFrom €250
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