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Rioja wine country and northern Burgos

2 days · ~5 h 15 ·Wine, Castles

Day by day

Driving times are approximate, from OpenStreetMap roads without traffic; long legs are rougher estimates. The Google Maps links give up-to-date times.

  1. Day 1

    ~2 h 55 · 6 h

    Cliff-hung Frías and castle villages of the border

    1. Bilbao Airport
    2. ~1 h 40 · 91 km
      FríasCastile and León

      Arrive in Frías, perched on its crag above the Ebro, and walk across the medieval bridge with its toll tower. Look up at the hanging houses, then climb to the Velasco castle for the view over the valley. Then on to Santa Gadea del Cid.

    3. ~45 min · 35 km
      Santa Gadea del CidCastile and León

      Santa Gadea del Cid still sits inside its walls and two gateways. Go in through the Puerta de la Villa, then visit the church of San Pedro for its Plateresque altarpiece. You could walk a stretch of the GR-291 trail, then drive on to Sajazarra.

    4. ~30 min · 30 km
      SajazarraLa Rioja

      Reach Sajazarra, a wine village of La Rioja Alta, and walk up to the castle-palace built under the Velasco lords. Wander down below the village, where the Aguanal and the Ea come together. End the day here with a glass of the region's Rioja, and find a bed in the village or nearby.

    5. Overnight in Sajazarra

  2. Day 2

    ~2 h 20 · 4 h

    Medieval Briones and the cellars of Laguardia

    1. ~20 min · 20 km
      BrionesLa Rioja

      Briones crowns a hill that drops steeply to the Ebro. Visit the Vivanco museum of wine culture, and walk to the Cercas del Torreón for views over Rioja Alavesa. In June, a medieval festival brings the town's old days back, before you head on to Laguardia.

    2. ~25 min · 23 km
      Laguardia - GuardiaBasque Country

      End in Laguardia, the walled capital of Rioja Alavesa. Admire the painted Gothic portal of the main church, then go underground into a cellar, perhaps Bodegas Ysios. Lunch on the region's pintxos in the old streets before the road back to Bilbao.

    3. ~1 h 35 · 117 km
      Bilbao Airport

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What you'll eat

What each stop is known for, and the dishes its region is famous for.

Laguardia - Guardia

  • Rioja wineWineD.O.Ca. Rioja made from local grapes in the town's wineries

Also typical of Castile and León

Also typical of La Rioja

Adapted from Wikipedia (Laguardia, Gastronomía de Castilla y León, Gastronomía de La Rioja (España)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where you'll sleep

The village where each night falls, with the places to stay mapped within 3 km.

Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Soundtrack for this trip

León wedding songs, Ebro jotas and bagpipes, Basque song and percussion, a Renaissance composer and a classical guitarist.

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