4 Days in Rioja: Bodegas, Pintxos & the Guggenheim

Rioja is Spain's most famous wine region and one of the great bargains in European wine travel. The bodegas are world-class, the food is spectacular, the architecture ranges from medieval caves to Frank Gehry, and a bottle of well-aged Reserva costs less than a tasting fee in Napa.

This 4-day itinerary covers the essential Rioja triangle: Haro (the traditional bodega capital), Laguardia (the stunning medieval hilltop town), Elciego (home of the Gehry-designed Marques de Riscal hotel), and Logrono (the pintxos capital). A day trip to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is built in because it is only an hour away and no trip to this part of Spain should skip it.

You will drink Tempranillo in every style -- from young, juicy Joven to 10-year-aged Gran Reserva. You will eat pintxos that rival San Sebastian at a fraction of the price. And you will stay in a region where the hospitality is genuinely warm and the pace of life is exactly right.

Budget estimate: EUR 200-700/day per person depending on accommodation and dining.

Best time to visit: May-June or September-October. Harvest season (late September-October) is magical, with grape-stained hands and festivals in every village. July-August works but temperatures in Rioja Alta hit 35C+ (95F+).

Before You Go

• Fly into Bilbao (BIO) or Logrono (RJL). Bilbao has far more international connections and is 90 minutes from Haro. Logrono's small airport has limited routes but puts you in the heart of Rioja immediately.
• Rent a car. Essential for visiting bodegas. Rioja is compact -- nothing in this itinerary is more than 40 minutes from anything else.
• Book bodega visits ahead. Unlike casual French or Italian estates, major Rioja bodegas run structured tours at set times, often with a guide. Book 1-2 weeks ahead online. Most offer English-language tours.
• Lunch is the main meal. Spaniards eat lunch between 1:30-3:30 PM, and it is substantial. Dinner is lighter and starts at 9-10 PM. Adapt to this rhythm -- it makes the wine tasting work better.
• Bring a corkscrew and some cheese to your hotel. Rioja wine shops sell Gran Reserva for EUR 15-25 that would cost EUR 50+ at home. A bottle on the terrace at sunset is a nightly ritual here.

Day 1: Arrive in Haro

Getting There

Fly into Bilbao (BIO) and drive 90 minutes southeast to Haro, the traditional capital of Rioja wine. The drive takes you through the green Basque hills and into the more arid, vineyard-covered Rioja landscape.

Afternoon

Check into your hotel. Budget: Hotel Arrope (EUR 70-100/night, modern, excellent location on the main plaza). Mid-range: Hotel Los Agustinos (EUR 110-170/night, converted 14th-century Augustinian monastery with original cloisters). Luxury: Hospederia Senorio de Briñas (EUR 180-280/night, 18th-century palace 5 minutes from Haro, pool and vineyard views).

Walk to the Barrio de la Estacion (Station Quarter), where Haro's most famous bodegas cluster around the old train station. This concentration happened in the 1800s when the railway made exporting wine to Bordeaux (during the phylloxera crisis) easy and profitable.

Start with Bodegas Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia, the most traditional bodega in Rioja and one of the most extraordinary wineries in the world. The Zaha Hadid-designed tasting pavilion sits in front of century-old cellars where wines age for 6, 10, even 20 years before release. Their Viña Tondonia Reserva is one of Spain's greatest wines. Tour and tasting EUR 15-25. Book ahead -- this is Haro's most popular visit.

Late Afternoon

Cross the road to Bodegas Muga. Where Lopez de Heredia is a time capsule, Muga is tradition with modern precision. All their wines are aged in oak barrels they make in their own cooperage (one of the last in Spain). Tour EUR 15-20, including a visit to the cooperage.

Evening

Walk to the Plaza de la Paz in Haro's old town for your first pintxos crawl. Start at Bar Beethoven (anchovy and pepper pintxos, local favorite), move to Bar Los Caños (croquetas, stuffed peppers), and finish at Terete for a sit-down dinner of lamb chops grilled over vine cuttings -- the signature dish of Rioja Alta. The chuletillas al sarmiento at Terete have been famous for decades. Mains EUR 18-28.

Pro tip: Haro's Batalla del Vino (Wine Battle) on June 29 is one of Spain's most joyous festivals. Thousands of people douse each other in red wine on a hillside above town at 7 AM, then parade back to the plaza. If your dates align, do not miss it.

Day 2: Laguardia & Elciego

Morning

Drive 40 minutes east to Laguardia, a medieval walled town perched on a ridge overlooking the Rioja Alavesa vineyards with the Sierra de Cantabria mountains behind. This is the most photogenic town in wine country.

Walk through the town gates and explore the narrow stone streets. The entire town sits on top of a network of underground wine cellars (calados) dug centuries ago. Some are 20 meters deep.

Visit Bodegas Ysios, 2 km outside Laguardia. The Santiago Calatrava-designed winery looks like a crumpled piece of aluminum foil dropped among the vineyards -- the wavy titanium roof echoes the mountain ridge behind it. The architecture alone justifies the visit. Tour and tasting EUR 18-25.

Late Morning

Walk to Bodegas El Fabulista inside Laguardia's old town. This small, family-run bodega has cellars carved directly beneath the medieval streets. The tour takes you underground through tunnels connecting the town's houses -- originally dug as escape routes and later repurposed for winemaking. Tours EUR 10-15. Charming and unique.

Afternoon

Lunch in Laguardia at Restaurante Amelibia -- traditional Basque-Riojan cooking with excellent value. The menú del día (daily set menu) is typically EUR 18-25 for three courses with wine. The red peppers stuffed with salt cod are outstanding.

After lunch, drive 10 minutes south to Elciego, home of the Marques de Riscal complex. Even if you are not staying at the Frank Gehry-designed hotel (EUR 350-600/night -- sheets of titanium in pink, gold, and silver billowing over an old bodega), the winery tour is excellent and covers the history of Rioja from the 1800s to today. Tour and tasting EUR 18-30.

The visual contrast of Gehry's eruption of metal against the medieval village and 150-year-old bodega is stunning. Walk around the full exterior even if you skip the tour.

Late Afternoon

Drive 10 minutes to Bodegas Campillo for a quieter, more intimate tasting. Their estate sits on a hilltop surrounded by their own vineyards -- something uncommon in Rioja, where most bodegas buy grapes from multiple growers. Gran Reserva for EUR 15-18 per bottle is exceptional value. Tasting EUR 10-15.

Evening

Return to Haro (or move to Logrono tonight if you prefer). Dinner at La Vieja Bodega in Casalarreina (15 minutes from Haro) -- a restaurant inside a restored 16th-century bodega. Chef Eduardo Salanova serves creative Riojan cuisine. The degustación menu (EUR 55-70) with wine pairings is worth the splurge.

Pro tip: Laguardia has several bodegas inside the town walls that you can visit without a car. Between El Fabulista, Carlos San Pedro, and the town's many wine shops, you can spend a full morning tasting without driving.

Day 3: Bilbao & The Guggenheim

Morning

Drive 90 minutes northwest to Bilbao for a cultural day. Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (opened 1997) transformed this industrial city into a world-class cultural destination. The building itself -- titanium, glass, and limestone curves reflected in the Nervion River -- is arguably more impressive than the art inside. But the art is excellent too.

Allow 2-3 hours for the museum. Entry EUR 16. The permanent collection includes works by Richard Serra, Jeff Koons (the giant flower-covered puppy outside), and Louise Bourgeois (the spider sculpture). Temporary exhibitions rotate throughout the year.

Afternoon

Explore Bilbao's Casco Viejo (Old Town) across the river. The seven original streets are packed with shops, bars, and pintxos joints.

Lunch at Cafe Iruna on Plaza Nueva (since 1903, beautiful tiled interior, mains EUR 14-22) or go pintxos crawling along Calle Ledesma and Calle Garcia Rivero in the Ensanche district. Essential stops: Gure Toki (creative pintxos with Basque flavors), Cafe Iruna (classic atmosphere), and La Vina del Ensanche (traditional, standing room, perfect txakoli -- the local sparkling white -- by the glass).

Afternoon Option: Txakoli Wine

If the Guggenheim is not enough wine content, drive 30 minutes west to Bakio and visit Doniene Gorrondona, a Txakoli producer on the Basque coast. Txakoli (pronounced cha-ko-LEE) is a light, tart, slightly sparkling white wine poured from height into small glasses. The vineyards overlook the Bay of Biscay. Tasting EUR 5-10.

Evening

Drive back to Rioja (90 minutes). If you moved your base to Logrono today, check in. Otherwise, return to Haro.

Day 4: Logrono & Departure

Morning

Drive to Logrono, Rioja's capital and the undisputed pintxos capital of northern Spain (some say it rivals San Sebastian, which is fighting words).

Walk the Calle del Laurel and Calle San Juan, the two streets that form Logrono's famous pintxos quarter. In a 200-meter stretch, there are 30+ bars, each with a specialty. This is the destination.

Essential stops for a morning pintxos crawl:

• Bar Soriano: Famous for one thing -- the seta (mushroom) pintxo. A grilled mushroom cap topped with a shrimp, garlic, and olive oil. Order it, eat it, understand why people line up. EUR 2.50.
• Bar Angel: Tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelet) that is runny in the center and perfect in every way. EUR 2.
• Bar Tastavin: The best wine selection on the street. Their Rioja by the glass is properly curated, not just house plonk. Glasses EUR 2-4.
• La Tavina: Outstanding croquetas and a chalkboard of Rioja wines from small producers you will not find in shops. Glasses EUR 2-5.

The etiquette: order one pintxo and one drink at each bar, eat standing, then move to the next. This is not a sit-down affair. Budget EUR 15-25 for a full crawl that constitutes lunch.

Late Morning

Visit the Catedral de Santa Maria de la Redonda with its twin baroque towers, then walk to the Puente de Piedra (stone bridge) over the Ebro River for views of the Rioja vineyards stretching to the horizon.

Afternoon: One Last Bodega

If you have time before departing, visit Bodegas Marques de Murrieta (10 minutes south of Logrono). This historic estate, founded in 1852, is one of Rioja's original two "modern" bodegas (the other being Marques de Riscal). Their Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, aged for decades before release, is one of Spain's most legendary wines. Tour and tasting EUR 20-30.

Departure

Drive to Bilbao airport (90 minutes) or Logrono airport (15 minutes) for your flight.

Rioja Wine Quick Guide

Rioja uses a unique aging classification system based on time in oak barrels and bottles. Gran Reservas are only made in exceptional vintages. A 10-year-old Gran Reserva for EUR 25 at a bodega is the kind of value that does not exist in Bordeaux or Napa.

Transport Tips

• Bilbao to Haro: 90 minutes on the AP-68 motorway (tolls EUR 8-12). The free alternative (N-232) takes 2 hours but passes through beautiful wine country.
• Within Rioja: Nothing is far. Haro to Laguardia is 40 minutes. Laguardia to Logrono is 30 minutes. Haro to Logrono is 45 minutes.
• Parking: Free in most villages (look for white-lined spaces). Logrono old town has underground parking garages (EUR 1.50-2/hour).
• Fuel: Stations are plentiful along the N-232 and in all towns.
• Alternative to driving: Rioja has a growing network of wine tour operators. Rioja Wine Tours and Winebus offer day trips from Logrono and Haro (EUR 60-120 per person including tastings and transport).

Budget Summary

More Rioja Wine Travel Guides

• Rioja Wine Region Overview
• Spain Wine Regions
• Old World vs New World Wine Regions
• Where to Stay in Rioja Wine Country

Word Count: ~1,900

Last Updated: January 2026

Author: WineTravelGuides Editorial Team