Destinations > Europe > Spain > Spain
Destination:
Spain
- Overview
- Basics
- Getting Ready
- Itinerary 1 - Northern Spain
- Trip Extension - La Rioja
- Itinerary 2 - Biarritz, San Sebastian and Bilbao
- Itinerary 3 - Southern Spain
- Explore By Area - Andalucía
- Marbella
- Granada
- Jerez de la Frontera
- Sevilla
- Madrid
- Toledo
- Barcelona
- San Sebastian
- Biarritz (France)
- Bilbao
- Pamplona
- Key Events
- Contacts
Trip Extension - La Rioja
The Rioja region of northeast Spain produces many of the country’s finest red wines. A visit to La Rioja will allow you to understand the spirit of wine making in Spain. On this extension, you can make a private day or ½-day visit to one or more of the best wineries of the area, such as the Bodegas Roda, Bodegas Muga and Bodegas Fernándo Ramirez de Ganuza. A representative will guide you through their winemaking process – afterward, you’ll taste some of their wines and enjoy a copita (glass of sherry) and tapas with the guide.
top5 days, 4 nights
Fly into Bilbao International Airport, where you will be met and transferred by car to Hotel Marques de Riscal, in El Ciego (approx. 2.5 hrs).
Dinner at hotel restaurant.
4 overnights at the Hotel Marques de Riscal.
Day at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities and Caudalie Spa or visit the hotel bodega (prior reservations required).
Or, visit El Ciego, a gem of a walled city about 5 minutes from the Hotel Marquez de Riscal.
In the morning you will be picked up by your driver and taken to explore the wine route, where you will visit one or more wineries. If time permits, stop in La Guardia, the quintessential wine town. This medieval hill town has produced wines since the 15th century – its steep, narrow cobblestone streets are lined with wine cellars (wine cellar tours require reservations in advance). Note: Wineries in Rioja charge visitors, unlike other areas in Europe.
In the morning, you’ll be picked up by your driver and driven to Logroño, capital of La Rioja (13 miles from the Hotel Marquez de Riscal). Logroño is a tidy, prosperous city, famous for its tapas – its pleasant old quarter is rich in history and traditions, which have been preserved since the Middle Ages. Visit the city’s numerous historic churches, including Santa Maria del Palacio, with its unusual pyramid-shaped spire, and Santa María de la Redonda, with its twin Baroque towers. Stop in at Mercado San Blas, an art-deco market building filled with local produce, and finish with tapas at one of the excellent bars on Calle Laurel. You might also want to stop at the Dinastía Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture in nearby Briones, perhaps the world’s largest collection of wine-related antiques and memorabilia.
Check out from Hotel Maquez de Riscal and drive to Bilbao. Visit the Guggenheim Museum and Museum of Fine Arts.
In the afternoon, fly or drive to your next destination.
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