Hello
My husband wants to visit the Rioja area and other wine regions and I want to make sure to see the major sites in Barcelona and maybe someother areas. We were going to spend several nights in Barcelona and then make our way to Rioja and possible down to Madrid afterward or just back to Barcelona and fly home. We will have about 10 days... any itinerary suggestions and travel info on how to get between these regions?
Thanks
As your itinerary seems pretty open right now, here is a suggestion. I am thinking of 9 nights and a car rental, flying in and out of Barcelona.
Nights 1,2,3 and 4 in Barcelona.
Day 5 AVE to Zaragoza and Night in Zaragoza,
Day 6 rent a car, visit the Monastery of Veruela and the Borja DO museum.
Night 6, 7 and 8 in Logroño.
Day 9 back to Zaragoza, drop the car off and train back to Barcelona. Night 9 in Barcelona.
A few comments. Zaragoza is worth a visit. It is an underrated city, and most people find it interesting.
The Monastery of Veruela is beautiful. There is a lot of talk about overtourism, and how many places are full of crowds. I have visited there several times, and there has never been more than 5 or 6 people visiting. The D.O. of Borja has it´s museum/interpretation center there and you can taste their wines.
If you are in La Rioja for more than two nights I recommend Logroño. For one or two nights a place like Briones is okay, but not a lot of food options.
You don´t say when you are visiting. Depending on the time of yerr there are different fairs and fiestas. Mid-September is harvest time and San Mateos, so La Rioja gets a bit hectic. My favorite time is the last half of October, there is still plenty of light, the weather is good, and there is still plenty of color in the vineyards.
Rioja is nice, it is near the Basque region in the north central of the country close to the French border. That is a long distance from Barcelona.
Consider doing Rioja when you do the Basque region.
There are a plethora of places one can visit between Zaragoza and the Logroño area. Since you will have a rental car, once you have an itinerary firmed up, research the small towns along your route to see if there is anything that sparks your interest. Since many of the roads in that area are rural, traffic will be light; just watch your speed.
In Olite, there were a couple small local bodegas we enjoyed. We stayed in the town for a couple nights, so did not drive after the tastings.
Do not mistake La Rioja with Rioja wine region. Rioja Alavesa is part of the Basque Country and where the most famous and renowned wineries are located, together with Rioja Alta (this one in La Rioja). And then it´s Rioja Oriental (or Eastern Rioja), located both in La Rioja and part of Navarre. There´s a La Rioja political community and a Rioja D.O.C. (Denominación de Origen Calificada) wine region, not to be mistaken despite their so similar names.
thanks for all of the replies. We were thinking of going in September and that would be during the harvest festival. Wow so La Rioja and the Rioja region are very separate? Is La Rioja a good wine visit??
@tdsrn2001,
just to clear things up a bit, La Rioja is the Spanish autonomous community. Rioja DOC is the the wine region that is in part of three autonomous communities, La Rioja, the Basque Country and Navarra.
The 21st of September is St. Mathew's Day, and the patron of the harvest (wine) festival. This year it is a Sunday, so the fiestas will be probably be from the 20th to the 26th. To be honest, it is not the best time to visit wineries. I'm sure some of the big ones will be able to continue with tours, but many of the smaller wineries are very busy with all hands on deck.
While the idea of fiestas might seem nice, you should be prepared. Remember it is a wine harvest festival, and on the weekend people hit the WINE part very hard. Here is are some pictures of the start of the fiesta last year.
@dlindstrom, I believe you live in La Rioja? Those wineries in Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta around Haro will not be affected by San Mateo festivities, which are basically celebrated in Logroño, capital of La Rioja autonomous community, that produces wine in just some part of its territory. September is normally a good time to visit, but take into account that a full visit takes around one hour and a half, you need previous reservation for the English tour, and from 2 to 5pm most wineries are closed for lunch.
By the way, I´m going to Rioja wine region today, visiting Laguardia, Sajazarra, Labastida, Briones and Haro, combining both Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa wine regions, in La Rioja and the Basque Country.
Kaixo Mikel, San Mateo is the wine harvest festival. Most of the vineyards and wineries are not in Logroño, but the biggest part of the festival is celebrated here. There are activities that are LaRioja wide.
Festival or no, it is the harvest and the wineries are usually very busy with the grapes coming in.
I live in Logroño, and this will be my 27th San Mateo, but I work in Navarra so i dont get it off, but when my kids were young we would leave town for a few days. San Bernabe is the patron of Logroño and that is a nicer fiesta.
Have a good trip and good luck with the weather. Agur
Trust me... the pictures of the festival are not what we are looking for so we will change the time of travel.
@dlindstrom I think Rioja Alavesa wine region celebrates its own harvest festival, off San Mateo dates, earlier as far as I know. But what really matters is how rich and varied in different types of wineries (from the centuries-old to the most avant-garde ones) and wines this region offers. By the way, had a great meal (salad, chistorra, morcilla, lamb grilled on vine shoots) at Mesón El Ochavo in Sajazarra, I´m sure you know this place (an all-time favorite for my family).
@Mikel,
correct, San Mateos is only in La Rioja. But harvest is controlled by Rioja DOCa.
Sounds like a tasty meal.
My favorite part of the fiestas is the "Chuletada". In the Plaza del Mercado in Logroño they cook about 800kgs of lamb chops over the vines. The whole old town smells like grilled lamb chops.
