Rioja Alavesa, what to see and what to do.

Enjoy Rioja Alavesa through its wineries, villages and gastronomy, 3 axes that fill this land with charm.

Rioja Alavesa (Arabar Errioxa in Basque), is a region of Alava located in the south of the Basque Country. A region, rich in history and gastronomy, bordered to the north by the Cantabria and Toloño mountain ranges and to the south by the Ebro river.

This corner of Euskal Herria, hides in its interior thousands of subway cavities, thousands of tunnels made for military purposes that today protect some of the best wines in the world. Many people travel to this region of Alava called by its great wines and peculiar wineries, but they leave in love with its villages, people and gastronomy, facets that we recommend to enjoy through the 7 experiences that we recommend below.

Do you want to know what to see and do in Rioja alavesa? This region is perfect for a getaway at any time of the year, a place to enjoy the tranquility offered by this rural area of the Basque Country.

Visit to Villa Lucia: Before starting the tour among wineries, we strongly recommend a visit to Villa Lucia, the wine theme center of Laguardia. This space offers us to learn about the basic principles of wine before entering one of its many wineries. A proposal that we gladly accept.

Winery visits: In the 23 municipalities that make up this region we have wineries for all tastes, small / large, family / international, expensive / cheap, modern / traditional … Depending on the length of your trip to Rioja Alavesa, we recommend 2 options:

Both types of wineries are very attractive, each with its own charms, choose yours and enjoy it! If you are looking for a traditional family winery, we recommend reading our article about Bodega Gontes.

Visit to trujales: At this point, many of you may be thinking, what is a trujal? A trujal is an oil mill, a press where the olives are squeezed. A different visit in which we have the opportunity to taste extra virgin olive oil, an experience that we should definitely do on any trip to Rioja Alavesa.

The Basque trujales are historical areas of the Rioja Alavesa, and although it may not seem so, vines and olive trees arrived in this corner of the province of Alava at the same time. Olive trees, olives and oil fell into oblivion due to the low productivity obtained from this fruit. Here is a comparison between the use of olives and grapes to give us an idea:

As you can see, the use of grapes is much higher than that of olives, a fact which more than justifies the fact that Rioja Alavesa is one of the regions with the highest number of wineries per square kilometer in the whole peninsula.

Visiting villages: Charming villages abound in Rioja Alavesa. Stone houses, walled spaces, narrow streets, beautiful views and subway cellars are just some of the many charms of these urban centers that dot this geography full of vineyards.

These small villages are easy to see in a short space of time, we recommend a tour of all of them, a route between old towns in Alava that you will fall in love with. We recommend to read “What to see and what to do in Labastida, Rioja Alavesa”.

Routes: The fields of vineyards, cereal and olive trees make this land, a romantic land, full of color (especially in autumn), spaces among which we recommend walking enjoying the incredible views that offer us accompanied at all times by silence and tranquility. These places are perfect to leave behind the hustle and bustle of the big cities and disconnect from the routine. Relax.

Enjoy the gastronomy: Although we recommend enjoying the typical menu of Rioja Alavesa: Potatoes Rioja style and lamb chops with vine shoots, we must not forget that Rioja Alavesa belongs to the Basque Country, a territory where the gastronomic culture has led us to have some of the most famous restaurants around the world, which is why we recommend enjoying any other dish that you crave sure not disappoint.

We recommend our experience at Mesón Alai in Labastida.

Dolmen la chabola de la hechicera: The dolmen la chabola de la hechicera is only the representative of many others of its kind. A dolmen located at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria offers a typical shot of a tourist postcard, to frame.

Llanada alavesa: The Herrera pass, the natural border that separates the mountainous area of Araba with the Rioja Alavesa, gives us incredible views of the area that concerns us today. A real treat for the senses.

As you can see, these 7 experiences allow us to know what to see and what to do in Rioja Alavesa in a dynamic and fun way. Experiences with which we enjoy the lands of Rioja Alavesa contemplating each and every one of its most emblematic features.