Labastida, what to see and do.

Labastida, what to see and do in one of the most beautiful villages of Rioja Alavesa.

Labastida, Bastida in Basque, is one of the most visited municipalities in Rioja Alavesa. A town that encourages us to make a getaway to enjoy its gastronomy, history and nature while strolling through its streets, squares and vineyards. Labastida’s economy is based on wine, a fundamental pillar of this town in Alava. A sector on which many of the plans that we recommend in this article are based. And, as many of you already know, Labastida, a municipality located between the Sierra de Cantabria and the Ebro River, has just over 1,400 inhabitants and about twenty wineries. Do you want to know what to see in Labastida with us?

Many people travel to Labastida to visit a winery, but what are wineries without their villages, their history and their gastronomy? Nothing. From TurismoVasco.com we believe that it is important to plan any getaway in advance in order to enjoy the essence of Rioja Alavesa. For this reason, we have decided to show you all the places worth visiting in Labastida. We hope you like them.

What to see in Labastida.

Labastida has one of the most striking historical centers of Rioja Alavesa. It is here, in the urban center, where we find most of the places mentioned in this section. If you have any questions about any of these places, we encourage you to use the comment system at the end of this article to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible.

Church of Our Lady of the AssumptionThis Basque temple located in the town square, in front of the town hall and the house of culture, was built between the XVI and XVIII centuries. Its silhouette, consisting of the tower, the church and the sacristy, is an emblem of the town. We encourage you to visit its interior, where you will find the main altarpiece and the organ (XVII century), two of the jewels of this Basque temple.

Santo Cristo ChapelAt the top of Labastida, we find the hermitage of Santo Cristo, a catholic temple, which in the past was also used as a fortress. This 16th century building surprises us with its ashlar walls and its façade. But these are not its only attractions, its strategic location allows us to contemplate the whole town from a bird’s eye view. Undoubtedly one of the great viewpoints of Rioja Alavesa.

Labastida MuralsAlthough the mural at the entrance of the village is the most emblematic, it is not the only one. The town council has carried out several contests to decorate some of the walls of the old town. We are sure that during your trip to Labastida you will find more than one.

WallAlthough today it is difficult to distinguish the wall that protected Labastida, you should know that in the same square where the wall is located, next to the Mota Baja street, we find a small section of the wall. A small but very interesting space. And it is that from this square we can contemplate the Paseo de Ronda, a narrow path located on the wall itself that served as a lookout point for the sentries of the town. Under it, dug into the rock itself, are the ancient hermit caves.

Palace of the Paternina familyThis building located at number 9 of Calle Mayor, just 100 meters from the town hall, is one of the palaces that we recommend you to visit in Labastida. A mansion built by Diego Martines de Paternina y Samaniego in the XVI century, that even Napoleon himself fell in love with its coats of arms, walls and balconies.

Garizabal Palace HouseIn front of the Paternina Palace, in the Main Street, we find another of the palaces of Labastida, the Garizabal Palace House. Its façade, much more elaborate, has been restored to show visitors the beauty of its eaves, balconies and coat of arms.

Town HallThe town hall of Labastida is located in front of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. In this case, the town hall has occupied another of the great palaces of the town. In fact, this building constructed in the 18th century was declared a National Monument. Its portico and the square host some of the most important events of the town. Thus becoming the true nerve center of Labastida.

Arch of LarrazuriaAt the end of the Main Street, we find one of the ancient gates of Labastida, the gate that led to Vitoria Gasteiz. An incredible sandstone arch, decorated with figures of all kinds, attracts the attention of people passing under it.

ToloñoMount Toloño (1,271 meters) is one of the most emblematic peaks of Labastida and Rioja Alavesa. Although it can be accessed from different points of the town, the most traditional is the San Ginés Park. Once at the top, we can observe how the Sierra de Cantabria, the mountain range to which Mount Toloño belongs, protects all the lands of Rioja Alavesa until reaching the Ebro River.

San Ginés ParkThis park located at the foot of Mount Toloño, about 2 kilometers from the city center, next to the hermitage of San Ginés, is a perfect natural space to spend the day with the family. The barbecues and tables located under the shade of the trees allow us to enjoy a nice summer day. Of course, they tend to fill up easily, so we recommend you to get up early. From here start most of the hiking trails to access the Toloño mountain.

La Mota WineryBehind the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, in the street la mota baja, we find one of the old wine presses of Labastida. One of the many cave wine presses that were carved on the rock itself. Spaces where our ancestors made wine following Roman techniques more than 1,000 years ago. Over the years these wine presses were abandoned in favor of the well-known wine cellars of Rioja Alavesa.But these are not all the spaces that exist in Labastida, if you want to know all of them, we recommend that you also visit spaces such as the arch of Toloño or the Palace of the Salazar Quintano.

Guided visits to wineries in Rioja Alavesa.

The wineries of Labastida and Rioja Alavesa offer a series of guided tours that allow us to learn first-hand about the world of wine in the region. An experience that we recommend you to enjoy in every trip to Rioja Alavesa. After visiting many of the existing wineries, we have selected several wineries: family wineries, subway wineries, multinational wineries… A nice range of wineries that we hope will help you to better understand the way of life in this rural paradise located in the south of the Basque Country. We encourage you to read our article on guided visits to wineries in Rioja Alavesa.

Where to sleep in Rioja Alavesa.

The rural houses are the most demanded accommodations in Rioja Alavesa. In this area of Euskadi, where hotels are scarce, we find charming rural houses located among vineyards and wineries. If you are looking for a place to sleep during your trip to Rioja Alavesa, we encourage you to consider the possibility of booking a room in any of the rural houses in Rioja Alavesa that we recommend.

Labastida video.

As usual in all our publications, we have created a short video to show you in a more realistic way what awaits you in your next destination. We hope it will be helpful. In case you like this kind of videos, we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover all the places and experiences that we recommend in the Basque Country. We are waiting for you!

Experiences.

Euskadi has experiences that complement the visit to the most emblematic corners of our land. Different activities, carried out both by sea and by land, allow us to contemplate Euskadi from another perspective. We leave you a brief list with some of the most demanded experiences. Remember that you can access all of them from our reservation center.

Where to eat in Labastida.

The municipality has several gastronomic temples. But the one we like the most is Mesón Alai. An establishment that, located next to the road that joins this town with Laguardia (N232A), offers some of the most authentic and traditional dishes of Rioja Alavesa. A gastronomic reference in Labastida. You can read the complete article we dedicated to it on our website for more information: Mesón Alai de Labastida.

What to see near Labastida.

If you want to enjoy some of the most emblematic areas of Rioja Alavesa, we recommend a visit to places like the Lagunas de Laguardia, the town of Laguardia or the Poblado de la Hoya. More information: What to see in Rioja Alavesa.

Hiking.

The mountains and vineyards surrounding Labastida offer a perfect space for hiking. A great example of this is the route to Remalluri. This route begins at the top of the municipality, next to the Plaza del Olmo, in the Arco de Toloño. This is our point of origin and destination. It is here, where we must choose the way to follow, the low or the high walk, the route next to the vineyards or the high route through the Machimbrado. Both routes have a great charm, their paths are practically parallel until you reach the lands of the Remalluri Winery. We opted for the low route, at the foot of the vineyards, a very pleasant route in which we had the opportunity to enjoy the San Gines park and great views of the Remalluri winery.

La Ronda.

La ronda is one of the most popular and emblematic festivities of Labastida, a celebration in which bonfires, roasted chestnuts and zurracapote take center stage. We encourage you to enjoy it as we did. You can get more information here: La Ronda de Labastida.

As you have seen, Labastida has many places to see and enjoy. Spaces that we recommend you to visit during any trip to Rioja Alavesa. In case you have any questions about what to see in Labastida, we recommend you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to send them to us. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!