La Rioja can be explored through a wide range of themes: the landscapes of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, long-distance trails, wine visits and regional cuisine, or historic buildings and prehistoric discoveries. When planning your trip, it is worth choosing your focus first. The landscape routes, cultural sites and culinary traditions each offer their own highlights; they do not have to be combined into a single list of excursions.

Landscapes and trails in La Rioja

The Biosphere Reserve of the Leza, Jubera, Cidacos and Alhama valleys was recognized by UNESCO in 2003. It covers 122,811 hectares, extends across 40 municipalities and accounts for 24 percent of La Rioja’s area. Its landscapes include rocky escarpments and river gorges, as well as old terraces and patchworks of cultivated land. Natural features and areas shaped by people sit side by side here.

The trails mentioned offer different scales for planning a route. The 200-kilometer GR-93 “Sierras de La Rioja” long-distance trail crosses the entire mountain region in the south of the Biosphere Reserve. The GR-93 “Sierras Riojanas” passes through Ezcaray; the GR-190 “Altos Valles Ibéricos” runs entirely through La Rioja. The Camino de Santiago crosses landscapes of the Ebro Valley, vineyards, cereal fields and small villages worth visiting. The Vía Verde del Cidacos offers a different kind of route: it follows a former railway line for 34 kilometers in two stages, with an additional four-kilometer alternative.

The landscapes also change along the Vía Verde: the route runs from the valley to the Sierra, past the river slopes of the Cidacos and the Peñas de Arnedillo. A significant colony of vultures and cliff-dwelling birds lives there. Choosing a trail lets you focus on different aspects of the region, with length and the described landscape offering concrete points of comparison.

Traces of the past and historic buildings

La Rioja brings together several forms of archaeological heritage. Dinosaur discoveries date back to the early Cretaceous, around 120 million years ago. They include Prejanopterus curvirostris, the first pterosaur species to be defined in Spain. There are also around 140 sites with fossilized dinosaur tracks, spread across 20 municipalities; Enciso is one of the most notable sites. Fossil tracks and animal remains tell different parts of the story of prehistory.

The region’s architectural history also offers clear contrasts in time. The Monasterio de Santa María La Real was founded in 1052 at the request of King García Sánchez III and his wife, Estefanía de Foix. The present-day church dates from 1516 and has three naves and a transept. At the Monasterio de San José, the church is the area open to visitors today. It was consecrated in 1642 and has a cruciform plan in the Carmelite tradition; check local visiting conditions before you go.

The Basílica de Santa María de los Arcos was originally a Roman mausoleum dating from the 3rd century and was converted into a Christian basilica in the 5th century. Beneath its floor, early Christian graves from the 5th and 6th centuries, reused Roman sarcophagi from the 1st to 3rd centuries, medieval sarcophagi, and Roman and early Christian funerary steles were discovered. In Logroño, the Concatedral de Santa María de la Redonda is in the heart of the old town, between Portales and Caballerías streets and the Plaza del Mercado.

Wine, cuisine and regional specialties

Wine visits can be a focus of their own on your trip. In La Rioja, more than 80 of the region’s over 500 wineries can be visited as part of organized tourism visits. Wine tourism includes vineyard visits, sports activities among the vines, grape treading and insights into winemakers’ work. As the figures may change, it is advisable to check the specific visit options before making plans.

Regional cuisine ranges from hearty dishes to sweets. Bacalao a la Riojana is prepared with tomatoes and peppers; other named products and ingredients include crayfish, trout, snails and mushrooms. Sweets and baked specialties include Hormigos, Soto marzipan, Molletes de Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Fardelejo filled with almonds. Those who want to focus on wine and food will find a range of aspects to consider when choosing the focus of their trip.

Springs on the Cidacos

The Pozas de Arnedillo are located on the banks of the Cidacos and are freely accessible. Their mineral-medicinal, hyperthermal springs emerge at a temperature of 52.5 °C. Check local access conditions before your visit.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Berceo, Haro, San Millán De La Cogolla, Navarrete, Logroño, Ezcaray, Cervera Del Río Alhama, Cenicero, Calahorra, Badarán, Azofra, Arnedo, Arnedillo, Alfaro, Alesanco, Albelda De Iregua, Casalarreina, Villalobar De Rioja, Santo Domingo De La Calzada, Galilea, Zorraquín, Nájera, Briñas, Abalos, Almarza De Cameros, Daroca De Rioja, Tirgo, San Asensio, Jalón De Cameros, Nalda, Castañares De Rioja, Gallinero De Cameros, Entrena, Zarratón, Sajazarra, Cuzcurrita De Río Tirón, Aguilar Del Río Alhama, Castroviejo, Laguna De Cameros, Bergasa, Las Ruedas De Ocón, Muro De Aguas, Bobadilla, Aldeanueva De Ebro, Azarrulla, Santurde De Rioja, Briones, Zaldierna, Sorzano, Sojuela, Arenzana De Abajo, Fuenmayor, Torremontalbo, Grávalos, Alesón, San Vicente De La Sonsierra, Ausejo, Villalba De Rioja, Alcanadre, Ollauri, El Cortijo, Anguiano, Panzares, Munilla, Cirueña, Enciso, Navalsaz, Huércanos, Villarroya, Tricio, Villarejo, Clavijo, Torrecilla En Cameros, Valgañón, Grañón, Ojacastro, San Román De Cameros, Peciña, Ventosa, Hornos de Moncalvillo, El Rasillo de Cameros, Baños de Río Tobía, Lardero, Villamediana de Iregua, Pradillo, Treviana, Lagunilla del Jubera, Lumbreras, Arrúbal, Igea, Villoslada de Cameros, Aldeanueva de Cameros, Viniegra de Abajo, Los Molinos de Ocón, Agoncillo, El Horcajo, Sotés.

For the main travel overview: Spain.