Rioja Alavesa is just over an hour's drive from Bilbao. Vineyards, walled villages and wineries offering tours with tastings. The problem is always the same: someone has to drive back. By taxi, everyone gets to taste.
Laguardia
This is the must-see village: a walled medieval town on a hilltop, with narrow streets, the church of Santa María de los Reyes and its painted portico, and wine cellars dug out beneath the houses. You can explore it on foot in a couple of hours.
Wineries
Around Laguardia you'll find family-run wineries and some with famous architecture, like Ysios, by Santiago Calatrava, or Marqués de Riscal in Elciego, with its building by Frank Gehry, the architect of the Guggenheim. Most require you to book your visit in advance: do that before booking the taxi and we'll work the times around it.
The best time to go
Autumn, with the grape harvest and the vineyards changing colour, is when it looks its best. In summer it's hot at midday: better to do your visits in the morning and have lunch in the shade.
How much it costs
The full-day trip to Rioja Alavesa has a fixed price per car: €260, with pick-up and drop-off at your address in Bilbao. We wait as long as you need between wineries. Book the trip.
A tip from your driver
Don't squeeze more than two wineries and a meal into one day. Between tours, tastings and lunch, the day flies by, and it's more enjoyable without rushing.
