La Rioja Explorer LA RIOJA EXPLORER

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2 La Rioja Explorer Hike through hilltop villages, peaceful beech forests and farmland valleys. Browse market stalls full of fresh produce and enjoy a wine tasting under the eye of a local expert. Whether walking through vineyards towards a medieval castle or sipping fine wine over a Michelin-starred dinner, this self-drive holiday brings together beautiful walks and some of Spain s finest gastronomy and wine. 2

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4 La Rioja Explorer Rioja is, without a doubt, the most famous area of wine production in Spain the name is virtually synonymous with Spanish wine for many people. What is less well-known is the high quality and abundance of food available in these parts, with the fertile valleys, the plains to the south, and the coast to the north creating superb variety. Add in the delightful landscapes of rolling mountains, pretty villages, medieval castles and of course vineyards and you have a part of Spain which is a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth. On this self-guided holiday, you get to explore these landscapes on foot at a pace to suit you, taking as much time as you like to soak up the local culture. Naturally there is no shortage of opportunity to sample the region s output of food and wine. As well as meeting local wine and food experts, you meet Rioja natives, thus gaining an insight into every aspect of the region. 4

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6 Day 01 Bilbao Fly to Bilbao and head to your hotel, located in the heart of the city near to the Nervion River and the Guggenheim. Fly to Bilbao today. Collect your rental car at the airport and navigate your way to your hotel using the pre-loaded sat nav provided by us. You spend one night in the city, staying in a first class hotel in the city centre. This evening you might like to head out into town to try one of the city s famously good restaurants. Please note, international flights are quoted separately. 6

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8 Day 02 Villabuena de Alava Take time to explore the old centre of Bilbao as well as Frank Gehry s famous titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum before you set off for La Rioja. This morning you should be sure to wander through the old centre of Bilbao, the Guggenheim Museum, which is just a short stroll from your hotel. After lunch set off for the drive south into the region of La Rioja, it should take you less than two hours to get to your next hotel. We provide you with detailed maps and driving directions. It is well worth stopping off along the way at the Mirador de Tolono, a viewpoint with views across the whole Ebro valley to the high mountains of the south. La Rioja is an area of vineyards wedged between mountains to both the north and south. From the Mirador de Tolono you can see what gives this tiny area its precious micro-climate. Complete your journey as you arrive in Villabuena and your comfortable small hotel in the heart of the village. Here you will find a striking contrast of modern and traditional architecture. Relax for a while before your first introduction to the region s famous cuisine, as at dinner you are treated to a tasting menu of new Basque cuisine, paired with selected local wines. With its physical landscape making Rioja perfect for wine, its location at a crossroads of sea, mountains and plains blesses it with some of the finest food in the country. 8

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10 Day 03 Villabuena de Alava Explore the ancient and the modern art of winemaking today, with visits to two local - and utterly contrasting - wineries. They may have been making wine in La Rioja for a couple of thousand years or more, but in this quarter of the region, they certainly aren't standing still when it comes to production. Your first visit this morning is to the very new Bodegas Baigorri, a superb example of modern and ancient technology in harness. The gleaming steel and glass construct is an ingenious design, which uses only gravity for the different stages of harvesting, fermentation and bottling. After a tour of the facilities, sample a couple of their best vintages before settling down to a delicious lunch, with views out over the vines and hills. After your tastings, you might like to walk through fields and vineyards to the walled town of Laguardia. The landscapes are beautiful with the Cantabrian mountain range just to the north sheltering the vines of some of La Rioja s finest producers. You will see the dramatic roof line of Santiago Calatrava s design for the Ysios winery. Laguardia itself is fascinating to visit, with tales of the peninsular wars dominating the town s history, it also has much older gems to share. The church of Santa Maria has a striking polychromatic entrance dating as far back as the XII century. This afternoon you visit a very different, much more traditional winery. Four generations of the Luis Canas family have been producing wine for the best part of a century, and are a wonderful example of the intimate boutique wines that Rioja Alavesa makes so well. 10

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12 Day 04 Villabuena de Alava Walk across the valley s vineyards to a medieval castle today, before visiting the fascinating wine museum at Dinastia Vivanco. From the nearby village of Briones, set off walking a relaxed but pretty route through vineyards towards the castle at Davalillo. The valley is wide and open at this point so you enjoy lovely views of the mountains to the north and south, hilltop villages and the castle ahead. Enjoy a picnic lunch at the castle before returning to the hotel to relax. Walk 9.8km, 3hrs, Up 90m, Down 90m. This afternoon, you might like to visit the fascinating museum of Dinastia Vivanco which is dedicated to wine production. It also has the world s largest collection of corkscrews though that is arguably slightly less interesting. 12

13 Day 05 Logroño Spend the day with your native Rioja guide, who takes you to bodegas and tapas bars, before you visit a family-run vineyard to learn all about the winemaking process. After breakfast, meet your guide for the day to enjoy a day of short walks and bodega visits. This morning, enjoy a spot of local, family-run winemaking - very different from the major Rioja players - but great fun, and a very warm welcome, especially if you'd like to lend a hand to some of the processes! You spend time out in the vines as well as back in the bodega seeing how villagers would make their own vintages. If you are lucky you can even bottle up a souvenir of your own vintage. From here, it s into the old city of Logroño, the capital of La Rioja. Your guide shows you around the heart of the city before leaving you to check in to your beautiful small city hotel. This evening, your guide returns to accompany you for an hour or so on a bar-hopping wine tasting. Logrono is particularly famous for its tapas, Calle Laurel being the heart of the gastronomic bar scene. Taste a variety of different wines as you move from bar to bar, getting a sense of just how lucky the local residents are! 13

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15 Day 06 Logroño Today is yours to enjoy Logrono or a walk in the countryside nearby to work up an appetite for your Michelin starred dinner tonight. The day is yours to structure as you wish, there are plenty of options for you - from exploring the food market and wine shops of the city to hikes in the Sierra Cantabria nearby. Whichever you choose, try to work up an appetite for dinner at one of our favourite restaurants anywhere. We send a taxi to collect you this evening for the 30 minute drive south to a tiny village called Daroca. Here you will find the wonderful Moncalvillo restaurant, run by the Echapresto brothers. Ingredients come from the hills around and about, but the food is remarkably sophisticated and delicious. This dinner is known as a maridage, whereby each course is paired with a different wine. The sommelier Carlos is on hand to explain each choice of a particular wine to go with particular foods. 15

16 Day 07 Travel Return to Bilbao this morning for your flight home. Set off at a time to suit you for the drive back north to the airport of Bilbao, where you drop off your hire car. Alternatively, consider extending your time in northern Spain, either here in La Rioja, or further afield in the Pyrenees or Picos. Again, please note that international flights are quoted separately. 16

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18 How adventurous? ACTIVITY COMFORT CULTURE 18

19 Level of activity As a tailor made trip, the level of exertion on this trip is up to you. The walks on this trip are moderate rather than strenuous. Designed really to introduce you to the full variety of La Rioja's scenery rather than to have you trekking all day long. Most days consist of combinations of walking, a cultural visit or wine-based activity, followed by a delicious meal. Daytime temperatures will range between c. May and June tend to be showery but this is also one of the most beautiful times to visit. The driest month is usually September, with harvest happening usually towards the end of the month. October gradually gets more changeable but benefits from the beautiful colours of the autumnal forests. 19

20 Level of comfort In terms of physical comfort, we use 4* hotels for this trip - smaller properties with atmosphere and friendly staff. For details, please see the summary section below. In Bilbao this is a first class property in the heart of town. In La Rioja, you stay in a modern hotel in a traditional village, a 4* property famous for its gastronomy. In Logrono, again, it is a 4* hotel, but on a small scale, family run and very, very well maintained. 20

21 Level of culture This trip is packed with cultural highlights. You have various interactions with our local guides who are able to share constant insight into the people, landscapes and history surrounding you. And there is a lot to experience... From the dramatic titanium form of the Guggenheim modern art museum in Bilbao to the wonderfully engaging Dinastía Vivánco wine museum in Briones. From rolling up your sleeves in a tiny family vineyard to sampling fine Rioja in the company of a renowned local winemaker. From the beautiful UNESCO world heritage monasteries of Yuso and Suso to pilgrims passing along the Camino de Santiago. From the informal tapas of Logrono's vibrant Calle Laurel to Michelin starred dining in the tiny rural village of Daroca. From the weather worn necropolis of the Santa Maria hermitage to the dazzlingly well-preserved polychromatic portal of Santa Maria church in Laguardia. As you can see, there is a lot more to Spain's smallest region than just the wine. More than any other trip in this part of Spain, this is a holiday designed to convey La Rioja in all of its depth and breadth, its beauty and flavour. 21

22 Summary Day 01 Bilbao Fly to Bilbao and head to your hotel, located in the heart of the city near to the Nervion River and the Guggenheim. Overnight Hesperia Hotel, no meals included. Day 02 Villabuena de Alava Spend the morning in the Guggenheim and Bilbao s Old Town, before driving south into La Rioja. Overnight Viura Hotel, breakfast & dinner included. Day 03 Villabuena de Alava Explore the ancient and the modern art of winemaking today, with visits to two local - and utterly contrasting - wineries. Overnight Viura Hotel, breakfast included. Day 04 Villabuena de Alava Walk across the valley s vineyards to a medieval castle today, before visiting the fascinating wine museum at Dinastia Vivanco. Overnight Viura Hotel, breakfast included. Day 05 Logroño Spend the day with your native Rioja guide, who takes you to bodegas and tapas bars, before you visit a family-run vineyard to learn all about the winemaking process. Overnight Hotel Calle Mayor, breakfast included. Day 06 Logroño Today is yours to enjoy Logrono or a walk in the countryside nearby to work up an appetite for your Michelin starred dinner tonight. Overnight Hotel Calle Mayor, breakfast & dinner included. Day 07 Travel Return to Bilbao this morning for your flight home (international flights are quoted separately). Breakfast included. 22

23 Hotel Hesperia Bilbao, Bilbao Hotel Viura, La Rioja Hotel Viura, La Rioja Hotel Viura, La Rioja Hotel Calle Mayor, Logroño Hotel Calle Mayor, Logroño 23

24 Price 1,045pp The holiday price is per person based on two people sharing and includes accommodation and meals as set out in the summary section above. It also includes guided excursions and activities as described, and compact manual vehicle rental (e.g. Seat Leon). Naturally, on each and every one of our holidays, we include Pura s expertise, local contacts, support and advice throughout, along with the reassurance of our financial protection and safety auditing. International flights are quoted separately for this holiday. Best flight routings are to fly in and out of Bilbao (airport code: BIO), where this holiday starts and ends. Parking fees for the hire car in the towns & cities may apply and are not included; these are payable locally. 24

25 What next? We would love to prepare a personalised proposal for you to consider so why not call us on and we can get started? As a tailor made trip, in order to send the most appropriate proposal to you, we really need to discuss things with you first to find out when you want to travel, how long you want to go for, particular interests, etc. We can then prepare a detailed proposal and quotation. To confirm your trip, we need to first check availability. Once you are happy with arrangements we take a 15% deposit payable by card or bank transfer. Your confirmation paperwork is then sent to you, generally by . The balance is due 60 days prior to travel and is payable by bank transfer or debit card, for balances paid by credit card we pass on 2% card processing fees. Of course, we remain on hand throughout to help you prepare for your trip. Your money is 100% protected by ABTOT (membership number 5331). Questions? Call us on info@pura-aventura.com Website: Address: Pura Aventura, 18 Bond Street, Brighton, BN1 1RD. UK.

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