Laguardia, Rioja Alavesa – Basque Country

LAGUARDIA

Laguardia, Spain – Tourism Guide

Set atop a hill in the middle of a valley is the picture-perfect town of Laguardia. This walled town is surrounded by vineyards on all sides and offers a glimpse into the region's wine making past. A few of the wine cellars located under the town houses are open for tours and are a definite must see.

Founded in the 10th century as a defense town for the kingdom of Navarra, this beautiful walled town is located in a hill overlooking the vineyards, with the Cantabrian Mountains in the background.

It is without a doubt the most known, but also the most attractive, town of the region. Enjoy the walk through the medieval narrow streets and stop at one of the multiple bars to try some local wine accompanied by a ración or a pintxo.

 
Laguardia's Top Things to Do & See
Laguardia Tourism
Wall surrounding Laguardia
Things to do in Laguardia
Typical narrow street in Laguardia

Laguardia was originally built as a walled town and was used primarily as a military fort. Apart from the wall, the other main characteristic of Laguardia is its tunnels. They were dug under the town to keep the inhabitants safe during battles and had openings that exited to the hillside in case they needed to escape.

After the town was no longer needed for its strategic military position, it was noticed by the inhabitants that the climate in these tunnels were perfect for storing wine. The tunnels are still in use today and many people have their private cellars in them.

Laguardia, La Rioja Wine Region
Local relaxing on a park bench

We highly recommend a visit to one of these cellars. Bodega Carlos San Pedro offers one such tour and you can take a trip back in time to see how the wine was made for centuries. Some steps of the production are now completed in a nearby facility, however, until a few years ago everything was done manually on location.

You can still see the wine that is housed in tanks that have been carved from the stone along with some examples of the simple machines that were used in times past.

Laguardia, Spain
Vineyards around Laguardia

In the number iconmain square of Laguardia you will find the old and the new town hall buildings. In the new building, there is an interesting pendulum clock that opens and three figures come out to dance to a traditional song. You can see them at the following times:

  • From October to May – 12pm, 2pm, 5pm and 8pm
  • From June to September – 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm and 10pm

If you have the time, walk around the village, outside the wall. You will have a better view of the wall itself and find a nice quiet green area for relaxing with nice views of the surrounding vineyards.

Hotels in Laguardia

Hotels in Laguardia

Get In & Around

Get In & Around

Once you have arrived in Laguardia, everything is reachable by foot. However, if you want to get out of the town and venture off to some other wineries, it would be a good idea to think about renting a car.

Arriving to Laguardia

PLANE – The closest airport is the one of Bilbao which is located 120 km away (about 90 minutes). The airport of San Sebastian is located 160 km away (about 2 hours). However, there isn’t direct transport from these airports to Laguardia.

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CAR – Laguardia is located 64 km south of Vitoria and both are connected by the road A-2124. Logroño, the capital of la Rioja, is only 18 km away and can be reached following the road A-124.

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BUS – There are buses to Laguardia from Vitoria, San Sebastian and other towns in the region.

TRAIN – There isn’t a train station in Laguardia. The closest train station is located in Logroño.

Other Places of Interest in the Surroundings

In the Surroundings

Map – Things to Do in Laguardia

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