Hotel Silken Villa de Laguardia
Why we like it: A four-star hotel with a 1,000 m² spa and an outdoor pool, among vineyards at the foot of the old town and next to the bus stop.
Duration1 night
From Vitoria45 min by car
Best timeSeptember · October · May
Budget€170–280 pp
DifficultyEasy
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving on Saturday morning and sleeping one night inside the walls of Laguardia. Saturday is for the town and a tasting under its streets; Sunday, for the tower, Elciego and the vineyard.
Saturday
- 110:30Arrival and a walk round the old town
From Vitoria to Laguardia in 45 minutes via the Herrera pass. Park outside the wall, drop your luggage and walk the three streets of the old town, the gates and the Paseo del Collado, with views of the lagoon and the vineyard.
- 212:30Tasting under a palace at Mayor de Migueloa
Its cellar is under a medieval palace on Calle Mayor. The simplest tasting, with five wines and a snack of local cheese, costs €25; there are versions with Idiazabal or Iberian ham, and others that end with a Rioja menu in its restaurant. Book a day ahead.
- 314:00Lunch at Héctor Oribe, in Páganos
Five minutes from the old town, chef's cooking with traditional roots and two tasting menus. Open Wednesday to Sunday at midday only: book.
- 417:30Laguardia lagoons
At the foot of the town, four lagoons with a path along the shore at Prao de la Paúl and birds, more from September to March. An hour or an hour and a half, before dinner in the town.
Sunday
- 111:45Torre Abacial and the municipal cellar
The tourist office takes you up the tower of the old fortress on a Sunday tour at 11:45, for €3, and at 13:00 goes down to a cellar dug beneath the streets, also for €3. Book both.
- 213:45Lunch and Marqués de Riscal
Eat at Amelibia, beside the wall, on Sunday from 13:00 to 15:30. Then to Elciego: the basic Marqués de Riscal visit tours the winery and vineyard and ends with three wines, in 90 minutes and for €30. On the way, stop at the dolmen of the Chabola de la Hechicera, among the vines. Back to Vitoria at the end of the afternoon.
From Vitoria, Laguardia is three quarters of an hour away: you cross the Sierra de Cantabria by the Herrera pass and, on the way down, the whole Rioja Alavesa lies in front of you, vines all the way to the Ebro. It can be seen on a Sunday, but with a night inside the walls the town changes: in the evening it empties of day trippers and the streets are left to those who sleep there. This plan splits the weekend between the cellars under the old town, two tastings, a chef's lunch and a walk through the vineyard and the dolmens. From Bilbao it is an hour and twenty; from Logroño, twenty minutes.
When to go?
The grape harvest, from mid-September to October, is the moment: the vineyard turns yellow and red and the wineries are at full tilt. In May the countryside is green and temperatures mild. In summer, do the walks early. In winter the town is quiet and the wineries stay open by booking, but some restaurants cut their days: confirm them.
| Winery or visit | Where | Price | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal cellar | Laguardia | €3 | Sunday at 13:00 |
| Bodega El Fabulista | Laguardia | From €14 | Every day |
| Mayor de Migueloa | Laguardia | From €25 | One day's notice |
| Marqués de Riscal | Elciego, 7 km away | From €30 | Every day, 10:00 to 19:00 |
Where to sleep?
Inside the wall, the Posada Mayor de Migueloa is a medieval palace with stone-and-beam rooms, a grill restaurant and its own cellar; Casa Rural Erletxe, on Rúa Mayor in Peralta, is the quiet and economical option, with a garden and breakfasts. At the foot of the old town, the four-star Hotel Silken Villa de Laguardia has 84 rooms, a 1,000 m² spa and an outdoor pool, with the bus stop next door. For a special night, the Hotel Marqués de Riscal, in Frank O. Gehry's titanium building in Elciego, with a wine-therapy spa: if you sleep there, the winery visit is booked with the hotel.
If you want more wine or more village
Half an hour along the Sonsierra road, Haro has the Barrio de la Estación, with Muga and La Rioja Alta. West of Laguardia, Samaniego and Labastida are stone villages at the foot of the sierra, for a mid-morning by car. In Laguardia itself, Bodega El Fabulista shows its cellars seven metres below the Samaniego palace, from €14, with tours every day.
Without a car
Álava Bus line 9 links Vitoria, Laguardia and Logroño with about ten departures a day, at weekends too, around an hour from Vitoria. Laguardia, its cellars and the lagoons are done on foot; Páganos is two kilometres away. For Elciego and Marqués de Riscal, a taxi.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Laguardia on foot, the wineries by car
A car gives you the whole of Rioja Alavesa: Elciego, the dolmens, Páganos and the Sonsierra road to Labastida and Haro. Leave the car outside the wall on arrival and explore Laguardia on foot; pick it up again for the wineries outside. If you are going to taste, let whoever is not drinking drive.
90–170 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepSilken Villa de Laguardia, with…
- Getting aroundElciego and Marqués de Riscal…
- Where to eatAmelibia and Héctor Oribe open…
- ServicesCar parks beside the wall…
Where to sleep
- Silken Villa de Laguardia, with a garage and spa
- Casa Rural Erletxe, inside the old town
- Hotel Marqués de Riscal, in Elciego
Getting around
- Elciego and Marqués de Riscal, about 10 minutes
- The Chabola de la Hechicera, in Elvillar, about 10 minutes
- Samaniego, Labastida and Haro along the road at the foot of the sierra
Where to eat
- Amelibia and Héctor Oribe open on Sunday at lunchtime
- Asador Villa-Lucía, with parking on the Logroño road
Services
- Car parks beside the wall and on Avenida de la Diputación, with a lift
By bus from Vitoria or Logroño
Laguardia is easy to do without a car. Alavabus line 9 links Vitoria-Gasteiz and Logroño through the town, with about ten departures a day, also at weekends, and an hour's journey from Vitoria. From Logroño there are more lines. In Laguardia, the old town, the calados, the tastings and two of the restaurants are within walking distance.
80–140 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepSilken Villa de Laguardia, next…
- Getting aroundOn foot: old town, El…
- Where to eatAmelibia, next to the wall…
- ServicesTourist office at Calle Mayor…
Where to sleep
- Silken Villa de Laguardia, next to the "Laguardia (Hotel)" stop
- Posada Mayor de Migueloa, on Calle Mayor
- Casa Rural Erletxe, on Rúa Mayor de Peralta
Getting around
- On foot: old town, El Fabulista, Mayor de Migueloa and the lagoons
- Bike hire at Mayor de Migueloa for the lagoons and surroundings
- Line 10 continues to Samaniego, Labastida and Haro
Where to eat
- Amelibia, next to the wall, open on Sunday at lunchtime
- Asador Villa-Lucía, on the way out of the town
Services
- Tourist office at Calle Mayor 52
- Elciego has no bus from Laguardia: take a taxi
Gehry, a spa and a tasting menu
Rioja Alavesa has a well-put-together luxury weekend: a night in the Gehry building, a top-end tasting, a wine spa and a long tasting-menu lunch in a small village.
From €300per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Marqués de Riscal, in…
- Getting aroundMarqués de Riscal visits 2…
- Where to eatHéctor Oribe tasting menu, in…
- ServicesBook the spa and tastings…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Marqués de Riscal, in Elciego, with a Caudalie spa
- Silken Villa de Laguardia, with a 1,000 m² wine and oil spa
Getting around
- Marqués de Riscal visits 2 and 3, with top-end wines, at €45 and €60
- Tasting with Iberian ham at Mayor de Migueloa
Where to eat
- Héctor Oribe tasting menu, in Páganos, €60
- Gastronomic restaurant at the Hotel Marqués de Riscal
Services
- Book the spa and tastings when you book the room
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights1
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingwithout a carin style
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Posada Mayor de Migueloa
Why we like it: A hotel in a medieval palace on Calle Mayor, inside the wall, with a chuletón restaurant and its own winery beneath the house.
Casa Rural Erletxe
Why we like it: A country guesthouse on Rúa Mayor de Peralta, inside the old town, with a garden, breakfasts, a reading lounge and a lift; the quiet, affordable option.
Hotel Marqués de Riscal
Why we like it: Frank O. Gehry's titanium hotel at the Elciego winery, part of Marriott's Luxury Collection, with 61 rooms, a vinotherapy spa and a signature restaurant.
Hotel Viura
Why we like it: Four-star hotel of interlocking cubes beside the church of Villabuena de Álava, with 35 rooms, a wine cellar, a bistro and a rooftop among 43 wineries.
Hotel Eguren Ugarte, in the winery at Páganos
Why we like it: 21-room hotel inside the Eguren Ugarte winery, at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria next to Laguardia, with vineyard views, two restaurants and 2,000 m of galleries.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Laguardia old town | Everything on foot, inside the wall | |
| Elciego | Marqués de Riscal and Gehry's hotel, about 7 km away | |
| Páganos | Hamlet at the foot of the sierra, 2 km away | |
| Samaniego and Labastida | Sonsierra villages on the way to Haro |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa
Amelibia restaurant
What to order: the hake kokotxas in pil-pil, the pig's trotters with foie gras or the confit suckling pig
Héctor Oribe restaurant
What to order: the eight-course tasting menu; from Wednesday to Friday, the short five-course one
Villa-Lucía grill restaurant
What to order: something from the vine-cutting and vine-stock grill, and at the wine bar, pintxos with a Rioja Alavesa wine
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Sleep inside the wall. At dusk the old town empties and that is when it is best to stroll.
We'd skip it
Midday in July and August for the walks through the vineyard: there is no shade.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Vitoria?
About 45 minutes via the Herrera pass. From Bilbao, an hour and twenty on the AP-68; from Logroño, twenty minutes.
Do I need to book the wineries?
Yes. The tourist office tours have 40 places, Mayor de Migueloa asks for a day's notice and Marqués de Riscal sells its visits on its website.
Can it be done by bus?
Yes, with Álava Bus line 9 from Vitoria or Logroño. For Elciego you will need a taxi.
Where to park in Laguardia?
Outside the wall: there is no traffic inside. The tourist office shows the car parks around the old town.
Is it a plan for children?
With children the walk along the wall, the Torre Abacial and the lagoons work. Marqués de Riscal has a reduced rate for them.