Walk round Laguardia's walled old town

Laguardia stands on a long hill, surrounded by vineyards and enclosed by its wall. Inside are three parallel streets, linked by alleys, where cars do not enter. The walk has no entrance fee or opening hours: it takes an unhurried hour, and two if you stop at the viewpoints and in Plaza Mayor at clock time.

A hill with five gates

The town was walled in the 13th century, in the reign of Sancho VII the Strong of Navarre, with sandstone blocks. Four gates connected it with the outside: Páganos, Mercadal, San Juan and Santa Engracia. The fifth, the Puerta Nueva or Carnicerías gate, was not opened until the 15th century. The wall keeps its original layout and quite a few turrets; two of them now serve as bell towers.

Use it as a guide: enter by one gate, walk a street to the other end and come back by another. To the south is the church of San Juan, a fortress-church whose Gothic tower was a gate in the wall; to the north, that of Santa María de los Reyes and the Torre Abacial, which are visited through the tourist office.

From Plaza del Gaitero to the Collado promenade

Inside the old town, look out for Plaza del Gaitero: it is home to "Viajeros" by Koko Rico, two bronze plaques with suitcases and bags on one and shoes on the other, a tribute to the traveller. Near the southern end is the Celtiberian pond of La Barbacana, about 2,100 years old: it stored some 300,000 litres of water from a spring on the hill and is the largest Iron Age pond found in Europe. It has an interpretation centre, and the visit is booked through the tourist office.

Outside the wall, to the north, the Collado promenade runs between the Santa Engracia and Páganos gates. Below, the villages of Rioja Alavesa spread out and, in the distance, the Sierra de Cantabria. In the middle, an iron bandstand holds the bronze bust of Samaniego. Opposite the Páganos gate, the Portal de Páganos viewpoint has a fountain, tables and a photographic panel for identifying the villages and mountains in view. On a clear day it is the place for the sunset.

The hour of the dancers

Plaza Mayor, with its arcades, is the centre of the town. It is presided over by the Town Hall, from the 19th century, with a carillon clock whose automata dance the festival pasacalles at 12:00, 14:00, 17:00 and 20:00; from June to September, also at 13:00 and 22:00. Arrive a few minutes early. At one side is the old Town Hall, from the 16th century, with the coat of arms of Charles V, and on its façade a plaque with the official measures of the vara, the roof tile and the brick, put there to prevent abuses by merchants.

Climbing up from the car or the bus

Leave the car below, in the public car parks beside the wall or on Avenida de la Diputación, where a public lift takes you up to the old town. If you arrive by bus from Vitoria or Logroño, the stops are at the foot of the town. Inside, the streets are flat with smooth paving; the climbs from the car parks are steep.