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Please leave your luggage in the hotel reception each morning (by 9am at the latest) so that it can be transferred to your next hotel. Make sure that your luggage is clearly labelled with the nametag provided.
Your bike fitting is scheduled for May 6th at 6pm at Hospedería de los Parajes. In case of any issues please contact Carlos on (+34) 680 48 66 87.
Call the Bike Spain Tours office on +34 915 590 653, or out of office hours call +34 677 356 586. We will get you where you need to be and get you the help you need.
Please be aware that Spaniards follow a very particular routine in terms of their daily meals, and this is often strictly enforced by restaurant opening hours, especially in small towns!
You can expect restaurants to be open for lunch from approximately 1:30pm – 4pm. Many places will offer a menú del día: a set menu with 2/3 options for each course, usually including a drink, bread and dessert or coffee. Remember that lunch is the main meal of the day in Spain.
Dinnertime in Spain is any time from 8pm onwards. Dinner in Spain is typically a lighter meal.
Please note that the legal limit for blood alcohol content, which is set at 0.5 g/l of alcohol in blood, applies to both cyclists and drivers in Spain. If you test positive on a breathalyzer, you may be fined between 500 and 1,000 euros. Please drink and cycle responsibly.
Please note that guided visits to bodegas must be booked in advance. Let us know if you would like us to book any visits for you.
It’s also a good idea to bring extra layers of clothing with you if you are planning to visit any bodegas, because the temperatures in the wine cellars are often several degrees cooler than outside.
Monday, 6th May: Laguardia (Alava)
Arrival day
Accommodation: Hotel Hospederia Los Parajes
Meals included: Dinner
Laguardia is the unofficial capital of the Rioja Alavesa – the Basque section of La Rioja – and many of the town’s 320 wine cellars, which date back from the late 18th century, are still functioning today. As you approach, the town looks like something plucked straight from a fairytale: standing atop a hill, still partly surrounded by walls, towers and fortified gateways.
Dinner tonight is included in your tour package. Upon arrival at your hotel, please advise reception of your preferred dinnertime.
6pm: Bike fitting in Hospedería de los Parajes. Our local contact, Carlos, will meet you in the hotel reception. In case of any issues, please call Carlos on: (+34) 680 48 66 87.
At leisure in Laguardia
Tuesday, 7th May: Ábalos (Rioja)
Route: Riding through the Rioja Alavesa: 41.9 km/26.1 miles
Elevation:+714m/+2139 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Villa de Ábalos
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
You’ll hit your first bodega within 2km! The majestic architecture of Bodega Ysios (wine bar open daily 10am – 4:30pm, guided tours and tastings available on request), created by famous architect Santiago Calatrava, seems to blend into the surrounding mountains. History buffs can make a detour to the Poblado de la Hoya (open Tue – Sat 11am – 2pm/4pm – 7pm, Sun 11am – 2pm), an Iron Age settlement with an excellent interpretation centre.
The ride continues along the banks of the Ebro River, winding its way through endless vineyards. The first town you’ll encounter is Elvillar, where you can make a stop at the Chabola de la Hechicera dolmen, the best-preserved Megalithic monument in the region, and where a witches’ ceremony is held every summer.
Stop for a photo opportunity at the Mirador del Risgo viewpoint just before arriving into Lapuebla de Labarca, which got its name from the small skiff that once transported people and goods across the Ebro. Here, you can visit “Balbino’s Balcony” at Bodega Don Balbino (open Mon – Sat 12pm – 2pm/4pm – 6pm) to enjoy a glass of the bodega’s own wine with fabulous views over the vineyards.
As you enter the next town, Elciego, you’ll notice the unmistakable titanium waves of a Frank O. Gehry building. This is the famous Marques de Riscal hotel and winery (guided tours in English available Mon – Sun 9am – 7pm, prior reservation essential), which also has its own Michelin Star restaurant (open for lunch Wed – Sat 1:30pm – 3pm, prior booking essential) and is worth visiting for its fabulous futuristic architecture alone.
We also highly recommend a visit to Valdelana Bodega and Wine Museum (open Mon – Sat 8am – 6pm and Sun 8am – 3pm), set in a 15th century underground cellar and whose exhibition covers everything from local prehistory, traditional wine-making techniques, an introduction to wine tasting theory and a wine and olive oil tasting at the end!
Before you reach the next town, Baños de Ebro, make a quick stop for a photo opportunity over the River Ebro at Mirador Alto del Ramo. If you’re feeling thirsty, you can take a break here at Bodega Amador García, which has a wine bar and terrace (open Mon – Fri 8am – 7pm).
Continuing on into Samaniego, your final stop, you’ll come across the well-known bodega and luxury restaurant Bai Gorri (open Tue – Sat 10am – 6pm, prior reservation essential).
Dinner tonight is included in your tour package. Please advise reception upon arrival of your preferred dinnertime.
At leisure in Ábalos
The tiny village of Ábalos (pop. 255!) is almost completely dedicated to winemaking. In the town, you can visit Bodega Solana de Ramirez Ruíz (guided tours and tastings in English available Mon – Fri at 5pm on request).
If your legs are up to it after all that cycling, you can hike the 2.5km up to the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Rosa for beautiful views over the town and its surroundings.
Wednesday, 8th May: Abalos (Rioja)
Route: Discovering the winery towns: 43.6 km/27.1 miles
Elevation: +622m/+2042 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Villa de Abalos
Meals included: Breakfast
Today’s route follows small, quiet country paths along the Ebro River, giving you a chance to explore some of the area’s most beautiful and historic little towns.
The first of these is San Vicente de Sonsierra, a former fortress town where coats of arms still decorate historic palaces. Here, you can visit the medieval city centre, which boasts a castle, several watchtowers and the remains of the original city walls. There is even an virtual reality app that shows how the town once was, downloadable from the Apple App Store and Google Play. You can also visit the 13th century church of San Juan de Arriba, which houses the nationally-famous Vera Cruz Brotherhood, who precede their Easter Week processions with self-flagellation to show their faith. We also recommend a visit to the interesting Bodega Castillo de Mendoza, formerly housed within the castle walls (shop open and tastings available Mon – Fri 9am – 2:45pm and Sat 11:30am – 1:30pm).
Next, your route takes you up to the tiny mountaintop hamlet of Rivas de Tereso, (pop. just 15!) where you can enjoy a bite to eat with fabulous views at the excellent Asador de José Mari (open Wed – Mon, 10am – 6pm), where you can choose between the terrace and the garden for a relaxing break.
Your next stop is the tiny village of Remelluri, famous for the large 10th century necropolis, discovered in 1972, where 300 anthropomorphic tombs are clearly visible, and the little hermitage of Santa Sabina. You can also stop by the excellent Remelluri Bodega, set in a 15th century monastery (shop open Mon – Fri 8am – 3pm).
You’ll continue on through vineyards, through the town of Bastida to the pretty riverside hamlet of Briñas, where you can stop off at Bodega Tobelos (wine bar open Mon – Sat 12:30pm – 3pm, guided tours available on request).
On exiting Briñas, those interested in history can cross the medival bridge over the Ebro to visit the Celtic religious site of Jarrero, set on a hilltop and surrounded by grapevines.
Your next stop is Haro, one of La Rioja’s centres of wine production, and world-famous for the wine battle that takes place every June, in which locals and visitors alike attack each other with thousands of litres of wine!
Haro itself is a fascinating town, and it’s well worth taking a stroll to discover the sculptures of ordinary inhabitants performing traditional tasks, many of which are, of course, related to winemaking! We also recommend a visit to the Baroque Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Haro, and a walk around the palaces of the old own. Here, you have the option of treating yourself to a Michelin Star lunch at Restaurante Nublo (open for lunch Wed – Sun, 1:30pm – 4pm, prior booking essential). Of course, no visit to Haro would be complete without stopping by a winery, and our recommendation here is CVNE, which belongs to one of Spain’s biggest wine companies and boasts a wine barrel cellar designed by Gustave Eiffel (wine bar open Mon – Sat 9am – 4:30pm, tours in English available Mon – Sun on request), or the wine bar at Bodegas Muga (open Mon – Fri 9:30am – 2:30pm, Sat 10:30am – 2:30pm).
From Haro, you’ll head back towards Ábalos.
Thursday, 9th May: Ábalos – Santo Domingo Calzada
Route: Along the Camino de Santiago: 42.3 km/26.3 miles OR 60.1 km/37.3 miles
Elevation: +581m/+1,906 ft OR 837m/+2,747 ft
Accommodation: Parador Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Please leave your luggage in reception by 9am at the latest so that it can be transferred to your next accommodation. In case of any issues with the luggage transfer, please contact Oscar on (+34) 659872863.
Long acknowledged as the oldest tourist trail stretching throughout Europe, the Camino de Santiago (Saint James Way, in English) is the dividing line between the upper and lower Rioja regions.
You’ll pass through San Vicente de Sonsierra and into the atmospheric hilltop town of Briones, whose north side overlooks the River Ebro. Here, we highly recommend a visit to the fascinating Museum of Wine Culture, which explores two millennia of the history of wine (open 10am – 6pm Wed – Sun) at Bodega Vivanco. Tastings at the Wine Corner, guided bodega tours in English (on request) and gourmet lunches at the bodega’s restaurant are also available (restaurant open 1:30 – 3:30pm, prior booking essential).
In Briones, we also recommend a stroll around the town’s charming medieval centre, and a visit to the majestic 16th century Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. If you fancy a bite to eat, we recommend Restaurante Los Calaos de Briones (open Tue – Sun, 1pm – 4pm), which is set in a 17th century wine cellar. History buffs can pay a visit to La Casa Encantada, a beautiful 18th century manor house converted into la Rioja’s very own Ethnographical Museum (open Tue – Sat 10am –2pm/4pm – 7pm and Sun 10:30am – 2:30pm).
From Briones, you’ll continue south through Azofra and Alesanco towards Cañas, where you can visit the imposing 12th century Monastery of Santa Maria de San Salvador (open Tue – Fri 11am – 5pm, Sat 10:30am – 5:30pm and Sun 10:30am – 3pm).
If you fancy a bit more cycling (approximately 15 km extra) you can head south from Cañas to the town of San Millán de Cogolla, considered to be the cradle of the Spanish language, thanks to the influence of the Yuso (lower) and Suso (mountainside) monasteries. The monks worked for almost a hundred years to create the first comprehensive Spanish grammar. and the two spectacular monasteries are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Yuso is open Tue – Sun 10am – 1:30pm/4pm – 6:30pm, and Suso is open 10am – 1:30pm/4pm – 6pm (prior reservation required to visit Suso; you can buy tickets at the Reservations Office in Yuso).
In San Millán, you have a few options for lunch: Yuso’s very own restaurant, In Vino Veritas (open 1:30pm – 3pm, and a historic flour mill, Restaurante El Molino de San Millán (open daily 1pm – 4pm).
Today’s route finishes in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Dinner tonight is included in your tour package. Upon arrival at the hotel, please advise reception of your preferred dinner time.
At leisure in Santo Domingo de la Calzada
The most important attraction in Santo Domingo is the spectacular 16th century Cathedral (open Mon – Sat 10am – 2pm/4pm – 7pm, Sun 10am – 3pm), which includes a sculpted chicken coop in honour of one of the miracles of Saint Domingo, the town’s patron, who brought a roasted chicken back to life in order to save an innocent pilgrim from being hanged.
Friday, 10th May: Santo Domingo Calzada Loop
Route: 30 km/18.6 miles
Elevation: +257 m/+861 ft
Accommodation: Parador Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Meals included: Breakfast
Today, you’ll follow a former railway line that once went all the way to Haro, and has now been converted into a peaceful cycle path: Vía Verde del Rio Oja. Fifteen kilometres of pure biking pleasure between the floodplain of the River Oja and the foothills of the Sierra de la Demanda, dotted with picturesque medieval hermitages and flanked by agricultural fields. As you head towards Ezcaray, the route gradually becomes more forested until you reach the limestone cliffs of the Peña de San Torcuato, an important habitat for birds of prey.
In Ezcaray, you can celebrate the final day of your trip with a lunch at Hotel Echaurren, either at the Michelin Star restaurant Portal de Echaurren (open for lunch 1:30pm – 2:30pm Thu – Sun, prior booking essential) or Restaurante Tradición (open daily for lunch 1:30pm – 3:15pm). It’s also well worth taking some time to explore the town, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful in La Rioja: set in the mountains, surrounded by unspoilt nature, and retaining the traditional architecture of its historic town centre.
Eating and drinking in Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Before leaving Santo Domingo, you must try ahorcaditos, small cakes shaped like the shell of St James (due to the town’s importance on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route). The best place to buy these is Pastelería Isidrio (open Tue – Sun 10:30am – 2pm/5:30 – 8pm)
The Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada has an excellent in-house restaurant; however, if you would like to explore the town further we recommend Restaurante Los Caballeros (open Tue – Sat 1pm – 3:30pm/7:30pm – 10pm and Sun 1pm – 3:30pm), which is set in a historic manor house.
Saturday 11th May: Departure
Meals included: Breakfast
After breakfast, our services come to an end!
We hope that you had a wonderful time discovering the wine towns of La Rioja with us.
Hospederia Parajes
In the heart of Rioja-Alavesa, Laguardia, there is a unique place to live an experience around wine: The “Hospedería de los Parajes”.
A new hotel concept, where history and modernity combine to accommodate a range of rooms and services full of sensations. Passing through the main gate in the wall of Laguardia, you will find an exceptional building. Inside the walls we have built our hotel. Spa and a great restaurant.
Hotel Villa de Abalos
Located in the very heart of Spains La Rioja region, in the village of Ábalos.
This pleasantly-situated family hotel is surrounded by fields containing seemingly endless rows of the areas characteristic grape vines. Stone, wood and wrought iron combine to create an ambience that is both attractively modern and traditionally comfortable. The ground floor is the location of the communal areas, the reception desk, the lounges, the sun terrace, the garden and the bike park.
Parador Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Comfortable guest rooms decorated with exquisite taste where you will find a warm, harmonious environment.
The hotel occupies a former 12th-century hospital near the cathedral, erected by St. Dominic to take in pilgrims traveling on the Way of St. James. It has a regal, elegant style, with majestic function rooms and a lobby filled with Gothic arches and wood coffered ceilings.
On a Bike Spain Tours vacation, understanding and abiding by the rules of safe cycling is vital.
You’re probably familiar with some common safety guidelines. Below are those that we follow at Bike Spain, and we ask that you follow them while traveling with us:
Being on a bike tour shouldn’t mean constantly worrying about your bike breaking down. Nevertheless, bikes are machines, and issues can occur. Here’s what to look for if something doesn’t sound, feel, or work right.
ACCIDENTS: In case of an accident, keep calm, get off the road and go to a safe place (such as the hard shoulder) where you can evaluate the problem. If you suspect that you need medical care, call the Spanish emergency services on 112, explaining clearly where you are and what the problem is. Have your passport and your insurance documentation handy before calling. Please contact our office immediately after speaking with emergency services.
Remember that personal insurance it is not included on our self-guided tours. We offer an optional insurance policy. If you choose not to purchase this, please make sure that you keep own insurance documentation with you (including your passport).
The tour price does not include any roadside assistance with bicycle maintenance (e.g. flat tires) or any other taxi transfers during the tour. Any repairs that need to be caarried out on the bicycles that are not a result of negligence on Bike Spain Tours’ part will be paid for by the client.
HELMET: Cycling on the road in Spain without a helmet is illegal and unsafe; remember to wear your helmet at all times.
To check the weather before you leave on your trip, please take a look at current weather conditions at www.weatheronline.co.uk. For historical temperature and precipitation statistics visit www.weatherbase.com or take a look at the Spanish Meteorological website with detailed information per region (http://www.aemet.es/en/elclima/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos)
The history of Spain is a compendium of influences from the different cultures that have lived in the country. The first settlers on the Peninsula were the Celts and the Iberians. The Roman presence in Hispania lasted for seven centuries, during which time the basic borders of the Peninsula in relation to other European towns were set up. Many institutions were inherited from Rome such as the concept of family, Latin as a language, religion and law. At the start of the 5th century new settlers from the North arrived and settled on the Peninsula: the Visigoths in the interior and the Swabians on the West. The decomposition of the Visigoth state apparatus would lead to the successive infiltration of Arab and Berber troops from the other side of the Straits of Gibraltar at the beginning of the 8th century. In the middle of the 8th century the Muslims had completed occupation and Cordoba became the center of the flourishing Andalusian state. The Arab presence in Spain would last for almost seven centuries and leave an indelible mark on the Spanish cultural heritage.
Following a long period of peaceful coexistence, the small Christian strongholds in the North of the Peninsula took on a leading role in the Reconquest, which ended with the capture of Granada in 1492 under the reign of the Catholic King and Queen, traditionally considered the founders of peninsular unity and the imperial management of the Spanish revival. The 16th century represents the zenith of Spanish hegemony in the world, a process that would last until the middle of the 17th century. Following the death of Charles II, the last of the Austrians, who died without having had children, Phillip V inaugurated the dynasty of the Bourbons of Spain.
The crisis of the Old Order opened the doorway to the Napoleonic invasion. The War of Independence was a war against the French invasion, but also a revolutionary war due to the decisive involvement of the people and the clear formation of a national consciousness that would later shape the 1812 Constitution. The Courts of Cadiz thereby enacted one of the first Constitutions of the world which ratified that sovereignty would reside in the nation. The conflict between liberalists and absolutists, or in other words, between two different ways of perceiving the establishment of the state, would be one of the longest Spanish conflicts throughout the 19th century.
The ballot box is introduced into Spain and with it the first democratic experience of the 20th century: the second Republic, a brief attempt to introduce the reformations the country needed, frustrated by General Franco’s military rising and the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936. The military victory of General Franco gave way to a long dictatorial period that would last until 1975. Following his death, the Spanish peacefully made the transition from dictatorship to democracy in a process known as ‘the Spanish model’. Don Juan Carlos I, as King of the Spanish people, became the chief of a social and democratic state of law, which molded the Constitution of 1978.
More information…? Should you be interested in a specific theme, please check here, you will find many info about culture, environmental issues, nature, society, geography and politics.
In Spain you have exquisite and innovative dishes with the guarantee of internationally prestigious chefs. The highest quality products from the best producers, recipes combining popular tradition with artistic creation and offer you exciting, new flavors. Spain’s culinary revolution, headed by master chefs like Ferrán Adriá, Arzak and Berasategui turns the pleasure of good food into a luxury for the senses that is at its finest when savored in Spain.
Spanish cuisine is nowadays recommended in the finest restaurants, heralded by the most prestigious critics and demanded by millions of consumers over the world. It has gone through a real revolution, which, in the time of a few short years, has put Spain at the top of international cuisine. With traditional styles as the basis, a modern, innovative cuisine has developed, identified by the use of quality products and by the creativity of its chefs.
To read more about Spain’s cuisine
The history of Rioja wine reflects a long and varied winemaking tradition in the Spanish region of La Rioja, starting with the first Phoenician settlers in 11th century BC. As with many of Europe’s most well-known wine regions, the Ancient Romans founded many of the Rioja vineyards. Throughout the Middle Ages, pilgrims to the shrine of St. James at Santiago de Compostela passed through the region and carried back with them the reputation of wines from the area.
La Rioja is without a doubt Spain’s most beautiful wine region. The landscapes are of gentle rolling vineyard covered hills, pretty medieval hamlets and the backdrop of the majestic Cantabrian Mountains. Rioja has a long and varied traditional history of winemaking. Rioja wine, especially the red, has been well known for centuries. The Rioja vineyards were planted even before the traditional bringers of wine, the expanding Romans, moved into the area. Wine and vineyards have always held a special place in Spaniards’ hearts. Spain has more acreage planted than any other country. They do not produce the most wine because of their standards of quality. Their attention to detail has been documented for centuries. Wine is without doubt an integral part of both Spanish culture and cuisine. Rioja is just one of many Spanish wines and it is named after the river Rio Oja, which runs through the Oja Valley in the province of La Rioja in northern Spain with more than fourteen thousand vineyards. Rioja wine has a Denominación de Origen Calificada (D.O.C. Qualified designation of origin).
Rioja is made from grapes grown not only in the Autonomous Community of La Rioja, but also in parts of Navarre and the Basque province of Álava. Rioja is further subdivided into three zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. Rioja Alta lies to the west at the highest elevation, creating a shorter growing season. It’s Dominated by clay soils and gives more secondary “Old World” aroma and flavour along with lighter body to the wines. Rioja Baja is to the east, sits at lower altitude and has a more Mediterranean warmer climate. Other grape varietals like Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano flourish here and are used to blend with Tempranillo From Alta and Alavesa. Rioja Alavesa brings you to Basque country with local law and traditions granting new bodegas (Spanish wineries) just north of the river. Soil is comprised of limestone and the grapes grown here have higher acidity and allow for fuller body. Tempranillo is the main grape grown in the two regions.
Many wines have traditionally blended fruit from all three regions though there is a slow growth in single zone wines. Mostly red wines (85%) are made in the region, where both rosé and whites are produced. Red and rosé wine is comprised mostly of Tempranillo, 60% or more, and combined with the blending varietals from Rioja Baja. White wine is made primarily from Viura (also known as Macabeo) blended with Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca. The whites are made in two distinct styles, either light and fruity or barrel-fermented and full bodied.
The “red Rioja” is the most well-known style of Rioja. Classic and bold, these wines taste mostly of their Tempranillo roots and have a bright, fresh flavour to them.
The Rosé version of Rioja is also fresh and strong, but has a lighter weight to it. They are predominantly Garnacha grapes, and are bright pink.
More greenish-yellow than white, Rioja Blanca has a light, fine aroma and flavour. These wines are made
primarily with the Viura grape.
Rioja wines are quite food friendly and can be paired with a number of dishes. Here is a look at some of the better pairing with Rioja wines: Rioja wines pair well with pasta and other Italian dishes. Consider pairing with pastas that have tomato, oil, or herb based sauces. Sauces like tomato seafood, Bolognese, or even a red cream sauce. These wines work with ethnic dishes, like mild, spicy, and even coconut milk based curries. For meat lovers, Rioja wines pair with nearly every type of meat and poultry, even stronger game meats. Rioja is great with a number of interesting cheeses. Aged sharp Cheddars, Gouda, Manchego, Parmesan, Romano, and Swiss cheeses are a few of the regular matches.
