Logroño Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Logroño is a city in northern Spain. It's the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, well known for its wine. The Way of St. James runs through the city, as does the River Ebro.

The origin of Logroño is associated to the Roman Vareia, now a neighbourhood of the city, and the Iron Age site on top of Monte Cantabria. Being an important crossroad on the Way of St. James and strategic point between the kingdoms of Aragon, Castile and Navarra helped to develop the city during the Middle Ages.

In 1095, the king Alfonso VI of León and Castile awarded the inhabitants of Logroño with the Code of Laws named Fuero. King John II of Castile granted the status of 'city' in 1431 and the titles of 'very noble' and 'very loyal' in 1444.

In 1521, the population heroically resisted the siege of 30,000 troops sent by King Francis I of France for 17 days. To remember the victory, Charles I ordered three fleurs-de-lis to be added to the city's emblem. A tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition was set in Logroño in 1570, being of historical importance in 1610 during the Basque witch trials.

The 1833 territorial division of Spain established Logroño as the capital of the new Province of Logroño, renamed in 1980 to Province of La Rioja and constituted as autonomous community since 1982.

Logroño is now a city of 153,066 inhabitants, and is considered to have one of the greatest quality of life in Spain.

The city is twinned with Brescia, Ciudad de La Rioja, Darmstadt, Dax, Dunfermline, Hagunia, Libourne and Rancagua.

Logroño has a humid continental climate due to its location in the Ebro valley and this is characterized by hot summers and cold winters, with the precipitations well distributed throughout the year.

A good start for a visit to Logroño is the centrally located 42.46636-2.450581 Tourist Office of La Rioja (Oficina de Turismo de La Rioja), C/Portales, 50, ☏ +34 941-291-260, [email protected]. M–F 09:00–14:00 17:00–20:00 Sa 10:00–14:00 17:00–20:00 Su 10:00–14:00 17:00–19:00. Free maps and information of the city and the region. Don't forget to ask about current exhibitions and guided tours. 

• 42.460278-2.3202781 Logroño–Agoncillo Airport (RJL  ^IATA) (it's located near the village of Recajo, 14.5 km from the city centre). The airport serving Logroño. There’s no public transport to get in or out so it's only accessible by car or taxi. As of January 2016, there is only a daily flight from Madrid operated by Iberia. (updated Feb 2019)

• 42.457551-2.4411682 Logroño railway station, Avda. Colón, 83, ☏ +34 902-432-343. The state-owned rail company Renfe (☏ +34 902-320-320) operates train services. Long-distance trains operate between Logroño and Barcelona (3 hr 58 min), Bilbao (2 hr 25 min), Madrid (3 hr 15 min), Salamanca (4 hr 45 min), Santiago de Compostela (9 hr 33 min), Valladolid (3 hr 4 min) and Zaragoza (1 hr 50 min). 

There are several roads passing through Logroño. The Autopista AP-68 connects Zaragoza with Bilbao while the Autovía A-12 connects Pamplona and Burgos. The N-120 road goes from Logroño to Vigo and the N-232 follows the river Ebro to the coast.

Blue and green parking spaces are paid Monday to Saturday between 09:00 and 14:00 and between 16:30 and 20:00. White parking spaces are free at all times.

There are car rental facilities available at the airport and the train station.

• 42.460458-2.4451273 Logroño bus station, Avda. de España, 1, ☏ +34 941-235-983. Logroño is well connected to many major cities in Spain. Different bus operating companies provide their services: 
  • ALSA, ☏ +34 902-422-242. offers four daily connections to Barcelona and eight to Madrid, with stops in the Terminal 4 of Madrid–Barajas Airport and Avenida de América bus terminal. Other destinations like Burgos, Gijón, León, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Valladolid or Vitoria-Gasteiz can also be reached by some of their routes. 
  • Autobuses Jiménez, ☏ +34 941-202-777. Connects Logroño with Burgos and Zaragoza, having as well several regional routes across La Rioja. 
  • Bilman Bus, ☏ +34 941-243-572. Has a route to Valencia, Alicante and Murcia. 
  • La Estellesa, ☏ +34 948-326-509. It connects Logroño with Pamplona and San Sebastian. 
  • La Unión Alavesa, ☏ +34 941-235-983. It runs from Logroño to Bilbao. 
  • PLM Autocares, ☏ +34 902-144-174. It offers a slightly cheaper connection to Madrid with six daily buses. 

Walk the Way of Saint James.

42°27′58″N 2°26′53″W

Map of Logroño

Logroño has a good public network of buses with eleven lines crossing the city. They start at 07:00 and finish around 23:00 with frequencies of 10 to 15 minutes. The ordinary ticket can be bought directly from the driver and it costs €1 allowing unlimited transfers for half an hour. There are also night bus services on Fridays and Saturdays with three different routes. All the buses are equipped with free Wi-Fi.

Logroño is a flat city and has an extensive network of bike lanes so riding a bicycle is a good option to discover the city. The public rent-a-bike service is named biciLOG^{[dead link]} and visitors can use it for free after obtaining a pass in the tourist office.

Logroño is a small city and therefore very walkable.

Taxis are quite expensive for the size of the city and a ride can get you easily up to €10. Official taxis are white and have a red stripe in the front door. Available taxis have a green light on top. There are some stands around the city where you can pick up a taxi but you can also call to the numbers ☏ +34 941-222-122, +34 941-505-050.

• 42.46652-2.4455261 Co-cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda (Concatedral de Santa María de la Redonda), C/Portales, 14, ☏ +34 941-257-611, [email protected]. The cathedral was built during the 15th century and expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries. Behind the main altar there is a painting attributed to Michelangelo. Free entry. 

• 42.46723-2.443682 Church of San Bartolomé (Iglesia de San Bartolomé), Plaza de San Bartolomé, 2. It's the oldest church in Logroño, dating back to the 12th century. It has a magnificent arched cover which contains some Romanesque sculptures. Free entry. 
• 42.46802-2.44443 Church of Santa María de Palacio (Iglesia de Santa María de Palacio), C/Marqués de San Nicolás, 36. The church was built between the 12th and 13th centuries and has the Gothic octagonal spire as the most representative symbol. The second tower was built around 1560. Free entry. 
• 42.46784-2.447574 Church of Santiago el Real (Iglesia de Santiago el Real), C/Barriocepo, 6. Daily 08:15–13:15 18:30–19:00. This is the site of the oldest church in the city, although the current building was constructed during the 16th century. Free entry. 

• 42.46711-2.450135 El Cubo del Revellín, C/Once de Junio, 6, [email protected]. W 10:00–13:00 Th F 10:00–13:00 17:00–20:00 Sa 11:00–14:00 17:00–20:00 Su 11:00–14:00. It's the best preserved part of the city wall and hosts an exhibition inside. Free entry. 
• 42.46476-2.45286 Fountain of Distinguished Riojans (Fuente de los Riojanos Ilustres), Avda. Gran Vía Rey Juan Carlos I. Fountain built in 1999 with statues of 8 distinguished Riojans: Fausto Elhuyar (chemist), García of Nájera (king of Navarre), Gonzalo de Berceo (Medieval poet), Juan Fernández Navarrete "The Mute" (Mannerist painter), Julio Rey Pastor (mathematician), Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (Roman rhetorician), Marquis of the Ensenada (statesman) and Pedro del Castillo (conquistador). 

• 42.47106-2.445597 House of Sciences (Casa de las Ciencias), C/Ebro, 1, ☏ +34 941-245-943, [email protected]. Tu–Su 11:00–14:00 17:00–20:30. It's on the other side of the river Ebro in the former slaughterhouse. It hosts different scientific exhibitions over the year. In the garden, there are some tools you can use to do your own experiments. Free entry. 
• 42.46592-2.448638 Museum of La Rioja (Museo de La Rioja), C/San Agustín, 23. Tu–Sa 10:00–14:00 16:00–21:00 Su 10:00–14:00. The museum is housed in a Baroque palace of the 18th century and hosts different collections featuring paintings, sculptures and furniture. Free entry. 
• 42.426924-2.268769 Würth La Rioja Museum (Museo Würth La Rioja), Pol. Ind. El Sequero, Avda. Cameros pcls. 86-88 (by car take the exit 13 of the AP-68 or the exit pol. Industrial El Sequero in the N-232; by public transport use the metropolitan bus line M7), ☏ +34 941-010-410, [email protected]. M–Sa 11:00–20:00, Su 11:00–15:00. Contemporary art. Free entry. 

In the old city you can visit some of the vaulted underground cellars known as calados. For a bigger understanding of the winemaking you can get a tour in one of the wineries around the city:

• 42.4807-2.485810 Bodegas Campo Viejo, Camino de Lapuebla, 50, ☏ +34 941-279-900, [email protected]. M–F 11:00 13:00 16:00, Sa Su 11:00 13:00. Opened in 2001, the winery is buried achieving the ideal conditions for making and ageing wine while getting perfectly integrated with the landscape. The barrel room is one of the largest in the world and contains 70,000 oak barrels. €10. 
• 42.454069-2.37130211 Bodegas del Marqués de Vargas, Ctra. Zaragoza, km. 6, ☏ +34 941-261-401, [email protected]. M–F 09:00–14:00, Sa 09:00–15:00. 
• 42.45075-2.3606912 Bodegas Darien, Ctra. Zaragoza, km. 7, ☏ +34 941-258-130. 
• 42.4719-2.44713 Bodegas Franco-Españolas, C/Cabo Noval, 2, ☏ +34 941-251-290, [email protected]. Visits M–F 11:30 and 16:30. Bodegas Franco-Españolas was founded in 1890 as a partnership between France and Spain at a critical moment in Rioja, when the French came to the region in an attempt to replace their vineyards devastated by the wine blight, phylloxera. Visit includes wine tasting. 20€. (updated Apr 2024)
• 42.455078-2.3874314 Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta, Ctra. Zaragoza, km. 5, ☏ +34 941-271-374, [email protected]. By appointment. 
• 42.472855-2.40656115 Bodegas Olarra, Avda. de Mendavia, 30, ☏ +34 941-235-299, [email protected]. M–F 11:30 16:00, Sa 11:00 13:00, Su 11:00 13:00. €8. 
• 42.460085-2.40826916 Bodegas Ontañón, Avda. de Aragón, 3, ☏ +34 941-234-200, [email protected]. M–Sa 10:30 13:30 16:00 18:30, Su 10:30 13:30. €9. 
• 42.478529-2.44277317 Bodegas Viña Ijalba, Ctra. Pamplona, km. 1, ☏ +34 941-261-100, [email protected]. M–Sa 11:00 12:00 17:00 18:00. Visits M 10:30, T-Sa 15:30.. €18. 

• 42.4719-2.43071 Congress Palace and Auditorium of La Rioja (Riojaforum), C/San Millán, 25, ☏ +34 941-276-200, [email protected]. Inaugurated in 2004. It hosts conferences and concerts. 
• 42.465-2.4482 Theatre of Bretón de los Herreros, C/Bretón de los Herreros, 11, ☏ +34 941-207-231, [email protected]. 19th century theatre inaugurated in 1880. Stage play, music, choreography and cinematography. 

• Actual Festival^{[dead link]}. Music, film and art festival celebrated since 1991 during the first week of the year.
• Fiestas de San Bernabé. Festival that commemorates the victory against the French troops of André de Foix in 1521. The legend says that the inhabitants of the city survived the siege during 17 days just with fish from the river Ebro, so on June 11 it's tradition to eat the fish, bread and wine served for free by Cofradía del Pez. Since 2008 locals wear period dress and historical performances are carried out. Together with the Day of La Rioja on June 9 makes four of five days of break with several activities in the street.
• Fiestas de San Mateo. The Wine and Harvest Festival is celebrated during the week of September 21 with activities during the whole day starting with the bull run in the morning, continuing with food and wine tastings till midday, bullfighting and Basque pelota during the afternoon, and finishing with fireworks and concerts at night.

Logroño is very much a commercial city and you can find shops in almost every street. Some of the busiest commercial zones are Gran Vía, Calle San Antón and Paseo de las Cien Tiendas. In the old city there are a few souvenir shops where you can buy wine as well as traditional products.

Being in the La Rioja wine region, an original souvenir would be to buy an authentic bota de vino made with leather and designed to carry wine:

• 42.467173-2.446641 Botas Rioja, C/Sagasta, 8, ☏ +34 620-738-504, [email protected]. Five generations of the family Barbero have been doing artisan wineskins since 1865. 

• 42.46573-2.447222 Mercado de San Blas (Plaza de Abastos), C/Sagasta, 1, ☏ +34 941-220-430. Monday though Friday 8:00-14:00 and 16:00-20:00. Saturday 8:00-14:00. Public market built in 1930 with a very diverse selection of goods (fish, meat, fruit and vegetables). 

• 42.4626-2.42113 Centro Comercial Berceo, C/Lérida, 1, ☏ +34 941-245-830, [email protected]. M–Sa 10:00–22:00. 
• 42.4522-2.46864 Centro Comercial Parque Rioja, Cmno. de las Tejeras, 0, ☏ +34 941-205-310. M–Sa 10:00–22:00. 

You can't leave Logroño without visiting the famous 42.465381-2.4491241 Calle Laurel.  that together with Travesía del Laurel, Calle San Agustin and Calle Albornoz concentrate more than 50 bars serving tapas, known in the north of Spain as pintxos.

Each bar cooks its own speciality, although new openings are specialized in more than one dish, always accompanied by a glass of Rioja wine. You can hop freely from one bar to the next one along the one hundred meters of the street that has an unbeatable atmosphere of good vibes. The circuit is popularly known as Trail of the Elephants, because people would walk on four legs if they visited all the bars.

In the neighbouring 42.465882-2.4453712 Calle San Juan.  which is 300 meters far away, you can find another 30 bars that are usually less crowded and have different specialities.

• Prices of pintxos are around €2 so it can become expensive if you feel really hungry or can't stop trying all those delicacies. An option to keep the budget low would be ordering bigger portions of them that are called raciones and are usually served in clay pots. Some of these bars serve as well bigger sandwiches known as bocadillos or bocatas.
• There is a good amount of doner kebab stands around the city offering beef and chicken served with salad in flatbread for around €4.5.
• In autumn and winter you can find churrería stalls selling a fried-dough pastry named churro. During the cold months is common to find as well smaller kiosks selling roasted chestnuts.
• 42.465653-2.4491283 Bar Soriano, Travesía del Laurel 2, ☏ +34 941 228 807. Specialty is pinchos of only one kind; mushrooms with garlic butter and prawns skewered to toasted bread. Also serve beer and wine. (updated Apr 2022)
• 42.465491-2.4487364 Bar Jubera, Calle de Laurel 18. Great patatas bravas. (updated Apr 2022)

During working days most of the restaurants offer a daily menu for lunch which includes three courses, bread, wine and water ranging from €10 to €15.

• 42.46666-2.446315 ^{[dead link]} Boragos, Plaza del Mercado, 2, ☏ +34 941-250-353, [email protected]. Tu–Su 13:30–16:00 21:00–23:00. Modern cuisine with cod as speciality. Daily menu €20. 
• 42.46465-2.44756 Burgerheim, C/Víctor Pradera, 5, ☏ +34 941-287-124, [email protected]. Tu–Th Su 13:30–16:00 20:30–23:30, F Sa 13:30–16:00 20:30–00:00. Go there early if you want to try one of their tasty burgers as the place it's always crowded around 21:00. Burgers from €6.50. 
• 42.4666-2.4465757 LaMaite (El Maná Restaurante), C/Sagasta, 6, ☏ +34 941-254-747. Traditional food with a special touch. Daily menu €14.90. 

• 42.46232-2.449538 Kiro Sushi, C/Maria Teresa Gil de Gárate, 24, ☏ +34 941-123-145, [email protected]. Tu–Su 14:00 21:00. Opened in 2015, the chef Felix Jimenez serves traditional Japanese sushi, twice a day, to a maximum of 10 people. Booking in advance is completely necessary. Tasting menu for €52. 
• 42.46532-2.445029 Tondeluna, C/Muro de la Mata, 9, ☏ +34 941-236-425, [email protected]. M–Sa 12:00–16:00 20:30–23:15, Su 11:30–16:30. The 2-Michelin starred chef Francis Paniego opened this restaurant in 2011. It has affordable prices for cuisine of high quality elaborated with local products. Daily menu for €19 and 6-courses tasting menu at €40. 

In a wine region like this, drinking beer is not forbidden yet. Ordering beer is easy with the widely known "una cerveza, por favor" that will get you usually a caña which is about 25 cl of draught beer. For a smaller size you should order corto de cerveza and for the half litre, or pint, use pinta.

On Thursdays most of the bars have "pinta a precio de caña" which means pints are discounted, paying for them what you would pay normally for a caña. In some of these bars you can also find local hand-crafted beer: Ceriux^{[dead link]}, Mateo & Bernabé and Palax.

42.466817-2.4496331 Plaza del Parlamento.  and 42.466138-2.4486482 Plaza San Agustín.  are two of the favourite spots for beer lovers with bars and terraces.

Locals like to drink coffee or tea, but it's simply an excuse to get together around a table and chat. The pedestrian street Bretón de los Herreros has some of the nicest cafeterias with outdoor terraces both in winter and summer, which get really crowded after-work.

In summer it's common to ask for café con hielos and you'll be getting a glass with ices where you can pour your coffee. If you want to try something different, ask for té americano which is an infusion of black tea boiled in milk with a slice of orange and cinnamon.

• 42.465528-2.4496043 Café La Luna, C/Bretón de los Herreros, 56, ☏ +34 941-288-700. For stronger versions of té americano ask for té de la luna (with hazelnut liqueur) or té selenita (with ron miel). 
• 42.466865-2.4475564 Café Moderno, Plaza Martínez Zaporta, 7, ☏ +34 941-220-042, [email protected]. W–M 08:30–close. Founded in 1916, it's not only a bar but a restaurant. Go there on Friday or Saturday at midnight to have fun singing together the anthem "Fibra de Pájaro". 

While ordering wine you have to consider that is classified into four categories. Joven, cosechero or vino del año is the youngest wine and has undergone very little, if any, wood ageing. Crianza is aged for two years, being at least one in an oak barrel. Reserva is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak. Gran Reserva has been aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle.

You can distinguish as well four types of wine because of the colour: red tinto, white blanco and two kinds of rosé clarete and rosado with different processes of elaboration.

• 42.4659-2.449635 La Gota de Vino, C/San Agustín, 14, ☏ +34 941-204-200. Daily 11:00–00:00. Be advised by Antonio, the nice manager and waiter of the place, and you'll be tasting some of the trending wines in the region. 
• 42.46558-2.4477916 La Tavina, C/Laurel, 2, ☏ +34 941-102-300, [email protected]. Daily 11:00–00:00. Ask when is the next wine and food pairing event to enjoy the mix of flavours. 

Logroño has a good amount of modern hotels in the city centre but also in the outskirts. Although for a cheaper accommodation you might search for guest-houses known as hostal or pensión. The first hostel was opened in 2012 and there is as well a camping area. As a stop of the Way of St. James there are several pilgrim hostels known as albergue de peregrinos.

• 42.4711-2.45471 Camping La Playa, Avda. de la Playa, 6, ☏ +34 941-252-253, [email protected]. Bungalows ranging from €150 to €219 depending on size. Private rooms from €20. Camping for two from about €30. (updated Apr 2024)
• 42.46646-2.444432 Hostel Entresueños, C/Portales, 12, ☏ +34 941-271-334, [email protected]. Opened in July 2012. Beds from €19. 

• 42.462776-2.4459653 Hotel Carlton Rioja, Avda. Gran Vía Rey Juan Carlos I, 5, ☏ +34 941-242-100, [email protected]. 4-star hotel. Doubles from €59. 
• 42.465292-2.45174 Hotel Condes de Haro, C/Saturnino Ulargui, 6, ☏ +34 941-208-500, [email protected]. 3-star hotel. Doubles from €58. 
• 42.46499-2.454595 Hotel Husa Gran Vía, Avda. Gran Vía Rey Juan Carlos I, 71 Bis, ☏ +34 941-287-850, [email protected]. 4-star hotel. Doubles from €63.80. 
• 42.46585-2.451936 Hotel Murrieta, C/Marqués de Murrieta, 1, ☏ +34 941-224-150. 3-star hotel. Doubles from €50. 
• 42.46613-2.450487 Hotel Portales, C/Portales, 85, ☏ +34 941-502-794, [email protected]. 3-star hotel. Doubles from €58. 
• 42.46581-2.452838 NH Logroño Herencia Rioja, C/Marqués de Murrieta, 14, ☏ +34 941-210-222, [email protected]. 4-star hotel. Doubles from €65. 

• 42.469-2.43229 AC Hotel La Rioja, C/Madre de Dios, 21, ☏ +34 941-272-350. 4-star hotel. Doubles from €78. 
• 42.46736-2.4462510 Hotel Calle Mayor, C/Marqués de San Nicolás, 71, ☏ +34 941-232-368, [email protected]. A boutique hotel in a palace built during the 16th century. Doubles from €105. 
• 42.46856-2.4431711 Hotel FG Logroño, Avda. de Viana, 2, ☏ +34 941-008-900, [email protected]. Doubles from €90. 
• 42.4654-2.449812 Hotel Los Bracos, C/Breton de los Herreros, 29, ☏ +34 941-226-608, [email protected]. 4-star hotel. Doubles from €88. 
• 42.46577-2.4456913 Hotel Marqués de Vallejo, C/Marqués de Vallejo, 8, ☏ +34 941-248-333. Doubles from €82. 

There is a public service of free Wi-Fi that covers most of the old city, but you have to register through SMS once you try to connect to the network "Aytologrono". The hotspots are found in Parque del Ebro, Paseo del Príncipe de Vergara and Plaza del Mercado.

You can get free Wi-Fi without the need of registration in the building of the City Hall and in the cultural centre La Gota de Leche. Public buses are equipped with free Wi-Fi.

Logroño is quite a safe city but as usual while travelling it's better to keep an eye on your belongings.

If you suffer an accident or have an emergency, call 112 or go to the closest emergency centre:

• 42.462-2.43052 Centro de Alta Resolución San Millán, C/Obispo Lepe, ☏ +34 941-298-000. 
• 42.4512-2.42553 Hospital San Pedro, C/Piqueras, 98, ☏ +34 941-298-000. 

• 42.46563-2.450144 Post Office (Oficina de Correos), C/Once de Junio, 1, ☏ +34 941-286-802. M–F 08:30–20:30, Sa 09:30–13:00. 

Day trips from Logroño include:

• Briones — Small picturesque medieval town that hosts the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture.
• Enciso — The Paleontological Centre it's a good start to follow the dinosaur footprints spread across the southern part of La Rioja.
• Haro — Wine town that celebrates the Battle of the Wine every year on June 29.
• San Millán de la Cogolla — The Yuso and Suso Monasteries were declared World Heritage Site in 1997, as the birthplace of the modern written and spoken Spanish language.

Burgos ← Ventosa ←

w  E

→ Los Arcos → Estella → Pamplona