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La Rioja cycling trip
- Perfect terrain for cycling
- A variety of landscapes, from vineyards to open farmland
- Carefully-selected accommodations - with unique styles
- Authentic historic towns, numerous monuments, the pilgrims' route to Santiago
- Delicious regional cuisine and excellent local wines
From: 565 €
Tripcode: ESSB090
4 Comfort
Level 1 - EN:
Simple accommodation, often with multiple rooms like huts, cottages or guesthouses. Sometimes with bunk beds and often with shared bathrooms. All camping trips fall into this category.
Level 1 - EN:
Simple accommodation, often with multiple rooms like huts, cottages or guesthouses. Sometimes with bunk beds and often with shared bathrooms. All camping trips fall into this category.
Level 2:
Simple to good inns, small family hotels, B&Bs and agriturismo (farmsteads), generaly with private bathroom. Often chosen for their excellent location in relation to the itinerary.
Level 2:
Simple to good inns, small family hotels, B&Bs and agriturismo (farmsteads), generaly with private bathroom. Often chosen for their excellent location in relation to the itinerary.
Level 2:
Simple to good inns, small family hotels, B&Bs and agriturismo (farmsteads), generaly with private bathroom. Often chosen for their excellent location in relation to the itinerary.
Level 3:
Good hotels, inns, B&B, agriturismo (farmstead) with ensuite private bathroom, often wel located and serving good meals
Level 3:
Good hotels, inns, B&B, agriturismo (farmstead) with ensuite private bathroom, often wel located and serving good meals
Level 3:
Good hotels, inns, B&B, agriturismo (farmstead) with ensuite private bathroom, often wel located and serving good meals
Level 4:
Special hotel with excellent food, ambiance and service. Accommodations with a special touch.
Level 4:
Special hotel with excellent food, ambiance and service. Accommodations with a special touch.
Level 4:
Special hotel with excellent food, ambiance and service. Accommodations with a special touch.
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2 Difficulty
Level 1:
Walking levels:
Trips with short walks of generally three to four hours (excluding breaks) and/or optional day excursions; flat or slightly hilly terrain using well kept paths.
Cycling levels:
Easy biking in nearly flat landscape; also possible for people with little or no bicycle experience. The daily distances are approximately 30-50 km in general. Bicycles with up to 3 gears can do the job. All our adult rental bikes have at least 21 gears.
Level 1:
Walking levels:
Trips with short walks of generally three to four hours (excluding breaks) and/or optional day excursions; flat or slightly hilly terrain using well kept paths.
Cycling levels:
Easy biking in nearly flat landscape; also possible for people with little or no bicycle experience. The daily distances are approximately 30-50 km in general. Bicycles with up to 3 gears can do the job. All our adult rental bikes have at least 21 gears.
Level 2:
Walking levels:
Moderate day walks, 4-5 hours per day (excluding breaks) on hilly to mountainous areas using well kept, sometimes stony paths.
Cycling levels:
Biking on gently undulating terrain, you may encounter short climbs from time to time. The daily distances vary between 30 and 65 km. A bicycle with minimum 7 gears will do. All our rental bikes have at least 21 gears.
Level 2:
Walking levels:
Moderate day walks, 4-5 hours per day (excluding breaks) on hilly to mountainous areas using well kept, sometimes stony paths.
Cycling levels:
Biking on gently undulating terrain, you may encounter short climbs from time to time. The daily distances vary between 30 and 65 km. A bicycle with minimum 7 gears will do. All our rental bikes have at least 21 gears.
Level 2:
Walking levels:
Moderate day walks, 4-5 hours per day (excluding breaks) on hilly to mountainous areas using well kept, sometimes stony paths.
Cycling levels:
Biking on gently undulating terrain, you may encounter short climbs from time to time. The daily distances vary between 30 and 65 km. A bicycle with minimum 7 gears will do. All our rental bikes have at least 21 gears.
Level 3:
Walking levels:
Trips with strenuous day walks or trekking in mountainous areas. 5 to 7 hours walking maximum per day, sometimes carrying backpacks with stuff for one night; height differences between 500 & 1000 m. per day
Cycling levels:
Strenuous biking trips in areas where you cannot avoid steep slopes. Some bicycle experience in short trips is needed. The daily distances range from 30 up to 75 km.
Level 3:
Walking levels:
Trips with strenuous day walks or trekking in mountainous areas. 5 to 7 hours walking maximum per day, sometimes carrying backpacks with stuff for one night; height differences between 500 & 1000 m. per day
Cycling levels:
Strenuous biking trips in areas where you cannot avoid steep slopes. Some bicycle experience in short trips is needed. The daily distances range from 30 up to 75 km.
Level 3:
Walking levels:
Trips with strenuous day walks or trekking in mountainous areas. 5 to 7 hours walking maximum per day, sometimes carrying backpacks with stuff for one night; height differences between 500 & 1000 m. per day
Cycling levels:
Strenuous biking trips in areas where you cannot avoid steep slopes. Some bicycle experience in short trips is needed. The daily distances range from 30 up to 75 km.
Level 4:
Walking levels:
Trips with heavy excursions in high mountains, sometimes carrying backpacks with stuff for several nights. 6 to 8 hours maximum per day; height differences up to 1200 meters per day; only for participants with an excellent condition and without fear of heights.
Cycling levels:
Serious and strenuous biking trips in mountainous area, the slopes are longer and/or steeper than at the previous category. Requires a good physical condition, a broad cycling experience and adequate mountain climbing bicycle. The daily distances range between 30 and 80 km.
Level 4:
Walking levels:
Trips with heavy excursions in high mountains, sometimes carrying backpacks with stuff for several nights. 6 to 8 hours maximum per day; height differences up to 1200 meters per day; only for participants with an excellent condition and without fear of heights.
Cycling levels:
Serious and strenuous biking trips in mountainous area, the slopes are longer and/or steeper than at the previous category. Requires a good physical condition, a broad cycling experience and adequate mountain climbing bicycle. The daily distances range between 30 and 80 km.
Level 4:
Walking levels:
Trips with heavy excursions in high mountains, sometimes carrying backpacks with stuff for several nights. 6 to 8 hours maximum per day; height differences up to 1200 meters per day; only for participants with an excellent condition and without fear of heights.
Cycling levels:
Serious and strenuous biking trips in mountainous area, the slopes are longer and/or steeper than at the previous category. Requires a good physical condition, a broad cycling experience and adequate mountain climbing bicycle. The daily distances range between 30 and 80 km.
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Duration: 8 days
Details
La Rioja cycling
La Rioja is a delight in every way: the landscape, the food, the wine. Known for its excellent vinos, much of La Rioja's gently rolling terrain is carpeted with grapevines, while the rest is open farmland. Planting, harvesting and wine-making rule the local calendar, while historic towns, impressive estates, ancient walls and stone bridges adorn the countryside. Every hilltop sports a monumental church or castle and avant-garde wineries hide among the vineyards like secret artistic mushrooms, intriguing enclaves where some of the world's greatest wines are produced.
Still, La Rioja is much more than vineyards and wine-making. It is also a region of orchards and fields of grain, as well as a setting for the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. The many facets of La Rioja are best discovered on gentle cycling routes. You'll enjoy beautiful countryside, local wines, excellent cuisine and three welcoming accommodations: a 17th-century estate run by young winemaker with a taste for creative cooking; a luxurious accommodation housed in the historic Monastery of Yuso; and a comfortable family-run hotel situated in the lovely town centre of Ezcaray. Early spring to early summer and autumn are ideal times of year to visit this destination.
Itinerary
Expand itinerary Collapse itineraryDay 1: Arrival in Northern Spain
Flight into Bilbao and journey by bus or taxi to the village of Ábalos, where you'll spend the first three nights. Your host is a young wine-maker and oenologist, whose first commercial wine won the prestigious Bachuss de Oro in the year 2006. The hotel serves a creative set menu for dinner each evening, accompanied by estate-produced wines.
Challenge: Travel to La Rioja.
Day 2: Circular route in La Rioja Alavesa
The first cycling route of this program takes you east of Ábalos, into the Basque section of Rioja Wine Country. Every square inch of fertile soil across this rolling landscape has been covered in grapevines, and Medieval villages sit on hilltops throughout. You'll see historic Laguardia and the wine-making village of Elciego, with architect Frank Gehry's intriguing winery and avant-garde hotel designed for the vintners at the Marques de Riscal Estate. On your way back to Ábalos, you cycle on quiet country lanes through vineyards near Navaridas and Eskuernaga, with the limestone peaks of the Sierra de Cantabria in the distance.
Challenge: 35km, with 350m in ascent
Villages along the way: Laguardia, Elciego, Navaridas, Eskuernaga
Day 3: Circular route via Haro
Today's itinerary takes you south toward the River Ebro. You then follow its course, winding along all the way to Haro. En route, lovely spots such as San Vicente de la Sonsierra, with its beautiful Medieval bridge and impressively situated Gothic church. Option of visiting the private collection at Vivanco winery: a display of almost anything having to do with wine-making, of interest to wine enthusiasts and art-lovers alike, with gardens home to over 200 varieties of grapevines.
Challenge: 30km/42km with 350m in ascent OR 39km with 440m in ascent
Villages along the way: San Vicente, Briones
Day 4: From Ábalos to San Millán
Today you cross the Ebro and cycle 42km south through gently rolling terrain with vineyards, fields of grain and orchards. By way of Alesanco and Badarán, you reach the monasteries of Yuso and Suso, set in an open valley at the foot of the Sierra de Demanda. Your accommodation is a Baroque monastery turned luxurious hotel, situated on the village square.
Challenge: 39km with 420m in ascent
Villages along the way: Alesanco, Badarán, Yuso, Suso
Day 5: From San Millán to Ezcaray
You start off with a short stretch back to Badarán then ride along winding country roads toward Santo Domingo de la Calzada, essential stopover for Christians on the Camino de Santiago. Leaving the vineyards behind, you cycle into the grain-producing area of La Rioja. A converted railway used to transport coal in the 19th century is now a surfaced cycling path which leads directly to Ezcaray, where you'll spend the next three nights at a welcoming family-run hotel in the historical town centre. Wide selection of restaurants, bodegas and tapas bars in which to sample the local wines.
Challenge: 39km with 400m in ascent
Villages along the way: Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Day 6: Ezcaray Valley or Walking in Sierra de Demanda
Do you fancy a day of walking? There's an optional walking route for today, into the Sierra de Demanda. If you prefer to stick with wheels, you can cycle into the foothills, to remote villages with just a few resident farmers. After 10km of cycling, you'll begin to see a completely different side of La Rioja, one undiscovered until now.
Challenge: 21km by bike, ascent 150m and/or 14km on foot, ascent 430m
Villages along the way: Sierra de Demanda, Posada, Zaldierna, Urdante
Day 7: Choice of cycling routes
Your last day of cycling offers a 46km circular route through waving fields of grain, first through the nearly flat Oja River Valley then up into the hills. Orchards, sunflowers and shady woodlands along the way. Optional visit to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Return route by way of the Via Verde to Ezcaray.
Challenge: 49km, with 300m in ascent
Villages along the way: Valle de Oja, Santo Domingo
Day 8: End of program
Your cycling trip comes to an end this morning after breakfast. Departure from La Rioja and flight out of Bilbao.
Challenge: Travel home from Spain
Practical info
Included:
- 7 nights accommodation in comfortable hotel rooms with private bath.
- 7 breakfasts, buffet-style with fruit, sweet and savoury items, yoghurt, bread, pastries, etc.
- 2 dinners (on Days 1 and 4)
- Luggage transport on Days 4 and 5
- Taxi transfer on Day 8 from Ezcaray to the bus stop in Santo Domingo
Not Included:
- Lunches
- Other dinners
- Taxi transfer to Ábalos on Day 1 from bus station in Haro or airport in Bilbao
- Rental bike
Optional Services:
- Extra transfers on arrival: Haro-Ábalos, Bilbao-Ábalos
- Extra transfers at end of program: Ezcaray to Haro, Ábalos or Bilbao
- Bicycle hire: 105,- euros including delivery to hotel on Day 2 (around 9.30hrs)
Reviews
Start: Ábalos
Finish: Ezcaray
Dates & prices
Trip availability: From 15 March to 15 November
| Dates of the trip | Price |
|---|---|
| in triple room: | 565 €/person |
| in double room: | 635 €/person |
| in single room: | 815 €/person |
| solo traveller: | 930 €/person |
Other prices
Bike rental per week (including transport): 105€