Wine Regions

WHERE IS THE RIOJA WINE REGION IN SPAIN

Cabecera wine Region

Rioja wine region is located in the middle of the north of Spain, close to the Basque Country, but separated from it by the Cantabria mountain range. It comprises both sides of the first part of the Ebro river valley, since the river gets into the valley through Haro.

The whole Rioja wine region is well communicated by road with the rest of Spain and has a privileged position on the routes from Madrid or Barcelona to Bilbao and San Sebastian.

When talking about public transport, Logroño, as the main city of the Rioja wine region, is connected by coach, train and plane with the rest of Spain. But also Haro is quite well linked with the main routes crossing the north of Spain.

As well, several public coach routes link Logroño with the rest of the towns of the Rioja wine region.

Rioja wine tours from Bilbao

When planning Rioja wine tours from Bilbao, one realizes easily that the distance in between Bilbao and Haro, for example, is not so big, 95km/59mi, and, if staying in Bilbao, you can even consider a one-day round trip to La Rioja.

If so, the quickest and most flexible and comfortable way to reach Rioja is to hire a private transfer that will take you “door to door” and will allow you to enjoy safely the several wine tastings of your Rioja wine tours from Bilbao.

PRIVATE RIOJA WINE TOURS FROM BILBAO – PRIVATE TRANSFER - GET QUOTATION


If you are driving, the journey is very easy, around one hour along a comfortable highway, with no diversions, from point to point, from Bilbao to Haro or Logroño. Once in Rioja you will be thankful to have a car available, as it is the easiest way to move from one attraction to the next one.

If you are planning a Rioja wine tour from Bilbao using public transportation, train is to be avoided as it takes too long. Your best option will be public bus, departing from TERMIBUS (main bus station) to Haro or Logroño bus stations (both located downtown), with a nice frequency of departures, and with the possibility of getting a round trip ticket with open return, for you to choose the best return time.

RIOJA WINE TOURS FROM BILBAO – BY BUS - GET QUOTATION


Nevertheless, we will highly recommend you to stay at least one night in Rioja to be able to enjoy a two-days trip in Rioja (link), to get the most of it.

Rioja wine tours form San Sebastian

For Rioja wine tours from San Sebastian, even though it seems to be close to Bilbao, take into consideration that it is further to Haro or Logroño (150km/93mi) and the time of the journey increases (1:30/2:00h). Despite this fact, the transfer time is still reasonable for a one-day round trip to Rioja.

 

Definitely, for a one-day trip, the best choice is a private transfer, basically because it is faster, 1:30h/2:00h door-to-door, and, like in other cases, will allow you to enjoy the best Rioja wines without worries about drink&drive during your Rioja wine tours from San Sebastian.

PRIVATE RIOJA WINE TOURS FROM SAN SEBASTIAN – PRIVATE TRANSFER - GET QUOTATION


You can also reach La Rioja by public bus for your Rioja wine tours from San Sebastian, but there are few departures available along the day and one-way trip takes over 2h, so it doesn’t seem to be the most appropriate option for one-day trip to Rioja, but still suitable to take into consideration for multiple-days trips.

RIOJA WINE TOURS FROM SAN SEBASTIAN – BY BUS - GET QUOTATION


Rioja wine tours from Barcelona

If you are considering the different Rioja wine tours from Barcelona, you will easily realize that you should stay overnight. The journey can take from 4 to 6 hours, depending if you are traveling by car, train or bus. This last is the slowest but most affordable way.

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Choosing public transportation, train to Logroño is the fastest choice. There are usually five or six departures per day and the “Alvia” itinerary is the most direct and comfortable one. Carefully check the itineraries, as, in some cases, you might change train in Zaragoza.

RIOJA WINE TOURS FROM BARCELONA – BY TRAIN - GET QUOTATION


But maybe you are checking the different Rioja wine tours from Barcelona as it is on your way towards Basque Country, right there, a nice stop to split your trip. In that case driving to Rioja wine region is very comfortable as you will find highways for most of the itinerary.

Rioja wine tours from Madrid

Rioja wine tours from Madrid are suitable even for a weekend getaway. Rioja is very well connected to Madrid by road and also by public transportation.

There is a direct flight in the evening from Madrid to Logroño from Sunday to Friday, and it takes less than one hour. Once in Logroño airport, there is no public transport to reach the city, but you might find a couple of taxis available at the airport. As the flight is arriving at night it could be a good idea to book in advance a private transfer from the airport to your hotel.

RIOJA WINE TOURS FROM MADRID – FLIGHT + TRANSFER - GET QUOTATION


Train is a great choice too for Rioja wine tours from Madrid: five to seven departures per day to Logroño, all high-speed trains. Check the itinerary before booking, because some of them will require you to change train in Zaragoza.

RIOJA WINE TOURS FROM MADRID – BY TRAIN - GET QUOTATION


The bus becomes the most flexible option when talking about public transportation for Rioja wine tours from Madrid, the departures range of choice available is huge. There are two companies managing two different itineraries from Madrid to Logroño. The journey time is going to be similar in both cases (4h aprox.) and they both offer departures from Madrid Avenida de América bus station or directly from Madrid Airport Terminal 4.

RIOJA WINE TOURS FROM MADRID – BY BUS - GET QUOTATION