Section 3
Pamplona to Logroño
This glorious stretch of the Camino takes us from Pamplona, the capital of Navarre, to Logroño, the capital of La Rioja. It’s about 95 kilometres (59 miles) and takes four or five days. Early on, you will climb over the Hill of Forgiveness, then descend into the farmlands of Navarre and onto the vineyards of Rioja. You might get swept up in a bull run, pluck grapes as you wander through sun-drenched vineyards, pour a glass of wine from a fountain, walk on ancient Roman roads, or spend an evening hopping between pintxo bars.
Pamplona
754 km (469 miles) to Santiago
Like arriving in Pamplona, leaving it is a more pleasant experience than departing from some other cities on the Camino. There are no industrial zones to slog through. Instead, you follow an urban path through a university campus and then out onto a quiet road with a broad hard shoulder for about 4 km until you reach Cizur Menor.
Quick Tip: Cities can be tricky to navigate. The yellow arrows are easy to miss among all the other signage. Making your way in is fine; just follow any signs to the city centre or the cathedral. But leaving can be harder. What I usually do is pick a small village on the edge of town, pull up Google Maps with walking directions, and follow them. It will probably follow the Camino route anyway, and once you’re clear of the city, the yellow arrows are easy to pick up again.
Cizur Menor
707km (439 miles) to Santiago
Cizur Menor is a small, modern suburban village with several bars and shops. A well-known albergue run by the Order of Malta stands at the village entrance, right across from the Romanesque church of San Miguel Arcángel. It costs about €7 a night, and if it’s full, they’ll offer you a bed inside the church. It’s popular with pilgrims who prefer a quieter night than what they’d find in Pamplona. I haven’t stayed there myself yet; Pamplona’s pull has always been too strong, but it’s on my list.
Zariquiegui
703km (437 miles) to Santiago
After Cizur Menor, the landscape opens up, and you are quickly back in the countryside. The path turns to track, and you begin a steady climb leading up to the small hamlet of Zariquiegui, where there’s a simple Romanesque church.
There is also a small private albergue above the village shop, Albergue San Andrés. It looks charming and unfussy, a great option if you want somewhere quiet, and particularly well-placed if you plan to set out early to catch the sunrise over Alto del Perdón.
Eagle-eyed fans of The Way might recognise Zariquiegui as the spot where Joost and Sarah first meet. She’s sitting on the wall of the church, smoking, when he walks up.
Alto Perdon
698 km (434 miles) to Santiago
From the village, the path begins to narrow, and the climb steepens. Just keep heading up. Once, I had a whole family of wild boar wander casually across the track right in front of me: mother, father, and a line of little ones. They barely glanced in my direction and simply carried on, as if I wasn’t there at all.
As you gain height, the views back over Pamplona open up and are seriously impressive. Keep marching forward towards the windmills until you reach the summit of Alto del Perdón, the Hill of Forgiveness, one of the most memorable spots on the entire Camino.
At the top stands a striking life-size metal silhouette sculpture of pilgrims walking through time. Known as The Monumento al Peregrino. Installed in the 1990s, it has become one of the most photographed landmarks on the entire Camino. Its inscription reads, “Where the path of the wind meets the path of the stars.”
A simple circle of stones stands just beyond the sculpture. It remembers those from the surrounding region whom Franco’s armies killed or disappeared during the Civil War. Its inscription simply reads, “We do not forget you”. Side by side, the two monuments speak quietly to both the best and worst of human nature.
Utegra
695 km (432 miles) to Santiago
The hike down from Alto del Perdón is treacherous, steep, rocky, and hard on the knees. Take your time. After about an hour, the trail flattens out and runs through almond groves and golden wheat fields.
I always get a strange feeling at this point, like I’ve finally crossed into real Spain. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the warmth; this stretch has its own microclimate. Maybe it’s the smell of the almond trees. But something changes. It starts to feel like Spain proper. After a couple of kilometres, you reach the small village of Uterga, where you’ll find a few albergues and a café.
Eunate
690 km (429 miles) to Santiago
Continue toward Muruzábal, where the path splits. You can head straight on to Obanos, about 2 km ahead, or take the left detour to the chapel of Santa María de Eunate. Don’t even hesitate. Turn left.
The road to Eunate is wonderfully empty, big sky, wide fields, barely a soul in sight. And then you see it. The octagonal Templar church of Eunate, built around 1170, sitting completely alone in the middle of the fields. It’s one of the most mysterious and beautiful churches on the Camino Francés.
The name Eunate is said to translate from Basque as “one hundred doors.” It does not literally have 100 doors, but it does have 33 arches wrapped around it, a sacred number for Christians because it was the age Jesus died.
Tradition holds that pilgrims once walked through each of the 33 arches, circling the church three times like a giant stone rosary, before finally entering through the main doorway, making it the symbolic “hundredth door.”
The eight sides of the church are said to be inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and are also loaded with symbolism. In medieval Christianity, seven meant completion, like the seven days of creation, while eight represented something beyond that: a new beginning, resurrection, and eternal life. There’s enough symbolism here for Dan Brown to base a complete novel on.
Take your time here. You might have it entirely to yourself. It’s one of my favourite spots on the Camino. The walk back to rejoin the main trail is special, too. Late afternoon light across the fields, long shadows, maybe just you and a few butterflies drifting past.
Obanos
687 km (427 miles) to Santiago
After a few kilometres of quiet walking, the detour to Eunate rejoins the main path again at Obanos. There’s a fine church here, Iglesia de San Juan Bautista. You’ll hear many legends along the Camino, and this is one of them.
Guillermo, a duke from Aquitaine, walked to Santiago with his sister Felicia. On their return, she chose a religious life and withdrew from the world. Furious that she had turned her back on her royal duties, he killed her. The guilt consumed him. He made another pilgrimage to Santiago and, upon his return, gave up everything and lived out his days as a hermit in Obanos. His skull, they say, can still be seen in the church.
Puente La Reina
685 km (426 miles) to Santiago
Leaving Obanos, you drop downhill and then continue for a few easy kilometres through market gardens filled with artichokes, peppers, and tomatoes, until you arrive in Puente la Reina.
Puente la Reina, meaning “Bridge of the Queen,” is a classic Camino town and a very popular overnight stop. Its magnificent 11th-century Romanesque bridge is one of the great icons of the Camino Francés. The town has a fabulous buzz in the evenings. Wander the narrow stone streets and join the locals and pilgrims as they spill out from the cafés, bars, and restaurants onto Calle Mayor.
If you fancy traditional Navarrese cooking, Restaurante La Conrada is known for regional dishes such as patas y morros (stewed calf’s feet and snout), manitas de cerdo (pig’s trotters in sauce), and patorrillo, a hearty lamb offal stew.
Puente la Reina holds its annual Fiestas de Santiago from 24 to 30 July. Think of it as a smaller, less hectic version of San Fermín. Everyone dresses in white with red scarves, brass bands fill the streets, giant puppets parade through town, and traditional bull runs take place each day, usually with young bulls or cows rather than the full-grown fighting bulls of Pamplona.
Nearly every town you walk through in Navarre has a festival like this at some point during the summer. They feel more like local county fairs than the spectacle of Pamplona. If you notice wooden fences and gates lining the streets as you arrive in a town, it’s a good sign the fiesta is about to begin. I’ve included the festival dates throughout this guide, and I’d recommend planning your walk to experience at least one.
The town also has a wonderful jazz festival in August, with open-air concerts under the bridge every Saturday evening throughout the month. The setting is magical.
Puente la Reina has plenty of places to stay. As you enter, the municipal Albergue de los Peregrinos is on the left, with a fine garden out back. Near the bridge, Albergue Estrella Guía is a wonderful option. Natalia and her dog, Peregrino, welcome you with open arms, and the whole place has a calm, Zen feel.
Cross the bridge and take a right, and a brief climb brings you to Albergue De Peregrinos Santiago Apostol. It’s a larger, more impersonal albergue, but it has a swimming pool. One of my favourite things on the Camino is plunging into cool water after a long, dusty day’s walk, so whenever there’s a pool along the way, I’ll be sure to point it out.
Cirauqui
677 km (420 miles) to Santiago
Leave Puente la Reina by crossing the old bridge and say goodbye to your trusty companion, the Arga River. You’ve been crisscrossing it for days now, but this is where your paths diverge. The Agra heads south and then east to the Mediterranean, while you’re heading due west, toward the Atlantic.
Take a right after the bridge and follow the waymarks out of town. The Camino soon leaves the road behind and turns back to a dirt track, winding through soft hills and open countryside. About 3 kilometres after leaving Puente la Reina, a short detour on the right leads to the little-visited ruins of the Monasterio de Bargota, once one of the most important pilgrim hospitals in medieval Navarre.
After another 2 kilometres, you’ll reach the small village of Mañeru. The Camino takes you through town, but skips the church, which is a rare occurrence on the Camino. It might be the only time on the whole route that happens. There’s one albergue here.
After Mañeru, the path remains properly rural. It’s truly one of the prettiest stretches on the whole Camino as you enter Navarra wine country. Mind you, I once got caught here in the worst storm. The sky split open, lightning hitting the ground all around me. There was nowhere to hide, so I just lay face down on the ground. That’s when it crossed my mind, well, if I get fried here, at least I’ll be famous. Maybe they’ll erect a little statue to me, future pilgrims could nod respectfully as they pass, any good deeds I ever did would be wildly exaggerated in the retelling, and a few flakes of my charcoaled body might even end up as a relic in a tiny church somewhere.
Up ahead, Cirauqui appears on a hilltop, surrounded by vineyards. Proper postcard stuff, absolutely stunning. As you climb into the village, you’ll actually be walking on a Roman road that’s over 2,000 years old. One of those “wow” moments.
The town’s old Basque name means “nest of vipers,” and the Codex Calixtinus once warned pilgrims to avoid it. But today, it’s one of the most charming spots on the route.
There is a wonderfully unpretentious winery, Bodega Cooperativa San Cristóbal, in the village, and if you, like me, love your wine, definitely visit it. Unlike the more polished wineries you’ll find later in Rioja, this is a traditional cooperative owned by the local grape growers. This is not a tourist attraction created for visitors; instead, it is an authentic, working bodega where people still buy their weekly wine in 5-litre containers and is very much at the heart of village life.
For generations, local farming families have pooled their grape harvests here. I was lucky enough to visit once during the autumn harvest, and it was great fun to watch. Tractors loaded with grapes arrived from the surrounding vineyards throughout the day, while growers stood around chatting, catching up on local gossip, and waiting their turn. They weighed, tested, and recorded each load before it disappeared into the presses. The bodega is open Monday through Saturday and closes for siesta.
Cirauqui has just one albergue, Casa Maralotx, which, oddly, translates as “the house of the bad blacksmith”, and it’s one of my favourites. They serve a great communal dinner in a medieval stone cellar. The food is hearty and delicious, and there’s always plenty of local wine. It’s run by Juanma and Paloma, a lovely couple who really make you feel at home. This place is really special. It sets the bar high for other albergues. I would definitely bookmark this one and reserve it in advance.
Lorca
672 km (418 miles) to Santiago
From here, the Camino continues on an old Roman road. It rises and falls all the way to Lorca. You’ll walk directly on surviving stones and cross an original Roman bridge. 2,000 years of history under your feet. Soak it in as you walk.
Lorca sits on a small hill, looking out across the open valley toward Estella. A Romanesque church greets you as you enter, and the village has a quiet, unhurried feel, a pleasant spot for a peaceful evening. There are a couple of albergues and a café at Albergue La Bodega del Camino.
Around this point on the Camino, you will start to see the same faces appearing again and again. Someone you shared breakfast with one morning turns up in a café a few days later. A pilgrim you walked beside for an hour last week is suddenly staying in the same albergue as you tonight.
What is strange is how quickly these people begin to feel like old friends. You may only know their first name and where they are from, yet you pick up the conversation exactly where you left off. You share stories, meals, aches and pains, and often end up talking about things you would rarely discuss with strangers back home. Funny, back home you might pass someone you went to school with twenty years ago and exchange little more than a nod, while on the Camino you embrace someone you only met a few times and haven’t seen in just a few days, like a long-lost friend.
Villatuerta
667 km (414 miles) to Santiago
As you leave Lorca, look up to your left and you’ll see the striking modern building of Bodega Tandem, built into the hillside. José Mari and Alicia, two wonderfully friendly hosts with a passion for making elegant wines with as little intervention as possible, founded this boutique, family-owned winery in 2003. They offer guided tours and wine tastings from Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Tours cost €18 per person, and I’d recommend booking online in advance.
The walk from Lorca to Estella is about 12 km, an easy, rolling stretch through farmland, olive groves, and wide-open countryside. You pass through a couple of small villages, including Ayegui and Villatuerta, the latter of which has a good albergue.
Just as you leave Villatuerta, there’s an optional detour called the Variante de Montejurra. Instead of following the main path, you take a left at the church onto a quieter route that loops around the mountain it’s named after. If you go this way, it’s well worth pushing up to the summit, where a large metal cross stands at just over 1,000 metres. The views in every direction on a clear day are wonderful.
I really like this stretch, but the trade-off is that you skip Estella and its beautiful churches, so it’s a tough call. If you take this route, you will also need to backtrack a little further on if you want to visit the famous wine fountain.
Estella
663 km (412 miles) to Santiago
Otherwise, continue on to Estella. Estella, whose name comes from the Latin stella, meaning star, is a decent size town. After the quiet of the countryside, it suddenly feels like you are back in the busy world again, with plenty of shops, cafés, and a real buzz about the place.
Estella is a medieval town built on hills above the fast-flowing Ega River, so expect plenty of up and down as you wander its narrow streets. You’ll cross the river over the distinctive Puente de la Cárcel, the Prison Bridge. Estella has some very impressive churches. Iglesia de San Pedro de la Rúa sits high above the town with a beautiful cloister and sweeping views, while the Gothic façade of Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro stops you in your tracks. You’re walking through real history here.
There are lots of little squares packed with restaurants and outdoor tables that spill into the night in Estella. I’m always struck by how many grandparents and small children are still out at 11 pm, chatting and tearing around as if it were mid-afternoon. Nobody seems in any rush to go home, a reminder that the Spanish simply know how to live. Something that the rest of us might be missing.
Estella could be a fine place to take a rest day, especially if you enjoy visiting churches.
Estella’s week-long festival begins on the Friday before the first Sunday in August in honour of San Andrés and the Virgen del Puy. It starts with the chupinazo (opening rocket) and features all the usual festival fare, including daily encierros.
There are plenty of albergues to choose from in Estella. The municipal is central and reliable. There is also a donativo and a more modern option, Ágora, which is sleek and comfortable. Just as you leave town, you will find the Capuchin albergue, where I always stay. I went to a Capuchin school, so I may be a little biased.
Monsterio de Irache
660 km (412 miles) to Santiago
About three kilometres after leaving Estella, you’ll come to one of the Camino’s most famous stops: the wine fountain at Bodega Irache. The local winery fills the rather ornate fountain with around 100 litres of wine every morning. Above the fountain is an inscription that reads: “Pilgrim, if you want to arrive in Santiago with strength and vitality, drink a little of this great wine and toast to happiness.”
Bring a cup, or just use the scallop shell hanging from your backpack. Have a sip and take the obligatory selfie. If you arrive late in the day, don’t be surprised if the wine has run out. There’s also a small wine museum here if you’d like to learn a little more about the winery.
Less than 100 metres after the wine fountain, the Camino passes the Monasterio de Irache. Take a moment to step in. The atmosphere is peaceful and hushed. Maybe it is the wine, but this place always feels deeply relaxing.
Villamayor de Monjardín
654 km (406 miles) to Santiago
After the monastery, the path begins to climb gently as you head back into the open countryside. Soon, the trail presents a choice. Left or right.
Go right to take the traditional, more popular route that passes through the village of Villamayor, or left to take the alternative route through the village of Luquin.
Let’s go right first: the route takes you through the village of Villamayor de Monjardín (the mountain garden). The village is built on the highest hill in the area, with the ruins of an old castle at its summit. You can climb up and take in the panorama: fields, hills, and sky in every direction. There is also a small winery, Castillo de Monjardín, in the village where you can enjoy a tour and wine tasting paired with local cheeses for €15 per person. Visits are available from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday to Sunday.
There are a few albergues in the village. I really liked Oasis Trails Albergue. It’s a peaceful, welcoming place with a gentle Christian spirit. Each evening, there’s a simple meditation service that brings a calm, reflective end to the day. When I stayed there, we had a lovely shared dinner with delicious shepherd’s pie. This place has a real sense of community; they even gave us buckets of cold water to soak our feet in.
Villamayor de Monjardín can fill up since the next stretch is 12 kilometres long and there’s nowhere to stop.
Luquin
641 km (399 miles) to Santiago
The second option is less travelled, a quieter, more intimate detour that takes you through the small village of Luquin. Rather than climbing the hill, this route drops gently into more wooded terrain, offering welcome shade and a softer landscape.
It’s the kind of path where the only soundtrack is birdsong, and you might walk for an hour without seeing another soul. Luquin is a sleepy little village. There’s a small, welcoming albergue here, Casa Tiago, and a café beside the municipal pool, perfect for a refreshing dip after a long summer walk. Luquin feels almost untouched by the Camino as if it has tiptoed through rather than marched past.
The two routes meet up again before a long, exposed 10 km stretch to Los Arcos, no villages, no fountains, no shops in between. Fill your water bottle and be ready.
The first time I walked the Camino, I got a bit greedy at the wine fountain. I thought I was being clever, emptied my only bottle of water and filled it with wine instead. It was a scorcher, and somewhere along this stretch, parched to the bone, I found myself daydreaming about a miracle that would turn the wine back into water.
Los Arcos
641 km (399 miles) to Santiago
Los Arcos is another quintessential end-of-stage Camino town.
The main square is lined with bars and restaurants and is a great place to sit with a drink and watch pilgrims arrive. The Church of Santa María is well worth a visit. Inside, you’ll find a magnificent gilded altar, welcome cool on a hot day, and, if you’re lucky, the sound of the organ filling the church in the evening.
If you’re here between 14 and 20 August, you’ll catch the town’s annual festival in honour of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saint Roch. Expect music, bull-running, and lively late-night celebrations.
There are plenty of beds in Los Arcos. The municipal albergue is at the far end of town, busy and full of energy. I also really like the colourful and eclectic Albergue La Fuente, which has a fun, hippie vibe, and the very cosy Casa de la Abuela (the grandmother’s house).
Sansol
635 km (396 miles) to Santiago
After Los Arcos, it’s about 7 km to Sansol. Sansol is a quiet little spot, but it’s home to one of my favourite albergues on the Camino, aptly named Albergue Sansol.
It’s a proper little oasis. There’s a fountain where everyone ends up soaking their feet, glass of wine in hand. They do a cracking communal meal, with big portions, plenty of wine, and great vibes. When I stayed there, someone pulled out a guitar, and before long, the whole room was singing.
There’s also Palacio Sansol, set in a beautifully renovated old baroque building with stunning views. I haven’t stayed there myself, but friends who have were genuinely impressed.
Torres del Rio
634 km (394 miles) to Santiago
From Sansol, the path dips down and climbs straight back up into Torres Del Río, Towers of the River. The two villages are barely 500 metres apart, separated by little more than a fold in the valley.
Take time here to visit the 12th-century Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is another of the Camino’s unusual octagonal churches. Its shape is linked to the Templar tradition and, like Eunate, is inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Step inside and you’ll notice the ribbed dome, which has a distinctly Islamic feel. It’s interlacing arches and geometric patterns reflect the Moorish influence that shaped much of medieval Spanish architecture. It’s a fascinating reminder of just how many different cultures have left their mark on Spain.
If you remember the wonderfully eccentric El Ramón from The Way, this is where he had his “albergue.” In reality, it’s just an old house, but you can still clearly recognise the doorway, the very one he peers out of before greeting Tom in the film.
Speaking of The Way, if you’re a fan, I’d highly recommend reading Jack Hitt’s Off the Road. Emilio Estevez has said it was the book that inspired the film, borrowing several stories and characters from it, including the real El Ramón.
There are a few albergues in the village. I’ve heard good things about Albergue Casa Mariela, which has a small shop downstairs.
Viana
623 km (388 miles) to Santiago
After Torres Del Río, the walk to Viana is about 9 km. Viana is a bigger town with a lot of energy. You spot it from a distance, perched on a hill, its church tower rising above the rooftops.
The old town is full of character, with narrow stone lanes decorated with flags overhead and people spilling out onto tiny café tables.
Viana is best remembered as the place where Cesare Borgia met his end. Cesare was one of the great villains of Renaissance Europe and a real-life inspiration for Machiavelli’s The Prince. He was born into the powerful and famously dodgy and ruthless Borgia family. Think “The Godfather” set in the Middle Ages. His father became one of the most controversial and corrupt popes in history and was known for having several mistresses and many children. Showtime made a TV series about the family, starring Jeremy Irons, a few years ago.
Thanks to family connections, Cesare was made a bishop while still in his mid-teens, not exactly after years of quiet prayer, but he later ditched church robes for armour and turned himself into a feared military commander known for betrayals and for collecting enemies wherever he went. In 1507, he was ambushed and killed just outside Viana while trying to escape on horseback during a small skirmish.
At first, they buried him with honour inside the Church of Santa María, but after a few decades, the town decided he was too scandalous for such a prime resting place and relocated his remains outside the walls, reburying him beneath a roadside entrance so people would walk over him for centuries.
Viana holds its annual Fiestas de Santa María Magdalena from 22 to 25 July in honour of its patron saint.
There are a few good places to stay, including a fine municipal. The donativo has been closed for the past few years for renovations; hopefully, it will reopen soon. I also really like Albergue Izar. It has a lovely rooftop terrace, and they serve a great communal meal.
About 8 km after leaving Viana, you’ll cross the border into La Rioja, Spain’s most famous wine-growing region.
Logroño
614 km (382 miles) to Santiago
Logroño is the capital of La Rioja, a city of around 150,000 people with a big reputation for food and wine, and one of the liveliest places you’ll pass through on the entire Camino. You enter the city over the Puente de Piedra, crossing the River Ebro.
A small tip: the yellow arrows will get you through Logroño efficiently, but not necessarily memorably. The official route tends to skip the prettiest squares, the best churches, and the famous food streets. Drop the backpack, ignore the arrows for an hour or two, and explore.
One thing you should definitely do in Logroño is visit the Cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda and find Michelangelo’s tiny painting of the Crucifixion. It is tucked away behind the main altar. You can see it by dropping a coin into a small box that lights it up for a minute or so. For that brief window, you get what amounts to a private viewing of a Michelangelo.
If, like me, you enjoy wine and the stories behind it, make time to visit Bodegas Franco Españolas. Founded in 1890, the winery is only a short walk from the old town, just back across the river you crossed on your way into Logroño, and remains one of the most historic bodegas in Rioja.
Their guided tours will lead you through the historic cellars and explain Rioja wine production from grape to bottle. You’ll see vast barrel rooms, centuries-old stone cellars, and learn how oak ageing became such an important part of Rioja’s identity. Tastings are included and usually feature several of the winery’s best known wines, including Bordón and Diamante.
It’s open throughout the week, with extended hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
Logroño is also famous for the medieval Game of the Goose, which some say is full of hidden Camino clues. It’s kind of like a Snakes and Ladders game. In the old town, there is a giant version of the board painted right onto the street. For a wonderful companion read, seek out The Way of the Wild Goose by Beebe Bahrami.
Logroño is a great place to spend the evening, and if you do, you will almost certainly end up on Calle del Laurel. It is packed with small bars serving all kinds of tapas and plenty of local Rioja wine.
There are plenty of places to stay in Logroño, including a fine municipal albergue and a donativo, Parroquial Albergue Santiago El Real. There are also some good private albergues, including Albergue San Nicolás and Winederful Hostel.
Quick Insight
Spain has 138 officially recognised wine regions, but La Rioja is, without question, its most famous. It is best known for its red wines, particularly those made from the Tempranillo grape. As you walk through, vineyards seem to stretch endlessly across the landscape. Looking out over them, I always take a moment to think about all the wonderful conversations and celebrations, from Sydney to San Francisco, that the produce of these fields will fuel.
The Camino Francés passes mainly through Rioja Alta, or “Upper Rioja.” The higher elevation and cooler climate help produce some of Rioja’s most highly regarded wines. Rioja’s modern wine industry owes much to French winemakers who crossed the Pyrenees in the late 19th century after the phylloxera epidemic devastated vineyards in France. They brought new techniques, including ageing wine in oak barrels, which helped shape the style Rioja is famous for today.
Rioja wines are generally classified into four categories:
Crianza – Aged for a minimum of two years, including at least one year in oak. Reserva – Aged for a minimum of three years, including at least one year in oak. Gran Reserva – Aged for a minimum of five years, including at least two years in oak and two years in the bottle. Joven–Young wine with little or no oak ageing, designed to be enjoyed fresh.
While Logroño is the capital of La Rioja, Haro is widely regarded as its wine capital. If you’re considering a rest day, Haro makes a fantastic side trip from Logroño. It’s only about 50 km away by bus. You could easily spend a day touring wineries, enjoying a long lunch, and soaking up the atmosphere before returning to the Camino the following day. Many of Rioja’s most famous wineries are clustered together in the Barrio de la Estación, all within easy walking distance of each other. Standout names include Bodegas López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, CVNE, and La Rioja Alta.
And if you’re walking in late June, you could even time your journey to catch Haro’s famous wine festival. The highlight is the Batalla del Vino, or Wine Battle, held on the morning of the 29th of June. Before dawn, thousands of people dressed in white with red scarves, go figure, and wearing swimming goggles, snorkels, diving masks, and all manner of improvised protective gear follow the mayor on horseback on a 7 km procession out of town. After a short religious ceremony, the wine starts flying. Buckets, bottles, water pistols, backpack sprayers, wineskins, and pretty much anything else capable of launching wine are pressed into service as the crowd turns from spotless white to deep purple. By midday, the purple army makes its way back into Haro and gathers in the Plaza de la Paz, where the celebrations continue.
