THE CITY

The capital of the autonomous community and province of La Rioja, Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the banks of the Ebro River. To get to know Logroño, it is best to tour its historic quarter, with the heritage of its history, starting with Portales Street and the Co-cathedral of the Redonda. St. James’s Way, which enters Logroño through the stone bridge, accompanies pilgrims and visitors along the city’s oldest streets, with the wineries dug out of rock, bearing witness to the wine tradition of the Riojan capital. Be sure to stop at San Bartolomé and see its marvellous façade, in addition to the view of St. Mary of Palacio and the Jacobean complex of St. James, with an enormous Game of the Goose at his feet, and then continue on to the square of the Parlamento, old pilgrim hospital and the gate of Revellín, part of the city’s wall.

That said, Logroño also offers visitors modern buildings such as the Town Hall of Rafael Moneo or Riojaforum, the convention center and auditorium of La Rioja. The city’s wineries open their doors to visitors to show their over one-hundred-year-old tradition, their modern buildings, or their excellent art collections. A stroll through Logroño also allows the visitor to learn about the commercial and artisan traditions, purchase a wineskin, a bottle of the best Rioja, some chocolates made with wine, etc. But for everyone who visits the Riojan capital, a tour through the Laurel Street and San Juan streets is a must, as this is where you can find a selection of pinchos, bite-sized delicacies, unique to every bar.

LEISURE IN LOGROÑO

Besides its several museums and historic landmarks, such as the Museo de La Rioja, or Centro de la Cultural del Rioja, or the Co-cathedral of the Redonda, the cultural, shopping, and leisure opportunities in Logroño are varied and highly attractive.

Hiking and sports

Park of La Grajera
Logroño has many parks where you can enjoy outdoor activities, but the largest and most visited one is the park of La Grajera. While there, be sure to visit the environmental classroom, which will help you discover the biodiversity of this natural environment. St. James's Way goes through the park, and the Golf Course of Logroño is also located there.

“El Cortijo” Green Route
This 3.1 kilometre route was built over an old railway which used to run through the Riojan capital, between the Logroño and Fuenmayor stations. It has several entry points, two parking lots and two lookouts with excellent panoramic views of the Ebro River, the city of Logroño, and the Mountain of Cantabria.

Nature Path of the Ebro: GR-99
This great touring trail follows the course of the Ebro river from Fontribre to Tortosa. In Logroño, the trail begins in the El Cortijo quarter, passes over the Bridge of Sagasta, the most modern one in the city, and runs through the Park of the Ebro, passing over the Iron Bridge and the Stone Bridge. It then crosses the Park of the Ribera with its lake and lookouts, passing through the new Toros Square and the Riojaforum Convention Center, farther ahead arriving at Barrio de Varea, which is famous for its gardens. There, it connects with the park of Iregua.

Shops
From its beginnings, this city has been a place of business, which is confirmed by the street names in the Historic Quarter, where the unions used to meet. Here you can find butcher's shops, shoes stores, merchants, or blacksmiths. Around the Historic Quarter you can also find associated commercial areas and streets full of stores such as the Gran Vía and its adjacent arterial roads, the hundred pedestrian shops, etc. Its no wonder that Logroño received the prize for being the number one Commercial Town in Spain.

Where to eat
As the capital of La Rioja, Logroño is a good representation of the superb quality of this land's cuisine.

Produce Market (Plaza de Abastos)
The cuisine is displayed in all its splendour in the spectacular stands with vegetables freshly cut from the Riojan gardens, but also in the quality of the meats coming from the pastures of the mountains that surround the Riojan capital. Take advantage of the opportunity to purchase any kind of fresh product of the season: pochas, asparagus, mushrooms, artichokes, or any type of home-made sausage to cook after eating some Riojan-style potatoes.

Laurel and San Juan Streets
For foodies and fans of Spanish reds, these is a paradise: the wine is cheap and the pinchos are overflowing. This is a must for everyone who visits Logroño. Indeed, they are the most traditional streets for locals and visitors alike, comprising a culinary tour that is impossible to complete in just one day. They are packed with bars at each gate, each of them having one or several specialities. Visit several bars and choose your favorite pinchos, or ask the people of Logroño and try the best ones that the city has to offer.

Our old-time favourites include “Bar el Soriano”, where the main speciality is so simple, yet so tasty as three mushrooms cooked in garlicky butter stacked on a piece of bread with a shrimp on top; “La Tasca del Pato”, offering white asparagus grilled with a wrap of Riojan cheese, as well as a fishcake of crab and shellfish with a rich béchamel sauce; and “Tio Agus”, where one of the specialities consists of a sausage in a little hot dog bread with a special secret sauce. Paired with a glass of Rioja wine, these are usually around €2.50. A real bargain!

There is a great variety of specialities in the bars of these two streets, with peculiar names, including but not limited to matrimonios, valentinos,zapatillas, or calzoncillos. This 2009 piece featured in The Guardian will give you more ideas of the bars you might want to visit and the pinchos you may want to eat: https://www.theguardian.com

Restaurants
If bar hopping is not your thing, the dining options in Logroño are wide and varied, ranging from classical long-time restaurants with foods that come from the land and traditional recipes from the Riojan kitchen, to top-notch and modern menus, with signature dishes that transform these classical recipes to adapt them to new tastes and sensory experiences of today's cuisine, although without losing the fundamental basis of Riojan cuisine: the quality of the food. A list of the city’s restaurants can be accessed via the following link: https://lariojaturismo.com

Nightlife

If after a proper evening of bar hopping in the Laurel and San Juan streets you still feel like experiencing some more nightlife of Logroño, in less than five minutes you can find yourself at “La Mayor” (San Nicolás Street) or the Plaza del Mercado, where you will find lots of pubs and young people from Thursdays to Sundays.