Spain

At a glance

Vueling, Sixt, two halves.

OutboundVY7291 · Thu 6 Aug · LGW 09:40 → BIO 12:45 · Vueling ref ON6NJA.

ReturnVY7296 · Fri 14 Aug · BIO 14:45 → LGW 15:40.

CarSixt at Bilbao Airport · pickup Thu 6 Aug 13:00 · drop Fri 14 Aug 12:30 · booking #9731053564 · automatic, All Inclusive protection · 1,398 miles included.

Drive 1 — BIO → Marqués de Riscal, Elciego~1h 30m, 122 km, mostly motorway via the AP-68 through Vitoria. Arrive ~14:30, well within the 15:00 check-in window.

Drive 2 — Marqués de Riscal → Hotel Nafarrola, Bermeo~1h 45m, 145 km on Mon 10 Aug. North through Vitoria, then onto the Basque coast. Arrive Hotel Nafarrola ~15:30 for check-in, then ROLA dinner that night.

Drive 3 — Hotel Nafarrola → BIO~30m, 32 km on Fri 14 Aug. Coastal route via Mungia.

Stays

Architectural set-piece, then a quiet farmhouse.

Nights 1–4 · Hotel Marqués de Riscal, ElciegoFrank Gehry's titanium-ribbon hotel above the bodega founded in 1858. Luxury Collection / Marriott. Two Premium Spa rooms, King beds, Elciego village view. Check-in Thu 6 Aug from 15:00 · check-out Mon 10 Aug by 12:00. Booking.com confirmation 5705170283 · PIN 0216 · €6,344.80 (charged automatically 2 Aug). Breakfast €45 pp/night, not included. Maps · Torrea 1, 01340 Elciego · +34 945 18 08 88.

Nights 5–8 · Hotel Nafarrola, BermeoRestored Basque farmhouse run by the Goikoetxea brothers, deep in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, on a hillside 4 km outside Bermeo town. Eight suites, on-site ROLA restaurant. Check-in Mon 10 Aug from 15:30 · check-out Fri 14 Aug by 12:00. Confirmation HNF00002048 · €2,634.24. Two rooms — confirm with hotel that Room 2 is single occupancy (Rian) before arrival. Maps · Artike Auzoa 45, 48370 Bermeo · +34 613 006 827.

Booking checklist

Pinned and pending.

Pinned — confirmed

Still to book — restaurantsSpain books up. Lunches at the better Rioja places need 2 weeks; MICHELIN dinners and Azurmendi need 2–3 months. Stagger the work — destination-MICHELIN first, casual lunches close to the date.

Still to book — experiencesWineries and the salt valley. Most need just 1–2 weeks, except Marqués de Riscal which the hotel can sort once you arrive.

Action items before trip(1) Confirm Sixt automatic transmission — see car-hire pushback note. (2) Apply the Gmail label Holidays/Spain to any new booking emails as they come in — the holiday-bookings-sync task picks them up Tue + Fri 09:00 and updates this page automatically.

Half One · Rioja Alavesa, 6–10 August

Vineyards, the Gehry building, slow lunches.

Wine country in high August. Vineyards in full leaf, low-key village squares, big-architecture wineries along the Sierra de Cantabria foothills. Time the icons (Laguardia, Marqués de Riscal) for early morning or evening; midday pivots to the quieter villages and a long lunch.

Rioja · Villages & Towns

Four picks, all within 25 minutes.

Laguardia (8 min)Fortified medieval Rioja Alavesa "wine capital" on a vineyard hilltop. Medieval layout intact, churches of San Juan Bautista and Santa María de los Reyes, underground bodegas under the streets. Touristy at midday in August — go early morning or after 19:00. Maps · Tourism Euskadi.

Briones (20 min, La Rioja side)Beautifully preserved hilltop village above the Ebro, medieval gateways, walled walk along the river bluff. Much quieter than Laguardia. Maps · La Rioja Turismo.

Labastida (21 min)Quiet Rioja Alavesa medieval village. Walled-town vestiges (Toloño and Larrazuria arches), Santo Cristo chapel, San Ginés park. Tourism Euskadi calls it the "perfect base" for the area. Maps · Tourism Euskadi · Tourism Euskadi — most beautiful villages of Rioja Alavesa.

San Vicente de la Sonsierra (19 min, La Rioja side)Small village with castle ruins on the highest point, 16th-c Gothic Santa María parish, Romanesque Santa María de la Piscina basilica nearby. Practically zero crowds. Maps · La Rioja Turismo.

Rioja · Walks

Three Komoot Top-10 picks.

AllTrails Spain coverage failed the 4.5★ + 50-review bar in this region; falling back to Komoot's curated Top-10 for Rioja Alavesa per the standing rule.

Old Town of Laguardia loop · TOWN · 7.5 km · 2h00 · 101 m up · MODERATEThe medieval old town and perimeter — gentlest way to take in Laguardia outside crowd hours. Komoot route · Komoot Top 10 · Maps start.

Bodegas Ysios – Puerto del Toro loop · MIXED · 12.8 km · 4h13 · 609 m up · MODERATEPast Calatrava-designed Bodegas Ysios, climbing into the Sierra de Cantabria foothills to the Puerto del Toro pass with panoramic views over the Rioja vineyard plain. The signature wine-country hike. Komoot route · Komoot Top 10 · Maps start.

Toloño geodetic vertex loop from Labastida · MOUNTAIN day-walk · 8.6 km · 4h05 · 626 m up · MODERATEThe headline Sierra de Cantabria summit. Mountain hiking paths most of the way, pre-Romanesque Santa María de Toloño Monastery near the top, full sweep of Rioja from the ridge. Komoot route · Komoot Top 10 · Maps start.

Rioja · Experiences

Wineries and a salt valley.

Marqués de Riscal Winery Tour (on-site)Frank Gehry's titanium hotel-and-winery, working bodega tour through cellars of the oldest commercial winery in Rioja, ends with tasting. Hotel guests get priority scheduling. ~€35 pp. Winery info · Hotel concierge content · Maps.

Bodegas Ysios — Calatrava architecture + tasting (10 min, Laguardia)Opened 2001, Santiago Calatrava's "temple to wine": aluminium-wave roof, cedar exterior wrapping the foothills. Book 1–2 weeks ahead; visits limited. ~€25 pp. Booking — Visits · Maps.

Salinas de Añana / Valle Salado (52 min west)7,000-year-old open-air salt valley, 120,000 m² of wooden terraces, working salt-making site you walk through with a guide. April–October includes the outdoor Salt Spa where you submerge feet/hands in hypersaline springs. €9 pp · 1-hour tour · book ahead for English. UNESCO/FAO heritage site. Booking · Maps.

Barrio de la Estación, Haro (27 min)The "golden mile of Rioja" — the densest concentration of century-old bodegas in the world (Muga, Roda, CVNE, La Rioja Alta, López de Heredia, Bilbaínas, Gómez Cruzado) clustered around the railway station. Buy the Passport for the six wine bars or book a guided tour visiting three bodegas with paired tapas. Booking + info · Maps.

Rioja · Lunch

Three critic-anchored picks.

Héctor Oribe (Páganos, 10 min)Modern-traditional · €€ (€45–55 tasting) · Google 4.7★ (671) · MICHELIN Guide listed. Husband-wife operation, single tasting menu around seasonal local produce, great Idiazábal cheese course. Pairs with → Laguardia village stroll. Website · Maps.

Amelibia (Laguardia, 10 min)Updated traditional Riojan · €€ · Google 4.7★ (1,014) · Repsol Solete + MICHELIN listed. Family-run, looks straight onto the vineyards, lamb chops + seasonal game, fantastic small-producer wine list. Pairs with → Laguardia village stroll. Website · Maps.

Bar Soriano on Calle Laurel (Logroño, 28 min)Pintxo (the iconic mushroom skewer since 1972) · € · Google 4.7★ (2,786) · Repsol Solete. Single specialty done since 1972; eat 2 there, then walk Calle Laurel for the rest of the crawl. Pairs with → Briones detour + Logroño old-town walk. Calle Laurel listing · Maps.

Rioja · Dinner

Three MICHELIN picks. All require driving.

Tierra y Vino at Palacio de Samaniego (13 min)Modern Basque-Galician-French · €€€ · Google 4.9★ (123) · MICHELIN Guide + new 1 Sol Repsol 2026. Inside an 18th-c palacio (Rothschild-owned art collection on the walls), Portuguese chef Bruno Coelho. The closest of the three. Hotel + restaurant · Maps.

Nublo (Haro, 27 min)Wood-fired Basque · €€€€ · Google 4.7★ (599) · 1 ★ MICHELIN + 2 Soles Repsol. 16th-c palace, chef Miguel Caño (ex-Mugaritz), everything cooked over fire — wood, embers, oven, grill. The most-talked-about dinner in Rioja right now. MICHELIN listing · Repsol · Website · Maps.

El Portal de Echaurren (Ezcaray, 44 min)Modernist La Rioja · €€€€ · Google 4.6★ (2,607) · 2 ★ MICHELIN. Francis Paniego — first chef to bring a star to La Rioja (2004) and the second one (2013). 5th-generation family. Destination dinner; on the way home from a long Sierra de la Demanda day. MICHELIN listing · Hotel + restaurant · Maps.

Honest notesMarqués de Riscal Restaurant on-site (1 ★ MICHELIN, walking distance from your room) is intentionally NOT in the list — Google sits at 3.4★/122 reviews, well below the 4.5★ filter. Mentioning it only because it's the walking-distance fallback if you don't want to drive any night. No live music venue in Rioja that fits the prefs that week — Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz ends mid-July, Logroño's San Mateo wine harvest is mid-September. Honest gap.

Transfer · Mon 10 August

Elciego → Bermeo, ~1h 45m.

Route~1h 45m, 145 km. North through Vitoria-Gasteiz, then onto the Basque coast via Mungia. ROLA dinner that night at Hotel Nafarrola — leave Elciego after a late breakfast, easy lunch en route, arrive ~15:30 for check-in.

Stop en route — Vitoria-Gasteiz (45 min from Elciego)Quietly the most underrated Basque city. Medieval almond-shaped old town (Casco Medieval), Cathedral of Santa María (the one Ken Follett wrote about — actively being restored, you can tour the works), Plaza de la Virgen Blanca. ~1h 30m here is enough for a light lunch and a stroll. Then 1h to Hotel Nafarrola. Maps.

Half Two · Basque coast, 10–14 August

Cliffs, txakoli, pintxos in Bilbao.

Hotel Nafarrola sits 4 km outside Bermeo, in the heart of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. Coastal cliffs, fishing villages with vertical streets, txakoli vineyards, Bilbao 35 minutes away. Two ROLA dinners already booked (Mon 10 + Wed 13), so Bilbao MICHELIN fills the other nights.

Bermeo · Villages & Towns

Four, ranging from 12 to 40 minutes.

Mundaka (12 min)Urdaibai surf village; left-hand wave of world fame, Santa Catalina hermitage on a tiny peninsula above the harbour, labyrinthine port streets, views to Izaro Island and Mount Ogoño. Maps · Tourism Euskadi · Hotel concierge content.

Bakio (21 min)Small Bizkaia fishing village with a curving Atlantic beach; gateway to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and Cape Matxitxako. Pairs naturally with the txakoli winery walk. Maps · Tourism Euskadi.

Bilbao Casco Viejo (38 min)The "Seven Streets" old town, Plaza Nueva pintxo arcade, Mercado de la Ribera on the river. Treat the Casco Viejo as the village stroll, the market and pintxos as the food. Full city day. Maps.

Elantxobe (40 min)Clifftop fishing village with sheer-vertical streets, dramatically perched between sky and sea, sheltered by the Ogoño rock. The bus-turntable in the only flat square is a quiet legend. Maps · Disfruta Bizkaia.

Bermeo · Walks

Three Komoot Top-10 picks.

Same caveat as Rioja — AllTrails Bermeo coverage too thin to clear the bar. Komoot Top-10 fallback.

Santa Catalina – Mundaka Port loop from Bermeo · COASTAL/MIXED · 7.0 km · 1h57 · 134 m up · EASYFrom Bermeo's harbour out along the Atlantic cliff to the Santa Catalina hermitage promontory and into Mundaka port; coastal ridge, sea on both sides. Komoot route · Komoot Top 10 · Maps start.

Mount Ogoño – Talaia loop from Elantxobe · CLIFF/NATURE day-walk · 5.0 km · 1h44 · 253 m up · DIFFICULTShort but very steep — climbs to the highest cliff on the Cantabrian coast (305 m straight out of the sea). Bring grip. Komoot route · Komoot Top 10 · Maps start.

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe loop from Bakio (6.12 km variant) · LANDMARK · 6.1 km · 1h56 · 247 m up · EASYThe 241-step islet-hermitage walk that became Game of Thrones' Dragonstone — the unmissable icon of this coast. Touristy mid-summer — go at first light (open 06:00) to walk it without crowds. The 2.66 km direct version starts from the parking but the 6.1 km loop from Bakio is the proper coastal approach. Komoot route · Komoot Top 10 · Maps start.

Bermeo · Experiences

Live music, txakoli, market.

Kafe Antzokia, Bilbao (42 min)Bilbao's most important live-music stage, in a refurbished theatre running since 1995. Basque-language community space (academy, radio station, restaurant), wide musical programming far from mainstream — local first, tourist last. Programme weekly; book online. Website · Maps.

Bodegas Itsasmendi, Gernika (30 min)Bizkaiko Txakolina — Urdaibai-grown txakoli with a strong Atlantic salinity. Visits with tasting + food pairing options; in the heart of the biosphere reserve, low-key compared to Rioja bodegas. Office hours Mon–Fri 8:00–15:00. Booking + contact · Tourism Euskadi listing · Maps.

Mercado de la Ribera, Bilbao (38 min)Europe's largest covered market, 3-storey 1929 Art Deco riverside building. Free entry; stalls Mon–Fri 8:00–14:30 / 17:00–20:00, Sat 8:00–15:00, closed Sun. Pintxo bars on the lower floor open later. Cultural-site visit — not the dinner spot. Bilbao Turismo listing · Maps.

Doniene Gorrondona, Bakio (21 min)Coastal txakoli at the source — Bakio is the village historically associated with the wine. Family operation since 1996 in an 1852 farmhouse; their Beltza red txakoli is a cult bottling. Visits + tasting + spirits programme. Pairs with the Gaztelugatxe walk. Website · Tourism Euskadi listing · Maps.

Bermeo · Lunch

Four picks, all critic-anchored.

Almiketxu (Bermeo, 10 min)Traditional Basque grill · €€€ · Google 4.6★ (1,915) · Repsol Guide listed. Restored 1850 farmhouse in the Almike neighbourhood, 30+ years one-family run, grilled local fish + ribeye over wood, garden produce. Pairs with → Bermeo old port stroll. Website · Maps.

Restaurante Portuondo (Mundaka, 12 min)Open-grill Basque + estuary views · €€€ · Google 4.5★ (1,883) · MICHELIN Guide + Repsol. Terraces over the Urdaibai estuary, fish from the Bermeo and Mundaka auctions, beef chop. Pairs with → Mundaka village + Santa Catalina walk. Website · Maps.

Gure Toki (Bilbao Casco Viejo / Plaza Nueva, 38 min)Modern pintxos · € · Google 4.5★ (5,263) · MICHELIN Bib Gourmand-historic + Bilbao Turismo featured. Contemporary-Basque pintxo bar — oxtail croquettes, scallop with potato, foie + Pedro Ximénez, idiazábal cheese soup. Pairs with → Casco Viejo + Mercado de la Ribera. Bilbao Turismo listing · Website · Maps.

Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, 35 min)Modernist Basque destination · €€€€ · Google 4.7★ (1,891) · 3 ★ MICHELIN + 3 Soles Repsol. Eneko Atxa's greenhouse-restaurant, multi-hour tasting menu, full-day affair. Book 2–3 months out. Pairs with → low-key afternoon at hotel after. MICHELIN listing · Website · Maps.

Bermeo · Dinner

Three Bilbao MICHELIN alternates to ROLA.

ROLA at Hotel Nafarrola already booked Mon 10 + Wed 13 — both nights covered on-site. The three below for the other dinner slots.

Etxanobe Atelier (Bilbao, 38 min)Creative Basque · €€€€ · Google 4.7★ (2,457) · 1 ★ MICHELIN + 2 Soles Repsol. Chef Fernando Canales in a former glass factory; two tasting menus (Chef Atelier / Chef Atelier Plus), fish-forward presentation. The most-decorated Bilbao option. MICHELIN listing · Website · Maps.

Zarate (Bilbao, 39 min)Tidal-cuisine seafood · €€€€ · Google 4.5★ (784) · 1 ★ MICHELIN. Sergio Ortiz de Zarate started in Lekeitio, moved to Bilbao 2011, MICHELIN star 2016 — fish of the Cantabrian coast, sourced from Lekeitio + Ondarroa daily. À la carte plus 15-step + 20-step tasting menus. MICHELIN listing · Website · Maps.

Restaurante Mina (Bilbao, 38 min)Daily-bought market tasting · €€€€ · Google 4.5★ (293) · 1 ★ MICHELIN + 2 Soles Repsol. Álvaro Garrido — 25 covers per service, no fixed menu, market-bought daily, "tell us how much you want to eat and we improvise". By the river. The most intimate of the three. Repsol · Website · Maps.

Honest notesBermeo/Mundaka pintxos bars all failed Google ≥4.5★ (Kai Alde 3.7, Bar Oker 4.0, Andeko 4.3) — no Bermeo pintxos crawl makes the menu. Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, 54 min, World's Best 2023) sits at 4.3★ Google — left out per the rule, plus the 12-month booking lead time is gone.

Day shapes

A loose week — pick, don't schedule.

Thu 6 Aug · arrivalLGW 09:40 → BIO 12:45. Sixt 13:00. Drive to Elciego (~1h 30m). Check in Marqués de Riscal from 15:00. Evening: gentle stroll Elciego village, dinner at Tierra y Vino in Samaniego (closest, 13 min) or stay at the hotel.

Fri 7 AugMorning: Marqués de Riscal winery tour. Lunch: Héctor Oribe in Páganos. Afternoon: Laguardia (after 17:00 when crowds thin). Dinner: Nublo in Haro.

Sat 8 AugBig walk day — Toloño peak loop from Labastida (4h05). Late lunch: Bar Soriano on Calle Laurel, Logroño. Afternoon: Briones village stroll. Dinner: at the hotel (low-key) or push to El Portal de Echaurren if doing a long Sierra de la Demanda day.

Sun 9 AugMorning: Bodegas Ysios visit + the Calatrava architecture walk to Puerto del Toro. Lunch: Amelibia in Laguardia. Afternoon: Salinas de Añana (45 min west) or Barrio de la Estación in Haro. Dinner: free — pick from Nublo / Echaurren / Tierra y Vino, whichever you didn't do.

Mon 10 Aug · transferLate breakfast at MdR. Check out by 12:00. Drive to Vitoria-Gasteiz (45 min) — light lunch + Casco Medieval stroll. Continue to Hotel Nafarrola (~1h). Check in 15:30. ROLA dinner ✓ booked.

Tue 11 AugEarly morning: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe loop from Bakio (before 09:00). Mid-morning: Doniene Gorrondona txakoli tasting. Lunch: Restaurante Portuondo, Mundaka. Afternoon at hotel. Dinner: Etxanobe Atelier (Bilbao) or stay in.

Wed 12 AugBilbao city day — drive in, Mercado de la Ribera, Casco Viejo's Seven Streets, lunch at Gure Toki on Plaza Nueva, walk along the river. Afternoon: Kafe Antzokia (if anything's on) or back to the hotel. Dinner: Zarate or Restaurante Mina.

Thu 13 AugBig walk day — Mount Ogoño / Talaia loop from Elantxobe (1h44, steep). Late lunch in Elantxobe village. Afternoon at hotel — quiet pre-dinner. ROLA dinner ✓ booked.

Fri 14 Aug · departureMorning at the hotel. Check out by 12:00. Drive to BIO (~30 min). Sixt drop 12:30. BIO 14:45 → LGW 15:40.

Practical

Pharmacies, fuel, useful local notes.

Pharmacy (Rioja)Farmacia Elciego — Mayor Kalea 10, Elciego (3 min walk from MdR). Maps.

Pharmacy (Bermeo)Farmacia Goikoetxea — Nafarroa Kalea 4, Bermeo. Maps.

PetrolRepsol stations widely available. The hire car is petrol — fill up before drop-off (small petrol station near BIO is cheaper than the airport one).

Local tipsSpain dines late — most kitchens 14:00–16:00 lunch / 21:00–23:00 dinner. Book restaurants 2 weeks ahead minimum in August. ATMs are everywhere; cash useful at small bars. Tipping is light (round up or 5–10% for a sit-down meal). Basque is bilingual — signs in Basque + Spanish, English everywhere in tourist spots.

August heatRioja interior 28–32°C midday, drops to ~16°C at night. Basque coast cooler — 22–26°C, sea breeze. Light layers + sun cream + walking shoes for stone village streets.

Emergency

Numbers + key contacts.

Emergency Spain112 (police / ambulance / fire — works across the EU).

Hotel Marqués de Riscal front desk+34 945 18 08 88.

Hotel Nafarrola front desk+34 613 006 827 · info@hotelnafarrola.com.

British Embassy Madrid+34 91 714 6300 (24/7 for British nationals abroad).

Sixt assistance SpainFrom the rental documents — number on the keychain card.

Nearest hospital (Rioja)Hospital San Pedro, Logroño — 25 min from Elciego. Maps.

Nearest hospital (Bermeo)Hospital de Galdakao — 30 min from Hotel Nafarrola. Maps.