CLASSICAL WINES TOUR - RIOJA and RIBERA del Duero - 4 days/3 nights

SUMMARY: This tour is perfect for people who want to experience Spanish wine and Spanish culture. It includes visits to wineries in the three main regions of Spanish wines: Ribera del Duero and Rioja. The tour will also take you through the history and art of Spain, from the 2000 year old Roman Aqueduct in Segovia to the new Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, including monasteries, cathedrals and historical sites that will be visited and admired.

LODGING: The lodging in Rioja and Ribera will be in small towns, home of winemakers, away from the crowded touristy places.

Day 1: Ribera de Duero. Night in Ribera de Duero

  • Morning. Pick up from the hotel and introduction to the tour starting the drive to Ribera del Duero
  • Visit a winery of the Ribera del Duero region.
  • For lunch you will enjoy the typical meal from Ribera, roasted lamb in a wood fired oven with Ribera del Duero wines.
  • After lunch we can visit the medieval town of Peñaranda or the town of Peñafiel, and its magnificent castle from the 11th century, home of a newly opened wine museum.
  • Hotel check in and tapas dinner. Tapas are small dishes that you have in bars or casual restaurants instead of a formal meal

Day 2: Burgos and Rioja. Night in Rioja

  • Drive to Burgos and visit its cathedral, begun in the 13th century and completed in the 15th and 16th centuries. Our Lady of Burgos sums up Gothic architecture in all its beauty with a unique collection of reredos, tombs, choir, stalls, stained glass, etc. It has been also declared World Heritage monument by UNESCO. Lunch on your own
  • Afternoon winery visit
  • Guided tour in the medieval walled village of Laguardia (13th century), capital of La Rioja Alavesa. Under the stone paved streets and homes of Laguardia it is full of old subterranean bodegas, and over them there are many historic monuments and sites, like the Gothic facade of Santa Maria de los Reyes church from the 14th century.
  • Dinner.

Day 3: Rioja and Bilbao. Night in Rioja.

  • Morning. Visit to a traditional winery with wine tasting in Haro or nearby villages. The tradition of Rioja is very well represented by these centenary wineries, that keep in their cemeteries bottles from the time of their founders.
  • Tour of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a small medieval town very important for the pilgrims in their way to Santiago. Just a stroll through the arcade streets to admire the stone mansions with their coats of arms. The cathedral is famous because of its beauty and its legend of the "Cock and Hen". Lunch on your own.
  • Depart for Bilbao. Guided visit to the famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao designed by architect Frank Gehry.
  • Dinner

    Day 4: Segovia.Acueducto de Segovia

  • After breakfast we will leave for Pedraza, a very nicely preserved town and then Segovia. The millenary town of Segovia has been declared World Heritage by UNESCO, where you will admire the roman aqueduct (best preserved in the world), the astonishing castle (Alcazar), the cathedral and the old part.
  • Typical lunch in Segovia with the famous tender suckling pig and wines from the Ribera.
  • Drive back to Madrid.

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