Bilbao & Rioja 5-day Itinerary

This is the building that transformed a city and started an architectural revolution. Ever since Frank Gehry’s swirling, titanium-clad Guggenheim opened in 1997, it has been acclaimed as the greatest building of our time, and its construction supplied the spark for the remarkable rebirth of old industrial Bilbao.

The museum is home to part of the enormous Guggenheim collection of contemporary art, and every year its blockbuster special exhibitions draw art lovers from around the world. It may also be the only museum anywhere with a Michelin-starred restaurant, Nerua, serving haute cuisine. There is also a less formal bistro with prix fixe menus and an outdoor terrace.

Foodies will love this hangout in Bilbao’s old town: one of the biggest covered markets in the world, it’s a lush, colourful extravaganza of wonderfully fresh produce.

Enormous, hanging hams, gawping fish slung on crushed ice, pungent shellfish, piles of glossy fruit – and even some sit-in wine bars, where you can order a glass and a plate of pintxos (Basque-style tapas).

Built in 1929, the design still has lots of gorgeous Art Deco touches, modernised by escalators, hip tiling and communal wooden benches to eat at.

Even if you haven’t got a kitchen, come down to get an education in Basque cuisine – or assemble some tasty local treats for a picnic in the sun.

Located in the city’s historic port area, this interesting museum explains the region’s rich maritime heritage, and Bilbao’s seafaring and shipbuilding past. Housed in the iconic Euskalduna Palace, it features a diverse collection of exhibits, historical artefacts, ship models, and interactive displays.

Rioja’s people have been making wine for over 2,000 years, and in recent decades it has become one of the most prestigious wine regions in the world. Rolling hills and lovely landscapes make an ideal setting for winery-hopping, and estates welcome visitors for tours and tastings.

Recently, estate owners have started to commission some of the world’s greatest architects to build new bodegas (wineries), and the region has become renowned for its striking avant-garde architecture. Look out for the spectacular Bodegas Ysios in Laguardia by Santiago Calatrava, Tondonia in Haro, with a pavilion by Zaha Hadid, and Frank Gehry’s undulating Hotel Marques de Riscal in Elciego.

Stop by the Vivanco family’s wine museum for an insight into the history of winemaking in the region.

A well-equipped, new museum created by the winemaking Vivanco family, that explains the history of winemaking in the Rioja region. For an extra few Euros, you can get a guided tour with wine tasting. There’s also a superb restaurant devoted to Riojan cuisine. Closed Monday & Tuesday.

One of the biggest wineries in Spain, CVNE offers a range of tours including lunches, cellar tours and children’s workshops.

This unique four-star hotel sits within a monumental 14th-century Augustinian monastery in the handsome, historic town of Haro, in Spain’s Rioja wine region. The three-storey cloister is now a glassed-in patio, beautifully illuminated at night.

Rooms are far from monastic, however – think plump memory-foam mattresses, original wood beams and embroidered headboards – while the location makes it an excellent base for exploring the wineries and beautiful landscapes of Rioja Alta.

There’s an excellent breakfast buffet, served on the patio, and the hotel’s elegant El Claustro restaurant is one of Haro’s best, and serves some the region’s top Riojas.

The hotel is in a web of handsome streets, lined with historic buildings that come alive during the day but are quiet at night. The main town square, with numerous pintxo bars, is a short stroll away.

Rioja’s people have been making wine for over 2,000 years, and in recent decades it has become one of the most prestigious wine regions in the world. Rolling hills and lovely landscapes make an ideal setting for winery-hopping, and estates welcome visitors for tours and tastings.

Recently, estate owners have started to commission some of the world’s greatest architects to build new bodegas (wineries), and the region has become renowned for its striking avant-garde architecture. Look out for the spectacular Bodegas Ysios in Laguardia by Santiago Calatrava, Tondonia in Haro, with a pavilion by Zaha Hadid, and Frank Gehry’s undulating Hotel Marques de Riscal in Elciego.

Stop by the Vivanco family’s wine museum for an insight into the history of winemaking in the region.

This very friendly and welcoming vineyard has beautiful views to go with its informative guided tour and tastings.

In a gorgeous mountain setting, taste superb wines in this bodega with a mountain-inspired design, by Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava.

After designing Bilbao’s Guggenheim, Frank Gehry brought his titanium-shaping skills to the Rioja region to create the ultimate wine hotel. Rising above the vine-clad hills, with the Cantabrian mountains filling the horizon, the estate is a short walk from the medieval village of Elciego.

The hotel forms part of a wider ‘City of Wine’, alongside the Bodega Marqués de Riscal and the Caudalíe Vinothérapie Spa (an offshoot of Bordeaux’s wine and grape spa), with an indoor pool and fitness room.

The estate also boasts its own wine bar, the informal 1860 Tradición restaurant with lovely views and a superb Michelin-starred restaurant.

Guests are entitled to a free tour of the bodega, one of the oldest wineries in the area, and you can hire bikes to explore the La Rioja hills.