What to see in Logroño in one day, city of gastronomy and wine tourism
The capital of La Rioja, Logroño, is a small city with very interesting places to visit in one day. In addition to the famous Calle Laurel, where you can enjoy tapas and Riojan cuisine, you have different churches, monuments and palaces.
You can also even visit a winery, something very typical in La Rioja thanks to its fantastic wine, which makes wine tourism one of the main activities to do in Logroño and surroundings.
Here you have a tour to discover the most important things to see in Logroño in 1 day.
Visit Logroño in one day
Visit the Franco-Spanish Wineries
Being in one of the wine capitals of Spain, our tour should start in a winery. And for this we recommend the Bodegas Franco-Españolas due to its proximity to the center of Logroño, since it can be reached by walking in a few minutes on the other side of the popular Iron Bridge.
In case you didn’t know, it is said that they were Ernest Hemingway’s favorite wineries, and this writer visited them in 1956 and by then he was delighted with the experience. The Franco-Spanish Wineries have more than 125 years of history and can be visited to learn about the winemaking process by going through their rooms and learning about their history.
At the end of the tour, carried out with an expert in oenology, you can enjoy a tasting and an appetizer. Although there are also more complete packs that even include food in which you can enjoy a typical Rioja menu. By the way, you can go with the little ones in the house, as they also have specific activities for children.
Without a doubt, a recommended visit before crossing the Ebro River and starting to visit the center of Logroño.
The bridges of Logroño
To get to the center of Logroño from Bodegas Franco-Españolas, you have to cross the River Ebro. And we can do it thanks to two bridges that have witnessed the history of the city.
The closest to the wineries is the Iron Bridge, opened in 1822, 300 meters long. The other is the Stone Bridge that was built at the same time as the Iron Bridge, in 1824, in the same place where the original bridge was located, which was destroyed in 1871 after a spectacular flood of the Ebro River.
The Stone Bridge, one of the symbols of the city, is the most beautiful of Logroño’s bridges and the best views of it are precisely from the Iron Bridge.
The Co-Cathedral
Finally we arrive at the city center, where the main places to see in Logroño in one day are located. The first place to approach is the Co-Cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda, the main religious temple in Logroño.
The Co-Cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda stands out on the outside for its characteristic twin towers, added in the 18th century to a building that has undergone many renovations since it was built in the 15th century in the same place where another temple already existed. Between the towers a spectacular façade-altarpiece.
From its interior we must highlight different works of art such as El Calvario de la Rioja, a small painting behind the main altarpiece, or the Flemish Tables by Gillis de Coingnet.
Walk through the rest of the Old Town
Very close to the Co-Cathedral are other of the main churches to see in Logroño. One of them is the Church of Santa María de Palacio, of which we must highlight its great pyramidal spire from the 13th century as well as its Cloister and its High Altarpiece.
A few meters away is the Church of San Bartolomé with its great tower and its spectacular façade, the great work of art of this church. In it we find 19 vignettes that recount the life of Saint Bartholomew. The other one that we must visit is the Church of Santiago el Real, from the 16th century built on a medieval temple.
After visiting the 3 churches we can walk through the most charming streets of Logroño, such as Ruavieja Street, used by pilgrims to enter the city and where we can find numerous cellars where wine was made and stored in the past..
Another of those streets is Calle Portales, the main street in the center of Logroño, full of shops and terraces that give it a great atmosphere throughout the day.
Laurel Street and its surroundings
The next destination is the most famous street in Logroño, Calle Laurel. In this street you can enjoy all the Riojan gastronomy without leaving it. It is the quintessential tapas street and each of the bars has its own speciality. Reason enough for us to find an enviable environment in it and it is one of the main meeting points for tourists and locals.
From there, walking a few meters, we arrive at the Bretón de los Herreros Theatre, located on the street of the same name and whose origins date back to the 19th century, when the first cinematographic film was shown in Logroño. Not far away is the Museo de la Rioja, located in the house where General Espartero lived.
Nearby is the Paseo del Espolón, the most emblematic square in Logroño and which is officially called Paseo del Príncipe de Vergara. In it we find the Monument to General Espartero and around it are erected slender buildings that form the financial center of Logroño.
