Rioja Wine Tours: Bodegas, Day Trips and How to Get There
36 listings from 18 to 650 EUR. Sixteen are cellar visits at a median of 25 EUR, twenty are full days from Bilbao and San Sebastián at 327.5 EUR.
Sixteen of the 36 Rioja wine tours on this page cost 65 EUR or less and last up to two hours. The other 20 take six to nine hours and cost between 75 and 650 EUR. Only three of those 20 are under 250 EUR. That split is the first thing to know about Rioja wine tours, because the word tour covers a 25 EUR cellar visit you walk to and a 450 EUR day with a driver, and the listings rarely say which one you are buying.
Below you will find the split explained, a map of the towns the listings actually visit, the trains and buses that get you to Haro, and what a bodega charges at its own door. Each of the two formats has its own page with all its listings: the 16 winery visits and the 20 day trips from Bilbao and San Sebastián. This page helps you choose between them, and says what each costs before you spend an afternoon looking.
The numbers come from the listings themselves, read on 30 September 2026. Where a figure comes from a journey planner or a bodega website instead, the text says so.
The median of 100 EUR in the figures above is an accident of arithmetic. It falls on the two cheap group days from Bilbao and San Sebastián, at 90 and 110 EUR, and describes no typical purchase.
Choose a destination in Rioja
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Rioja Wine Day Trips
Rioja wine day trips from Bilbao and San Sebastián: 20 listings, 75 to 650 EUR.
20 experiences -
Rioja Winery Visits
Sixteen Rioja winery visits from 18 to 65 EUR, median 25: what the price buys, who sells them, which one speaks only Spanish, and how a bodega's own rules…
16 experiences
Wine Tours Experiences in Rioja
9-Hour Rioja Day from San Sebastian: Four Wineries, Cave Picnic, Laguardia
Four wineries, with a picnic lunch and Crianza red inside a winery's underground tunnels, then an afternoon in Laguardia, with hotel pick-up and drop-off.
Altanza Winery Tour in Fuenmayor with Vineyard Walk and Cloister Garden Tasting
A cloister garden is the setting for three Altanza wines with cheese, cured meats and organic olive oil, after a walk through the winery and vineyards.
Badarán Family Winery Visit with Four-Wine Tasting and Riojan Appetizer
A family winery in Alto Najerilla, ten minutes from the Yuso and Suso monasteries, pours four wines with a Riojan appetizer after a walk through the cellar.
Bodegas Campillo Tour in Rioja Alavesa: Vineyards, Cellars and Three Wines
The first winery in Rioja Alavesa to open to visitors: 90 minutes among vines and barrels, a portico of seven arches and three wines with a light snack.
Bodegas Franco-Españolas Guided Winery Tour and Tasting in Logroño
A 1.5-hour visit led by an oenology expert at a winery founded in 1890 in Logroño, closing with two of its own wines and a traditional La Rioja aperitif.
Bodegas Izadi Small-Group Winery Visit with Barrel Room Tasting, Villabuena
Groups stay small at Bodegas Izadi, and the route runs down five winery levels where gravity moves the wine, ending with a tasting in the barrel room.
Bodegas Loli Casado Noon Winery Tour with Four Wines and Olive Oil
A noon visit to a century-old Rioja Alavesa winery: vines first, then the cellar rooms, then four wines tasted with extra virgin olive oil and an appetizer.
Bodegas Manzanos Haro Tour: Vertical Winery, 15th-Century Crypt and Five Wines
A 19th-century vertical winery on Calle Las Cuevas with five underground levels, a 15th-century bottle crypt and five wines with cheese, in about 2 hours.
Calado El Guallavero Wine Tasting with Family Wines and Snack, Laguardia
A private calado in Laguardia, one of the medieval wine tunnels under the town, where the family pours its own wines and serves a snack to go with them.
Eguren Ugarte Wine Tasting at Vitoria's Mercado de Abastos with Cheese or Cured Meats
A 90-minute guided tasting of four Eguren Ugarte wines from Laguardia, held at Vitoria's Mercado de Abastos with a cheese board or Iberian cured meats.
Full-Day Rioja Alta and Alavesa Wine Tour: Two Family Wineries, Vineyard Walk, Local Food
Full-day Rioja tour with two family-owned wineries, a vineyard walk and local food paired with wine, plus a winery dating to the 15th century. A best seller.
Hoplita Winery Tour in Logroño's Old Town: Four Wines in a Former Palace
The only winery in Logroño's historic center, in the former Conde de Murillo y Bornos palace, with four wines poured in the barrel room after a 1.5-hour tour.
J.F. Iradier Winery Tour in Samaniego: 18th-Century Rock Cellars and Three Wines
Cellars and tunnels carved into rock in the old part of a Samaniego winery, then its modern side and three wines with a snack of local products, in 1.5 hours.
Laguardia and Haro Day Trip from Bilbao with Two Wineries, 8 Hours
Gustave Eiffel's barrel room in Haro, a traditional winery in Laguardia and a look at Marqués de Riscal in Elciego, about 8 hours from Bilbao's Guggenheim.
Laguardia Walking Tour with Wine Cave Visit and Tasting of Two Rioja Wines
A 1.5-hour walk through Laguardia's old quarter ends 7 metres underground in a wine cave with 16th-century winemaking roots and two Rioja Alavesa wines.
Marques de Riscal and Ysios Wine Tour with Three-Course Lunch from Bilbao
A full tour of Marques de Riscal in a group under 25, tastings at Ysios with cheese and cured meats, and a three-course lunch, all in a day from Bilbao.
Private Family Winery Tasting and Vineyard Visit, San Vicente de la Sonsierra
A private tasting at a winery whose family traditions go back more than 100 years, with a walk through the vineyards before the wines are poured in the glass.
Private Full-Day Rioja Wine Tour: Old Winery, Oak Barrels and Tasting in the Vines
A private group tastes among the vines after a 15th-16th century winery and oak barrel aging, with Riojan food matched to wines few tourists ever try.
Private Rioja Day from San Sebastian: Briones, 15th-Century Cellar, Haro, Labastida
Starts at the Briones lookout, then a 15th-century cellar with 100-year-old vines, a family winery, a classic Haro bodega and lunch run by two sisters.
Private Rioja Tasting Tour: Two Wineries, Riscal and Ysios Views, Home-Cooked Lunch
A guiding team with over 12 years in Rioja runs this private day: two winery tastings, the caves under Laguardia and lunch at a home-cooking restaurant.
Private Rioja Wine Day from San Sebastian: Two to Three Wineries, Three-Course Lunch
Private guide and transport for 3 to 4 premium wines at each winery, a three-course lunch in a traditional Rioja restaurant and a guided visit of Laguardia.
Private Rioja Winery Day from San Sebastian: Four-Course Riojan Lunch with Lamb Chops
A four-course Riojan lunch of blood sausage, beans with chorizo and wood-fired lamb chops follows tastings at family-run wineries, with hotel pick-up.
Private Rioja Winery Hopping from San Sebastian: Gomez Cruzado, Ostatu and Laguardia
Winery hopping through wine bars at three bodegas, from classic houses to boutique family ones, then a three-course tasting menu and Laguardia's old walls.
Rioja Alavesa Day Trip: Four Winery Tastings and Medieval Villages
Four winery visits with tastings and a local guide, plus stops in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Haro, Elciego and Samaniego, all along the St. James route.
Ratings collected by Viator, Tripadvisor and Civitatis
Rioja wine tours: two markets on one page
The 36 listings come from two kinds of seller. Civitatis sells 11 of them, almost all short cellar visits in English or Spanish at 18 to 35 EUR. Viator sells 25, which include 19 of the 20 full days plus six visits run by the bodegas themselves. The visits are what locals and travellers already in Rioja book the night before. The day trips are what people in Bilbao and San Sebastián book weeks ahead, because without them there is no way to see three cellars in a day.
The review counts show how lopsided it is. Visits carry 4,812 of the 6,611 reviews, 73% of the page, and rate 4.77. The day trips have 1,799 reviews and rate 4.92. The expensive format is better rated and far less bought, which is normal for a product that costs thirteen times as much.
The two bars on the chart do not touch. There is no listing pretending to be halfway, which is useful: if a Rioja tour costs 50 EUR you can assume it is a visit, and if it costs 250 or more you can assume a vehicle and a driver are included. The grey zone is the three day trips at 75, 90 and 110 EUR. Two leave from Bilbao and one from San Sebastián, they run as shared or small-group days, and two of the three include a lunch. They are the value picks of the page and they sell out.
Where Rioja is and where the tours leave from
Read the map against the price. Haro, Briones, Elciego and Laguardia are within roughly 25 km of each other along the Ebro as the crow flies, and everything in a Rioja day trip happens in that cluster. The cities are far away: Bilbao and San Sebastián are both north, across the mountains, and journey planners put Bilbao to Logroño at about 1 hour 45 by bus. That is why the day-trip price is mostly a driver: the wine part is an hour or two, the rest is the road.
Logroño is the exception. It lies on the river just south of the cluster, it has the trains, and several day tours start there or in the wine towns themselves. The most reviewed day trip, Rioja Like A Native at 455 EUR, names seven meeting points, all inside Rioja, Logroño among them. Its price does not include the trip from the coast.
| Sub-zone | Towns in the listings | What the tours sell | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rioja Alta | Haro, Briones, Cenicero, San Vicente de la Sonsierra | Classic Rioja aged in American oak, the old houses of Haro's station quarter | Reachable by train from Logroño. Haro is on foot from the station |
| Rioja Alavesa | Laguardia, Elciego, Samaniego, Villabuena de Álava, Labastida | Hilltop villages, cellars dug under them, modern bodegas built as architecture | In the Basque Country, not in La Rioja. No train: a car or a tour |
| Rioja Oriental | None in the listings we opened | Formerly called Rioja Baja. The warmer eastern end of the denomination | Not where tours go. Plan it yourself if you want it |
Haro and its station quarter
Haro is the one wine town you can do without a car. Journey planners list a Logroño to Haro train at about 41 minutes, and the listings describe a group of bodegas around the old station, the Barrio de la Estación, where one winery founded at the end of the 19th century pours traditional Rioja aged in American oak. Tour operators meet people at the car park there.
Walking in does not always work. Muga, in Haro, charges 30 EUR for a 90 minute visit with two wines, refuses entry once the visit has started, and does not refund a cancellation made less than 48 hours ahead. Book first. The winery visits page lists the 16 visits that let you do exactly that.
Getting to Rioja without a car
You can reach the vineyards by public transport, but only as far as Haro, and only just. The figures below are journey planner estimates, not timetables. Check Renfe and the bus companies before you rely on a departure.
| Route | Time | Price range | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logroño to Haro, train | About 41 min | 6 to 11 USD | The only rail link into a wine town |
| Logroño to Haro, bus | About 1 h | 3 to 8 USD | Runs in parallel with the train |
| Bilbao to Logroño, bus | About 1 h 45 | 9 to 27 USD | Stops at Haro after roughly an hour |
| Bilbao to Logroño, Renfe train | About 2 h 58 | 24 to 40 USD | Much slower than the bus |
Note that the bus from Bilbao stops at Haro. That makes Bilbao to Haro in about an hour a realistic plan for a long day, with a 30 EUR visit at Muga or a 25 EUR one booked through the winery visits page. What it does not do is reach Elciego or Laguardia, where the architecture and the hilltop cellars are. For those you need a tour, a taxi or a car, and in Spain the legal limit is 0.5 g of alcohol per litre of blood, which one tasting of four wines can approach.
Logroño is the base, Bilbao is the gateway
Logroño sits on the Ebro and is the practical place to sleep if you want to do two or three bodega visits without a driver. It is also where the Haro train starts and where some of the small-group days begin. From Bilbao it is a longer trip than the map suggests, which is why most people buy the day trip rather than assemble the bus themselves.
San Sebastián is a different case. Nine of the 20 day trips name San Sebastián in the title or as the departure city, against five for Bilbao. They are also dearer: the San Sebastián median is 395 EUR and the Bilbao one 250 EUR. Part of that gap is private tours, five of the nine from San Sebastián and one of the five from Bilbao, so compare like with like on the day trips page.
What a Rioja wine tour costs at each tier
The table puts the listings in tiers by what the price includes. The private prices deserve care: the listing carries one price and "up to 8 travelers per booking", and for a private car that number is often the vehicle, not a head. The chart footnote says the same. Divide before you compare it with a 110 EUR seat in a minibus.
| Tier | Price as listed | Length | What the price covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cellar visit, Civitatis or bodega-run | 18 to 35 EUR (14 of 16) | 1 to 2 hours | One bodega, two or three wines, a guide. You travel there yourself |
| Premium visit | 55 and 65 EUR | 1 to 2 hours | A private tasting in San Vicente de la Sonsierra at 55. A winery tour with three glasses and an appetiser at 65, guided in Spanish |
| Cheap group day | 75, 90, 110 EUR | About 8 hours | Minibus from Bilbao or San Sebastián, two wineries, Laguardia, sometimes a pintxos lunch |
| Small group day | 250 to 307 EUR | 8 to 9 hours | Two or three wineries, a proper lunch, hotel pickup, up to 8 people in some |
| Private or semi-private day | 325 to 650 EUR | 8 to 9 hours | Your own driver and guide, three wineries at a slower pace, lunch |
Sixty-five euros buys one hour and three glasses at the most expensive visit. Seventy-five buys eight hours, a minibus and two cellars.
Cheap is not always better, and the extremes can mislead. The 65 EUR visit, which is the dearest winery visit on the page, lists Spanish as its only guiding language. Check the guiding language before you pay. The same check protects you on the 90 EUR Bilbao tour, whose bilingual option has one winery and no lunch.
A short history of the name on the label
Five dates that explain what you are tasting.
The origins
1852
Murrieta and the Bordeaux method
Luciano de Murrieta starts making wine in Rioja with methods learned in Bordeaux, the start of the aged, oak-matured style.
1858
Marqués de Riscal
The winery at Elciego, today a stop on several day trips, is founded.
The growth
1925
Denominación de origen
A Real Orden of June 1925 sets out the first rules for the name.
1926
Consejo Regulador
The regulating council that still certifies Rioja is created.
Today
1991
The first DOCa in Spain
Rioja is granted the higher Denominación de Origen Calificada, the first in the country. Today it covers over 66,000 hectares and almost 600 wineries.
Which Rioja page fits you
Both pages list the same region, from different angles.
Questions about Rioja wine tours
How much is a Rioja wine tour?
A single bodega visit costs 18 to 35 EUR for most of the 16 listings, with a median of 25. A full day from Bilbao or San Sebastián costs between 75 and 650 EUR, median 327.5, and includes transport. Anything in between is rare: only three day trips cost less than 250 EUR.
Can I do Rioja without a car?
Partly. A train from Logroño and a bus from Bilbao both reach Haro, and Haro has several bodegas near the station. Elciego and Laguardia have no train, so for them you need a tour, a taxi or a car. Check the timetables yourself, because the times on this page are journey planner estimates.
Should I book a bodega visit or a day trip?
Book a visit if you are already in Haro, Laguardia or Logroño and want an hour with a glass in your hand. Book a day trip if you are in Bilbao or San Sebastián, or if you want three cellars and a lunch without working out how to get between them.
Is a private Rioja tour worth it?
Private prices run from 325 to 650 EUR and are often for the vehicle with up to eight guests, so the per-head price can be close to a small group day. The private format pays if you want to set the pace, skip a winery, or travel with a non-drinker who will enjoy the villages.
Which part of Rioja should I visit?
Rioja Alta, with Haro, for classic aged reds and the station quarter on foot. Rioja Alavesa, with Laguardia and Elciego, for hilltop villages and modern architecture. Rioja Oriental is rarely on a tour, so if you want it you are on your own.
When is the harvest?
September into October. Bodegas are busier and some limit visits, so book earlier than in spring. The exact dates move each year, so no tour lists a fixed day.
Plan your trip
Guides that apply to this destination.
When to go
A month-by-month climate matrix for 28 wine destinations, with the harvest windows we could verify.
Plan your wine tour
Nine decisions in order: tour or car, booking, what to wear and what to check on a listing.
How to choose a wine tour
Private, group, bike or scooter: four questions, and the cases where a tour is the wrong answer.
Data verified on. Prices, ratings and counts from the 36 listings on this page, read 30 September 2026. Rioja regulations: riojawine.com. Muga terms: bodegasmuga.com. Journey times are planner estimates.