VAN-COMPARATOR Guide
La Rioja by campervan: the wine route through Haro, Laguardia and Logroño
From Bilbao, 3-4 days of campervan in La Rioja: the Haro bodegas, the fortified village of Laguardia, Logroño’s tapas — stages, responsible tasting and budget.
Ninety minutes from Bilbao, La Rioja unrolls Spain’s greatest vineyard between the Sierra de Cantabria and the Ebro. By campervan you move from century-old bodegas to fortified hill villages in twenty minutes — one of the densest wine road trips in Europe.
The itinerary
Start in Haro and its Barrio de la Estación, the world’s highest concentration of historic bodegas — visits and tastings by reservation (€10-30). Continue to Laguardia, a perched, pedestrian medieval village: the van stays in the car park below, which is just as well since the village’s subsoil is honeycombed with cellars. Finish in Logroño: Calle Laurel lines up dozens of pintxo bars — one of the best value gastronomic streets in the country. Architecture lovers should push on to Elciego, where futuristic winery buildings stand beside nineteenth-century cellars.
Sleeping among the vines
The region is well equipped: municipal áreas in Haro and Logroño (free to €12), and a growing number of bodegas host vans overnight in exchange for a visit or a few bottles — the España Discovery network works like France Passion. Useful reminder: the driver does not taste; Spain tests at 0.25 mg/l of breath (0.5 g/l of blood).
Which van, what budget
A compact campervan (€75-150/day) is all you need — excellent roads, short distances. Four days from Bilbao: €300-550 rental, €60 of fuel, €30-80 of tastings, and campsite or área nights that rarely exceed €15. Every platform compares on Van-Comparator: see also which rental platform to choose.
Insider tip
Aim for late September-early October: the grape harvest is in full swing, the vines turn crimson and Logroño celebrates San Mateo. Book bodega visits one to two weeks ahead at that time.