Logroño has a population in excess of 151,000 inhabitants and is home to practically half of the population of La Rioja.
On the map of La Rioja Logroño occupies a central point being the junction between the area known as Rioja Alta and the one known as Rioja Baja. To the south of Logroño lies La Sierra Riojana.
Logroño is a visitor-friendly city by making available to them a extensive heritage accompanied by his exquisite gastronomic offer around the best wines world.
The Tourist Office de Logroño is located in Plaza de la Diversidad, 1, with opening hours of 9:30h to 18:30h and on Sundays from 10am to 2pm.
1. The most iconic streets of Logroño
All cities have some special streets which immaterially transmit their essence.
In the case of Logroño, we are going to highlight 5 streets in which you will enjoy a leisurely stroll and which define very well what Logroño is, what its history is and how the people of Logroño live.
1.1. Calle Portales in the old quarter of Logroño
La Calle Portales invites you to walk through it calmly enjoying every corner of the city. From his hand you will discover some of the most important monuments of the capital of La Rioja, such as the La Redonda Cathedral or the Museum of La Rioja.
Under its portals you will find cafés, restaurants, shops, ice-cream parlours and all kinds of shops some as picturesque as a hat shop.
On one side of this iconic street you will find the oldest part of the citywhere the Camino de Santiago, while on the other side are some of the most famous streets, such as the Calle Laurel.
1.2. La Calle Laurel and its infinite number of tapas
If there is one street that every visitor to Logroño should make a note of on their visit to Logroño it is the Laurel Street. A street with endless possibilities for tapas and wines to try it out.
Everyone has their own favourites, but the magic of the Laurel is to try and discover those flavours that most satisfy your palate.
Follow your intuition and be surprised for those covers that most catch your eye.
1.3. Tapas in San Juan Street
Between the aforementioned Calle Laurel and Calle Portales is the San Juan Street. If you thought you had tried it all, you were wrong, Logroño still had this ace up its sleeve. San Juan Street is another one of the best places to enjoy tapas in Logroño.
With nothing to envy to Laurel Street, not even its fame, as this gives the San Juan a more cosy and local. More and more people are enjoying the pinchos in this area in Logroño with high quality caps and less saturation.
1.4. Calle Ruavieja and the Way of St. James
Ruavieja Street is the oldest street in LogroñoThis is something that is easy to appreciate when you walk along it. It's not a shopping street, but it is a very special street that every year thousands of pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
In this street you will find the hermitage of San Gregorio rebuilt in 1993, as well as some pilgrims' hostels.
Several of these buildings have fretwork in its interior where years ago wine was made as in the Lagares Space which we will tell you more about later.
After crossing Sagasta Street you arrive at the Church of Santiago El Real described in paragraph 2.
1.5. Paseo de las Cien Tiendas
Just outside the old town of Logroño, but still in the centre of the city, is the Paseo de las Cien Tiendas.
As its name suggests, it is a traditional commercial area of La Rioja. Here you will find several pedestrian streets with various shops, as well as cafés and restaurants.
2. Religious monuments to visit in Logroño
Logroño enjoys an important religious heritage not forgetting that the Camino de Santiago crosses the city, which brings its monuments to life.
2.1. Co-cathedral of Santa María De La Redonda in Logroño
The La Redonda Cathedral was built on a 12th century primitive church and acquired the status of collegiate church in 1453. On 3 June 1931 it was listed as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Monument category.
It is located in the Market Squarein the heart of the old town of Logroño.
The church dates back to the 16th century and underwent numerous alterations during the 17th century, with the addition of the TWIN TOWERS and the west doorway in the 18th century.
2.2. Church of San Bartolomé de Logroño
The Church of San Bartolomé is located in the square of the same name. It was built in the 12th century and was the oldest surviving church in Logroño.
From Romanesque style was attached to the city wall. In the 16th century it underwent a major remodelling. It was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Monument category on 18th September 1866.
2.3. Church of Santiago El Real in Logroño
The Church of Santiago el Real was built in the century XVI on a medieval temple, belongs to the style called Reyes Católicos or Hispano-Flemish Gothic. In the 17th century it acquired its current appearance, with the addition of a Baroque façade topped with an enormous figure of Santiago Matamoros.
It has been a Site of Cultural Interest in the Monument category since 28 May 1981.
2.4. Church of Santa María de Palacio
The Imperial church of Santa María de Palacio is located in Calle Marqués de San Nicolás (main street) and was built between the 12th and 13th centuriesThe transept and chancel were rebuilt in the 15th century.
The church has two significant elements. The needle The 13th-century lantern consists of an octagonal lantern on trumpets that support the eight-sided pyramid-shaped arrow. And the cloister that it preserves from the 17th century.
3. The most important civil buildings to see in Logroño
In addition to its religious heritage, Logroño also has a series of buildings for civilian use such as museums, exhibition halls, theatre, library... full of beauty and history.
3.1. Former Convent of La Merced
The Convento de la Merced was built in the 13th century to house the monastery of the Order of Mercy in the city. In the 16th century, it underwent extensive renovations and in 1685 the Baroque style façade.
At present, it serves as:
3.1.1. Autonomous Parliament of La Rioja:
The Parliament of La Rioja occupies what was the church and cloister of the old convent building. It has retained its original structure despite the successive major alterations carried out during its use as a barracks, as a tobacco factory and after the fire that devastated the nave of the old church in 1944.
3.1.2. Amós Salvador Exhibition Hall:
Exhibition space specialising in contemporary art located next to the Gota de Leche and the Tourist Office in the historic centre of the city.
After numerous transfers and refurbishments, in 1978 it became municipal property again and the recovery of a superb building, which had demonstrated throughout history its capacity to contain such diverse uses such as a convent, military hospital, barracks, warehouse, prison and tobacco factory.
Since May 1988, under the current name of Sala Amós Salvador, the Logroño City Council has been dedicating this space in exclusive to the visual arts.
3.1.3. Public Library of La Rioja:
The Library of La Rioja has its headquarters in the old Convent of La Merced, also known as "la Tabacalera" building, as it is a building of the Asset of Cultural Interest.
It is located between Calle Mayor and Calle Portales, very close to the Revellín gate.
From Monday to Friday the library opening hours is from 8:30h to 21:15h, Saturdays and Sundays from 10h to 14h and 17h to 20h.
3.2. The Revellín Wall
The walls of the Revellín are the remains of the fortifications that the city of Logroño once hadof which the west gate is preserved. Visit 1498 y 1540 the most important fortification process is carried out, reinforcing the old medieval walls.
You can see the Revellín wall next to the Murrieta fountain and very close to the parliament and Portales street.
3.3. Logroño stone bridge and iron bridge over the Ebro river
The Stone Bridge of Logroño is one of the five bridges that cross the river Ebro as it passes through the capital of La Rioja. It is also called Bridge of San Juan de Ortegain reference to the chapel that existed on its left bank.
The current construction dates back to 1884after the collapse of the old bridge in 1871. It consists of 12 arches and is one of the symbols of the city, appearing on its coat of arms and being the entrance for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago to Logroño.
For its part, the Logroño Iron Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges that the capital of La Rioja has to cross the Ebro. It was inaugurated in 1882 and is 330 metres long.
3.4. Bretón de Los Herreros Theatre in Logroño
The Bretón Theatre was inaugurated on 19 September 1880 and is located in the street of the same name in the old quarter of Logroño.
That inaugural theatre had 700 placesThe layout of the hall, in the shape of a horseshoe, had three levels of boxes around its perimeter. Companies from all over Spain paraded on its stages, with performances by the most important figures of the end of the century.
In the history of the theatre, it is worth noting that on 18 November 1896 the first cinematographic projection in Logroño.
In 1901 it was renamed as it is known today: Teatro Bretón de los Herreros as a testimony of admiration and homage to the figure and work of the illustrious Riojan.
3.5. Current Museum of La Rioja and Former Palace of Espartero
The Palacio de Espartero is a 18th century baroque building where General Espartero lived with his wife Jacinta after he retired from public life.
Since 1971, the palace has been converted into a the current Museum of La Rioja where paintings and sculptures from the 12th to the 19th centuries are on display. There the San Millán tablets are founddating from the 14th century. It also houses wood carvings, paintings, antique furniture and archaeological finds.
Your working hours opening is from 10h to 20:30h and on Sundays from 10h to 14h.
3.6. San Blas food market
The San Blas Market in Logroño brings together architectural beauty with an excellent culinary offer that changes flavour every season.
At 1930 the San Blas Market is inaugurated on the same site as the first Plaza de Abastos above the church of San Blas.
The main façade opens onto Sagasta street, with a central body and a tower on each side. The combination of materials, shapes and elements of different trends, gives the building a eclectic character.
At 1987 The building in the Plaza de Abastos underwent a successful restoration. Since then it has been adapted to modern times.
From Monday to Friday the market is open from 7:30am to 2pm and 4:30pm to 8pmand on Saturdays from 7:30 am to 2 pm.
3.7. Centre of Culture of La Rioja
The Rioja Culture Centre has the mission of disseminating and promoting Rioja Wine Culture worldwide.
It is located in the heart of the Camino de Santiago, between Rúa Vieja, Mercaderes and Marqués de San Nicolás Streets, and together with the San Gregorio and Espacio Lagares, they form the golden triangle of wine tourism in the city.
3.8. Espacio Lagares "El Camino del vino" (The Wine Road)
Located in Ruavieja Street, these winepresses were used between the 16th and 19th centuries to make wine for the people of Logroño.
Its refurbishment included a multi-purpose room with a capacity for 120 people. This space, together with the Calado de San Gregorio, is home to part of the permanent exhibition "The Wine Road".as well as a Tourist Information Point.
Opening hours from Thursday to Saturday from 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to 7pm. Sundays from 10am to 2pm.
3.9. The Science House
The building that houses the Casa de las Ciencias de Logroño was, in its origins, the former Municipal Slaughterhouse of the city.
It began operating as a slaughterhouse on 1 June 1911 and is considered one of the most interesting examples of industrial architecture in Logroño.
After ceasing to serve as a slaughterhouse in 1981, it was used for different purposes until the end of the 1990s, when it underwent an intensive refurbishment to house its current use as the Casa de las Ciencias, inaugurated in 1981. 22 April 1999.
Currently, a large hall serves as a distributor to access the different rooms of the Casa de las Ciencias. The ground floor houses four temporary exhibition rooms and a library.
On the first floor, which is accessed by a staircase leading from the entrance hall, there is a conference room, classrooms and workshops.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday: from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and from 5 pm to 7:30 pm. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to 8:30pm.
In July and August the opening hours are from Tuesday to Sunday, from 11h to 14h and from 17h to 20:30h.
3.10. House of Image in Logroño
In Calle San Bartolomé you will find La Casa de la Imagen, a place that, in addition to being a school, also has a 137 square metre gallerywith 61 linear metres of wall and an independent space dedicated to audiovisual projection and video art.
Some of the most important artists have hung their work there. the most outstanding creators in the history of photography such as the international Man Ray, Edward Weston, Walker Evans, Andre Kertész, Dorothea Lange, Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, and many others.
An interesting visit for photography lovers.
The opening hours are Monday to Friday from 10h to 14h and 17h to 20:30h.
4. Logroño's lively squares
The squares have always been meeting place and commerce. Logroño has many squares in all its corners that we invite you to discover.
However, in this article we will highlight two of its most relevant and representative squares.
4.1. The Market Square in Logroño
The Market Square is obligatory visit because it is home to the jewel in the crown, our Cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda.
Strolling along Calle Portales, we reach this lively square at the end of the street. all hours of the dayYou can have breakfast, lunch or an after-dinner drink.
4.2. The Logroño Town Hall Square
The current Logroño Town Hall is a contemporary building that was inaugurated in 1980.
It is a building of triangular floor plan with two unequal volumes finished in sandstone.
The Town Hall Square is the largest square in the city and is the venue for numerous events, especially during the San Mateo and San Bernabé festivities.
5. Parks and promenades in Logroño
Logroño has several parks that provide the city with a lungs and a natural areas. Many of them with water as the protagonist.
5.1. El Espolón - Paseo del Príncipe de Vergara
The Paseo del Espolón is one of the most important Logroño's most emblematic places in honour of the General, Regent and Duke of Victory Baldomero Espartero, who lived his last years of retirement in Logroño with his wife Jacinta.
The square is one of the lungs of the city centre and the scene of the offering of the first grape juice to the Virgin of Valvanera, one of the most important celebrations of the Riojan Grape Harvest Festival.
It is surrounded by important buildings historical, financial and administrative areas, as well as pedestrian areas such as the Paseo de las Cien Tiendas or Calle Laurel, famous for its gastronomy.
5.2. Parque de la Ribera, former orchard area
La Ribera Park is a recently built park and covers a large area that takes advantage of a meander of the river Ebro which was formerly used as an orchard area.
It is home to the new bullring and the congress centre Riojaforum.
It is one of the best areas in the city for sport.
5.3. Ebro Park in Logroño
The Ebro Park starts in the fourth bridge and follows the course of the river until it reaches a small annexed park known as the Concordia Park. Continue until you reach a wooded area, with poplars, willows, pines and other trees, this is the oldest and largest area of the park.
Continuing along the Ebro you reach the pedestrian footbridge, then the iron bridge that crosses underneath and finally the stone bridge. This is the beginning of a non-wooded walkway right next to the river, the Paseo de la Florida.
5.4. Lovers' Park in Logroño
The lovers' park in Logroño is located in the neighbourhood of Valdegastea, until a few years ago far from the city centre. However, in the last decade Logroño has grown towards this area, which is now surrounded by recently built housing.
It is about a pine forest where there are two water tanks that supplied drinking water to the city in the past. It also has a dog area, swings and calisthenics area.
5.5. Grajera reservoir in La Rioja
5.7km from Logroño is the La Grajera reservoir.The park, with 32 hectares of water surface and 427 hectares of recreational area, is accessible both by road and by following a greenway that links it to the city.
It has car park, bar, restaurant and picnic areawith barbecues, benches and tables. As well as a bird observatory.
Bathing is prohibited.
6. Roman remains in Logroño
In the immediate vicinity of Logroño there are three gems for history buffs that tell us about ancestors who lived in this area even before the Roman conquest.
6.1. Sites of Monte de Cantabria in Logroño
City of Cantabria is the name given to this important protohistoric site located to the south of the so-called Cerro de Cantabria in Logroño. Since the 17th century, it has been the object of attention of professionals who have found remains from extensive periods spanning Iron Age II in the 4th century B.C., the Romanisation of Hispaniathe Visigothic period and the Middle Agesthat is to say, approximately 1,500 years.
6.2. Roman remains at Varea
Vareia was a Roman settlement of Hispania Citerior Tarraconensis founded around the 1st century BC after the Sertorian Wars.
Its remains lie beneath the present-day town centre of the Varea neighbourhood in Logroño. Various archaeological works have brought to light a multitude of remains that are visible and visitable at present.
This ancient settlement grew to become a strategic commercial centre important by having the river port on the river Ebro. It also came to have carriageways that linked it directly to important cities of the time.
6.3. Roman Bridge at Mantible
The Roman bridge of Mantible o of Assa del 2nd century It crossed the river Ebro between the district of El Cortijo in Logroño and the village of Assa in the municipality of Lanciego in Alava.
It has a 164 metres long and 5 metres wide, reaching a maximum height of 30 metres. It consisted of six round arches of which only one arch remains standing, the one on the Alavese side, with few remains of the remaining pillars.
Such was its importance that Miguel de Cervantes mentions it in "Don Quixote". and Peter Calderón de la Barca wrote a comedy entitled "La puente de Mantible".
It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in the category of national monument in 1983.
In 2024 we will complete the reconstruction works of one of the 2 arches that fell during a flood.
In addition to visiting the capital of La Rioja, we invite you to discover these 4 villages less than 20 minutes from Logroño.
