Bilbao - Eastern Alava Travel Guides | Bilbao | Sub Regions | Bilbao - Eastern Alava

The eastern half of the Alava plain is dotted with interesting villages, churches and prehistoric remains. The town of Salvatierra is the most convenient base for exploration. At the northern fringes of the plain, the mountains rise into Guipúzcoa. Part of the Camino de Santiago passes through the natural tunnel of San Adrián here, and there's some scenic walking to be done.

3 trains daily from Vitoria (destination Pamplona), 15mins, €2.10.

The major town in eastern Alava is the not-very-major Salvatierra (Agurain), a well-preserved walled mediaeval town with some interesting buildings. The sleeping and eating possibilities are nothing to write home about, but there are a couple of pensiones.

The tourist office, next to the Iglesia de San Juan, is very helpful. They currently hold keys for the churches in Salvatierra as well as the church at Gaceo . Unfortunately, though, they don't have permission to lend the keys to visitors so currently the only option is to pay for a guided tour, €36, for either Gaceo or Salvatierra, so it's better if you can rustle up a posse to share the cost. Ring the tourist office to see if any tours have been booked, and you might be able to tag along.

Gaceo: 5 buses daily to/from Vitoria/Salvatierra (destination Araia), falling to two Saturday and one Sunday. Alaiza: Bus from Salvatierra

Although current arrangements make access problematic , the frescoes in this small village church are extremely impressive. The 13th-century building's interior is completely covered with the works, dated to the 14th century. They were rediscovered in the 1960s, having been hidden under a healthy coat of plaster. The major scene is a Trinity above the altar, a Crucifixion, and the Last Judgement, with St Michael carefully weighing souls.

Near by, in the village of Alaiza, the Iglesia de La Asunción is similarly painted, but in a bizarrely different, seemingly irreligious style and a childlike technique. It's far from high medieval art, but the pictures are extremely funny – to fans of toilet humour. The keyholder lives at number 26 on the right of the church.

Five buses daily to Zalduondo from Vitoria/Salvatierra (destination Araia), falling to two Saturday and one Sunday.

There's much walking to be done, as well as numerous adventure tourism options . One of the most interesting walks starts from the hamlet of Zalduondo, 8 km north of Salvatierra. A section of one of the branches of the Camino de Santiago, part of it follows the old Roman/mediaeval highway that effectively linked most of the peninsula with the rest of Europe. It's about 5.5 km from Zalduondo to a small parking area named Zumarraundi. From there, the track ascends through beech forest to the Túnel de San Adrián. Shortly after the old stone road, there's a right turn up a slope, easily missed: look for the wooden signpost at the top of the rise to your right. The tunnel itself is a spectacular natural cave. It now houses a small chapel, perhaps built to assuage the fears of medieval pilgrims, who thought that the cave was the entrance to Hell. Another anecdote, related with glee by Basques, tells of a Castilian king who travelled eastwards to enforce his rights over Navarra boasting that he'd never in his life bowed his head or dismounted before any man, least of all Basques. On reaching the tunnel, (with the Navarran deputation smirking on the other side), he wasn't left with much choice…

After the tunnel, the trail continues into Guipúzcoa, reaching the attractive town of Zegama about 90-minutes' walk further on.

The area around Zalduondo and Salvatierra is notable for its series of dolmens. Near the village of Eguilaz, three-quarters of an hour's walk from Salvatierra (just off the N1 to the east) is the dolmen of Aitzkomendi, rediscovered by a farmer in 1830. The eleven impressive stones tip the scales at around the ten-ton mark. It's thought the dolmen was an early Bronze Age funerary marker.

On the other side of Salvatierra near Arrizala is the similarly impressive Sorginetxe, dated to a similar period. The name means ‘house of the witch’; in the Middle Ages, the area could well have been the forest home of somebody of that profession. To the east of here, near the village of Ilarduia, is the Leze cave, a huge crevice in the cliff face, 80-metres high, access tricky. It's great for canyoning.

Buses to Urrúnaga and Legutiano or Ullibarri-Gamboa from Vitoria bus station.

Not far north of Vitoria, two large artificial lakes help compensate Alavans for the landlocked nature of their province. Brought into existence to supply Vitoria with water, they are both popular recreational retreats from the capital. The larger of the two, the Embalse de Urribarri, is more populated, and the place to go for watersports, centred around the pretty town of Ullibarri-Gamboa. Urrúnaga, to the west, is most easily accessed from the town of Legutiano and has many secluded spots popular with anglers.

Buses to Murguia from Vitoria bus station.

Straddling Vizcaya and Alava is the massif of Gorbeia, an enticingly inaccessible area of peaks and gorges topped by the peak of the same name, which hits 1482 m when it remembers not to slouch. It features in Basque consciousness as a realm of deities and purity. There are several good marked trails around Murguia, including an ascent of the peak itself which shouldn't be attempted in poor weather.

Basque Rioja? What's this? The two words don't seem to go together but in fact many of the finest Riojas are from Alava province. Confusion reigns because the Spanish province of La Rioja is only one of three that the wine region encompasses. Although it's not far from Vitoria, the Rioja Alavesa definitely feels Spanish rather than Basque; the descent from the green hills into the arid plains crosses a cultural border as well as a geographic one. The area offers the opportunity to visit some excellent vineyards, and the hilltop town of Laguardia is one of the most atmospheric places in Euskadi. The majority of Rioja winemaking is now done outside the old towns in more modern wineries. The Rioja Alavesa has 200-odd bodegas.The tourist office will provide a list. All require a phone call in advance to organise a visit; the more of you there are, the more willing most will be.

Buses from Vitoria bus station.

The small walled hilltop town of Laguardia, standing at an altitude of 1500 feet, and with a population of 1500, commands the plain like a sentinel, which it was; it was originally called La Guardia de Navarra – the ‘guard of Navarra’. Underneath the mediaeval streets, like catacombs, are over 300 small bodegas, cellars used for the making and storing of wine, and a place to hide in troubled times. Most are no longer used – Bodega El Fabulista is an exception.

The town itself is captivating. Founded in 1164, its narrow streets are lovely to wander. The impressive Iglesia de Santa María de los Reyes, begun in the 12th century, has a finely preserved painted Gothic façade (weekend tours; 1730 and 1830, €2, at other times keys available at the tourist office), while the former Ayuntamiento on Plaza Nueva was inaugurated in the 16th century.

Laguardia was the birthplace of the writer of fables Felix de Samaniego. His family was the richest in town, and their large residence is now divided between the tourist office and Bodega El Fabulista. The surrounding area also has a few non-vinous attractions. A set of small lakes close by is one of Spain's better spots for birdwatching, particularly from September to March when migrating species abound. There are a series of marked walking and cycling routes, spectacularly backed by the Sierra Cantábrica. If you're coming from Vitoria by car, it's marginally quicker and more scenic to take the A2124 rather than the motorway. After ascending to a pass, the high ground dramatically drops away to the Riojan plain; there's a superb lookout, El Balcón (the balcony).

La Hoya open Oct-Apr Tue-Sat 1100-1500, Sun 1000-1400; May-Sep Tue-Fri 1100-1400, 1600-2000, Sat 1100-1500, Sun 1000-1400. Free

Extensively settled in prehistoric times, the area has numerous dolmens, some within walking distance of the town. The best, Hechicera, is 6 km to the east, near the town of Elvillar. It dates to about 2100BC. About a 1,000 years later the Iron Age settlement of La Hoya was founded. There's a small museum at the site, which is just north of Laguardia and worth a look.

Ctra de Elciego s/n, T 945-600057/5621195, http://www.cosmepalacio. com Tours :Tue-Sun at 1230 and 1330, €3 (redeemable in shop or restaurant). Booking essential. Easy walking distance from Laguardia.

One of the handiest of the wineries, and worth seeing, Bodegas Palacio, is just below Laguardia on the Elciego road, some 10-minute’s walk from town. The winery is modern; the older bodega alongside has been charmingly converted into a hotel and restaurant. Palacio produces a range of wines, the quality of which has improved over recent years. Their Glorioso and Cosme Palacio labels are widely sold in the UK. Having until recently been owned by the Canadian multinational Seagrams, Palacio is well geared to visitors, and runs daily tours (which must be booked by phone). The informative tours are in Spanish, but English guides are available.

The winery was originally founded in 1894 and is fairly typical of the area, producing 90% red wine from the Tempranillo grape, and 10% of white from Viura. The altitude in these parts means that the grapes ripen slowly, and the vintage is in the first week of October, comparatively late for Spain. As well as crianzas, reservas, and gran reservas , Palacio also produce a red wine for drinking young, which is soft, fruity, and a change from the heavier Rioja styles. The tour improves after the introductory video, and you get the chance to taste a couple of the wines. Palacio run monthly tasting weekends; two nights in the hotel, a tasting session and some meals, for €300 for two people.

Plaza San Juan s/n, Laguardia, T 945-621192. Tours daily at 1130, 1300, and 1730, €4.81.

A massive contrast to Palacio, which produces two-million bottles a year, is Bodega El Fabulista, next to the tourist office in Laguardia. The owner Eusebio, effectively runs the place alone and produces about one-fiftieth of that amount. The wine is made using very traditional methods in the intriguing underground cellar from grapes he grows himself. He runs three tours a day, which are excellent, and include lots of background information on the Rioja wine region and a generous tasting in a beautiful underground vault. The wines, marketed as Decidido, are good young-drinking reds and whites. The tours are in Spanish, but English and French guides can be arranged with advance notice, but it's still worth doing the tour just to have a look and a taste!

C Torrea 1, Elciego, T 945-606000 (Mon-Fri), http://www.marquesderiscal .com Some of the buses running between Vitoria and Logroño stop in Elciego and Laguardia, 7 km away.

Founded in 1860, Marqués de Riscal is the oldest and best known of the Rioja bodegas and has built a formidable reputation for the quality of its wines. The Marqués himself was a Madrid journalist who, having cooled off in France after getting in some hot political water at home, started making wine on his return to Spain. Enlisting the help of Monsieur Pinot, a French expert, he experimented by planting Cabernet Sauvignon, which is still used today.

The winery is modern but remains faithful to the bodega's rigorous tradition of quality. The historic collection of Riscal wines includes some bottles from as far back as 1862. As well as the traditionally elegant Reserva and Gran Reserva, the more recently inaugurated Baron de Chirel is a very classy red indeed, coming from low-yielding old vines and exhibiting more French character than is typical of the region.

The innovative spirit continues, and Marqués de Riscal has enlisted none other than Frank Gehry of Guggenheim Museum fame to design its new visitors' complex, which will include a hotel, restaurant, and exhibition centre, as well as other facilities. Due to open in late 2004, the building will be another visual treat; Gehry's design (a model of which is visible at the bodega) incorporates ribbons of coloured titanium over a building of natural stone. The silver, gold, and ‘dusty rose’ sheets are Gehry's response to “the unbroken landscape of vineyards and rich tones”.

For the moment the bodega welcomes interested visitors by prior appointment only, and it's usually essential to reserve several weeks in advance.

Elciego is a pleasant little village with a hotel and the chunkily beautiful church of San Andrés, with its one massive arched nave.

Other wineries

North of Laguardia, with a waved design echoing the steep mountains, is the Ysios bodega, designed by Santiago Calatrava, the Valencian engineer/architect who has made the Basque Country his second home. Twenty minutes east of Laguardia is the pretty but parched town of Oyon/Oion. One of the bigger operations here is Bodegas Faustino Martínez (T 945-622500), not as geared to visitors as might be expected, but they run a good in-depth tour in Spanish or English – but it's thirsty work with no tasting at the end. Oyon has an excellent restaurant, El Mesón La Cueva.

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