Rioja Alta wine route
with a private driver
Explore the Rioja Alta wine route from end to end — Haro, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Briones, Cenicero — with a private driver. Great wineries, century-old vineyards and charming villages. No steering wheel, no limit on the tastings.
The villages and wineries of the Rioja Alta wine route
Rioja Alta:
vineyards, wineries and charming villages
Rioja Alta is the historic heart of Rioja wine. From Haro to Logroño, passing through villages such as San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Briones, every kilometre offers century-old wineries and unrivalled vineyard landscapes.
Haro
The Barrio de la Estación (Station Quarter), home to CVNE, Muga, López de Heredia, La Rioja Alta S.A. and Roda. The essential starting point for any route through Rioja Alta.
San Vicente de la Sonsierra
A walled village above the Ebro with spectacular views. Home to family wineries such as Hermanos Peciña. Its castle and medieval lanes are a must-see stop.
Briones
Home to the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture (Museo de la Cultura del Vino — Dinastía Vivanco), one of the most important wine museums in Spain. Essential on any cultural route through Rioja Alta.
Cenicero
A winemaking hub in Rioja Alta with wineries such as Marqués de Cáceres and Bodegas Riojanas. Their modern facilities contrast with the area’s winemaking tradition.
Ygay — Logroño
On the outskirts of Logroño, Marqués de Murrieta’s historic Ygay estate — one of the oldest wineries in Spain — offers guided tours with tastings of its gran reservas.
Fuenmayor
Home to wineries such as LAN and AGE, and just a few kilometres from Campo Viejo, in Logroño. Fuenmayor is one of the most active wine-producing municipalities in Rioja Alta.
Why do the Rioja Alta wine route with a driver
A perfect day in
Rioja Alta without a care
The Rioja Alta wine route can stretch between Haro and Logroño, passing through medieval villages and wineries of different styles. With a private driver, you can cover much more ground in a single day without the stress of driving between tastings.
Your driver knows the area, knows the way into every winery and adapts the itinerary to your pace. Want to spend longer in Briones? Head up to San Vicente for the views? No problem — they’ll wait.
How to organise your Rioja Alta wine route
Your Rioja Alta wine route
in 4 steps
Choose your wineries
Select the Rioja Alta wineries you want to visit and book your tours or tastings directly with each one.
Request your driver
Tell us your itinerary, the number of people and your starting point. We’ll give you a fixed price in less than an hour.
Your driver picks you up
At the agreed time, your driver collects you from your hotel and the route begins. They know every village and every winery.
A day in Rioja Alta
You taste, photograph the vineyards and stroll through the villages. Your driver brings you back, relaxed, to where you started.
More wine routes in La Rioja
Make more of your
wine trip across La Rioja
Haro winery tour with a driver
The Barrio de la Estación in depth: CVNE, Muga, López de Heredia and Haro’s century-old wineries.
See route →Rioja Alavesa wineries
Combine Rioja Alta with Laguardia, Ysios and Marqués de Riscal. A full day across both areas.
See route →All winery visits
All our wine routes with a driver in La Rioja. Design the perfect wine itinerary for you.
See all →Stage-by-stage itinerary
In what order should you visit the villages of the Rioja Alta wine route?
Quick answer: the most logical route follows the Ebro upstream: Logroño, Fuenmayor, Cenicero, Briones, San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Haro, around 60 km in total. In one day with a driver you can fit in two or three wineries and one or two villages; the rest depends on your bookings, and the return trip takes about 40 minutes on the motorway.
Unlike a visit focused on Haro, the appeal here lies in the journey itself: the landscape changes from the large wineries on the river plain near Logroño to villages perched above the river. That’s why we suggest linear itineraries, with no doubling back, and let you decide at which stages to stop.
Stages and approximate distances
| Stretch | Distance / time (approx.) | What the stop offers |
|---|---|---|
| Logroño → Fuenmayor | ~13 km · 15 min | Large wineries, a good first visit early in the day |
| Fuenmayor → Cenicero | ~8 km · 10 min | A classic winemaking hub on the Ebro plain |
| Cenicero → Briones | ~10 km · 12 min | A hilltop village and the Museum of Wine Culture (check opening times on its website) |
| Briones → San Vicente de la Sonsierra | ~5 km · 8 min | Castle and viewpoint over the river, family wineries |
| San Vicente → Haro | ~12 km · 15 min | Finish in the Barrio de la Estación or with dinner in the old town |
| Haro → Logroño | ~45 km · 40 min | Back by motorway while you relax |
Three ways to plan the route
- River plain and museum route: a winery in Fuenmayor or Cenicero in the morning, lunch and the museum in Briones, then back. Ideal if you don’t want more than two tastings.
- Hilltop villages route: Briones, San Vicente de la Sonsierra and the calados of Ollauri, the village of underground cellars. More strolling and fewer guided tours.
- Route ending in Haro: villages in the morning and one or two houses in the Barrio de la Estación in the afternoon. If Haro is your priority, take a look first at our Haro winery tour with a driver or our CVNE winery visit with a driver.
What to see in Briones if you have time to spare?
Briones is one of the most photogenic villages on the route: a stone-built old quarter, the church of La Asunción and views over the meanders of the Ebro. If you’d like to make it a longer stop, just let us know when you book. Your driver drops you at the top of the village and waits while you explore.
If you’d rather not stray far from the capital, the shorter alternative is our Logroño winery tour with a private driver, with the wineries of Navarrete and Fuenmayor less than 20 minutes away.
Frequently asked questions
All about the Rioja Alta wine route with a driver
How much does the Rioja Alta wine route with a private driver cost?
The price depends on the number of people, the hours on the route and the starting point. Rioja Transfer works with a fixed price per day. Request your free quote with your itinerary and we’ll reply in less than an hour.
How many stops can you make in a day in Rioja Alta?
On a full day (7–8 hours) you can comfortably combine 2–3 wineries with a visit to a village such as San Vicente de la Sonsierra or Briones. The route can start in Haro and finish in Logroño, or the other way round.
Can we add Laguardia and Rioja Alavesa to the route?
Yes. Haro and Laguardia are 15–20 minutes apart. You can do a route that combines Rioja Alta in the morning (Haro, San Vicente) with Rioja Alavesa in the afternoon (Laguardia, Ysios). A complete wine day out.
Will the driver help us find our way around the Rioja Alta villages?
Yes. Waqar knows the area and can point you to the best viewpoints, places for lunch and the particular features of each village. He isn’t an official tour guide, but he is a local driver who knows La Rioja inside out.
Should we book the wineries before hiring the driver?
We recommend booking the wineries first to fix your itinerary, and then hiring the driver with those times confirmed. That way we can calculate the exact time and price of the service.
Do you run the wine route in English for international groups?
Yes. Our Rioja Alta wine route service is available in Spanish and English. Ideal for international groups arriving at Bilbao airport who want to discover the wines of Rioja Alta.
Ready for your Rioja Alta route?
Book your driver for
the Rioja Alta wine route
No commitment. Tell us your itinerary and the number of people. We’ll reply with a fixed price in less than an hour.