Spain is full of tourist hotspots, boasting sunny city breaks and sizzling beaches. Travellers heading to well-known destinations such as Madrid or Barcelona are greeted with sites such as the Royal Palace and Sagrada Familia – but these can be crowded with other tourists.
An “underrated” Spanish city is now being recommended to those wanting to sample the country’s delights without the crowds. Logrono in northern Spain is increasingly a destination for British tourists and has been recommended by TimeOut. The travel publication named the city as the most underrated in the country, noting that it was less well known than the province of La Rioja in which it is located.
Famous for its wine, the region holds the distinction of being a “Qualified Destination of Origin”, the highest rank Spain can give.
While the city may be small, “it can definitely hold its own against Spain’s top foodie cities”, the publication reports.
Held up as “one of the best” places in Spain for bar hopping or sampling tapas dishes, the magazine notes that each bar specialises in one ingredient or dish.
Logrono is also a stop on the Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrimages leading to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northwestern Spain.
Pilgrims follow these routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for spiritual growth, and more than 200,000 flock to the route each year.
Sights in the capital of La Rioja area include the Plaza del Mercado, a square with terrace buildings located next to the cathedral.
Once a walled city, Muralla de Revellín is the best place to see the remains of Logrono’s medieval walls and includes an ancient archway that was once the threshold of the old city.
The city’s oldest church is that of Saint Bartolomé, the construction of which began in the 12th century.
Free to enter, the church boasts an intricately carved doorway in the Gothic style.
Rather than tapas, Logrono’s location in northern Spain means that it features pinchos or pintxos, but the concept of small bites is much the same.
While there are a large number of tapas bars in the city centre, the side streets are slated to hold the tastiest food.
Many of the most popular locations can be found on Calle Laurel and the alleyways nearby, which come alive as the sun sets.
Just a 30-minute drive away is Haro, considered La Rioja’s wine capital.
It hosts an annual wine festival and produces red wine, while it is also famed for being the first Spanish town to have electric street lighting.
Travelling to Logrono is not complicated, with the nearest airport located just over an hour away in Bilbao, which is itself a two-hour flight from the UK.
It is also a useful add-on to any Spanish road trip, accessible from Bilbao and around 90 minutes from San Sebastian to the north and an hour from Pamplona in the west.
