Day 7 (Part 2) – The medieval walled town of Laguardia, Spain

Tucked up on the top of a hill is the medieval town of Laguardia, a walled town which was originally built in the 10th century to protect the kingdom of Navarra. The town’s name comes from “La Guardia de Navarra,” otherwise translated to the “Guard” of Navarra, thus reflecting it’s origins.

While locals still reside in Laguardia, these days it has become a tourist attraction for those that come to the Rioja region to sample and experience the world famous Spanish reds. The tunnels that were originally dug out to protect Laguardia all those centuries ago was discovered to offer the perfect conditions for storing wine, so now the town also serves as a big underground wine cellar for some of the local bodegas.

Once you park in one of the designated parking spots outside and enter the walled town on foot through the doorway past a set of heavy wooden doors, it is pretty much traffic-free which means that you can safely walk around and explore, perfect when you have little ones in tow!

The boys enjoying running along the narrow streets

FOOD

Walking along the narrow streets, there are many little tavernas to choose from where you can stop to enjoy some local pintxo, accompanied with a glass of local wine (you are in Spain’s wine country after all!)

STUNNING VIEWS

As Laguardia sits high atop a hill, it gives a stunning view of the surrounding vineyards.

On the day of our visit, it was slightly overcast and cool. Once we climbed up to the rooftop of the bell tower accessed via a steep spiral staircase, we were rewarded with a view of the famous Rioja wine country for as far as our eyes could see. The view alone is well worth stopping into Laguardia.

Birdseye view of some of the vineyards that surround Laguardia

In the far distance is Ysios where we were earlier in the day.
The Cantabrian Mountains is in the background

If you want to immerse yourself into medieval Spain and imagine what it would have been like all those centuries ago, then Laguardia should be on your list as a place to visit when planning a visit to the Rioja region. It truly is a spectacular spot. There didn’t seem to be many foreign tourists, but rather local Spanish tourists, so it was hard finding someone that could speak English. We stopped at one restaurant for lunch and while we were provided with an English menu, the wait staff didn’t speak English. But with hubby’s basic Spanish skills and some hand charades we were able to get by and order our meals. It was definitely an experience – but this is what travelling is all about!