Basque Country + Rioja Eclipse Bike Tour

Your DuVine guides will greet you at one of our recommended hotels in downtown Bilbao, then we’re off to Echaurren, our boutique Relais & Châteaux hotel. After a safety review and bike fitting, we’ll head out on our first ride following the Rio Oja, the river that gives this famous wine region its name. Stop at our friend Victor’s organic honey farm, then return to the hotel to freshen up for a show-stopping first meal: a two-Michelin-star lunch prepared by one of Spain’s most influential chefs and our good friend, Francis Paniego. This evening, join your guides for a stroll into the charming village of Ezcaray and enjoy a casual nightcap of tapas and local wine.

Meals: Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Bilbao, Ezcaray
Accomplished: 13 miles / 20 km, elevation gain: 787 feet / 239 meters
Longer Option: 16 miles / 26 km, elevation gain: 885 feet / 270 meters
Accommodations: Hotel Echaurren

This morning, we have time to visit a luxury scarf and blanket weaver in Ezcaray to shop for some souvenirs before riding to the village of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. There, your guides relate the story of Saint Dominic and the miracle of the rooster at a popular pilgrim’s café. Our own pilgrimage continues along vineyard roads and past medieval villages. Stop for photos at a 2,000-year-old Roman bridge before arriving in the town of Haro—the spiritual capital of the Rioja wine region. We’ll break for lunch in the barrel room of a historic winery located in the Railway Station District, where many of the region’s best-known wine houses established their home base. After lunch, a transfer brings us to our next hotel: a luxurious, nine-room boutique estate built in the 17th century, housing the private art collection of Ariane De Rothchild. Later, our friend Irene hosts us at her family-run winery in Elciego for a casual barbecue over wood cuttings from her vines and paired with a selection of her estate’s wines.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Briones, Elciego
Accomplished: 26 miles / 43 km, elevation gain: 460 feet / 140 meters
Accommodations: Palacio de Samaniego

Today we cruise south to the 11th-century UNESCO World Heritage Monastery of Yuso, considered the birthplace of the Spanish language. We’ll pass pilgrims from around the globe and stop to chat as they hike this section of the 500-mile Camino de Santiago. Today’s lunch is a beautiful array of local cuisine served in the renovated part of the monastery, bridging the gap of time through food. Choose to bike back to the hotel or transfer by van for some downtime (and perhaps a Spanish siesta). Tonight we transfer to Haro, the spiritual capital of the Rioja wine region. Our friend Jaime opens the doors to his family-run restaurant, which has been serving its famous wood-oven roasted lamb since 1870.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: San Millán de la Cogolla, Haro
Accomplished: 27 miles / 43 km, elevation gain: 2,130 feet / 650 meters
Longer Option: 48 miles / 78 km, elevation gain: 2,950 feet / 900 meters
Accommodations: Palacio de Samaniego

Begin the day with a bang on a spectacular climb towards the Sierra de Cantabria mountains. As we gain elevation the valley below seems to expand endlessly, filled with vineyards as far as the eye can see. Break for a well-deserved lunch at Dinastía Vivanco, a family winery that’s also Spain’s largest private museum of wine accouterments and art. After, hop in the van and head back to Palacio de Samaniego or keep riding to rack up some extra miles. Tonight is the show we’ve all been waiting for as a total solar eclipse takes place over northern Spain for the first time since 1905. At the best viewpoint in the region, your guides have prepared a celestial celebration where the wine flows freely and our picnic-style dinner table is abundant well into the (second) sunset of the evening.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Briones, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Elciego
Accomplished: 23 miles / 37 km, elevation gain: 2,130 feet / 650 meters
Longer Option: 36 miles / 59 km, elevation gain: 3,200 feet / 980 meters
Accommodations: Palacio de Samaniego

Today, take your pick between an easygoing or a more challenging route. We’ll climb out of Elciego along a ridge high above the vineyards, then meet the Ebro River after stopping for a coffee in the town of Lapuebla de Labarca. Our destination is the medieval town of Laguardia, which sits upon a warren of 300 cellars carved from rock during the Middle Ages. These cellars (called calados) aren’t just subterranean wineries—they were once hideaways to protect townspeople in times of turmoil. The ancient calados are a striking contrast to the ultra-modern wineries that have cropped up since Spain joined the European Union in the mid-1980s—but at lunchtime, we’ll head to a tasting room in town to try wines that the same family has been producing for five centuries. After, opt to tack on some extra miles or hop in the van for a lift back to the hotel. We’ll stay close to home for our final evening: first, an aperitivo to celebrate the week, followed by an exceptional meal at the hotel restaurant paired with local wines selected by the sommelier.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Lapuebla de Labarca, Laguardia, Samaniego
Accomplished: 24 miles / 38 km, elevation gain: 2,000 feet / 615 meters
Longer Option: 29 miles / 47 km, elevation gain: 2,600 feet / 797 meters
Accommodations: Palacio de Samaniego

Bid “adios” to La Rioja, its wines, medieval architecture, sumptuous gastronomy, and stunning landscapes. After breakfast, we transfer back to Bilbao where your guides will take you to your post-trip hotel or the Bilbao airport.

Meals: Breakfast