Ezcaray
Ezcaray is a charming village in the La Rioja region of Spain. Ezcaray is 34 km south west of Haro, one of the major wine towns in La Rioja. Ezcaray is a sleepy town with a fabulous restaurant and a couple of nice places to stay. It is very scenic. The population is about 2000 (2018).
Get in
By plane
The closest international airport is in Bilbao, 123 km north of Ezcaray. The closest regional airport, Logroño, has flight connections to Madrid and Barcelona. However, there are few direct transport links between these airports and Ezcaray.
By car
Car is probably the best way to reach Ezcaray. Haro is about a 20-minute drive, and Bilbao is just under two hours. Madrid is 314 km.
See
See beautiful stone bridges over the Oja River. Visit charming little hamlets up the Oja river from Ezcaray. Enjoy the beautiful mountains and scenery.
Do
Ezcaray is a small town. In the winter time, great skiing is available in Valdezcaray, a ski resort that is 15 minutes away by car.
Hiking during the summer months is amazing and the hiking trails are well marked and easy to follow. Beautiful surroundings.
Buy
Blankets, blankets, and more blankets! There are several very interesting shops, including a local specialty store, vegetable shop, butcher, etc, in the pedestrianised centre of town. There are several grocery stores in town suitable for self-catering.
Eat
The restaurant El Portal in the Hotel Echaurren is fantastic. Its Michelin star is well deserved and it is worth a journey to Ezcaray to have dinner in this restaurant. The wine list is local (Rioja), extensive and reasonably priced.
- El Portal (in Hotel Echaurren), Padre Jose Garcia 19 (Center of town), ☏ +34 941 354 047, fax: +34 941 427 133, info@echaurren.com. Spanish. a la carte €40 to €56, menus from €70.
- Casa Massip, Academia Militar de Zaragoza 6 (Center), ☏ +34 941 354 327, fax: +34 941 427 469, info@casamasip.com. Closed Monday. carte €34 to €39.
- El Rincón Del Vino, C/ Jesús Nazareno Nº 2 (Center), ☏ +34 941 354 375, info@rinconesdelvino.com.
Drink
Best drinks in town, Troika Lounge!
Sleep
All of the places to sleep in Ezcaray are within 100 m of each other in the centre of town. There are two hotels and an apartemento. The apartementos are quite nice and well equipped.
- Hotel Echaurren, Padre Jose Garcia 19 (centre of town), ☏ +34 941 354 047, fax: +34 941 427 133, info@echaurren.com. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 11:00. €45.
- Hotel Palacio Azcarate, Padre Jose Garcia 17 (centre of town), ☏ +34 941 427 282, fax: +34 941 427 292, info@palacioazcarate.com. €60/95.
- Apartamentos Ezcaray Suites, Montaña (centre of town), ☏ +34 618 708 585. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 10:00. €145/night for two bedroom apartment with kitchen.
Go next
For those interested in wine tourism, both Haro and Logroño, major wine towns with many bodegas (wineries) are both easy drives from Ezcaray.