Ezcaray is a famous village in the region of La Rioja Alta. It is especially well known for all the heritage it houses, which comes in handy if you are preparing a cultural visit or a rural tourism holiday.
What can I see? Let's try to put things in order. You can start from the Town Hall square, whose headquarters is the former Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Bárbara. If you take one of its streets you can see the chapels of Santa Bárbara and the Virgen de Allende, the town's patron saint, along the way.
Along this road you will reach the Plaza del Quiosco, where you will find one of the most important palatial houses in Ezcaray: the Palace of Archbishop Barroeta. Going out through one of the narrow streets you should come across the Argolla del Fuero, which legend says that if it was touched by an evildoer, he would manage to escape justice for a long period of time.
Finally, in the old quarter we recommend you visit the church of Santa María la Mayor, the greatest exponent of the town's religious architecture.
Is there anything interesting in the surrounding area? Of course! Without going any further, the famous ski resort of Valdezcaray is just a short drive away. But if you don't feel like going out in the cold, you have other options, such as going to the Valgañón holly fields or the Demanda mountain range, two excellent suggestions for outdoor activities.
Our last suggestion is El Bosque Suena. This is an initiative that has transformed an old rubbish dump into a reforested and artistic area.
Some of the most popular activities in these parts are mycology and mushroom picking, as well as visits and tastings in one of the many wineries in the surrounding area, as La Rioja is the land of wines. As far as we know, these wines go particularly well with dishes such as pochas a la riojana or caparrones, which are the local red beans.
You can ask for information about any of these plans at the hotel where you are staying, or at the tourist office if you are staying in a flat or rural house.
Are you interested in the fiestas and traditions of Ezcaray? Then we recommend you come on 10th of August or the 24th of September, the day of the town's patron saints, San Lorenzo and the Virgen de Allende respectively. The festival of Santa Bárbara is held on Whit Monday and is the most traditional event in the village, a very emotional pilgrimage with lunch included.
As you can see, Ezcaray has many places that you can visit over several days. We hope you enjoy your rural holidays in these lands of the Iberian system.
