Laguardia Travel Guide: A Walled Town on 232 Wine Cellars

Laguardia is a walled hilltop town in Rioja Alavesa, in the Basque Country's southern wine country, and its real story is underground: more than 232 tunnels and cellars honeycomb the rock beneath its streets, dug originally for defense and later repurposed for the one thing the town has done since the Middle Ages — making wine.

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Published July 15, 2026

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Laguardia

A medieval walled town in Rioja Alavesa, its streets built directly over more than 232 underground wine cellars.

Laguardia sits on a hilltop in Rioja Alavesa, ringed by walls ordered built by King Sancho the Strong and still largely intact, with five of the town's original gates — Mercadal, Carnicerias, Paganos, San Juan, and Santa Engracia — still standing. Inside the walls, three long, narrow streets run north to south, laid out in the classic medieval pattern, lined with stone houses that mostly predate the 16th century.

The town became a center of the Rioja wine trade as early as the 14th century, and its residents dug tunnels beneath their houses and streets originally as a wartime refuge and food store. Once the town lost its military relevance, locals noticed the tunnels held a near-constant cool temperature year-round — ideal for aging wine — and the underground network, now more than 232 cellars deep, has been used for exactly that ever since.

Laguardia's honey-stone walls and covered walkway inside the old town — Laguardia, fine art travel photography print available from Clever Tourists

A church tower rising above Laguardia's medieval streets — Laguardia, fine art travel photography print available from Clever Tourists

A narrow stone lane within Laguardia's old town walls — Laguardia, fine art travel photography print available from Clever Tourists

Laguardia's honey-stone walls and covered walkway inside the old town

Many of those cellars are still active bodegas today, some built right into the old town walls themselves, and a number now run tastings inside the same tunnels dug hundreds of years ago. The town's compact size means the walk between the walls, the gates, and a cellar door is never more than a few minutes.

Where to take photos

The town walls and five surviving gates — Mercadal, Carnicerias, Paganos, San Juan, and Santa Engracia — ordered built by King Sancho the Strong.
The underground cellar network — more than 232 tunnels dug originally for wartime defense, repurposed for wine storage for centuries.
The three main streets — the medieval north-south layout, lined with stone houses largely predating the 1500s.
Working bodegas built into the walls — several of the town's oldest wine cellars still run tastings in tunnels dug hundreds of years ago.

When to go

September through October for the Rioja Alavesa grape harvest, when the surrounding vineyards turn color and bodegas are at their most active; late spring is a quieter, milder alternative.

Where to stay

Stay inside the walls if a room is available — the old town is compact enough that every gate, street, and cellar door is a short walk from anywhere within it.

What to eat

The town sits directly on top of its own cellars, so start there: pair a glass of Rioja Alavesa with roast lamb or the local pintxos found along the three main streets inside the walls.

Tip

Book a bodega tasting inside the old town walls rather than a larger commercial winery outside it — the small cellar tours are the only way to actually walk the tunnels the town's whole wine history is built on.

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