Day one, afternoon 

16.00 A walk along the Espolón 

Walking back along Calle Once de Junio and tracing what would have been the old city wall, we continue on to the commercial area of Bretón de los Herreros; it is characterised by bar terraces, although there are hardly any shops. This is a pleasant fifteen-minute walk that ends at the Espolón (the park that has been the green heart of the city since the early 19th Century). Here we come to the Paseo de la Rosaleda, the monument to Espartero and, opposite that, the Neoclassical auditorium La Concha del Espolón. This auditorium is one of the most usual places for holding concerts and where, during the fiestas of San Mateo, the first grape must of the year is traditionally offered to the Virgin. 

We leave the park on Calle Vara de Rey, just opposite the Palacio de la Comunidad Autónoma. We turn left and head towards another of the city's main streets, the Avenida de la Duquesa de la Victoria, where we can make a stop at the Instituto Sagasta.  Built in 1895, it is one of the best examples of the legacy of the former liberal president and illustrious citizen of the Riojan capital, Práxedes Mateo Sagasta. 

17.30 Evening in the Jewish Quarter and the area of Villanueva 

We walk around the building along the avenues of Juan XXIII and La Paz until we reach the Avenida de Navarra. Here we find the former Jewish Quarter, consisting of seven narrow streets (Yerros, Hospital Viejo, La Brava, Horno, Baños, San Roque and San Gil). This network of streets delimits the grid formed by the Muro de Cervantes, the Avenida de Viana, the aforementioned Avenida de Navarra and Calle Rodríguez Paterna (which used to be Villanueva and, formerly, Calle Real). 

After going back in time by strolling around these streets, we turn left on Baños and then turn left again. We are now in Calle de San Bartolomé. San Bartolomé church is at the end of this street (open for visits from Monday to Sunday from 11.30 to 13.45 and 19.30 to 20.30). Listed as a protected cultural heritage building in 1866, this is a spectacular gothic building from the 13th Century, which was reconstructed in the 15th Century. It has a tower with a quadrangular floor plan in the Mudejar style from the 16th Century. It is a place that is often passed by when visiting Logroño. It would, however, be a shame not to devote a few minutes to it. 

19.00 Snacks in San Juan 

We head off to the left, and almost without realising it, we are back where we started: at the entrance to Calle Portales. It is late afternoon and we can get our strength back by trying the traditional snacks, served with a good local wine. We begin our route in Calle San Juan and then go through Ollerías lane and street. Our final destination, only a ten-minute walk away, is the famous Laurel area. 

21.00 Back on track 

Calle Laurel, also known as the "elephant track", is the epicentre of the chiquiteo phenomenon in Logroño, an essential visit and experience. The ruta del chiquiteo consists of a small area that includes the Calle and the Travesía Laurel, San Agustín, Albornoz and Capitán Gallarza. The bars are already filling up towards late evening, so it is just a question of going into one and savouring creations such as gargonitos, minced veal and loin of pork, in the Gárgonich, zorropitos in La Gota de Vino, tío Agus, chistorra sausage, loin of pork and grandma Damiana's ultra-secret sauce in Lorenzo or the well-known Pata Negra Iberian ham. And afterwards, the best thing is to have a drink in a place with a good atmosphere, like in the aforementioned Café Moderno.

Day two, morning 

10.00 Visit to a winery 

It would be a big mistake to go to La Rioja and not let yourself be seduced by its wines. Without even having to leave Logroño, just by crossing the Ebro on the Puente de Hierro bridge, we start our second day in the Bodegas Franco-Españolas. Its origins date from the time of the phylloxera, a pest that devastated French vineyards in the second half of the 19th Century. This caused vine growers to move to the areas of Bordeaux and La Rioja. The winery's facilities cover an area of 59,000 metres; we can discover, with a glass of wine in our hand, how the best wines of the region are produced, enjoy a recommended wine-tasting session and visit the wine collection. 

12.00 A walk along the Ebro and its park  

After that, we go back across the Ebro on the Puente de Piedra de San Juan Ortega bridge, which will bring us back to the old part of the city. We continue this pleasant walk to the right along Calle del Norte until we get back to the Murallas del Revellín. 

13.30 The culmination of a theme morning 

We continue along Calle Once de Junio and turn left on Marqués de San Nicolás. No. 136 of this street is the restaurant El Rincón del Vino, where we can recover from a morning of non-stop walking. Following the tradition of the family business in Ezcaray, this restaurant not only offers the traditional caparrones (red beans from the Valle del Oja) and grilled dishes, but also less traditional formulas, with modern presentations marinated with Rioja wines.

Second day, afternoon 

16.00 The Riojan Jacobean spirit 

With a full stomach, we wander the streets which, although many people may be unaware of it, gave rise to the present city of Logroño, due to the influence of the Way of St. James. From the restaurant, we go back along Marqués de San Nicolás (also known as Calle Mayor) until we reach the Parlamento de La Rioja building. It was formerly a convent - it still has the Baroque carriage door from the 17th Century - and a cigarette factory, a fact commemorated by a sculpture paying tribute to its former employees. 

We leave Calle Mayor and continue to the left on another of the oldest streets in the city, Calle Barriocepo, and we arrive at the Parroquia de Santiago el Real  (open from 8.00 to 13.15 and 18.30 to 19.00). Raised in honour of the Apostle, it is one of the city's oldest churches, as witnessed by its underground chapel dating from the 16th Century, the base of the new building. Nearby, we come to the Santiago Fountain and the square of the same name, paved with a reproduction of the board game Juego de la Oca  (similar to Snakes and Ladders) with motifs that refer to the Way of St. James. It is worth remembering the medieval origins of this game, which some say is related to the esoteric secrets that are linked to the Way of St. James and the Knights Templar. 

17.00 Walking around the origins of Logroño 

We continue to the right along the prolongation of Calle Boterías and we cross Sagasta until we come to the oldest street in the city: Rúavieja. This street is 500 metres long; it is completely restored and boasts the Ermita de San Gregorio, the Bodega de La Reja Dorada, the Casa de la Virgen and the Albergue de Peregrinos, a witness to the passing of the pilgrims on their way to Compostela. 

If we take a left on the Travesía del Palacio, we can visit the Iglesia Imperial de Santa María de Palacio  (open from Saturday to Thursday from 9.00 to 13.30 and 16.00 to 18.00; Fridays, open all day). The church was built in the 12th and 13th Centuries, and its characteristic octagonal spire also dates from that period. 

18.00 Shopping in Las Cien Tiendas 

The time has come to say our goodbyes and do the inevitable shopping. We will leave the old quarter for a few hours. We leave the Espolón behind us and enter the new city, where the shopping area Las Cien Tiendas  is located; an area delimited by a proliferation of shops of all kinds in the streets Calle Calvo Sotelo, Avenida Juan XXIII, Doctor Castroviejo, Doctor Ciriaco Garrido and Capitán Cortés. We can find anything here: fashion, accessories, beauty, high-range household appliances and leisure goods. Not for nothing is Logroño considered one of the main shopping capitals in Spain. 

Satisfied with the results, and probably tired from so much walking, we go back to the Calle del Laurel, to No. 3, to be precise, which is only ten minutes away. 

21.00 Emulating Hemingway at table 

This is the location of one of the classics of good Riojan cuisine: the hundred-year-old restaurant Cachetero, recommended by the Repsol Guide. Founded in 1910 and run since that time by the Arechinolaza family, it has captivated illustrious diners such as Ernest Hemingway, Jacinto Benavente, Celia Gámez, Anthony Quinn and members of the Spanish royal family with dishes such as bacalao al ajoarriero (a cod dish), its vegetable stew and its leg of lamb. 

As a farewell to Logroño, we can go to one of the nearby bar areas, in Marqués de San Nicolás or the Avenida de Duquesa de la Victoria. It will be the perfect way to round off a pleasant stay.