Logroño

Logroño is the capital of La Rioja and the first major city after Pamplona. You enter across the Puente de Piedra over the Río Ebro — a crossing that defined the city's fortunes for centuries.

The old quarter is compact and walkable. The Concatedral de Santa María de la Redonda (it shares cathedral status with Santo Domingo de la Calzada) has twin Baroque towers and houses a small painting attributed to Michelangelo — a Crucifixion, easy to miss in a side chapel. The Iglesia de San Bartolomé has the finest Romanesque doorway in the city. The Iglesia de Santiago el Real, the only one directly on the camino route, has an imposing equestrian Santiago Matamoros over the main entrance.

But the real attraction is Calle Laurel. This narrow pedestrianized street and its offshoots pack in upward of 50 tiny bars, each with its own signature pincho. The tradition is to go from bar to bar — one pincho and one glass of Rioja at each stop. Bar Soriano does one thing (grilled mushrooms with garlic oil and a prawn on top) and does it perfectly. The crawl typically starts around 8 PM and can go very late. If your albergue has a curfew, plan accordingly.

Multiple albergues operate in the old city. Hotels and pensiones cover all price ranges. Full services: hospital, pharmacies, outdoor gear shops, supermarkets, bus and train station. The Pilgrim Office near the cathedral stamps credenciales.