The center of the Upper Riojan region, Haro has wealth of history to share. The city has a long tradition of festivals and special customs that combine food, history, and wine. The festival of St John the Baptist, in which in the early hours of the morning of the 24th June a daybreak festival begins with bonfires, hot chocolate, and muscatel wine. At midday in the Plaza de la Paz, a rocket is launched from the balcony of the City Hall to commence the daytime celebrations, in which an official rides through the city on horseback to open the festivities. Another celebration is the Wine Battle, or the feast day of St Peter, which can be traced back to the year 553. In honor of three centuries of religious pilgrimage, an official on horseback carries the city´s flag to the highest point in the area and conducts mass- at which point the Wine Battle begins. Drenching its participants in wine using wineskins and spray pumps, the crowd frolic in the fun and continue the festival back at the Plaza, with music, food, and bullfights.
The city itself has a wine museum, churches, historical railway, art and open-air museum, and a number of ancient palaces and houses. With so much to discover, you will no doubt require some sustenance and Haro offers the opportunity to try the local cuisine. The list we have created here includes some of the most interesting places to eat in the area, but is by no means exhaustive- there any many places to discover in Haro.
