How to book and navigate the Bullas Wine Routes, the Rutas del Vino
Practical information to help you enjoy a visit to Bullas
The wine installations and attractions of the Rutas del Vino of Bullas can be enjoyed and visited in a number of ways, either by individuals or groups of any size.
There are five Bodegas registered with the route, two of which are in the urban town and sell wine directly from their premises and three in the countryside which only receive visitors by prior arrangement.
The bodegas in the countryside will only open for groups of six people and upwards, although it is worth contacting them directly if you wish to visit with smaller numbers, then it is normally ok to join a group which has already booked, although the tours in this instance will all be in Spanish.
Bodegas Rosario in the urban town will accommodate groups of less than six people with English speaking guide providing the tour is booked in advance and fits in with their existing schedule.
Visits to any of the bodegas are priced at four euros, some of which include wine tasting.
Wine can be purchased directly from the urban bodegas without prior appointment and the Museo del Vino has an excellent shop which sells selected wines from all of the bodegas at the same prices as the bodegas, although does not stock every single wine.
In addition to the bodegas, Bullas has two superb museums, which can be said to figure amongst the best in the region, exploring the history and processes of wine production, the Museo del Vino and the Casa Museo Don Pepe Marsilla. Both of these can be visited with an English speaking guide for three euros each, or two euros for groups with no group minimum, so they will open for a couple as long as this is booked in advance. The Museo del Vino can be visited without a guide. It is essential to book in advance if you would like to arrange a trip to the bodegas and one or both museums as the guides have a busy schedule.
Accommodation and meals can be booked in advance in conjunction with a visit to the bodegas and museums. Details are provided below of how this can be done. Full articles about each bodega and location in Bullas can be found using the links below or on the dedicated page www.bullastoday.com
Principal elements of the wine route
Bodegas;
Bodega Balcona: Located in the Valle de Aceniche outside of the main town. Wine tours from Monday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm.
Click for full information: Bodega Balcona
Bodegas Lavia: Located outside of the urban town in the rural area of Venta del Pino. Wine tours are by prior arrangement only from Wednesday to Friday between 10am and 2pm.
Minimum group size six.
Click for full information: Bodegas Lavia.
Bodega Monastrell
Close to Bodega Balcona in the Valle de Aceniche outside of the main town. Wine tours on Thursday from 10am to 2pm and 4pm to 7pm, and on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm by prior arrangement.
Click for full information: Bodega Monastrell
Bodega Co-operative San Isidro: Located in the urban town, direct wine sales and guided tours. Tours from Monday to Friday 9am to 2pm and 4pm to 8pm. Minimum six people for a tour.
Click for full information: Bodega San Isidro
Bodegas del Rosario: The largest Bodega in the area, with the main industrial installations in the urban town which are open for guided visits on Mondays and Wednesdays 10am to 2pm and 2pm to 4pm (reservations are recommended) and bookings can be made in advance for the rest of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays.
Click for full information: Bodegas del Rosario
Wine is sold directly from the shop in the bodega installations and also from a retail shop in the centre of Bullas town.
Other locations to visit:
Museo del Vino; A fascinating museum which explores the history and art of winemaking in the Bullas D.O. The museum is built on the site of one of the largest bodegas constructed in the 19th century and includes a terracotta tiled flooring and arched brick vaulted ceilings of the original bodega. The museum also has a tasting bar and shop which sells wine from all of the bodegas associated with the Rutas del Vino in Bullas at the same price as buying directly from the bodega.
Tours are offered in ENGLISH for groups of all sizes of two people upwards by prior arrangement at no extra cost and the museum can cater for large groups.
At this stage in time the museum is probably the best point of contact for groups who would like to combine a visit to the museum with a visit to one of the bodegas, particularly one of the bodegas in the countryside for which a guide is highly advisable due to the location as the museum has English speaking staff and is in the same premises as the Tourist Office.
The local travel company which arranges packages and tours does not employ English speaking staff, but can still arrange packages and tours via the museum.
The Museo del Vino also administers the visits to the other Museum which is well worth a visit, the Casa Museo Don Pepe Marsilla and can organise combined visits to both locations and the bodegas.
The Museo del Vino is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 2pm and again from 5pm to 8pm during the summer and between November and March, the museum is open in the mornings and from 4pm to 7pm. On Sundays it is open from 10.30am to 2pm.
Click for full information and contact details; Museo del Vino Bullas
Casa Museo Don Pepe Marsilla
One of the best and most interesting museums in the whole of the Murcia Region, this museum takes visitors back in time to Bullas in 1900.
The museum only opens by prior appointment, but will open for groups of two people upwards during the same hours as the Museo del Vino and has an English language commentary option.
Click for full information: Casa Museo Don Pepe Marsilla
Restaurants
There are a number of restaurants adhered to the Rutas del Vino which can offer meals for groups. Click for restaurants
Accommodation
There are a number of accommodation options adhered to the Rutas del Vino which can offer accommodation for groups or individuals. Click for accommodation.
Travel Agency
Packages including visits to bodegas, museums, accommodation, food, guide etc can be booked via the travel agency Entredestinos.
The main problem at the moment is that the agency only speaks Spanish, so it is advisable to use the Tourist Office or Museo del Vino as an intermediary if you don´t speak Spanish to make the arrangements.
Entredestinos, Avenida de Murcia, 25, 30180, Bullas
Tel 0034 968 002 241
Email: entredestinos@grupoeuropa.com
English tour guide running trips to Bullas
Mediterranean Cartagena tours is a fully licensed and legal English speaking tour guide provider which organises visits and trips to anywhere in the Region of Murcia including the wine routes. A full range of services is on offer including guide only or full itinerary. Regular scheduled one day visits to Bullas are run with minibus pick-up from the coastal area of Murcia at very reasonable prices, or can be arranged for small groups to suit their own schedule. Click for full company information: Mediterranean Cartagena tours
Pre-determined packages on offer:
There is one main pre-set package recommended for the Ruta del Vino, which can be undertaken at any time via prior arrangement for groups or couples.
This can be further extended to include the option of contracting a guide and transport or adding accommodation as required. This can be arranged independently or via the travel agency, or Museo del Vino.
Bullas in one day
This route explores the most emblematic locations linked to the production of wine in the area.
10.30am The route begins in the Museo del Vino, built over the former bodega of the Melgares de Aguilar family during the 19th century.
11.30am Driving route through some of the most characteristic vineyards in the D.O Bullas area
12.30pm Visit to the installations of one of the most emblematic bodegas of the Bullas D.O and tasting of some of its best wines.
2.30pm Lunch in one of the certified restaurants of the Bullas Wine Route
4.30pm Return to the historic centre of Bullas to see its principal streets and site on foot, before visiting the Casa-Museo Don Pepe Marsilla, a journey back in time to discover how life really was in Bullas c1900.
Bullas wine weekend
The ideal weekend to visit Bullas is that which co-incides with the traditional “El Zacatín” artisan market which is held on the first Sunday of every month between 9am and 2pm in plazas Vieja and Castillo, in the heart of the old quarter.
Visitors can book the one day in Bullas and add accommodation, enjoying the rest of their time to explore the area and purchase wine directly from the urban bodegas.
