Are you crazy about wine and good food? Then, a visit to Alba in the Langhe wine region in Piemonte is a must. This vibrant city is the perfect base for visiting the surrounding vineyards that originate the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines. We visited Alba in September during a camper trip through Italy. In this blog, we tell you everything about Alba. We describe the four best things to do and highlights in Alba. You can read all about nice restaurants and hotspots in Alba, and we have selected three good hotels.
Alba capital of the Langhe wine region
Alba is the capital of the Langhe, a hilly area in the south of Piedmont. The Langhe is known for its delicious wines, fruit, and nut trees. In the north of the Langhe lies the city of Alba, which can be seen as the center of this wine region. Around it are smaller wine villages, almost all built on hills.
Alba itself is the perfect base for a visit to this wine region. It is vibrant, large enough to entertain you for several evenings, and close to other highlights in the Langhe.
How much time do you need for Alba?
We stayed for four nights in Alba and that was great. This allowed us to explore the area at our leisure. We are traveling with our 1.5-year-old son, so our pace is slower. Even in three days, you have enough time to see the area around Alba.
The four best things to do in Alba and its surroundings!
Below we describe the four highlights of Alba and its surroundings.
1. Stroll through the old center of Alba and go shopping
Alba has a cozy and vibrant city center! Here, you will find beautiful Italian buildings, cozy squares full of terraces, and shops. In addition to beautiful clothing stores, you will also find plenty of delicacy shops. Alba has been declared the city of gastronomy by Unesco. Because yes, the food is amazing here. Later in this blog, I will tell you more about our favorite restaurants in Alba.
Something very typical for Alba for us was the smell of chocolate. On certain days, when the wind is blowing right, you smell a hint of chocolate from the Ferroro factory, just outside the center, throughout the city. Ferrero is known for its Ferrero Rocher chocolates, but also for Nutella and Kinder chocolate. In the middle of the city, you will find a large and cozy square, Piazza Ferrero, named after the Ferrero family. To thank the city, the family donated a 12-meter-high artwork to the city in 2022. This artwork is the image of a girl named Alba, who appears to be made entirely of chocolate.
Alba is also known for its towers. It was once called the city of 100 towers, even though in reality there were only about thirty towers in the city. Rich families tried to outdo each other by building the highest towers. There are still many beautiful towers intact.
Tip: Alba Underground
The current Alba is built on the ruins of the Roman city of Alba Pompeii. This former city remained hidden for centuries, but for a few years now you can descend with a guide to the excavations that take place under the current city. More information about these tours and how to book them can be found here.
2. Taste the best wines from Italy in the Langhe
In Piedmont, you have roughly three important wine regions. The most famous of these is the Langhe, where Alba is located. The famous Barolo, Barbaresco, and Dolcetto wines are produced in the Langhe. This region is considered to be the best wine region in Italy in terms of quality, the wines that come from here are among the absolute top. If you go a little north from Alba, you will come to the Roero region. Monferrato, which is located a little east of Alba, is the largest wine region. Famous wines such as Asti (named after the city of the same name) and Barbera del Monferrato come from here.
Visiting wineries around Alba
Here in Alba, you are at the cream of the crop when it comes to Italian wines: the Barolo and Barbaresco. These are full-bodied red wines, which can be quite expensive. At the time of our trip through Piedmont, I am pregnant with our daughter and unfortunately, we do not visit any wineries. We do enjoy the view from various villages over the rolling hills dotted with vineyards. And Ries does try some wines in various places. We took one of the wines home with us and it is waiting for me for after the pregnancy.
Unfortunately, we do not have any recommendations for wineries that are nice to visit but don’t worry, both in the center of Alba and in the surrounding area you will find more than enough nice wineries where you can do a tasting. Another option is to join an organized wine tour such as this (luxury) wine tour that departs from Alba, or this wine tour where you hike from Alba to the vineyards and do a tasting.
Tip: If you visit a winery or wine bar in Alba, Bra, Neive, Barolo, or La Morra, you can often do a (paid) wine tasting without reservation. If you want a tour of the vineyard or visit a winery outside the center of Alba, it is wise to make a reservation or call in advance.
Cycling through the vineyards of Langhe: Bar to Bar route
Are you up for a physical challenge? And do you like wine? Then consider cycling the Bar to Bar route. This is a circular route that leads from Barbaresco to Barolo and where you can stop at various wineries along the way. Ideal to combine something sporty with a wine tasting.
You can recognize the Bar to Bar cycling route by red and white signs or red and white markings on trees. Click here for more information about the route and a detailed route description for the long or short version of the Bar to Bar.
3. Enjoy another local specialty in Alba: Truffles
Apart from wine, there is another local delicacy that Alba is known for: the truffle! And of course, I can enjoy that while I am pregnant. Yes, both the black and the rare white truffle are found in this area. And you can taste and buy them in many places in the city. There are several delicacy shops that are all about truffles, and in restaurants, you will always find a dish with truffles.
Truffles are so famous in Alba that there is even a real truffle festival that lasts for weeks. During the International White Truffle Fair, there are parades, parties, cooking classes, and of course dinners with the white truffle in the leading role. Click here for more information.
Truffle hunting in Alba:
In addition to eating truffles, you can also go and find them yourself by means of a “truffle hunting tour”. Together with a professional truffle hunter and his dog, you go in search of white or black truffles. Unfortunately, we were not able to do this ourselves because it is not ideal with small children, but it seems to me a really great experience. Various tours are offered via Get Your Guide, click here for more information.
4. Visit one of the surrounding villages or towns: Bra, Neive, Barolo or La Morra
Not only Alba is worth visiting in the Langhe wine region. The surrounding towns and villages are also very nice!
For example, the beautiful city of Bra is known for its great restaurants and the slow food movement that originated here (a travel guide about Bra will follow soon). We thought it was a beautiful and chic city where you can also shop well. You can easily visit Bra in half a day, although you may not have enough time to enjoy the delicious food. That is why we decided to visit this nice place twice.
Tip: read all about Bra in our Bra, Piedmont travel guide!
Smaller villages such as Neive, La Morra, and Barolo are not only beautiful because of their location (on top of hills with a maze of small streets leading to the center) but are also known for the great wine that can be found here. A blog about these three nice villages will follow soon. Neive, La Morra, and Barolo can easily be visited in one or two hours. But if you also want to do a wine tasting here or visit different wine boutiques, take at least half a day. La Morra and Barolo are not far from each other and are therefore easy to combine, extra nice because you drive along the rolling vineyards!
Tip: From Alba, you can visit some cities by train or bus. This saves you the stress of parking or the cost of a rental car. This is possible at Bra (by train) and Neive (by bus). La Morra and Barolo are more difficult to visit by public transport, so we recommend taking the car to get here.
Our favorite restaurants and hotspots in Alba:
Alba is full of nice and good restaurants and hotspots. Below you will find our favorite spots.
Il Gourmet della Maddalena
You really should not miss this restaurant! It is a tiny delicacy shop in one of the nicest streets of Alba, but they also serve great dishes! The kitchen and the menu are not very big, which is exactly what we liked. We chose a cheese board as a starter, and then I went for the pasta with truffle and Ries for the tartare with truffle sauce followed by a delicious tiramisu. Tasty and highly recommended! Click here for the location of this restaurant in Alba.
Divina Wine Bar
This nice wine bar with a large terrace on the beautiful Piazza Elvio Pertinace serves good wines and also has some small bites. Perfect for a cozy drinks evening that ends in a simple but tasty dinner. Click here for the location of this hotspot in Alba.
Gelateria La Romana
We had the most delicious and gigantic ice creams at this Gelateria. Very tasty but not cheap. Click here for the location of this hotspot in Alba!
Other restaurants that looked very good but that we were not able to try were I Malpensanti – Piccolo Ristoro Collettivo and Osteria dell’Arco. Also, a recommendation for a nice restaurant outside the city with a view of the vineyards is Osteria Il Cortile, between Barolo and Alba.
The best places to stay in Alba
In the area around Alba, you will find luxury B&Bs or wine farms to stay overnight. If you prefer to stay in the city center of Alba, there are also several hotels or B&Bs there. Below, you will find our selection of three nice hotels in Alba and surroundings in different budget classes. Click here for an overview of all hotels in Alba and surroundings.
Il Seminario €
This nice budget-friendly hotel is located in the heart of Alba. It is housed in a beautiful building that is still partly in use as a school and a religious seminary. Rooms are simple but clean. From 83 euros per night including parking.
Hotel Langhe €€
This beautiful hotel is located only a 5-minute drive from the center of Alba, surrounded by hills on the edge of the vineyards. There is a large garden with a lovely swimming pool and the bedrooms have airco. From 123 euros a night incl. breakfast.
MiaClara Relais €€€
This romantic B&B is perfect if you are looking for a bit more luxury. There is a hot tub and you look out over the vineyards. The breakfast is supposedly fantastic, as are the rooms. You stay here from 250 euros per night including breakfast.
We traveled through Piedmont by camper and did not sleep in a hotel. We stayed at this city campsite during our trip. The location was ideal because we were in the city center of Alba by bike in just 10 minutes, but the campsite is not great otherwise.
Tip: are you traveling through Piedmont with a camper or caravan? In the Langhe, you can also stay overnight at many wineries. These are usually Agriturismos with a campsite.
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