French-Spanish Pyrenees self guided cycling tours
| country: | France, Spain |
| departures: | This trip can depart any day from mid-February to mid-December |
| price: | From €890 (8 days) excluding flights and bike hire. Price based on double occupancy. Includes accommodations in 4- and 3-star properties, breakfasts and 3 dinners, route notes, luggage transfers and assistance if necessary |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This popular tour explores the Spanish and French Pyrenees, an area famous among cyclists for its geographic diversity and for serving as the proving ground for many past and present professional riders.
The tour consists of five or six days (the option is yours) of cycling while lodging in four spectacular locations on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. Our leg-testing altitude routes explore the mountainous Spanish/French border region, covering almost 550 kilometres of unparalleled mountain roads, allowing you to experience a sweeping variety of landscape and culture at your own pace. Three days of easy rides provide balance to the itinerary, allowing, if needed, for energy levels to recharge.
Highlights include:
The tour consists of five or six days (the option is yours) of cycling while lodging in four spectacular locations on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. Our leg-testing altitude routes explore the mountainous Spanish/French border region, covering almost 550 kilometres of unparalleled mountain roads, allowing you to experience a sweeping variety of landscape and culture at your own pace. Three days of easy rides provide balance to the itinerary, allowing, if needed, for energy levels to recharge.
Highlights include:
- Pedaling Catalonia's incredible coastal road into the picturesque fishing village of Collioure
- Cycling across the border in France via Cap de Creus, Spain's only nature reserve
- Ascending Coustouges, a mountain border pass surrounded by a panoramic grandstand of alpine awe
- Lodging within the walls of Besalu, a historically intact Medieval village that perfectly balances the past with the present
- Cycling past stretching olive groves and well-tended vineyards
- Figueres, the hometown of painter Salvador Dali
- Teatro-Museo Dali, the second most visited museum in Spain
- Cycling along Catalonia's famed Costa Brava
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival in Torroella de Montgri. Your tour begins in Torroella de Montgri where you will be accommodated in a bike-friendly hotel that enjoys an internationally renown reputation for catering to cyclists as evidenced by an amenity list that includes bike shed, bike workshop, and bike mechanic. |
| Day 2: | Torroella de Montrgri - Figueres (70 km or 44 miles). Acclimation day. To ease the leg muscles into tour-mode today's ride works-out the eyes rather than the thighs. A relatively flat route wanders past stretching olive groves and well-tended vineyards, the type of pastoral setting that nuzzles the mind like a visual massage. The ride concludes surreally-literally and figuratively-in Figueres, the hometown of painter Salvador Dali. Teatro-Museo Dali, the second most visited museum in Spain, stands as a five-floor monument to Dali's work, lending it 10 stars on the must-see scale. |
| Day 3: | Figueres - Cadaques - Collioure - Figueres (120 km or 75 miles). Today's route ascends into Cap de Creus, Spain's only nature reserve. A craggy coastline, that legend attributes to the mythical workings of Hercules, harmonizes with the sun-chandeliered Mediterranean to create a geographical masterpiece. In between prolonged awe-breaks you will pedal into Coilloure, France and Cadaques, Spain-two idyllic fishing villages whose beauty prompted some of history's greatest artists-Matisse, Picasso, Dali, Duchamps-to become full-time residents. The day's ride finishes back in Figueres. |
| Day 4: | Figueres - Coustouges - Camprodon (100 km or 60 miles). Good-bye sea, hello mountains. Today's pedal winds upward into the famed Pyrenees, testing the legs but rewarding the eyes. The route briefly bends into France at Coustouges, a tiny alpine village ornamented with remarkable displays of Romanesque art and architecture. You will then descend back into Spain to the ski town of Camprodon, birthplace of concert pianist, Isaac Albeniz. The tiny shops and restaurants that front Camprodon's narrow streets, will provide plenty of reasons to walk off today's ride. |
| Day 5: | Camprodon - Besalu (70 km or 44 miles). Today's easy, downhill ride will take you from the natural wonders of the Pyrenees to the manmade wonders of Besalu. This ancient, walled town along the Fluvia River looks like the inspiration for every Medieval movie ever made. The Pont Fortificat, Besalu's 11th century landmark bridge, serves as a stunning entrance gate, worthy of at least eleven snapshots. Romanesque churches, like the Monestir de Sant Pere and Església de Sant Vicenc, decorate Besalu's interior and add to its incomparable time warp ambience. The short length of today's ride will allow for plenty of time to explore. |
| Day 6: | Besalu - Torroella de Montgri (60 km or 37 miles). Today you'll coast back to the coast, returning to hotel Moli del Mig. The easy pace of the ride will match the easy pace of Catalonia's countryside, which possesses the comforting feel of a cultural speed bump. After, you'll have ample time to tour Torroella de Montgri and its many options. Old Town houses ancient architecture, including a huge sundial from the 18th century. Montrgi Castle, atop adjacent Montgri Mountain, overlooks the town and offers post card-like views of the Mediterranean coast. La Gola beach, with its views of the Medes Islands, provides a relaxing setting to rest weary legs. And the main shopping streets of Carrer de Sant Agusti and Carrer de la Porta Nova are ideal for souvenir needs. |
| Day 7: | Torroella de Montgri - Sant Feliu - Moli del Mig (110 km or 70 miles). This optional ride with a moderate rating pedals south along Catalonia's famed Costa Brava. Jagged coves lined with white horseshoe beaches dot the entire route with the kind of setting that prompts riders to suddenly add "real estate office visit" to the day's agenda. Before looping back through the forested Gavarres Mountains, you'll spend time in Sant Feliu de Guixols, a seaside town brimming with Old World allure. |
| Day 8: | Departure. After breakfast, depart at the time of your choice. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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We offer you a unique way to offset your carbon by using pollution-free bicycles. Travelling by bike, you are no longer an observer you are a peaceful and friendly actor of local people, environment and culture.
This trip will take you to a lesser known part of Catalonia, through the calm and historic region of Baix Empordà, only a few kilometres away from the “over-touristed” Costa Brava… You will travel through quaint and ancient villages of Mediterranean, Greek and Roman influences among others Relying on local guides and family-owned hotels, you will be ensured a warm, personalized welcome. All properties are run by people who have a passion for their region and its cultural, gastronomic, and historical heritage. We use genuine places with local charm, blending harmoniously into the environment. Our hotels offer guests a pleasant, nice-sized environment. Some of them have as few as two rooms, while others are small human-sized hotels. We are based in France. This is where we live and work. Our office is located in the French Alps, just a stones throw from the Swiss border, and we ride the very same roads we recommend to you for your cycling vacations. As firm believers of sustainable development, we have established a friendly network of professionals, comprised mainly of local tour guides, small operators, and family-run agencies. Most of our people have created their own jobs/enterprises in order to live their passion for the region and cultural heritage. All have extensive travel experience and have lived in various places before falling in love with the area they now call home. Traveling with us guarantees that you will be taken care of by caring professionals who chose to build their lives here. Forget the non-descript and indistinguishable big chain hotels; we use genuine places with local charm. All the properties we use are run by people who have a passion for their region and its cultural, gastronomic, and historical heritage.' We recommend travel by train, a much more eco-friendly solution. To travel within Europe, we recommend taking trains over renting cars, or air transports. Trains are more energy-efficient and will minimize the CO2 emission by capita. When flying is required, prefer an airline that contributes to funds aimed at offsetting carbon emissions. In cities, we recommend clients to use public transportations, or to walk or bike. City bike rentals are more and more widely available in big and medium-sized cities across Europe they are the best way to get around congested cities. Our travel tips include a list of renters. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |