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This week-long itinerary covers both the interior and the coastline of l’Empordà, one of the most beautiful landscapes in Catalonia, creating a perfectly balanced cycling and beach holiday.
The Great Tour of the Empordà starts in the magnificent city of Girona, and takes you on a journey of discovery across the Empordà (the inland area of the Costa Brava), one of Catalonia’s most beautiful landscapes. Cyclists will gain a fantastic overview of the whole region: both the interior and the coastline. Within the space of a few kilometres, riders will see a wide variety of landscapes: medieval towns, olive trees, vineyards, and traditional fishing villages. The route also takes you to Cap de Creus, the eastern-most point of the Iberian Peninsula.
This is a challenging route for intermediate level cyclists, due to the sometimes steep gradients that include mountain passes of 5 and 10km in length.
The route begins and ends in Girona, and combines rocky coastline with a bucolic countryside atmosphere. As you follow the coast northwards, you’ll discover the important Greco-Roman ruins at Empúries and the Aiguamolls d’Empordà Natural Park, an important birdwatching centre. Further inland, you’ll enjoy rolling hills and picturesque medieval villages. You’ll visit the area’s most important attractions: the regional capital of La Bisbal d’Empordà, which boasts a beautiful castle, and also the historic medieval village of Peratallada. Heading back to the coast, you’ll ride through the picturesque fishing village of Calella de Palafrugell, which still retains its traditional colourful seafront houses. Along the way, you can enjoy fabulous gastronomy from both the sea and the land, spectacularly rugged coastline, long sandy beaches, and charming medieval villages.
*Bike routes for road or gravel bikes
Day 1: Girona
Accommodation: Hotel Gran Ultonia Girona
Arrival day
In Girona there is plenty to see and do. The city is famous for having one of the best preserved Jewish old towns and the Cathedral boasts one of the largest stone vaulted spaces in Gothic architecture. We highly recommend that you take a walk along the ancient city walls. Don’t miss the Onyar river walk, where you can enjoy a picturesque view of the brightly-coloured houses.
Day 2: Vall de Llémena Loop. Girona
Route: 65km/40 miles
Elevation: +668m/2193ft
Accommodation: Hotel Gran Ultonia Girona
Welcome meeting at our office to pick up and fit your bikes.
On the first day of your tour, you will discover the inland countryside of Llémena Valley, dotted with centuries-old farmhouses. After cycling around the base of the small volcano of Adri, we’ll continue crossing wetlands and wooded areas. Today is a warm-up ride.
Day 3: Girona – Sant Feliu Guíxols
Route: 56km/35 miles
Elevation: +979m/3212ft
Accommodation: Hotel S’Agaró
Today you will follow a cycle path out of the city, heading south across a plain to Llagostera. From there, you will start to climb Sant Grau (465m). After passing the summit, you will be rewarded with a wonderful descent with fantastic views over the Mediterranean sea – one of those rides which you’ll never forget! This coastal road was used for the Tour de France in 2009. The day’s ride ends in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, where you will stay near the charming Sant Pol beach.
Day 4: Sant Feliu de Guíxols – Torroella de Montgrí
Route: 61km/39 miles
Elevation: 483m+/1585ft
Accommodation: Hotel Moli del Mig
Starting from Sant Pol, you’ll go through Platja d’Aro, Calonge and Palamós, three popular seafront resort towns. Further along the coast, you’ll reach Calella, a charming fisherman village known for its traditional seafront fishermen’s houses. Callella is considered to be one of the Costa Brava’s most beautiful villages. as we leave Calella, you’ll tackle a short but steep climb up to the light house of Sant Sebastià (150m+ over 2km).
Next, you’ll climb up to Begur, and continue to the gulf of Pals, where you can admire the long sandy beach. From there, you’ll head inland to the famous medieval village of Pals, where you can take a pleasant break by wandering the narrow streets. After going through several more medieval villages, you’ll reach Torroella de Montgrí, overlooked by its mountaintop castle.
Day 5: Torroella de Montgrí – Castelló d’Empúries
Route: 52km/32 miles
Elevation: +190m/623ft
Accommodation: Hotel Palau Macelli
Today, you can relax and enjoy an easy ride, cycling at a tranquil pace along the beaches of Empúries and l’Escala. We highly recommend that you take the time to visit the archeological settlement of Empúries, once the gateway of the classical Greeks and Romans into the Iberian Peninsula. The route finishes in Castelló d’Empúries, whose spectacular cathedral is a clear legacy of the town’s historical importance.
Day 6: Castelló – Perafita – Figueres
Route: 69km/43 miles or 80km/50 miles
Elevation: +1052m/3451ft or +1300m/4265ft
Accommodation: Hotel Pirineos
Today, you’ll cross a small wetland area containing an ornithological reserve, before climbing up to the Perafita mountain pass.
(An optional extra ride of 11km takes you to Cadaqués, once home to famous artist Salvador Dalí, and returns back to the summit of Perafita).
From there, you’ll enjoy a smooth downhill ride to Port de la Selva, before another climb brings us up to the abbey of Sant Pere de Rodes. Next, you’ll descend into Figueres, where you’ll find tonight’s hotel. We highly recommend that you visit the Dalí Museum, and enjoy the masterpieces of the famous surrealist painter.
Day 7: Figueres – Girona
Route: 65km/40 miles
Elevation: +627m/2057ft
Accommodation: Hotel Gran Ultonia Girona
Day 8: Departure Day
After breakfast, our tour will come to an end.
Let our Bike Spain Tours team know if you would like any assistance with your onward travel from Girona, or if you would like to add any extra nights to your tour.
Hotel Gran Ultonia
Hotel Ultonia is located in the centre of Girona, 3 minutes’ walk from the Old Town, Cathedral and Arabic baths. It offers air-conditioned rooms with free WiFi, flat-screen TV and minibar
All 71 rooms at the Hotel Gran Ultonia in the center of Girona are new, spacious and bright, and have easy access to La Terrasseta, an exclusive space for guests with fantastic views of the Cathedral of Girona.
Hotel S´Agaró Wellness & Spa
S’Agaró Hotel is located in the heart of the Costa Brava.
S’Agaró Hotel is located in the heart of the Costa Brava, in the exclusive, idyllic bay of S’Agaró, one of the Costa Brava’s most prestigious enclaves, a pioneer in quality holidays, internationally recognised for its select, glamorous surroundings. S’Agaró Hotel is right on the seafront, on Sant Pol beach, one of the Costa Brava’s top locations. A small beach of fine sand, far removed from the noise of other coastal areas in the summer season.
Hotel URH Molí del Mig
It is a unique space in the heart of Emporda.
The Hotel Moli del Mig Restaurant and SPA is located in the the majestic area of Massis del Montgrí and one kilometer away from the historic center of Torroella de Montgrí. With a careful restoration of the ancient mill, it boasts the most modern facilities and cutting-edge design that seek to highlight its historical value, respecting the landscape in an integrated architecture in the natural environment with seven acres of gardens and fields.
Hotel Palau Macelli
Hotel Palau Macelli is located in the heart of the village of Castelló d’Empúries, next to the Basilica of Santa Maria, the old convent of Santa Clara and the city walls.
Discover a world of comfort and elegance, where each space has been carefully designed for the enjoyment of all our customers.
Relax in our spa, located in the old stables of a noble house, refresh yourself and free yourself from stress in our pool or rest in our warm and cosy rooms.
Hotel Pirineos
Four-star family hotel in Figueres, just minutes from the Dali Theater Museum.
The hotel is especially characterised by the warm and welcoming family atmosphere which it has maintained all these years. It has 53 modern rooms, fully equipped and decorated in warm colors.
1.270,00€ – 1.470,00€
A charming circuit in beautiful Costa Brava. Road or gravel bike trip
Departure Date | Low and Mid – season, 23 Jun to 2 Sept |
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The uniqueness of the tour, cities visited, and the ability to rent a tandem bicycle, the closeness to Barcelona was also a significant factor! The web site is pretty good. I would add the elevation profile to the itinerary. It’s always helpful to see in advance how much climbing there is on the tour. The accommodations were very nice. We enjoyed all of the hotels and the service was great!
The service was great. The written instructions had good suggestions for stops and places of interest.
The tandem that we rented was great. We have rented tandems several times over the years and this was the best bicycle that we rented. Previous tandems were too heavy and climbing was difficult. The Viking tandem is certainly not lightweight but is a nice entry level hybrid tandem. The tandem was maintained well and shifted well. Braking was also not an issue. Very pleased with the choice of tandem.
On the way from St. Pere Pescador to Madremanya we stopped in the small town of St. Miquel de Fluvia. The church was closed as we arrived early in the morning. A woman noticed us and opened the church for us and we toured it. She explained the history of the church to us and told us about other things to see near the church. My Spanish is limited by I was able to understand some things and the kindnes of this woman will not be forgotten. She gave us some pamphlets in English about the church.
The countryside was beautiful and the small towns wonderful.
And, at the end of the day we were always treated with fabulous food
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