Cycling in Catalonia

Occasionally you may encounter a few moderate slopes, especially on coastal trails. However, the ascent is not too steep and is for shorter periods.

You will cycle on a mixture of farm tracks, trails and sometimes on quiet country lanes.

This tour is graded moderate. Within the tour individual days may vary in difficulty - some might be a bit tougher or easier than the overall rating suggests.

One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of the accommodation - a selection of hotels and casa rurals (converted local farmsteads), each full of character and offering a warm welcome to cyclists, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.

Unfortunately, this tour isn't available to solo travelers. We can, however, offer single rooms if you're traveling with others. These are available for a supplement.

A traditional Catalan breakfast is included every morning - it's a leisurely affair, so allow plenty of time to enjoy it. Lunch and dinner aren't included, though most accommodations are happy to prepare a packed lunch if you ask on arrival, and dinner is available either at your accommodation or at nearby bars, cafés and restaurants.

Catalonia has a Mediterranean climate, with lower rainfall than the rest of Spain, concentrated mainly in late autumn and winter, and temperatures that run a little higher than the Spanish average in both summer and winter. This tour can be enjoyed from February through December, though it isn't offered in July and August as temperatures are too high for comfortable cycling. Spring and early autumn offer the best conditions.

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg/44lbs per person.

Navigation is straightforward using our app which has maps, tracks and daily route info. Simply download the information and tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone. Once on the trail you do not need signal for the app to work and follow your progress.

This tour starts near Palau-saverdera. By air, the closest regional airport is Girona-Costa Brava, with return airport transfers included as part of your tour - the drive from Girona to Palau-saverdera takes around 1 hour. By train, the best station to arrive at is Figueres or Figueres Vilafant, from where we can arrange a transfer taking around 40 minutes.

You'll need your standard cycling gear. Bike hire comes with a pannier rack and bag, a pump, lock, a basic repair kit, and handlebar phone. On booking, our Tour Info will give you a complete packing list. Lightweight, layered clothing works well for this tour, and trousers that zip off into shorts can be handy once the sun is up.

Since you'll have your bike with you, shortening or skipping sections may not be easy. For the best local advice on transport options for cyclists, please consult your accommodation provider or reach out to our local bike partner, where applicable. In some cases, the luggage transfer service that moves your bags between accommodations may also be able to help, and our local office can offer advice on arranging transport if you need it.

We hire bikes suited to the terrain, including e-bikes for a bit of extra assist, in a range of sizes - just let us know your height when booking so we can get your frame right. If you'd like to bring your own bike, in the majority of cases this isn't a problem - please contact us to talk it through. We encourage all cyclists to wear a helmet, and it's the law in many European countries. We'd recommend bringing your own helmet for hygiene and safety reasons, though on most tours you can hire one too.

The following bikes are available for hire on this tour:

Included - mountain bike: Kross Hexagon 5.0 (or similar), aluminum frame, Shimano drivetrain and disc brakes, wheels from 27.5 inches (XS) to 29 inches (S/M/L/SL).
Upgrade to e-bike: Sub Cross Erdie 30 (or similar), Bosch 400Ah battery, Smart Sam 47c tires.

Tandem bikes aren't available on this tour. Brand and model may vary depending on availability, and the minimum age for e-bike hire is 16.

When booking, please let us know your height (for bike sizing) and head circumference if you'd like to hire a helmet.

Bike hire includes spare inner tubes, a repair kit and pump, a helmet (though we recommend bringing your own), a pannier bag (except on gravel bikes), a lock, a phone mount, an odometer, and a battery charger for e-bikes. Note that some hire bikes don't come with a water bottle holder.

Many people choose an e-bike for the extra assistance on the hills, though do note that e-bikes are heavier than standard bicycles.

We highly recommend that you have travel insurance when you book with Macs Adventure. Your policy should cover medical treatment (including repatriation and emergency evacuation by air ambulance or helicopter), injury, death, third-party liability, and trip cancellation