CATALONIA OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF CYCLING TOURISM AND IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT TO ENJOY IT BY BIKE.
From the Pyrenees to the Terres de l’Ebre, following the Mediterranean coast, and with Girona as a new destination inland, Catalonia offers ideal conditions for bike enthusiasts to explore it on two wheels. An outdoor activity that attracts users.
Cycling tourism is a highly popular practice enjoying widespread acceptance. It’s an activity that allows you to explore history, customs, and cultural and heritage nature in an enjoyable manner, and it has been easier to adapt to the required health measures as it takes place outdoors and can be done individually or in small groups.
Catalonia is a privileged destination in the Mediterranean and a territory of manageable dimensions, yet with varied geography ranging from mountain passes in the Aran Valley to extensive sandy beaches on the Costa Dorada.
The region offers visitors a rich natural and cultural heritage and an excellent, renowned gastronomic offering that complements the cycling adventure. Cuisine, art, and history enrich cycling tourism to make it a complete experience.
During the journey, cyclists will enjoy well-maintained roads and establishments and other services prepared to meet their needs, which depending on the current situation of restrictions, they can enjoy on-site or take along for the journey to their destination. In Catalonia, road cycling tourism is a shared experience.
Cycling tourism is a physical activity carried out in the midst of nature, which is increasingly gaining greater acceptance in Catalan lands. The practice of cycling tourism in Catalonia is perfect for combining physical exercise with discovering and getting to know this land. Pedaling a bicycle allows you to contemplate and admire the beauty of its landscapes. The existence of different types of itineraries makes cycling tourism accessible to everyone and makes it an ideal activity to do with family or friends.
In Catalonia, the practice of road cycling tourism and mountain biking has experienced significant growth. Since 1980, the number of well-equipped users ready to undertake itineraries in natural environments, away from the busiest roads, has been increasing. The desire to explore, respect for nature, and leisure have been the foundations that have generated a new tourist activity in constant growth in recent years.
Four different ways to explore Catalonia on Wheels
Catalonia is a land of contrasts and, as such, has become one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Europe. In the cycling tourism mode, a large number of routes and natural landscapes are offered that are recommended to be actively visited. We do not cover the entire offer of cycling tourism in Catalonia, but rather a brief set of specific proposals presented as suggestions.
- Charming roads with history and tradition – From the Mediterranean coast to the peaks of the Pyrenees, there extends a network of secondary roads ideal for enjoying cycling throughout the year. Quiet and scenic itineraries, in mountain areas or agricultural and wine-producing regions, reveal unique natural landscapes and allow us to visit small villages and taste local gastronomy.
- Family routes and Slow cycling tourism – To enjoy cycling tourism in a relaxed way and with the family, Catalonia offers a wide range of itineraries suitable for all audiences, with little elevation gain and through traffic-segregated routes, exclusive for cyclists and pedestrians.
- Mountain biking tourism – The rich topography of Catalonia has allowed the creation of a total of eighteen MTB Centers that offer more than 6,000 km of marked routes of different levels and explore all corners of the country. In each MTB Center, there is a reception point with information about the itineraries, parking, showers, and all the necessary services for cyclists on day trips.
- The Greenways – This is an alternative tourism proposal that takes advantage of old abandoned railway routes. The Greenways promote sustainable and non-motorized mobility for walkers and cyclists. The greenways have a gentle slope that generally does not exceed 3%, which makes them accessible for people with reduced mobility except in properly marked connecting sections. They are very safe routes since, in almost all cases, motorized vehicles are prohibited. The existence of greenways has allowed the recovery and design of routes that facilitate access to landscapes of great natural and cultural importance. Mediterranean forests, beaches, pine forests, valleys, or mountain peaks are part of the natural heritage crossed by greenways such as the Ferro i el Carbó or Carrilet I and II, on the Costa Brava and the Pyrenees of Girona, or the Terra Alta and the Baix Ebre, in the Terres de l’Ebre.
CYCLING TOURISM IN CATALONIA
Catalonia reflects an extraordinary diversity that is manifested not only in the richness of its history, culture, and heritage but also in its varied landscape beauty.
The 10 tourist brands in Catalonia are the best way to identify the characteristics and peculiarities of each territory. The practice of cycling tourism in Catalonia is perfect for combining physical exercise with the knowledge and discovery of the country, while allowing you to admire its landscape beauty while crossing it by bicycle. The different types of itineraries make it easy for everyone to practice and make it suitable for doing so with family and friends.