Medieval Villages Of Catalonia Bike Tour Reviews page 3
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★★★★★ Rob R.
Beautiful rides, amazing accommodations
Overall tour was terrific. Beautiful little towns, fantastic scenery, great accommodations. And a fair value. I would recommend to anyone.
One piece of constructive feedback, in general terms and then in specifics:
Our group of 24, while fit and capable, is a little older and a little more interested in historical background and local flavor. Our interest is more on the "tour" side of bike tour. Our guides did not really pick up on that. They were more on the "bike" side of bide tour and a little more focused on simply getting us from point to point. They were knowledgeable, friendly and great to be around, but maybe not ideally matched for our group.
This played out on the last day, our climb of Els Angeles. This is a significant effort and many of us were looking forward to, embraced and attacked the challenge. Our guides, however, did not handle the situation in regard to those in our group who clearly were going to make it to the top. One of our group, on a standard bike, struggled, overheated and ended up walking most of the way. Our sweeper, on an e-bike, was then forced to also push her heavy e-bike up the mountain to stay with him. All while our two guides waited at the top. Clearly on that day, one of the guides should have been the sweeper. At the very least, having summited, one of the guides should have descended and taken over for the sweeper.
There was nothing to be done for the struggling gentleman pushing his bike uphill - it was a hot day and he overheated. He is fit and generally capable, but was having a rough time that day. However, better process from the guides would have prevented our other person from having to push her e-bike up the mountain.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2027
- How many tours have you completed?
- three
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Mattman
Wonderful Cycling Vacation
This trip was exactly what we we're hoping for. Casual cycling along the coast and villages. The bikes we're fantastic and comfortable. All the hotels were first class and the food and ambiance in the hotels and small restaurants throughout the trip were delightful. GPS was adequate, but be sure you can read a map! The tour briefing was helpful beforehand and be sure you understand how to change a tire before you embark. There is some incredibly beautiful country on this ride, and since it is 6 days long, I think if we we're to do it again we might have skipped a day of riding in Calella de Palafrugel in favor of a hike along the coastline. There are some lovely hiking trails that were begging to be explored. Also, by traveling in early October we missed the european vacationers and essentially had all the beaches and villages to ourselves. Never a worry with busy roads or vehicle traffic. Looking forward to our next adventure.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ BikingNana
Fabulous vacation pedaling by the Sea
This trip was a blast. I love seeing the world from the back of a bicycle. We had great weather the entire trip. There were a lot of gravel roads but not much traffic. We were self-guided with maps and a Garmin so we enjoyed getting off course a few times at first with lots of laughs. We ate in some fabulous restaurants suggested by the super nice lady who gave us our bikes and packets. She was very helpful and insightful with great ideas. The villages were full of nice people, historical castles and churches. I really enjoyed staying in the towns by the Mediterranean Sea and going to the beaches. Girona is a beautiful city. I liked the narrow old streets lined with little shops and walking the wall built around the city. We rode our bikes up and over Els Angels on our last day and it was a nice view from the top. We only had one small issue when our luggage was taken to the wrong hotel but it arrived within an hour. I highly recommend this bike tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 09/07/2016-09/12/2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ ErinH
Beyond Awesome!
I had an absolutely wonderful time! Daniel and Lucy (AKA Creative Catalonia) went out of their way to make this a fabulous trip. The scenery is terrific, the hotels were great! Food was out of this world! Particularly good if you like history, which I do. This was my first trip to Spain, but it will NOT be the last! I went on the off-season, so it was quiet, which I enjoy
- How many tours have you completed?
- this is my second
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Ann M.
Catalonia
Beautiful and overall great trip. While our itinerary said we would have 25-37 miles/day, we rode much less, often finishing the day of riding at 1:30 pm. I would have preferred to ride longer, finishing between 3:30-4:00 pm with opportunities for more stops along the way for photos, etc.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2026
- How many tours have you completed?
- first one! I would have enjoyed the tour more if the guides were more knowledgeable about local history, birds, crops, flowers, etc. Our guides were competent riders, but could be better with local knowledge (didn't know when olives were harvested!). Lunches could have been expedited by letting local restaurants know that our group was arriving instead of trying to find a cafe that was open and able to serve such a large group (23). Our best lunch was when the guides called ahead and paella was served family style.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Denise Walling
Showcase for the Diversity of Catalonia
From the mountains to the sea - the first day's ride was spectacular! Dining options along the coast were wonderful. Inland, especially in the village of Monells, the options for dining were very limited. Accommodations were wonderful - welcoming and comfortable. The daily rides after the first day included challenging climbs, especially without an ebike, and some of the urban portions were in aggressive traffic, but overall, we found solitude and peace in this beautiful country, flying down the backsides of the hills we had conquered. The routes were easy to follow, and scenic and historical/cultural attractions were enjoyable too.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Evelyn Savage
Adventure
Medieval Villages of Catalonia was an adventurous, fun and challenging bike tour. The villages were very interesting, the hotels very nice, the ebikes great and self guided directions mostly good. We had a few challenges finding some of the paths and the terrain was much more mountain biking than expected. But we found our way and enjoyed the beautiful countryside. One should be an experienced cyclist or mountain biker to enjoy the trails have some experience with directions to do self guided. Overall a very good way to experience the Baja Emporda coast and Medieval towns.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Christopher Attwood
The Coast and Medieval Catalonia
What a lovely cycle tour. Mostly on cycle tracks that avoid the hustle and danger of busy roads. We were in an exclusive group of 10 which does add to the flexibility and fun of the ride. Riding with GPS is a game changer. So easy and allows for "self-guided" tours. I do think more variations should be incorporated on the routes to allow one to tailor make the ride for distance and substance. All the suggested restuarants and photo opportunities were spot on. If "Unguided", a better backround pack of stops and their historical significance could be prepared. Great holiday and experience.
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★★★★★ PDBB
Challenging and Beautiful Trip across Costa Brava and Baix Emporda
Just completed this cycle trip. Scenery was stunning, as promised. Weather (May) was also very good (showers on 1 day only); temps mostly in mid-teens celsius. Bikes of excellent quality; maps could have been better (larger scale of font, better readability). Cycle routes were mostly well marked; but you can never have enough signage. I would not agree that the routes wind "gently" through the region. Hotels (even the 2-star) were very good; breakfasts Good to VG. The regional food is delicious; local bike company provided useful recommendations for restaurants and advice. This was our second cycling trip (4 seniors), and it was definitely more challenging (even with shorter daily distances) than the last (Danube) trip.The terrain is not "mostly flat with few hills to climb"; some hills were daunting/steep and long. We completed the tour but were never able to do the suggested/offered "optional extra cycling rides" after the day's cycling; simply too much for us to tackle. Others might be more accomplished or fit, but we rarely rolled into the next destination before 6 PM. We choose self-guided; but local cycling company was always available to assist if needed (we emailed regularly). This was not a Level 1 tour; nor does it claim to be. But it may not even be a Level 2 tour? Scenery of Mediterranean coast was stunning and the medieval villages were beautiful. All of us are glad to have taken the tour, and to have finished the cycling challenges. It's a beautiful part of Spain.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1 previously (Level 1)
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Oscar
Very interesting sights, routes could be better planned/guided
The medieval villages of Catalonia are certainly worth the visit. Beautiful and well maintained and inhabited villages, and of course the starting point in Girona old city - really beautiful places. In addition, for history lovers there are three interesting archaeological sites of ancient Iberian towns/villages on the road.
On the downside are some difficulties with cycling itself. If this tour had difficulty 1-2 on the scale 1-5, I wonder what categories 3-4 are. A very big part of the routes were "dirty roads", which as best meant steady sand roads, but as well at some places really rocky roads or soft sand. And the navigation... The Catalonian way of marking cycle routes left at quite many points room for improvement, especially those tiny little signs. But also the maps provided (piles of A4 paper sheets) meant that far too much of energy was spent on navigation instead of enjoying the cycling.
Equipment, service, accomodation: excellent.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Cowboybob
Off-Road Adventure
My first tour with Creative Catalonia tours, and I would consider another. I was with a group of eight friends, one who managed the Garmin about 90% of the daily routes were on off-roadway, gravel trails through beautiful countryside. Staying on route required close reading of the route maps at times. The villages toured are amazing for their age and charm. Plenty of great cafes and restaurants along the way. The arranged hotel lodging was very good.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 6, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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