Wine & Cuisine in Catalonia’s Empordà Plain

Girona country is an area containing great geographical diversity. From the well known Costa Brava to the Pyrenees, there is a huge range of different landscapes full of history and culture.

On this week-long itinerary, you'll discover the Empordà, one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Thanks to the Mediterranean climate and the soil, this area is a perfect terrain to produce grapes. The ancient farmers in the area decided to use the plains for planting olive trees and the slopes toward the mountains for planting terraced vineyards, separated by dry-stone walls. Girona has a nice cyclist ambiance. The Empordà plain is a great area for cycle tourism. Ride through the quiet back roads, enjoying the great diversity of landscape, and visit interesting cultural and historical sites as well.

Since 2005, influential wine guru Robert Parker put Empordà on the world wine-producing map. Thanks to the hard work of the wineries, this area has been certified as an Origin Designation of Empordà. The tour includes two guided visits to cellars with a wine land products tasting.

As the region has so many different landscapes, we have a rich variety of land products which has developed a great variety of traditional cuisine. Nowadays, this cuisine combines with prestigious gastronomy, with famous chefs like Ferran Adrià, from restaurant El Bullí, or the three brothers, from the 3* Michelin restaurant El Celler de Can Roca considered the best restaurant in the world in 2013 and 2015.

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Highlights

• Cycle through l’Empordà, one of the most beautiful landscapes of Catalonia
• 2 guided visits to a winery with a nice products picnic
• Discover the land products of the region!
• Visit some local museums of the history of fishing, cork manufacturing, or anchovies, ancient factory of flour, marmalade shop, or an oil mill
• Admire the surrealist genius Salvador Dalí born in Figueres

Learn More

Learn more about guided tours or see more Spain bike tours.

Daily program

Day 1: Individual arrival to Girona
You'll find plenty to do in Girona. 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. A walk along the city walls is highly recommended or following the Onyar River, which gives you a nice picturesque view of the colored houses of Onyar River.
Overnight in Girona

Day 2: Girona – Sant Feliu de Guíxols (28 miles/45km; elevation gain 919 feet/280m)
On your first day of cycling, you will meet with the local tour representative to receive your bikes. You will follow a cycle path to exit the city to the south. The ride takes you straight to the Mediterranean Sea. This section follows greenway called “El Carrilet,” passing through the towns of Quart, Cassà de la Selva, Llagostera, and Santa Cristina d'Aro. Along the route we always have the Gavarres Massif as a backdrop, a mountainous forest area, consisting mainly of oaks, important for the cork production.
Overnight in San Feliu de Guíxols

Day 3: Sant Feliu de Guíxols – Calella de Palafrugell (19 miles/30km; elevation gain 889 feet/271m)
Today you’ll ride North along the coast combining the coastal road with the front sea boulevards, visiting the main port town of Palamós. After a few kilometers, you’ll pass the unspoiled cove, Platja de Castell, with its Iberian settlement on the left side. This is a nice place to have a picnic or take a swim in the Mediterranean sea. Later on, you arrive in the picturesque old fishing village of Calella de Palafrugell, one of the pearls of Costa Brava. On the last section, you’ll be cycling along the greenway called “Ruta del Tren Petit.”
Overnight in Calella de Palafrugell

Day 4: Calella de Palafrugell – Torroella de Montgrí (18 miles/29km; elevation gain 591 feet/180m)
The route leads you inland and north, passing through Palafrugell, where you can visit the fish, meat and vegetable market. The market allows you to experience and learn about the products of the land in this region. Here you may choose to visit the Cork Museum. Continue cycling to the medieval village of Pals, one of the better conserved medieval centre. The ride will take you through natural wetlands with extensive rice fields and long sandy beaches. Today's route ends in Torroella de Montgrí at the foot of the castle Montgri Massif.
Overnight in Torroella de Montgrí

Day 5: Torroella de Montgrí – Castelló d’Empúries (22 miles/36km; elevation gain 197 feet/60m)
The route continues north passing the Montgrí massif into the county of Alt Empordà. We enter the long Bay of Roses with long, sandy beaches. Onward to the pretty medieval settlement Sant Martí de Empúries and right in front of the superb beach. You should take the time to visit the archeological settlement Empúries with Greek and Roman ruins, the gateway of the classic cultures to the Iberian Peninsular.

The route continues north where you will pass through the protected marshlands of Aiguamolls de l’Empordà. The route ends at the village of Castelló d’Empúries with its rich architectural heritage: gothic church, Count’s palace, old market building, and Jewish quarter.
Overnight in Castelló d’Empúries

Day 6: Loop ride around Castelló d’Empúries (23 miles/37km; elevation gain 213 feet/65m)
This ride provides fantastic views of the Pyrenees as a backdrop while cycling through the 100 year old vineyards. Today you will ride through the well-known vineyards of Empordà. Moreover you will have the opportunity to cycle along the most interesting wineries, that are mainly located in the towns of Vilajuïga and Pau.
Overnight in Castelló d’Empúries

Day 7: Castelló d’Empúries – Figueres (27 miles/43km; elevation gain 1214 feet/370m)
For your final day of cycling you will head for Peralada (the capital of the wine DO) where you will visit the castle and the medieval town. From there you will cycle across the upper part of the vineyards zone passing by Garriguella, Vilamaniscle and Rabos where you will see the most ancient groves. From there the tour takes you to a long downhill ride where you arrive at your final destination, the city of Figueres. After arriving to Figueres you can enjoy a visit to the world famous Theatre-Museum Dalí, still one of the most visited tourist sites in Spain.
Overnight in Figueres

Day 8: Departure
Tour ends following breakfast.

Surface and terrain

This tour will take place on a mix of paved, secondary roads and packed gravel roads. Stages are 40km average without big climbs.

Hotels

These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.

*Note: a mandatory tourist tax of €9.50 will be added to your booking post-confirmation. Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options.

How to get there

Tour Start and End
Nearest airport: Girona, Spain
Nearest train station: Girona, Spain

The bus from Girona Airport to Girona city takes 25 minutes and costs €2.75. A taxi will takes 25 minutes and costs approximately €30. The start hotel is less than 10 minutes walk from the train/bus station.

Private transfers are also bookable with the local tour operator for a fee (see Dates & Prices for details).

Dates

Prices

Included services

Bike rentals

Bikes available to rent on this tour (reserved in advance at the time of booking):

• Standard bike, 24-speed Ghost Square Cross or similar (men's or women's frames)
• Electrically assisted bike*, Flyer T9 premium with 8 gears
• Gravel bike, URS 01 THREE or URS ONE Carbon frame, disc brakes

*More about electrically-assisted bikes >

Bikes come equipped with:

• 1 pannier
• Helmet
• Map carrier
• Odometer
• Water bottle
• Basic reparation kit and bike lock (one each per 2 people)

Bike Protection:
Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that HERE.
Please note that if you have not booked Bike protection, you will be asked to sign a mandatory hire agreement during the tour briefing at which time a deposit will also be taken for the bikes (Touring bike: €150 per bike, All other bikes: €350 per bike).

Pedals:
The bikes will have flat pedals.

Helmets:
Helmets are available on this tour. However, we recommend that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene purposes.

Tour Company