International, Spain

Spain Camino de Santiago Bike Tour

DURATION

15 Days

PRICE

$6,325

LEVEL

BADV_AbilityLevel_IconsIntermediate

DAILY DISTANCE

30-60 Miles

INCLUDED ACTIVITIES

Cycling (bikes included) & wine tasting

INCLUDED MEALS

All breakfasts. One lunch and two dinners on your own.

Discover and explore what we ultimately strive for in a cycling vacation–which is to simply “Pedal Happy”.

The Camino de Santiago – the Way of St. James – is the name of the pilgrimage route to the shrine of the apostle St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northwest Spain. Our tour begins in Pamplona (famous for the Running of the Bulls). Rolling through the storied hills of the Spanish Pyrenees, never-ending vistas of grapevines signal transition into the wine-rich region of Rioja. Sample from the Pilgrims’ Wine Fountain. Tour the Gothic cathedral in Burgos and the tomb of Spain’s most famous son, El Cid. Now ride into Castilla Leon: wide open plains, farmland, and grassy hills as far as you can see. Take a day to relax and explore the shopping capital of Leon, an ancient, amazing city. (The cathedral’s stained-glass windows are massive – the second largest collection in Europe – and took 300 years to complete.) Ride to Galicia’s mountains and forests near the end of your pilgrimage. Closer to Santiago, the number of pilgrims on the trail increases; they’ve been walking for a month! The awesome sight of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela signals the completion of our adventure. Have a farewell dinner to celebrate and bid your fellow pilgrims “Buen Camino.” Lodging is included for this last night; sleep in, enjoy breakfast and then head to the airport on the 15th day.

Our May/June tour dates are best for wildflowers and green landscapes. September tours are best for the grape harvest, of course! Ask for our Guest Information Packet for more special information about how this pilgrimage ride differs from our other tours.

PEDAL HAPPY: Please see  the “VERY IMPORTANT! SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS” section of our Guest Information Packet for more information about how this “Pilgrimage Bike Tour” differs from our normal departures. Luggage service is provided, but there’s no daily support van. We carry what we need for the day on our bicycles and we cycle on a variety of surfaces: single-track trails, gravel roads and pavement. The rental bikes are hard tail 29’er mountain bikes with front suspension, so some familiarity with off-road cycling is recommended.

*E-bikes: Electric-assist bicycles are available as an option for an additional $200.00 for the tour.

Day 01

Meet your fellow pilgrims at Hotel Europa. Head out for a tapas dinner to kick things off!

Lodging

Hotel Tres Reyes, Pamplona

Meals

– Dinner

Meet us this afternoon in the salon at Hotel Europa, your lodging for tonight and tomorrow. After introductions, all ’round and an overview of the week, head out for a fun tapas dinner to kick off the journey!

Day 02

Ride Roncesvalles to Pamplona

Lodging

Hotel Tres Reyes, Pamplona

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

31 miles

Elevation

+1531 ft / -3495 ft

Transfer to Roncesvalles on the French border in the Spanish Pyrenees. Head for the pilgrims’ office. Get your Pilgrim’s Passport and your first official Camino de Santiago stamp. Ride out of the mountains, through the village near where author Ernest Hemingway fished the streams for trout. Have lunch in Zubiri, next to the river where Martin Sheen drops his backpack into The Way. Bicycle the paved path next to the river back to our starting point in Pamplona. Enjoy dinner in an unforgettable setting, hosted by Nunci, owner of Restaurant San Ignacio.

Day 03

Pamplona to Estella

Lodging

Hospederia Chapitel

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

36 miles

Elevation

+3168 ft / -2814 ft

Ride out of the ancient city of Pamplona past the Town Hall, the start line for the running of the bulls. A ridgeline of windmills draws closer as we climb to the viewpoint at Alto de Perdo. Enjoy a long downhill all the way to Puente La Reina. Have lunch a bridge built by the Romans that has stood for well over a thousand years. Wind your way into Estella, through small towns and the beginnings of vineyards. Explore the town before savoring a dinner prepared by one of the most passionate chefs in all of Spain.

Day 04

Estella to Logroño

Lodging

Hotel Husa Bracos

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

30 miles

Elevation

+2302 ft / -2948 ft

Ride up, down, and all around, dipping and diving through the vineyards of Rioja. Little pueblos spot the countryside; walkers scatter across wide-open fields. Storks nest on the church in Los Arcos, signaling our picnic spot for lunch. Bicycle the paved trail into Logroño, lined with statues welcoming us and saluting the efforts of the ‘peregrinos’ (pilgrims.) Tonight: Relish the hustle and bustle of wealthy Logroño and the “foodie nirvana” of the Tapas Tour.

Day 05

Logroño to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Lodging

Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

32 miles

Elevation

+2702 ft / -1858 ft

Making your way out of the city of Logroño, take the trail past a popular fishing spot. Ride past a vineyard with an unusual scarecrow: a bird-of-prey sound machine to keep the crows away. Explore Navarette’s hilltop church, with a breathtaking surprise inside. Traverse the vineyards of a large regional co-op. Bask in the sun at the lunch stop in Najera, next to the river in the heart of town. Do your best not to overeat (good luck!). Tonight’s dinner in The Parador in Santo Domingo de la Calzada – a former pilgrim’s hospital – is always stunning.

Day 06

Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Burgos

Lodging

Norte y Londres

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch

Distance

45 miles

Elevation

+2671 ft / -1951 ft

Take an epic route today: Santo Domingo to San Juan de Ortega sees the ecosystem change from grassy farmland to mountains and trees. Pass through Atapuerca, the UNESCO World Heritage site whose caves cradled the remains of the earliest-known human beings in Europe. Be welcomed by the high-plains city of Burgos and its over-the-top Gothic cathedral. Dinner is on your own tonight: The gravel-voiced waiter and his perfect steaks at Meson La Cueva come highly recommended.

Day 07

Burgos to Carrion de Los Condes

Lodging

Hostal La Corte

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

54 miles

Elevation

+1877 ft / -2005 ft

Pedal wide gravel paths meandering across high plains. Skies as big as Montana’s occupy the horizon today and waves of grain and grass blanket the landscape. Ride through the massive and haunting remains of the Manasterio de San Antòn as we make our way to lunch in equally picturesque Castrojerìz – one of the most photographed places on the Camino. Follow a series of canals to another stop – “2nd lunch,” as we like to call it – in Fromista. The chocolate cake here is too good to miss! In the small town of Carrion de los Condes, we stay in a family-run hotel tonight and are treated like … well, family, of course!

Day 08

Carrion de Los Condes to Leon

Lodging

La Posada Regia

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

59 miles

Elevation

+1931 ft / -1840 ft

Hit the halfway point in the journey just before lunch today. Watch birds of prey hunt over the cornfields as you pedal toward Leon. The high-speed train to Madrid zips by, full of people preparing to start their pilgrimage there. Stay right in the ancient city, just a couple of blocks from the cathedral. Ice cream shops beckon after a long day in the saddle. Feast on Italian fare tonight: the friendly staff at Baccolino will make you want to come back again every day for the rest of your life.

Day 09

Enjoy Leon: The sights. The sounds. The shopping!

Lodging

La Posada Regia

Meals

– Breakfast

Enjoy a well-earned day off the bike in Leon. Shopping, massage, sightseeing, relaxing – all await today. It’s a fun city with centuries of history to explore. Spend the morning walking from cafe to cafe sampling coffee and pastries. Explore the city while doing a little shopping. Have lunch outside at a sidewalk cafe. Tour the cathedral in the afternoon. There’s lots fit in on this day off.

Day 10

Leon to Rabanal del Camino

Lodging

Posada el Tesin

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

44 miles

Elevation

+2279 ft / -1247 ft

Back in the saddle, leave the city behind. Roll through Hospital de Orbigo with its well-preserved Roman bridge. Stop for lunch within sight of the cathedral in Astorga. The house next door – designed by famed Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi i Cornet – is one of his most beautiful private residences. Head into new scenery on the exit from town: lavender fields and mountain scrub trees. Spend tonight in the tiny town of Rabanal del Camino, with fewer than 100 year-round residents. Enjoy views of tomorrow’s mountains, beckoning from every window.

Day 11

Rabanal to Villafranca del Bierzo

Lodging

Posada Plaza Mayor

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Meals

39 miles

Elevation

+2246 ft / -4419 ft

Start the morning with a brisk climb up to the Cruz de Ferro, the highest point on the Camino de Santiago. Legend has it that if you add a stone that you’ve brought from home, you may leave your burdens here and prepare for rebirth on the remainder of your journey. Didn’t bring a stone from home? It’s okay to bring one from a little closer. Traverse the ridge line on the way to a stop at the colorful Refugio in Manjarin. Welcomed by a bunch of friendly dogs and cats, stop for a photo, and some refreshments. Enjoy the 20 kilometer downhill to lunch in Molinseca. Visit one of the best-preserved Templar castles in the world in Ponferrada before rolling through cherry orchards into Villafranca de Bierzo.

Day 12

Villafranca to Sarria

Lodging

Hotel Alfonso IX

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

46 miles

Elevation

+4768 ft / -5005 ft

Ride the most mountainous day of the journey today. Begin with a mellow hour of cruising through a deeply-cut valley leading towards the pass. Settle in for the long steady climb up to Cebriero. What a feeling of accomplishment – and a healthy need for a hearty lunch! The three-course lunch at the top of the mountains will do the job nicely, thank you. Roll through the hills after lunch, past the Albergue in Triacastela, welcoming cyclists with a bicycle hanging on an exterior wall. Continue riding the path as it slices right through farms – with chickens running everywhere – on the way to the transportation hub of Sarria. Feeling brave?  A Fred Flintstone steak can be yours for dinner! Tonight’s restaurant specializes in char-grilling very ample portions to perfection.

Day 13

Sarria to Melide

Lodging

Carlos 96

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

38 miles

Elevation

+4126 ft / -4105 ft

Deep in the heart of Galicia, the hills are a mixture of forests and centuries-old family farms separated by stacked rock fences. The scent of eucalyptus fills the air; its bark and leaves blanket the trail. Portomarin, our lunch town, sits on top of a hill next to a former lake that is now a lush valley. Stay tonight in Melide, just a short 52 kilometers from tomorrow’s destination, the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

Day 14

Melide to Santiago de Compostela. A certificate, a final celebration! Buen Camino!

Lodging

Costa Vella

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Distance

35 miles

Elevation

2,964 ft / -3,572 ft

You’re almost there! The feeling of enthusiasm is palpable. Cross several small stone bridges over tiny streams on today’s journey. Eucalyptus forest thickens, shading the trail as you near the final hill up to the airport. The last few miles seem endless – then suddenly you arrive at the John Paul II Monument at Monte do Gozo. This signals the first glimpse of the city. Get your final stamp here, then coast downhill into Santiago. The square in front of the cathedral is alive with activity. Your fellow pilgrims arriving there congratulate each other and take photos. Set your bike down for a bit. Take time to explore the cathedral – final stop on your journey – while the guides head to the Compostela Office to get your certificate for completing the Camino de Santiago. Our farewell dinner will be filled with toasts and tales of The Way. Buen Camino, Amigos! Tonight’s lodging at Costa Vella is included.

Day 15

Sleep in, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then head to the airport anytime you wish.

Meals

– Breakfast

Dates
Guaranteed
This means that the tour will definitely depart as scheduled and not be canceled.
Price
Availability
Dates
Single Supplement 2024
Price
$1,708
Dates
Sep 1, 2024
Guaranteed
This means that the tour will definitely depart as scheduled and not be canceled.
Price
$6,325
Availability
Closed, call for waitlist
Dates
Sep 16, 2024
Guaranteed
This means that the tour will definitely depart as scheduled and not be canceled.
Price
$6,325
Availability
Open

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