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Your guides for this tour will be Juanfe: (+34) 644 03 86 96 and Mario: (+34) 625 18 23 85
Gratuities for our guides are much appreciated to thank them for exceptional service, support, and expertise. The industry standard for each individual guest is 7.5-10% tip of the trip price at the end of the tour. Local currency is preferred.
Call the Bike Spain Tours office on +34 915 590 653, or out of office hours call +34 677 356 586. We will get you where you need to be and get you the help you need.
Click here for our packing suggestions for a guided bike tour.
Please be aware that Spaniards follow a very particular routine in terms of their daily meals, and this is often strictly enforced by restaurant opening hours, especially in small towns!
You can expect restaurants to be open for lunch from approximately 1:30pm – 4pm. Remember that lunch is the main meal of the day in Spain.
Dinnertime in Spain is any time from 8pm onwards. Dinner in Spain is typically a lighter meal.
Click here for our recommendations for cycling safely and legally in Spain.
Please note that the legal limit for blood alcohol content, which is set at 0.5 g/l of alcohol in blood, applies to both cyclists and drivers in Spain. If you test positive on a breathalyzer, you may be fined between 500 and 1,000 euros. Please drink and cycle responsibly.
Tuesday, 12th May. Bilbao
Accommodation: Hotel ABBA Euskalduna
Hotel services: Restaurant, bar, laundry, garden
Arrival at leisure in Bilbao.
Bilbao’s most famous attraction, the Guggenheim Museum (open Tue – Sun, 10am – 7pm), needs to be top of your list, even if you only visit the external artworks that form part of this magnificent building! Take a selfie with “Puppy”, Jeff Koons’ colourful dog sculpture made from living flowers, “Maman”, Louise Bourgeois’ enormous spider sculpture, and Anish Kapoor’s “The tall tree and the eye”.
If classical art is more to your taste, don’t miss the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (open Mon – Sat 10am – 8pm and Sun 10am – 3pm. Closed Tue), which exhibits pieces dating back to the 13th century and has an important collection of Basque art through the centuries.
For the best views in the city, take the cable car up Mt Artxanda, and enjoy a coffee or dinner with an amazing view at hilltop restaurant El Txakoli.
Football fans will love the museum and stadium tour at San Mamés, the brand-new home of Athletic Bilbao, the world’s only all-Basque football team!
There are endless dining options in Bilbao: if you’re looking for a Michelin star experience to celebrate your achievement, you can find a list of restaurants here; alternatively, if you haven’t yet had a Basque cider house experience you can enjoy steak and unlimited cider at Bilbao Urban Sagardotegi (open daily from 10:30am) or Galtzagorri Sagardotegia (open daily from 11am).
Another fantastic dining option is the Mercado de la Ribeira (open daily from 8am), a historic market building converted into a modern gastromarket with an impressive range of eateries.
If you’d prefer a more relaxed dinner, you can enjoy the many pintxos bars of Bilbao’s old quarter! Some of our favourites are Gure Toki, Café Bar Bilbao, Irrintzi, Bar Charly and Victor Montés.
Wednesday, 13th May. Ábalos.
Route: 59.6 km/37 miles
Elevation:+1140m/+3739 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Villa de Ábalos
Hotel services: Restaurant, bar, laundry, garden
Accommodation: Bodegas Puelles
Hotel services: Terrace, living room, garden
Meals included: Breakfast
9:30am: Your guides will meet you in the reception of your hotel for your bike fitting and welcome briefing.
Next, it’s time to start cycling!
Starting from the hotel, we’ll make our way towards the river for a photo opportunity at the iconic Guggenheim Museum. From there, we’ll follow the Nervión estuary on flat, well-marked roads and cycle paths, gradually leaving the city behind.
In Getxo, we’ll pass the iconic Puente Colgante, a UNESCO-listed transporter bridge, before continuing along the coastline. The terrain becomes gently rolling, with long views over the Bay of Biscay. As we approach Gaztelugatxe, we’ll begin to see the rugged cliffs and dramatic scenery the area is known for. The ride finishes at Restaurante Eneperi, where we can enjoy local food and wide panoramic views, including a clear outlook over Gaztelugatxe from the restaurant itself.
2:30pm: Lunch at Restaurante Eneperi (not included).
After lunch, we’ll transfer to our hotel in La Rioja (approx. 2 hours). After some free time at the hotel to settle in, we’ll drive the short distance to the neighbouring village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, where we can enjoy a stroll around the beautifully-preserved medieval old quarter before dinner.
8:30pm: Dinner at Cofradia del Renegado (not included).
Thursday, 14th May. Ábalos.
Route: 63.7 km/39.6 miles
Elevation:+1103m/+3619 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Villa de Ábalos
Hotel services: Restaurant, bar, laundry, garden
Accommodation: Bodegas Puelles
Hotel services: Terrace, living room, garden
Meals included: Breakfast
8:30am: Breakfast at Hotel Villa de Ábalos (whole group).
Today’s route follows small, quiet country paths along the Ebro River, giving you a chance to explore some of the area’s most beautiful and historic little towns.
The first of these is Haro, one of La Rioja’s centres of wine production, and world-famous for the wine battle that takes place every June, in which locals and visitors alike attack each other with thousands of litres of wine!
Next, your route takes you up to the tiny mountaintop hamlets of Remelluri, famous for the large 10th century necropolis, and the little hermitage of Santa Sabina, and Rivas de Tereso, (pop. just 15!) where you can enjoy fabulous views.
The ride continues along the banks of the Ebro River, winding its way through endless vineyards. Our next stop is Elciego, where you’ll notice the unmistakable titanium waves of a Frank O. Gehry building. This is the famous Marques de Riscal hotel and winery, where we’ll make a quick stop for a photo opportunity.
The ride finishes at the majestic Bodega Ysios, created by famous architect Santiago Calatrava, seems to blend into the surrounding mountains.
12:30pm: Visit to Bodega Ysios (own arrangements).
2:30pm: Lunch at Biazteri Restaurant (own arrangements).
In the evening, we’ll transfer to Logroño, the captital of la Rioja region, for a guided tapas tour.
Set on a fertile plain and surrounded by vineyards, Logroño is a fitting capital for Spain’s most famous wine region. The city’s connection with wine production dates all the way back to its Roman founders, who celebrated an annual grape harvest festival: a foretaste of things to come!
8pm: Guided tapas tour in Logroño (own arrangements).
Friday, 15th May: Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Route: 52.3 km/32.5 miles
Elevation: +710 m/+2330 ft
Accommodation: Parador Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Hotel services: Restaurant, bar, laundry
Meals included: Breakfast
8:30am: Breakfast at Hotel Villa de Ábalos (whole group).
On today’s route, we’ll discover the Camino de Santiago!
Long acknowledged as the oldest tourist trail stretching throughout Europe, the Camino de Santiago (Saint James Way, in English) is the dividing line between the upper and lower Rioja regions.
You’ll pass through San Vicente de Sonsierra and into the atmospheric hilltop town of Briones, whose north side overlooks the River Ebro.
From Briones, you’ll continue south through Azofra and Alesanco towards Cañas, where you can see the imposing 12th century Monastery of Santa Maria de San Salvador.
Next, we’ll head south to the town of San Millán de Cogolla, considered to be the cradle of the Spanish language, thanks to the influence of the Yuso (lower) and Suso (mountainside) monasteries. The monks worked for almost a hundred years to create the first comprehensive Spanish grammar. and the two spectacular monasteries are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The route finishes at Bodegas David Moreno, where we’ll enjoy a guided tour and tasting, and a delicious lunch.
1:30pm: Guided visit and lunch (not included) at Bodegas David Moreno.
Today’s route finishes in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an important stop on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.
In Santo Domingo, your guides will say goodbye to you, as they make their way back to Madrid.
8:30pm: Dinner at Restaurante Los Caballeros (not included).
The most important attraction in Santo Domingo is the spectacular 16th century Cathedral (open Mon – Sat 10am – 2pm/4pm – 7pm, Sun 10am – 3pm), which includes a sculpted chicken coop in honour of one of the miracles of Saint Domingo, the town’s patron, who brought a roasted chicken back to life in order to save an innocent pilgrim from being hanged.
Before leaving Santo Domingo, you must try ahorcaditos, small cakes shaped like the shell of St James (due to the town’s importance on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route). The best place to buy these is Pastelería Isidrio (open Tue – Sun 10:30am – 2pm/5:30 – 8pm)
Saturday, 16th May
Departure day
Meals included: Breakfast
9:30am: Your local taxi will pick you up from the Parador for your transfer to Bilbao Airport. In case of any issues, contact Oscar on (+34) 659 87 28 63.
Hotel Villa de Abalos
Located in the very heart of Spains La Rioja region, in the village of Ábalos.
This pleasantly-situated family hotel is surrounded by fields containing seemingly endless rows of the areas characteristic grape vines. Stone, wood and wrought iron combine to create an ambience that is both attractively modern and traditionally comfortable. The ground floor is the location of the communal areas, the reception desk, the lounges, the sun terrace, the garden and the bike park.
Parador Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Comfortable guest rooms decorated with exquisite taste where you will find a warm, harmonious environment.
The hotel occupies a former 12th-century hospital near the cathedral, erected by St. Dominic to take in pilgrims traveling on the Way of St. James. It has a regal, elegant style, with majestic function rooms and a lobby filled with Gothic arches and wood coffered ceilings.
