Cycling Girona & the Catalan Coast

We start the trip in Barcelona, a captivating city of quirky landmarks and excellent cuisine. Our cycling starts tomorrow but the adventure begins this afternoon. Say hola to your tour leader and fellow travellers as we take advantage of our time here with a guided walking tour. Stops include La Rambla, the Christopher Columbus statue, Barcelona Cathedral and the Gothic Quarter. Around 6pm, we gather as a group to learn more about the adventures ahead.

This is followed by a group dinner. Want more time in Barcelona? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative. Stay: Catalonia Sagrada Familia/Hotel Ronda House (or similar) (D).

After breakfast, we have a transfer (approximately two hours) to Olot where we fine tune our bikes before we start cycling in Garrotxa National Park. This is the perfect place to get used to our bikes as we follow The Carrilet, a car-free path reserved for cyclists and walkers that follows a disused narrow-gauge railway. Today's route includes some easy gradual climbing during the first 7. 5mi (12km) and then a long gentle descent through the countryside until we reach the medieval town of Girona, a hotspot for cycling pros for more than two decades.

This evening, we have a guided walking tour of the town, visiting the old quarter and the Jewish quarter, before ending in La Rambla de la Llibertat, the culture-soaked main street in Girona, where we find somewhere for dinner. Stay: Hotel Gran Ultonia (or similar) (B).

We continue cycling along the car-free Carrilet until we reach the Mediterranean Sea in Sant Feliu de Guixols. We start with a short uphill section to reach Llagostera, where we stop for refreshments, and then enjoy an easy long descent to the Costa Brava coast. We stop for lunch before boarding the bus for a transfer (approximately 30 minutes) to our destination for the next two nights, Calella de Palafrugell. Our hotel is within walking distance of the coast, so take the chance for a swim at one of the nearby beaches. Stay: Hotel Alga (or similar) (B).

Today's ride follows a circular route south of Calella to Palamos and back. During our journey to Palamos, we travel through the colourful market town of Palafrugell, where we stop to check out the local produce and enjoy a coffee while watching the market in action. After, we cycle using another disused railway to the fishing town of Palamos and visit the unspoiled sandy beach of Castell.

This afternoon, we cycle back to Calella, stopping at a winery to sample their produce. Stay: Hotel Alga (or similar) (B).

We start cycling after breakfast, leaving the coast behind and travelling inland to the walled medieval town of Begur. Today is one of the most scenic days as we cycle past farmlands, sunflower fields and through the gothic walled towns of Begur and Pals. We have a chance to jump off our bikes to explore both towns, and for lunch we can sample the local paella recipe in Pals.

This afternoon, we have a mainly flat route on quiet roads and gravel tracks that will take us through various villages until we reach our hotel in the town of Torroella de Montgri. Stay: Hotel Moli del Mig (or similar) (B).

Our final day of cycling is also one of the most picturesque, as we travel through Catalan countryside using a combination of quieter backroads and gravel tracks. Our first stop is the town of Púbol, where artist Salvador Dalí bought a castle for his wife Gala. We then stop in San Esteban de Guialbes for lunch and the chance to try the Catalan dish of snails and butifarra (a type of pork sausage). After, we ride close to the town of Banyoles, where our cycling ends. Then take a transfer (approximately 30 minutes) to our final destination, Besalu. After checking into our hotel and a chance to shower, enjoy a walking guided tour of this medieval town. We visit the 12th-century bridge, the Sant Pere Monastery and Saint Vincent Church, before our last group meal together. Stay: Hotel Casa Marcial (or similar) (B).

Our adventure ends with a transfer from Besalu to Barcelona airport. If you've still got the appetite for a bit more exploration, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay (B).