Visit the land of proud flamenco dancers and the world's biggest tomato fight
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine Spain. What do you see? Do you see the beautiful dancers in brightly coloured red dresses, dancing flamenco with luminous pride? Do you see the bullfighters 'dancing' with the bulls, red cloth in hand? Do you see the fishermen drinking their caffé con leche early in the morning after securing the day's catch? Or do you see yourself sitting in front of a big pan of paella? Put all these things together and you're almost looking at a Spain as Salvador Dalí himself would have painted it. What could be better than cycling through that painting? Whether you want to go to sunny Mallorca, Andalusia or other famous regions of Spain, a cycling holiday is the perfect way to get a truly authentic experience.
Our most popular cycling holidays in Spain
Mallorca
How about a cycling holiday in Mallorca? Discover the charm of the Balearic Islands, away from the wild nightlife, and get an insight into the truly idyllic side of Mallorca. Inland, the windmills whirr, the cicadas sing in the grass and the ancient olive trees shade you as you rest. Whether you're on a Cycling Holiday Around Mallorca or one of our other tours, you'll discover just how beautiful and diverse the island really is.
Andalusien
Our cycling holiday in Andalusia follow the 'Silver Trail', which runs from sun-drenched Andalusia across the Iberian Plateau in Extremadura, Castile and all the way to northern Spain. The route includes the historic Roman road 'Via de la Plata'. It starts in Seville (Andalusia) and goes via Mérida and Trujillo (Extremadura) to Castile, where the route goes through Salamanca and Zamora to León.
Catalonia and the beautiful Costa Brava
Catalonia is certainly a special destination when it comes to cycling holidays in Spain. Explore the region on our Cycling Holidays in Southern Catalonia. The region has something for everyone: the impressive metropolis of Barcelona with its stunning architecture, the Costa Brava with its small picturesque villages and steep hills and of course the untouched nature along the Vies Verdes - the Green Path. The latter is a disused railway from the industrial revolution, now converted into a fine cycle path through the Pyrenees.
Worth knowing about Spain
The Spanish climate
Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula and has several different climate zones. In the mountains, there is typically snow in winter and cool summers. The northern part of central Spain has a continental climate with severe differences between summer and winter. Southern Spain has a true Mediterranean climate with mild winters and warm summers. The perfect time to cycle in Spain is in spring and autumn, when temperatures are nice and mild and neither too cold nor too hot.
Spanish delicacies
If you like fish dishes, Spain is the place for you. Fresh fish and seafood are at the top of the Spanish menu, but meat, fresh vegetables, the precious olive oil and cured ham are also among the delicious delicacies you can experience in Spain. There are a few quirks of Spain that you should know: Spaniards rarely eat before 1:30pm and dinner is never eaten before 9pm, garlic (ajo) is very popular and white bread is almost always served with every meal.
Spain's weirdest festivals
Everyone knows that Spaniards love to party, but you probably didn't know how much. There are around 25,000 'fiestas' in the land of sangria. Here you can read about the craziest ones:
- San Fermín Festival – Bulls are let loose in the narrow streets of Pamplona and hundreds of daredevils run ahead of them.
- La Tomatina – about 40,000 people throw overripe tomatoes at each other and turn the city into a big bottle of ketchup.
- El Colacho – A man dressed as the devil jumps over newborn babies, who are laid on mattresses on the ground. This is said to protect the children in the future.
- Santa Marta de Ribarteme – people who have survived serious illnesses or accidents (and who have not died) are carried through the city in open coffins to show that they avoided death again.
A typical Spanish menu
Appetizers
Tortilla Española - Potato omelette
Espinacas a la catalana - Spinach with garlic, raisins and pine nuts in olive oil
Fideuà - pasta cooked in fish stock
Paella - Rice dish with seafood, chicken or rabbit
Gazpacho - cold vegetable soup
Gambas al ajillo - prawns marinated in garlic
*****
Main courses
Carne Guisada - simmered meat and vegetables
Bacalao a pil pil - cod with garlic, slow fried in olive oil
Riñones al Jerez - kidneys in sherry sauce
Trucha a la Navarra - trout stuffed with Serrano ham
Albóndigas - Meatballs in tomato sauce
Merluza a la romana - breaded hake
*****
Desserts
Arroz con leche - rice pudding
Crema catalana - caramel cream, similar to the French crème brulée
Flan - a kind of pudding
Alicante and the magical Costa Blanca
Even the 'Eternal City', Rome, is young compared to Alicante. 5000 years ago, people lived in this southern part of Spain. The journey through Alicante begins in the town of Sax, which dates back to the Bronze Age. A medieval castle sits beautifully on a cliff above the town, which has around 10,000 inhabitants. With day trips ranging from 40km to 60km, our cycling holidays take you through the idyllic countryside, past orchards, alongside Lake Baniarrés, through rugged valleys in nature reserves and along disused railway tracks to Valencia. Temperatures here moderate between 16 and 30 degrees, so cycling in Spain is always a pleasure.
Our cycling holidays in Spain
Perfectly organised cycling holiday in Spain
At Bering Travel we make sure that your cycling holiday in Spain runs perfectly. From the first time you contact us until you return from your trip, you can easily and quickly get advice and guidance for your trip. We arrange the best hotels, the most exciting routes and transport your luggage from hotel to hotel. You also have the option of contacting us around the clock if you need anything.