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Bikes, Back-Roads & Beaches

Family cycling through unspoiled Catalonia
 
As a family, explore the quiet side of the Costa Brava, cycling self-guided through medieval villages and timeless scenery, while your luggage is transported ahead. All the accommodation has a pool, and your final hotel is by the sea, so you can also spend time on the beach.
Bikes, Back-Roads & Beaches. 6 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Bikes, Back-Roads & Beaches. 6 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A family cycling holiday in Catalonia

Between the shimmering blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the historic city of Girona lies the lower Empordà Plain, a vast landscape of gently rolling hills basking in the southern shadow of the Pyrenees. This is a land of golden wheatfields and almond woods, with rocky outcrops topped by the occasional flamboyant castle, and dotted with evocative honey-coloured villages draped in bougainvillea, hiding pretty restaurants among their ancient stonework.
Our recommended cycling routes are relatively short, leaving plenty of time for long, lazy lunches and to explore the enchanting villages en route, not to mention ‘down time’ by the pool. Your journey leads you via a patchwork of fascinating paddy fields along quiet back-roads, meandering country lanes and dedicated cycle tracks to end by the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean – a wonderful place to finish.

This holiday is in the heart of a fairly extensive and very well-waymarked cycling network, with lots of opportunities for the more adventurous family to extend their cycling days using the maps we provide.
 

2021

We are currently unable to take new bookings for this holiday, but hope to be able to do so again soon.
 
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.

    Pleasant sea breezes ensure that summers do not seem excessively hot.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 13 14 16 18 21 25 29 28 26 21 16 14
    mm 46 45 59 54 52 41 25 44 68 101 58 56
  • Arrival in La Pera
    Night 1: at Mas Duran (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of cycling.
  • Circular route from La Pera: 20km
    If you can tear yourself – and your children – away from the swimming pool, we provide route notes for a pleasant circuit which explores the tranquil back-roads surrounding La Pera, and crosses the River Ter to reach the fluvial plain beyond. Alternatively, jump on a local train to the small town of Figueres, where you can visit the Toy Museum and Salvador Dalí’s striking Theatre-Museum.
    Circular route from La Pera: 20km
    Visit quirky Figueres, Dalí's former home
  • La Pera to Cruilles: 17km
    The next day starts with a visit to the atmospheric stone village of Púbol, where you can visit the fascinating Gala-Dalí castle museum (closed Mondays April, May & October). Púbol Castle was Salvador Dalí’s present to his wife Gala who is buried there, and it houses interesting furniture, paintings and sculptures. There is a restaurant next door which serves tasty lunches (closed Mondays). From Púbol, continue south to picturesque Monells – a gem of a village with a maze of arches and cobbled passages, and a porticoed main square, Plaça Jaume, where there are a couple of restaurants and bars whose tables spill out onto the cobbles. Look out for traces of the castle that once stood in the heart of the village or relax in the shade with a cooling drink. Your final destination – and next two-night base – is the welcoming Mas Masaller, a restored 13th-century farmhouse near Cruilles.
    La Pera to Cruilles: 17km
    Bucolic countryside surrounding Púbol
  • Circular route from Cruilles: 26.5km
    On your full day in Cruilles, enjoy a glorious ride through the heart of the Empordà Plain, taking in the market town of La Bisbal, known for its colourful pottery based on Moorish designs, as well as Ullastret, a fortified village with a nearby pre-Roman settlement. You also call into Peratallada, a wonderful blend of fabulous restaurants and beautiful ancient stonework.
    Circular route from Cruilles: 26.5km
    Have lunch underneath the famous arches of La Bisbal
  • Cruilles to Calella: 32.5km
    Leaving Cruilles, you follow country roads to the charming hamlet of Fonteta, before continuing north-east towards Sant Feliu de Boada. As you cycle, enjoy wonderful views towards medieval Pals, standing proud on a hilltop. Continue to Pals through paddy fields – at their best in summer when the green shoots are clearly visible or when harvest is in full swing. Pals is the perfect place for a long, lazy lunch of arròs a la cassola (rice stew), the local speciality, and an afternoon stroll through tiny alleyways between ancient stone walls. You can also climb through the steep cobbled streets to the Mirador de Pedro viewpoint. After exploring Pals, pedal on to your final destination: the coastal town of Calella, where you spend two nights at the family-friendly Hotel Alga.
    Cruilles to Calella: 32.5km
    Explore pretty Pals
  • Circular route from Calella: 19.5km
    On your last day you may wish to enjoy the hotel facilities – there is a lovely pool, gardens and a tennis court - or relax on the beach, just a 5-minute walk away. However, we also include notes for a cycle south along a vía verde (a dedicated cycle track). Another option is to explore the spectacular footpath that snakes beside the coast, passing little unspoiled bays where you can stop for a swim and one final picnic by the sea.
    Circular route from Calella: 19.5km
    Enjoy a gentle walk along the coast
 

Accommodation

All three places at which you stay have a swimming pool, and all can accommodate up to four – two adults and two children – in family rooms.
 

Extend your stay

 

Prices

All prices are in £ sterling (GBP), based on 2 sharing, with a 3rd/4th bed as required.
 

Prices in £ per person
8 May - 31 October 2020

Adult / Child (up to 15yrs), sharing a room for 2 people *
8 May - 27 May: £835 / £665
28 May - 25 Jun: £895 / £740
26 Jun - 27 Aug: £985 / £830
28 Aug - 26 Sep: £895 / £740
27 Sep - 25 Oct: £835 / £665

*Single room supplement (per adult or child):
8 May - 27 May: £275
28 May - 25 Jun: £315
26 Jun - 27 Aug: £465
28 Aug - 26 Sep: £315
27 Sep - 25 Oct: £275

For family rooms, add the following:
Child (13-15) / Child (3-12), in 3rd/4th bed
8 May - 27 May: £475 / £435
28 May - 25 Jun: £475 / £435
26 Jun - 27 Aug: £475 / £432
28 Aug - 26 Sep: £475 / £435
27 Sep - 25 Oct: £475 / £435

All child prices include a child's bike; deduct £75 for a tag-along or £90 for a child seat on an adult bike
Electric bikes available: add £65 per person (adult-size bikes only)

Connecting travel from Girona
return taxi from Girona (out 0h30/home 0h50) £210 for a family up to 4, £410 for a family of 5-8

Connecting travel from Barcelona
return rail/taxi from Barcelona (out 1h10/home 1h30) rail £40 per adult, £20 per child (4-13) plus taxi £145 for a family up to 4, £250 for a family of 5-8

 
Currency converter
We can only accept payment in GBP, but you can use this converter to find out how much the holiday equates to in your own currency.
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  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Girona or Barcelona
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Barcelona. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Belfast Intl. - Barcelona easyJet,  jet2 
    Belfast Intl. - Girona jet2 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Barcelona Ryanair,  Vueling 
    Birmingham - Girona jet2,  Ryanair,  TUI 
    Outward route Airline
    Bournemouth - Girona Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Barcelona easyJet 
    Bristol - Girona Ryanair,  TUI 
    Outward route Airline
    Nottingham East Midlands - Barcelona Ryanair 
    Nottingham East Midlands - Girona jet2,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Barcelona Ryanair,  Vueling 
    Edinburgh - Barcelona (via Paris) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Barcelona jet2 
    Glasgow - Girona jet2 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow Prestwick - Barcelona Ryanair 
    Glasgow Prestwick - Girona Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Girona Ryanair 
    Leeds Bradford - Barcelona jet2,  Vueling 
    Leeds Bradford - Barcelona (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Leeds Bradford - Girona jet2 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Barcelona easyJet,  Ryanair,  Vueling 
    Liverpool - Girona Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Barcelona British Airways,  easyJet,  Vueling 
    Gatwick - Girona TUI 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Barcelona British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Barcelona easyJet,  Ryanair,  Vueling 
    Luton - Girona Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    London Southend - Barcelona easyJet 
    London Southend - Girona Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Barcelona Ryanair 
    Stansted - Girona jet2,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Barcelona easyJet,  jet2,  Ryanair,  Vueling 
    Manchester - Girona jet2,  Ryanair,  TUI 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Barcelona easyJet 
    Newcastle - Girona jet2,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Southampton - Barcelona (via Paris) Air France 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Barcelona. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service (£60 for India and Nepal). Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

What is included
  • 6 nights
  • 6 dinners
    6 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes and maps
  • high-quality bicycle
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

All 5 reviews
  • Anon
    26 May 2019

    While it was not a Grade 1 cycling trip to me, the views were so beautiful and it was obvious the hard work put into planning this. 

  • Mr C Kaye
    Holmfirth
    24 September 2018

    Excellent trio of 3 hotels, all different but good combination. Routes were excellent in a beautiful part of Catalonia. 

  • Mrs K Williams
    Croydon
    11 August 2018

    Highlights: the tranquility of Mas Masaller alongside speaking with Spaniards; the quiet side roads that allowed for stress free family cycling without worry alongside the challenge of a long day in the summer heat with distances that just about work for an 8 year old with many sweets and a pool to relax in every night. Tip: maybe better not in August due to the heat! 

  • Mr D Crowe
    Ireland
    01 July 2018

    This was a wonderful holiday and a really good way to experience this region in a more intimate and natural way. The cycle trip to Pals on one of the three recommended routes during the Hotel Picasso stay was a highlight for us, a beautiful route, and our first cycle trip. The other route we took out of Hotel Picasso was longer, to Empuries, which we did not find as interesting but these are subjective views of course and it was probably too long for a 10-year-old with little interest in the Roman and Greek settlement which lay at the end of the trip. There was an excellent mix between the rural stay at Mas Masaller, and the more coastal options. Some of the cycle terrain was breathtaking. Girona was very special, a very memorable stay, and the hotel exceptional. We are looking forward to booking again with Inntravel. We were a bit concerned that our ten year old might not last the pace, and get bored, but apart from the odd relapse he really enjoyed it too. We are not experienced or regular cyclists so it was a new departure for us as a family.

     

    INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our family cycling holiday Bikes, Back-roads and Beaches with our Girona city add-on

  • Mrs C Ratcliff
    Church Stretton
    17 June 2018

    This was a good holiday with nice scenery leading you through some very attractive villages. There wasn't a pothole in sight! The hotels were decent, the pools very welcome at the end of a sticky bike ride, and I rather enjoyed staying at the slightly quirky Mas Masaller - eating together round the large table. La Fosca was a lovely end to the holiday, the beach is a delight. My husband and 20 year old daughter hired a kayak (from a stall on the beach) for an hour and paddled round the coast, exploring some caves en route and had a fabulous time.

    The only consideration is the heat in the summer months. 

 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help.
  • We sincerely hope that your holiday experience will be as enjoyable as it would have been before the pandemic – cycling holidays are ideal in these times of social distancing, and we’re not operating holidays if the key highlights can no longer be delivered – but, naturally, there will be some changes to ensure your and other people’s safety.
    Your holiday experience: what to expect >
    Safety measures being taken by hoteliers & others >
  • No, we don't set age limits. You are best placed to judge if your child(ren) can cope with the demands of the holiday and be confident on roads next to traffic on occasions.
  • For adults, our chosen bike rental shop will provide you with a city trekking bike with 21 gears (grip shift mechanism); a waterproof map case on handlebars (one between two bikes); panniers/saddlebags; an odometer (one between two bikes); puncture-proof tyres; and a lock. Electric bikes are available as an upgrade (see price panel), subject to availability, and must be requested at the time of booking. The bike shop also has a limited number of tandems.
    For children, we will be happy to arrange hire of children’s bikes (20”, 24” or 26”) or child seats. Helmets are delivered with the bikes – they are obligatory on public highways in Spain.
  • Helmets are a legal requirement on public roads in Spain, and as such are included free of charge with your bike.
  • Yes, we will provide GPX tracks for this holiday prior to departure so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. (We also provide maps and our tried-and-tested route notes.)
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. On mornings when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation so that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.
  • Bike insurance is not included in the price of our cycling holidays, and unfortunately we can't supply such insurance. Some general travel insurance policies can or do provide cover for rented bikes, so it's worth seeing if your policy is one of these. The most important thing is to ensure that you take good care of your bike (you are responsible for damage to or loss of it while it is hired to you), always being careful to lock it up, ideally to an immovable object, and removing all easy-to-steal accessories whenever you leave it unattended.
  • We can book a wide range of airlines and routes from the UK. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. For Europe, there’s a £35 booking fee per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). For India and Nepal, the booking fee is £60 per person. More information on flights >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact Abi and Lizzie to discuss your plans.
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

    You don’t have to take out our recommended travel insurance policy (if you live outside the UK you’ll definitely need to make your own arrangements, as the policy is only for UK residents), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    We'll ask you for the details of your policy (insurer, policy number and medical emergency phone number) so that we can help out if the worst happens while you are on holiday. It's up to you, though, to check that your policy covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs; we don't check alternative policies.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Spain, but not a visa. If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • (Castilian) Spanish is one of several official languages; in Catalonia, for example, Catalan has equal status. The currency is the Euro. Spanish time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • If you are planning to take a holiday after 1 January 2021, visit www.gov.uk/visit-europe-1-january-2021.

    At Inntravel we work in close partnership with our hoteliers, taxi drivers and other local suppliers to provide our self-guided holidays directly to you. We are entirely confident that you will continue to receive the usual warm welcome from them, regardless of what is happening in the European political sphere.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.
    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
Last fetch time is : 3/3/2021 11:57:39 AM