Volcanoes to the Sea

A family trip from Garrotxa to the Costa Brava

910 € pp
+ additional services

Overview

Short Tour Description

You will have no problems cycling together as a family on this e-biking holiday! The e-bikes will put you all on the same level and ensure you can travel at the same pace! This is a perfect route for a family trip, suitable for all ages from 8 years old and above.

You will e-cycle quiet tracks within the Garrotxa volcanic National Park, an area which was created by around forty different volcanic cones. The area has a very distinctive dark green colour associated with the dense forests, combined with black volcanic rock paths. This tour will enable you to really experience the true beauty of this region, from viewpoints that are very difficult to get to by road. The e-bikes offer a totally new perspective! You will ride by medieval villages, cross rivers, weave through fields of crops and stop off at charming towns!

Years ago, there was a train joining the inland volcanic area of Garrotxa to the coast, today we can follow the former train track most of the way as we head to the Costa Brava. At the end of the route you will get to swim in the Mediterranean Sea on the Costa Brava. Girona is the main city within the province and has a unique historic charm about it! It is a city with many stories to tell and lots of secrets are hidden within the old walls.

Duration

5 Days / 4 Nights / 3 Days of e-cycling

Total km: 100-150 km*
Total ascent: 800-1200 m*
*This will depend on the daily variations of the tour that are available

Participants

Self-Guided: 2 - 8

Scenery

Countryside & Coast
Mountains & Sea

Highlights & Facts

Ride through a lush green forest growing over a black lava flow
Feel like a knight in the medieval stone village of Santa Pau
Savour delicious pizza in the city of Olot
Famous ice cream in Girona
Swim in the sea at the end of the tour
Luggage transfer included – you just need to bring yourselves!

Cycling Level

2 wheels (Easy to Moderate)

Recommendation

Stop at the Volcanic Museum in Olot on the first day before starting this tour! You will discover the mysteries of the volcanoes that have shaped this area for millennia!

Tour Route

Day
1 / 5
2 / 5
3 / 5
4 / 5
5 / 5

Day 1: Arrival and welcome to the volcanic capital

Olot is a fascinating town which was built from dark volcanic stone! The city lies between four volcanic cones that tower above the buildings here! This captivating place marks the start of your family e-bike adventure.

Day 2: Discovering Garrotxa

Today is a circular tour through the Garrotxa Volcanic National Park. You will leave Olot behind you and head towards an enchanting beech forest called La Fageda d'en Jordà, a very unusual woodland grown on top of a lava flow. Lunch will be served in the medieval village of Santa Pau and you will head back to Olot for a night out. Riding on volcanic pathways and alongside the extinct Croscat volcano is a real experience! You will be amazed by the variety of surfaces and textures that have been created by years of historic eruptions! We can suggest a great pizza place in town for this evening – this is the best prize after your first day of eriding.

Km: 30 approx.
Ascent: 500 m approx.

Day 3: From city to city

Today the tour joins the old train track that is perfectly adapted for cycling. Leaving Olot behind you will head deep into the D’en Bas valley, passing by quaint towns, farmland and fields of crops and livestock. We suggest a little detour via a quiet road to get to a spectacular river pool for a quick swim!

Still continuing along the longstanding train track, crossing a couple of rivers and more minute towns we arrive at the largest city in the area and the capital of the province, Girona.

Feel like a knight as you wander through this medieval city and are transported back in time! A stroll along the old city walls and through the Barri Vell, the old town is a must! The cobbled roads are perfectly preserved! You will enjoy visiting the riverside, one of the many eateries and the parks here. We recommend you cross back and forth over the bridges! There’s a famous Eiffel landmark, here! Not a tower, like in Paris, but a red bridge, built shortly before the famous tower. See if you can find it as you explore the city! Rather close to the bridge you will find Rocambolesc, the most famous ice-cream parlour in Catalonia! It is created by the 3-Michelin star chef of Celler de Can Roca - you may have to wait six months for a table there, so the best thing is to try their desserts!

Km: 55 approx.
Ascent: 300 m approx.

Day 4: Everybody to the sea!

Today is a nice and easy pedalling day, continuing along the former train track! You will really enjoy the comfort of e-bike riding. You will weave your way between beautiful landscapes covered with crops and small towns and spot many cork and oak trees along the way! During late 19th Century, this area was a huge producer of cork, which supplied the nearby wine industry with bottle-tops! Today’s prize for a long day of cycling is a well-deserved dive into the sea, a cooling swim and a tasty ice cream to finish! What could be better?

Km: 40 approx.
Ascent: 220 m approx.

Day 5: Farewell to this adventure

Sant Feliu de Guíxols is a great town to spend a couple more days to relax and enjoy the beach. There are good restaurants and lots of other spectacular places to visit nearby!

> Important notices to all customers!

Information & Services

Character

This Volcanoes to the Sea tour is the perfect family trip and is ideal for all children over the age of 8 years old. During your first day you will discover the magnificent land of the volcanoes. Throughout this tour you will cycle on asphalt roads and gravel roads with some stretches forest tracks, which are a bit more challenging.

The sections riding on the old railway route that will take you down to the sea are easy to cycle along. Although the distances are fairly long, with the electric bicycles it makes it a very pleasant ride along flat pathways.

This family touring holiday has an easy to moderate classification. To make it more fun for the younger ones we have special e-MTBs for the children to give them that extra advantage!

This is an amazing getaway to discover the volcanic and mountainous landscape in Catalonia! You will also enjoy swimming in the crystal-clear rivers that flow down from the mountains and diving into the bright blue Mediterranean Sea. This is a trip that the whole family will enjoy!

Included services

e-cycling programme as described
3 cycling days with 4 nights’ accommodation, including breakfast. Stay in a double room with shower and toilet facilities (approximately 1-2 nights of which will be with shared shower and toilet facilities)
GPS with detailed route
Taxes on stays in tourist establishments
Luggage transfer included – you just need to bring yourselves!

Excluded services

Flight or public transport (on arrival and on departure) including taxis
Transfer to / from the start / end-point of the tour
e-bike rental and accessories
3 lunches and 4 dinners (a packed-lunch style picnic for you to take with you in your bike bag for 10 euro or a restaurant for 25 euro depending on your choice)
Drinks / food in bars
Entrance fees to museums, monuments and any associated guided tours
Tips for the team and other services

Transfer fees here

e-bike hire

Your hired e-bike is equipped with a rack - bike bags, basic e-bike tools and a battery charger are all included.

Fee per e-MTB touring bike

120,- Euro

Fee per helmet

9,- Euro

Accommodation

Double room

Single room supplement – extra 30,- Euro per night

Please note

Arrival day: at 7:00 p.m. with a tour briefing and introduction to the e-bikes (typically last about 2 hours). Dinner at 9:00 p.m.
Departure day: Breakfast (approximately 9:00 a.m.) – departure with transfer to the train station / airport (Girona).
The tour operator reserves the right to substitute the described accommodation with an equivalent alternative if necessary.
Due to local conditions, a route change or amendment may be necessary.

Arrival / Departure

Self-guided tour:

For a private taxi (1-4 persons) the costs are approximately:

Arrival:
125,- Euro from Girona Airport (GRO) / train station
220,- Euro from Barcelona Airport (BCN)

Departure:
35,- Euro to Figueres train station
80,- Euro to Girona Airport (GRO) / train station
220,- Euro to Barcelona Airport (BCN)

We would be happy to organise your personalised arrival / departure to the respective start/end points. If needed, we can book a taxi transfer or reserve train tickets in advance for you. Please contact us!

Important notices

Important notices to all customers!

All tour itineraries are general guidelines and in order to offer our customers the best e-cycling holiday experience we make occasional changes. The number of daily kilometres and metres of ascent are approximate as we offer different options on most of the days of the tour. For example, sometimes you can choose between a longer or a shorter route and sometimes between easy and more challenging paths to suit your preferences.

Depending on the number of simultaneous tours, the season, the weather and national holidays, we may make alterations to the itineraries at short-notice, which could affect the number of hours of e-cycling per day, the route we take to any given destination or the use of alternative accommodation. Tours can also be cycled in both directions. All changes are at our discretion, but when changes are made, we endeavour to ensure that our high-quality standards are maintained and reflected in the alternatives that we choose.

Presentation, organisation, photos and information are provided by Anaïs Roca and Rudi Stolz.

Booking

Available Months

For self-guided tours

Book now!

You can choose your own travel dates (upon request).

910 € *

* Prices without not included services

Guest opinions

Volcanoes to the Sea
June 2018

We had the most incredible vacation! We are a family of 4, and it is not always easy to make everybody happy on holiday. This was a great choice!! It was easy and fun riding the e-bikes, we also had a lot of fun discovering the different towns we stayed in. We had never ridden a bike for so many days before, but it was super cool. Loved the Mediterranean Sea! I would recommend this experience to anyone.

A guest