Cultural Coast & Wine Tour (Guided)

Go back in time and discover Catalan History

1.520 € pp
+ additional services

Overview

Short Tour Description

This Cultural Coast & Wine tour through the Emporda and Costa Brava regions will allow you to enjoy e-bike cycling, a delightful landscape and taste great food and wine! You will also explore the history of this magnificent corner of Europe.

The Ancient Greeks were the first people to come to this faraway land and in around 600 BC they created links with the Iberian people already living in the area to trade goods. Later, during the 2nd Century BC, the Romans and their armies came and conquered, leaving a strong impression on these lands, one that remains to the present day. Nowadays the people here still speak languages that originated with Latin (Catalan and Spanish) and they continue to produce wine in the same way that it has been done for generations. With Christianity, Romanesque architecture and art arrived and wonderful churches and castles spread over the area, creating towns and villages. These developments had a significant impact on the local landscape. All of this interesting history, coupled with DO Emporda wine and delicious food, will be a truly unforgettable experience.

Duration

7 Days / 6 Nights / 5 Days of e-cycling

Total km: 100 - 150 km*
Total Ascent: 1000 - 1700 m*
*This will depend on the daily variations of the tour that are available

Participants

Guided: 4 - 12

Scenery

Countryside & Coast
Mountains & Sea

Highlights & Facts

Relaxed e-cycling through vineyards and olive tree plantations
Delicious wine and cava tasting
Visit to the archaeological remains of Empuries
Accommodation at the former castle of Espolla
Savour succulent local seafood
Visit to the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes
Luggage transfer included – you just need to bring yourselves!

Cycling Level

2 wheels (Easy to Moderate)

Recommendation

If you would like to delve deeper into the local culture, we recommend that you hire a professional guide for local excursions. We would gladly provide you with some contacts.

Tour Route

Day
1 / 7
2 / 7
3 / 7
4 / 7
5 / 7
6 / 7
7 / 7

Day 1: Welcome to Costa Brava e-ride Cultural Coast & Wine tour

Arrival at Mas El Joncar, a traditional Catalan house in the countryside next to the Mediterranean Sea. It is a rather perfect location to start your holiday, enter into Emporda and immerse yourself in the local atmosphere.

Day 2: Emporion, the Greek colony in the western Mediterranean

You start your trip on this circular e-cycling tour in style! On this tour you will always have the coastline in sight. You will e-bike through the flatlands of Emporda and pass lively villages and the River Fluvial, which will accompany you on your journey. Next to the sea, you will step into the archaeological remains left behind by the Greeks and Romans. Beforehand, you will enjoy lunch at the one-hundred-year-old Hostal Empuries in front of the sea. A beautiful little sandy bay invites you for a swim in the balmy Mediterranean Sea - you will fall in love with this spot! In the afternoon you will return to your cosy accommodation for the night!

Km: 23 km approx.
Ascent: 100 m approx.

Day 3: Nature, architecture and wine

A complete day with the e-bikes, wine and lots of history. You will see the River Fluvia meet the sea and pass alongside the rice fields and apple tree orchards that line your path to the great Basilica of Castelló d' Empuries. People like to call it the “Cathedral of Emporda” due to its splendour and magnificence. On your way to Peralada, where a castle and a glass of wine are waiting for you, you will visit an ancient Romanesque monastery. You will enjoy the relatively easy tracks and have lots of fun today!

Km: 28 km approx.
Ascent: 100 m approx.

Day 4: More wine, please!

A short e-bike riding day today because most of the day will be dedicated to wine tasting, yipee! Less pedalling and more wine, please! This northern area of Emporda, on the border with France, is hit by the north winds called Tramuntana and geologically the final part of the Pyrenees mountain range. It produces fantastic wine, with body, volume and an intense flavour. Just try them and judge for yourself, but remember you have to get back on your bike again tomorrow!!

Km: 17 km approx.
Ascent: 50 m approx.

Day 5: A well-kept secret

Continuing with your e-bikes through the Mediterranean hills towards a hidden and off-the-beaten track path, you will enter a valley and discover the ancient Romanesque Monastery remains of Sant Quirze de Colera. Surrounded with Mediterranean bush, maquia, a cup of coffee and a break is a must. Carrying on, you will ride among cork oaks and vineyards and a pleasant e-cycle ride will bring you to the next town, offering you shelter for the night. This area is well-known for the production of oil, wine and Garnatxa (a delicious sweet desert wine) which is a true delight for the senses.

Km: 25 km approx.
Ascent: 350 m approx.

Day 6: Sea views from the monastery

Today the difference in altitude is greater than you will have experienced on any of the other days so far! But don’t worry as the road ahead provides easy cycling and your e-bikes will help guide you to the top of the hill with an extra push! Leaving behind vineyards and meadows you ascend with the e-bikes and enjoy awesome views of the Emporda and northern Costa Brava. You will visit an outstanding Romanesque monastery with the best sea views and then one of the prime wine producers during the Medieval times. After some well-deserved stops you will glide downhill to a delicious seafood lunch in a fisherman’s village. Finally, you will continue pedalling to the next spectacular seaside stop and reach your final destination in the afternoon. This route will come to a close in a picture-perfect destination and you can put your feet up and relax with another glass of wine in hand!!

Km: 30 km approx.
Ascent: 1000 m approx.

Day 7: See you soon!

With a final toast to culture and landscape, we wish you goodbye and a safe and enjoyable journey back from Llança, where there is a reliable train connection to the airport.

> Important notices to all customers!

Information & Services

Character

On this magnificent Cultural Coast & Wine Tour you will get to know first-hand the Catalan Coast and all that it has to offer. The daily pedalling times are shorter, so you have time to visit, taste and enjoy the variety in the area, indulge your senses and do a wide range of other activities.

The level of this tour is classified as easy to moderate. The beginning of the tour leads you through flat plains and during the second part of the tour, there is a greater difference in altitude and uphill climbs. Although there are not a huge number of steep ascents, the climbs will not be a problem thanks to the added help provided by your e-bikes. The tracks and roads that the route runs along are technically easy and straightforward. On this tour you will ride an e-MTB touring bike, as we classify the tour as e-bike touring. Asphalt and relaxed dirt roads will be enjoyed, and you will enjoy this relaxed pace with regular stops for a tipple!

Included services

e-cycling programme as described
5 cycling days with 6 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)
Guide
Taxes on stays in tourist establishments
Transportation of luggage

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
5 lunches and 6 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 Fee per e-MTB touring bike

200,- Euro

Fee per 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

Guided tour:

Airport Barcelona

Collective group transfer at 5:30 p.m. The meeting point at the airport is in Terminal T1 in front of the Café TRAMOYA at the Group Meeting Point North. It is located opposite the "Oficina de Turisme" (after customs on the right).
Please Note! If you arrive at Terminal T2 a free shuttle bus can take you to Terminal T1 every five minutes.
Your flight on the day of departure should be from 2:30 p.m. onwards!!

Airport Girona

Collective group transfer at 6:30 p.m. The meeting point is at the airport is in front of Café CAFFRICCIO in the arrival’s hall.
Your flight on the day of departure should be from 1:00 p.m. onwards!!

If the arranged transfer times do not fit with your personal arrival and departure times, we would be happy to organise a private taxi for you (the costs are typically around 80,- Euro to 120,- Euro from Girona and 240,- to 280,- Euro from Barcelona, depending on the tour start / end points). Other arrival and departure destinations can be provided upon request.

Please Note: The transfer times can vary depending on flight arrival times / delays from other guests / traffic etc. Please be patient in these cases!

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 guided tours

* Prices without not included services

Guest opinions

Cultural Coast & Wine Tour (Guided)
May 2018

We returned home with huge smiles on our faces after a week with eBike Catalonia. The route was really interesting and every day was a different adventure! The food was brilliant and we loved trying the local wines, especially the cava! Our guide was very knowledgeable and we learnt a lot about the region. Looking out to the Mediterranean Sea from the monastery were my personal highlight, I was very pleased that I had an e-bike and not a regular bike as I definitely would not have enjoyed the climb quite so much, plus I still head energy once we reached the top to enjoys the panoramic views! We will definitely be back next year!

Sophie & David