Mr Cook says...
A wonderful way to see the real Costa Brava and get to know Catalunya as a region. The holiday was well constructed and well organised. The instructions ...
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Rich with mediaeval villages, historic castles and churches, Catalunya is contrasted with an impressive rocky coastline, dotted with pretty fishing villages, crystal-clear waters and beautiful golden sandy beaches. Steeped in culture and history, Catalunya's traditions date back over thousands of years.
This holiday is packed with stunning scenery and a wealth of fascinating historical and cultural discoveries that date back to Greek and Roman times. Your holiday starts and ends in the pretty seafront town of Calella de Palafrugell. From here, you'll head north, via Begur, to Torroella de Montgri and its hilltop C13 castle with panoramic views across the Emporda plain. You'll continue via the coast and Empuries, where you can visit the Greek and Roman ruins, on to Figueres, the famous birthplace of Salvador Dali. Heading west, we follow undulating roads through deep green meadows and cork forests to the city of Girona with its impressive architecture and great dining choices. Your final stretch takes you along an old narrow gauge railway line, now a Via Verde, which heads down to the coast. Continue on past Platja d'Aro and Calonge to Calella de Palafrugell.
The hotels on this holiday are as varied as the scenery, and include the Hotel Garbi, overlooking the fishing village of Calella de Palafrugell; the contemporary Hotel Moli del Mig; a converted C15 mill in Torroella de Montgri and two chic town hotels one which has a small pool.
Arrive in Calella and head to the local 'blue flag' beaches or relax by the hotel pool before dinner. We provide plenty of recommendations in Calella for dinner. (Staying at Hotel Garbi, Breakfast only)
Today's 'warm-up' ride takes you inland through Palafrugell, then on to Begur with its hilltop mediaeval castle remains and its colonial Cuban-influenced villas, built by locals who emigrated to Cuba and returned once they had made their fortunes. Visit the fabulous sweep of beach at Platja de Pals then continue on to Torroella de Montgri for two nights. (Staying at Hotel Moli del Mig, Half Board)
Cycle into Torroella and explore the mediaeval centre and walls, originally the Royal Port for the Kings of Aragon, before the River Ter silted up and the port was moved to nearby L'Estartit. You could cycle here for some great beaches or walk up to the C13 fortress, Montgri Castle, set on the top of the Montgri Massif, overlooking the town and the Emporda plain beyond. (Staying at Hotel Moli del Mig, Half Board)
Follow flat country lanes to the coast at L'Escala and explore the ancient Greek and Roman Empuries ruins. The town was founded in 575 BC by Greek colonists, later occupied by the Romans, then abandoned in the Middle Ages due to its exposed coastal position leaving it open to attack. Cycle on to Castello d'Empuries, with its 1,000-year-old church, Santa Maria de Castello, before continuing on to Figueres. (Staying at Hotel Pirineos, Breakfast only)
Explore Figueres today. Stroll along La Rambla and discover the old town's mediaeval squares and arches. As the birthplace of Salvador Dali, the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dali, designed by the artist himself, is a must-see. Also visit the C18 Sant Ferran Castle, a large military fortress (the largest monument in Catalunya), built with a pentagonal plan and sophisticated construction techniques for the time. (Staying at Hotel Pirineos, Breakfast only)
Heading further inland, we follow an undulating route through deep green meadows, cork forests and tiny charming hamlets. Then follow the Rivers Ter and Onyar into the region's capital Girona. (Staying at Hotel Ciutat de Girona, Breakfast only)
Explore this stunning city, dating back to pre-Roman times. Walk the city walls for a different perspective of the sights: discover the Placa de la Independencia, the impressive cathedral, the Jewish Quarter and the Onyar River's picturesque bridges and painted houses. A regular fast train can take you to Barcelona for a day in the Catalan capital. Or cycle to Catalunya's largest natural lake 'Estany de Banyoles' the venue for 1992 Olympic rowing events. (Staying at Hotel Ciutat de Girona, Breakfast only)
Ride out of Girona on the Via Verde, an old narrow-gauge railway line that heads, mostly downhill, all the way to the coast. Continue around the coast past Platja d'Aro and Calonge to the seafront town of Calella de Palafrugell. (Staying at Hotel Garbi, Breakfast only)
Please note that cycling helmets are a legal requirement in Spain. As we cannot provide these, we strongly recommend you bring your own.
Please see our Planning you holiday page for full details.
During your holiday you stay at the following hotels. If you'd like to extend your time at any of these or, if you'd like to enhance your stay with an upgraded room, just let us know at the time of booking.
To find out more call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347, use our live webchat or email usa@exodustravels.com
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
| Dates | Duplex Superior Room |
| 09/04/2018 - 31/10/2018 | £9 |
All prices shown above are valid from 18/10/2017. Supplement prices are per person per night based on two sharing. Duplex Superior rooms offer the same facilities as a standard room with the addition of a mezzanine level with sofa
Please contact us for extra night prices.
NEARBY:
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
| Dates | Superior | Superior with balcony | Junior Suite | Junior Suite with balcony |
| 01/04/2018 - 31/10/2018 | £8 | £16 | £20 | £24 |
All prices shown above are valid from 18/11/2017. All supplements per person per night (based on two sharing). Superior room is a slightly larger room at 18m2 (standard room = 15m2)
Junior Suite is a larger room at 25m2 & has a king size bed & jacuzzi
Please contact us for extra night prices.
NEARBY:
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades are not available at this hotel.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades are not available at this hotel.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
If you'd like to extend your trip with extra nights at the start or end, or if you'd like to arrange a stop off point en-route, then we recommend the following hotels.
NEARBY:
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades are not available at this hotel.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
Find out more on the hotel website and read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
Room upgrades are not available at this hotel.
Please contact us for extra night prices.
Transfers included from Flaca train station at 17:02 and back to Flaca train station at 11:15.
Please call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or email usa@exodustravels.com to arrange connecting flights.
Everyone who goes on a Headwater holiday will be emailed a link to our post-holiday questionnaire where they can give us an honest assessment of all aspects of their holiday - everything from how quickly we answer the phone to how clean the hotels were - plus an overall rating and comments about their holiday.
Any feedback collected is posted to our website, so that people can make an informed decision based on past experiences before heading off on holiday. We don’t edit the reviews, the only thing we do is proofread them and alter any typos, where necessary, to ensure they are easy to read for everyone. All reviews will be published (except in certain extreme circumstances), and a member of the Headwater team will respond to any constructive criticisms/comments under the reviews, at their discretion. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of our holidays, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
A wonderful way to see the real Costa Brava and get to know Catalunya as a region. The holiday was well constructed and well organised. The instructions are not fool proof but that is half the fun!
The addition of a fully functional cycling app completely transformed my overall enjoyment of the cycling. So much easier to download map and receive voice activated instructions, also phone holder supplied. Inclusion of trip meter complimented use of app. HW - please include these on all your holidays if possible. Our second time in this region, the hotels are of good standard, clean and very helpful staff. We added additional days at hotel Garbi to enjoy the local area **A visit to the Calau tapas bar is a must in Calella be there for 7:30 ish and you should get a table (July), after 8:30 you may have to wait for an hour +. Only other recommendation for food is La Tasca in Girona. The bus tour in Girona is a bit of a waste of money with minimal information via head phones and spent most of the 2 km trip waiting at pick up and drop off points on the circuit. If you have time a cycle to Pals it is well worth the effort (about 25km round trip) we used the app for the first days cycling towards Begur for directions and turned off to Pals * the road into Pals has cycle lanes. Overall, very enjoyable cycling and in our opinion the first days cycling was the most strenuous after that the rest is reasonably easy for the grade.
We found this a very enjoyable April holiday, aided by lovely weather. We are only occasional cyclists, but we found the cycling quite manageable although a little challenging on the first day in the saddle. We were the first couple on this revised tour, and the first to use the route notes and did get lost occasionally. However, there were many cyclists around and someone always stopped and helped us get going again. Very friendly and helpful people. The hotels were generally good and well located. Figeures and Girona are very pleasant cities with plenty to do and see on the 'rest' days.
You can be confident that our pricing includes all the standard requirements of your holiday and many additional extras. Always ensure that you are comparing like for like when booking your holiday. Find out about The Headwater Price Promise to ensure you're getting the very best value for money.
For further details, or to check availability, speak to our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form (we'll contact you at a time that's most convenient for you).
To enquire about this holiday, or for further information, call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form.
| Jun 2018 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 22nd Jun | US$1885 | Check availability |
| 24th Jun | US$1885 | Check availability |
| 26th Jun | US$1885 | Check availability |
| 28th Jun | US$1885 | Check availability |
| 30th Jun | US$1885 | Check availability |
| Jul 2018 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 4th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 6th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 8th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 10th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 12th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 14th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 16th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 18th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 20th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 22nd Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 24th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 26th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 28th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 30th Jul | US$1985 | Check availability |
| Aug 2018 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Aug | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 3rd Aug | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 25th Aug | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 27th Aug | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 29th Aug | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 31st Aug | US$1985 | Check availability |
| Sep 2018 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Sep | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 4th Sep | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 6th Sep | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 8th Sep | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 10th Sep | US$1985 | Check availability |
| 12th Sep | US$1885 | Check availability |
| 14th Sep | US$1885 | Check availability |
| 16th Sep | US$1885 | Check availability |
| 18th Sep | US$1885 | Check availability |
| 20th Sep | US$1885 | Check availability |
| 22nd Sep | US$1765 | Check availability |
| 24th Sep | US$1765 | Check availability |
| 26th Sep | US$1765 | Check availability |
| 28th Sep | US$1765 | Check availability |
| 30th Sep | US$1765 | Check availability |
| Oct 2018 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Oct | US$1645 | Check availability |
| 4th Oct | US$1645 | Check availability |
| 6th Oct | US$1645 | Check availability |
| 8th Oct | US$1645 | Check availability |
| 10th Oct | US$1645 | Check availability |
| 12th Oct | US$1645 | Check availability |
| 14th Oct | US$1645 | Check availability |
| 16th Oct | US$1645 | Check availability |
The prices quoted for each individual departure supercede those published in our current brochures. Air prices are subject to change and we advise early booking to obtain the best prices. Please see our Planning your holiday and What's included in the price? pages for additional information.
Children
Please contact us for child prices.
Holiday type
Self-guided cycling Managed locally by Headwater appointed rep.
Departures
Every two days from 22nd Jun 2018 to 16th Oct 2018, for 8 nights.
Meals
All breakfasts and 2 evening meals
Other details
No departures from between 04/08/2017 & 24/08/2017
Tour only
Transfers included from Flaca train station at 17:02 and back to Flaca train station at 11:15.
For further details, or to check availability, speak to our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form (we'll contact you at a time that's most convenient for you).
To enquire about this holiday, or for further information, call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form.
Due to the tailor-made nature of our holidays, we need a little more information in order for us to check availability for Classic Catalan Cycling. Simply complete the form below and a member of our sales team will contact you (when it's most convenient for you) to provide availability information, travel options and an accurate price. Of course there's no obligation, but if you do wish to proceed with a booking they will be on-hand to assist you throughout the process.
Alternatively, you can call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 to discuss your requirements in more detail.
We've been creating high-quality relaxed activity holidays since 1985 and our wealth of experience means we're able to build the perfect tailor-made tour for you. Our 'Gold Trusted' rating on Feefo, the independent review site, underlines our exceptional levels of customer service, and our ATOL bonding and ABTA membership guarantees your holiday is safe with us.
