Rutas en bicicleta desde ciudades portuarias de España
By Richard Fox December 2023
Beautiful port cities along the Spanish coast are a delight to cycle in, with some of the best bicycling infrastructure found in the Mediterranean region. Each has scenic beach promenades, wonderful interesting ancient old towns, and other features to round out a great ride. On a cruise ship trip in fall 2023, Steve and I enjoyed fabulous e-bike tours in Cadiz, Malaga, Valencia, Barcelona, and the Costa Brava region north of there. Where guided tours were available we opted for them, to get the authentic flavor of a place and be assured of the best bike routes in an unfamiliar city. Most of our tours were booked through the apps GetYourGuide and Viator, but the bike rentals were directly from the shops. The one port visited that we did not bike in was Ibiza town, choosing to walk around instead.
CADIZ
Cádiz, located west of Gibraltar on Spain’s southwest Atlantic Ocean coast, is Europe’s second oldest city after Athens with a rich history dating back thousands of years including the embarkation point for Christopher Columbus’s voyages. It is situated on a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic, with a bike path running around its waterfront with stunning views, and through the city. The cruise port is conveniently located adjacent to the old city. Topography is mainly flat, so an e-bike is not necessary to have an enjoyable bike ride here. We joined a 2.5 hour bike tour by Cadizfornia Tours. Our guide did a great job showing us the highlights and providing a thorough understanding of the history of Cádiz as we cycled on its coastal bike paths and some charming cobblestone side streets. We stopped in and toured a couple of beautiful parks en route. We loved this tour, although it would be easy to navigate the coastal paths on your own. Being able to keep the bikes for an hour or two after the tour would have been ideal. Cost: 35€ + 15€ e-bike supplement, booked directly. Also available on the apps.
MALAGA
Málaga is located on Spain’s southeast coast in the Mediterranean Sea. It has a beautiful port district and its old town is in a lovely setting backed by hills close in. We booked a tour by E-Bike Malaga, located a few minutes walk from the port entrance, although we took a shuttle bus in to save the 20 minute walk from our pier. Our guide was a fun animated architecture student and made the tour informative and enjoyable, providing a great introduction to the history and culture of Málaga. We toured the medieval old city and then were led up a beautiful wide paved path that climbed gradually, passing a mini Moorish Alhambra (Alcazaba), to a spectacular viewpoint across the city, port, and out to sea. We descended to town and rode around the port area, onto a nice greenbelt path, and to the lovely ample waterfront bike path. The beach near city center is very scenic, and the bike path leads to neighborhoods known for local, non touristy restaurants. Málaga is a gem of a city and a bike tour is recommended to get the most out of the bike ride since there are not a lot of bike paths per se. Cost: 50€ included keeping the e-bikes afterward to explore on our own. Booked via GetYourGuide.
VALENCIA
Valencia is Spain’s 3rd largest city with a busy port, and a cruise-affiliated shuttle is required to get from the cruise dock area to the edge of town. Unfortunately the medieval old city and other major attractions are quite a distance from this point. A city bus can take you to these areas, where there are also bike rental places. We didn’t find a convenient e-bike tour, so we rented e-bikes from well-reviewed Beach Bikes, about a 25 minute walk from the port. Afterwards we grabbed a taxi for 9€ that took us all the way back to the ship.
Valencia has a very impressive system of bike paths all over the city. Beach Bikes provided an on line pdf map that contained its recommended routes. A nice path follows the beach promenade, and a river drainage through the city was converted to a linear park with a bike path through it, while paths extend out from it. It was a treat to cycle through the narrow streets of the old city. The modern Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) next to L’Oceanogràfic, the largest aquarium in Europe, is a highlight attraction, and accessible via bike path. The paths are well used by locals and drivers were patient and appeared to have respect for bikes when paths crossed roadways. All in all this is one of the most bike friendly cities we’ve experienced. Terrain is mostly flat, so an e-bike is not a necessity, except that you may cover a good distance if you explore many of the bike paths. Cost: 25€ booked direct.
BARCELONA
In early October we had a three day stay in between our Carnival and Celebrity cruises. On arrival day we did a Gaudi Highlights E-Bike Tour conducted by Barcelona E-Bikes. The port shuttle bus dropped us off near the start of Las Ramblas, but we walked along the river path and cut across to the ornate Gothic Quarter to get to the shop in a scenic 25 minutes, timed perfectly for the 11:00 ride start. Barcelona is a large vibrant city, and a guided bike tour is highly recommended to find your way and see the sights. Our guide was well versed in history and everything Gaudi, and led us on the extensive system of Class IV cycletracks and pedestrian promenades all over the city to and from their shop, mostly staying off of the crazy roadways. On this beautiful day we felt like we gained a good overview of the city, especially the Gaudi sites, beyond the famed Sagrada Familia. There are many e-bike tours to choose from, and most of them are well reviewed. Cost 37€ , booked through Get Your Guide.
In mid November we returned to Barcelona for a port of call on Norwegian on our return home, and were lucky with great weather. We decided to just rent this time and Barcelona E-Bike Rent accommodated us well with comfortable e-bikes. They gave us directions to climb Montjuic, site of the 1992 Olympics. Steve navigated on Google Maps and we had a scenic ride up there for the pano views, then across town mostly on separated Class IV bike lanes to Sagrada Familia and Arc de Triomf. It was a fun scenic ride but I can still recommend a guided tour to optimize your route and your appreciation of Barcelona. Choose an e-bike tour that goes up Montjuic for the views and sights up there. Cost: 32€ for half day, booked direct
COSTA BRAVA REGION NORTH OF BARCELONA
While not a viable option for a day trip from the Barcelona port, many cruises start or end in Barcelona, allowing for excursions farther afield on those extra days you may have. We rented a car in Barcelona and drove 90 minutes to the Costa Brava region to the north, known as Spain’s biking capital. We had arranged in advance to rent e-bikes and do a self guided tour selected by BikeOn of Palafrugell based on my criteria of beautiful countryside, not too many big hills, away from traffic, and past medieval villages. BikeOn has loaded a bunch of rides onto the Komoot app and set us up on this one, about a 30 mile (48 km) loop from their shop. The app worked brilliantly, giving verbal turn-by-turn directions. The e-mountain bikes were great on the varied terrain of pavement, gravel, and dirt. It was an intricate route down obscure lanes through the countryside, and actually went through the heart of medieval villages, which were quite impressive and had cafes where cyclists could stop for a beverage or tapas in beautiful squares. Much of the route was even signed as the Pirinexus regional bike route. Our batteries gave out a couple of km before the end, but the bikes were still OK to pedal. It was a fantastic ride and a great experience. Historic Girona to the northwest of Palafrugell has several bike rental options and tours available as well. Cost: 50€ booked direct.
IBIZA
Finally, truth be told we didn’t cycle on the isle of Ibiza, but did observe what was there. The best cycling is known to be in the more remote portions of the island, not reasonable for a time-limited cruise ship excursion. Cruise ships dock across the bay from Ibiza Town, aka Eivissa. A scenic 2 mile (3 km) bike/ped path runs around the bay from the cruise port to and past the town. However, there are no bike rentals at the port, so one needs to walk or take a shuttle bus or City Boat (as we did) to get there. The old town is a delight to walk through, with plenty of restaurants and shops to explore. Above the old town is a much older ancient town, Dalt Vila, with its fortress and cathedral, accessible via steep cobblestone streets. Bamboo Bike Tours offers a well reviewed tour that gives participants a nice history of the town, with some hills to tackle to get to Dalt Vila on regular bikes only. An e-bike concession is also located downtown. We were satisfied doing a self guided walking tour, a good workout to climb up to Dalt Vila, and relaxing time browsing the shops near the waterfront.
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