The distances covered are in the 60-70 km range most days, and it is a warm place, with the... Diarmuid Mulherin, 2018 See more reviews
Itinerary Expand all Seville to Cadiz Day 1 Arrive Seville Make your own way to Seville. We recommend arriving early or arranging extra nights to ensure you spend as much time as possible in this magical city of international fame. Its culture, history and folklore make this an exceptional tourist destination. Legend tells us that the city was founded by Hercules and its origins are linked with the Tartessian civilisation. Now it is the capital of the Andalucian region and most widely known for its ornate Alcázar castle complex, built during the Moorish Almohad dynasty, and its 18th Century Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza bullring. The Gothic cathedral is home to the tomb of Christopher Columbus and a famous belltower; the Giralda. The birthplace of Flamenco is generally accepted to be this area of Andalucia, and Seville is the perfect place to enjoy an evening show alongside your traditional cuisine. Day 2 Using the network of cycle track head north-east to reach the historic walled town of Carmona Leave the city using its extensive network of cycle tracks. Head north-east to reach a dedicated cycle route on a good dirt road beside the river Guadaíra. Cycle amongst flat landscapes of cereals and sunflower plantations, you will pass several small towns before you reach the historic walled town of Carmona, which boasts several churches, palaces, and an imposing Arab fortress. There are some sections of rough dirt track on this day. Meals included: Breakfast Day 3 Enjoy a flat day of cycling through small traditional towns towards Montellano Leaving picturesque Carmona you ride south, a delightful route along quaint country lanes overlooked by sunflowers and olive groves. Today's ride takes you through several small, traditional towns where you can enjoy a refreshing drink in one of the many bars along your route. Finish in the small town of Montellano with its pink marble buildings and natural monuments; perfect for an evening of relaxation. Meals included: Breakfast Day 4 Pedal along quiet country roads and the 'Via Verde' cycle lane with the mountains of Grazalema as your backdrop From Montellano you can see the mountains of Grazalema far in the distance. Today you will experience some hills, but not mountains, as the cycle takes you into pristine Mediterranean forest. Most of the cycling is along very quiet country roads, except for a section (about 8km) along a 'Via Verde' (a disused railway line now used as a cycle lane). You will cycle past the typically Andalucian town of Puerto Serrano; a good place to stop for lunch. You end in Arcos de la Frontera; one of Andalucia's most dramatically positioned pueblos blancos (white villages). Meals included: Breakfast Day 5 Follow the river Guadalete through Mediterranean woodland and agricultural land, on undulating terrain From Arcos you pedal across undulating terrain, following the river Guadalete downstream along quiet country roads. Mediterranean woodland and agricultural land characterise the landscape. There are many small villages to stop along the way for a welcome break! The town of Jerez holds worldwide acclaim for its sherry and brandy production, but is equally famous for its fine horses and Flamenco music and dance. Meals included: Breakfast Day 6 Reach the sea today and the ancient city of Cadiz, thought to be the oldest city in Western Europe Heading south today, you reach the sea and the ancient city of Cádiz. The ride will take you into the stunning small town of El Puerto de Santa Maria, where there are many restaurants tempting you with the fish catch of the day. Cádiz is the oldest city in western Europe, with monuments such as the grandiose structure of the Cathedral Nueva, and the red brick building of the Gran Teatro, along with the stunning beaches are enough to encourage any visitor to fall in love with it. Your ride will end along the beach cycle paths, and lead you to your last Parador for one final night of luxury. Meals included: Breakfast Day 7 End Cadiz You trip ends after breakfast in Cádiz. If you have time it is possible to arrange additional nights here, or there are regular trains back to Seville taking around 1h 35mins. Meals included: Breakfast
Paradors & Hotels On this trip you will stay in 3 different Paradors. A Parador is defined as 'luxury accommodation in a traditional building' and Andalucia is an excellent place to experience some truly stunning accommodation. Highlights include an impressive Arabic castle from the 14th Century in Carmona, an historic noble house in the centre of Arcos and a 19th Century palace in the centre of Jerez. In Seville and Cadiz the centrally located hotels are 4-star, and in Montellano you spend the night in an authentic Andalucian hacienda surrounded by almond and olive groves. Most of the accommodation have pools, but please be aware that these are open on a seasonal basis. All prices are based on 2 persons sharing, so if there is an odd number of people travelling in your party or you are travelling alone, there will be a compulsory supplement for a single room for the tour duration. For a solo traveller there is an adttional charge to cover transfer costs.
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Reviewed June 2018 wendy fairhurst Trip: Self-guided Cycling in Andalucia: Seville to Cadiz beautiful towns , pleasant cycling The towns/cities where you stay on this trip are beautiful and the accommodation in the paradors and hotels is lovely . The cycling is pleasant rather than spectacular with the first and the last day being through quite a lot of built up urban areas. You are on cycle tracks/cycle lanes for the most part though and Spanish drivers are very courteous to cyclists. The middle 3 days are through pleasant arable countryside on very quiet roads. The cycling is not too challenging but if it is a hot day could feel demanding. Plenty of water is needed. Food is brilliant and the seafood recommended on the last day is fantastic. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Cycling up to the destinations on all days was great. The lovely fortress in Carmona, beautiful hacienda, the parador at the very top of Arcos, lovely hotel in a beautiful square in Jerez and the modern parador in Cadiz after cycling along the promenade. What did you think of your group leader? We were self guided - the instructions were very good on the whole - a few mistakes but with the help of the maps we were able to work it out. It was like a treasure hunt! Made it more of an adventure Do you have any advice for potential travellers? The instructions into Arcos were confusing and we ended up pushing our bikes up through the very steep street to the parador. However when we saw the way we should have cycled we think we took the best option as the correct road was steep, busy and quite narrow. Evening meals in the paradors and hotels were not usually as good as the food in the surrounding tapas bars . On the last day there is an option to take a ferry rather than cycle the whole way. We cycled the whole way but I think the ferry would have been the better option - after the point at which you can catch the ferry - for the most part the cycle is through urban areas and salt marshes and is not very picturesque. Cadiz , on the other hand is beautiful and there is a wonderful pool area at the parador. It would have been nice to have had a bit longer there. In the parador in Cadiz there is an option to upgrade for 60E - we did this and were given a most spectacular suite overlooking the ocean which was used by the King of Spain. It was amazing and well worth the money. ( The other rooms are lovely also). Is there anything else you would like to add? We had a great holiday even though the cycling was not as picturesque as we had expected. everything was very well organised - luggage collected and delivered efficiently , bikes were decent and appropriate for the trip, instructions were clear.
Reviewed May 2018 Steven Elliot Trip: Self-guided Cycling in Andalucia: Seville to Cadiz Disappointing I’ll start with the positives. Sevilla, Carmona, Arcos , Jerez and Cadiz are all great places to visit- full of interest, fabulous food, friendly natives. The hotels were all excellent places to stay in particular the Paradors. The luggage transfers worked like a dream. The bikes were sturdy - MTB end of hybrid scale and quite heavy but necessary because of some the terrain covered. We did not struggle with the actual cycling and without pushing ourselves usually got to our hotel each afternoon by about 4. So why have I scored it 3 out of 5? The reason , sadly, is because of the route which is , I’m afraid , a bit boring. In particular the first and last days take you through semi industrial, semi rural scruffy wastelands and apart from the 30 miles or so after Montellano the best that can be said for the rest is that it is pleasant. We did a similar trip last year with another company starting in Ronda and going round the white villages and the scenery was spectacular so perhaps he bar had been set too high. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Seeing Arcos for the first time - made me think of Minas Tirith What did you think of your group leader? We navigated jointly and enjoyed interpreting the guide. Generally we found it accurate and easy to use though there were some points where it was wrong; the maps helped us triumph. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Find a bar full of locals at lunchtime- wonderful cheap food. Don’t bring your cleats - too much on off and sudden stops in the cities Make sure this is the trip for you before you start - if you want to see the city sights and have the satisfaction of doing it under your own steam then go for it. If you want spectacular scenery then there are much better options Is there anything else you would like to add? We did have a great time despite our reservations about the route
Reviewed May 2018 Diarmuid Mulherin Trip: Self-guided Cycling in Andalucia: Seville to Cadiz Challenging but worth every turn of the pedals The distances covered are in the 60-70 km range most days, and it is a warm place, with the accommodation in towns that the locals have a penchant for putting at the tops of hills and cliffs: great views but a tough cycle to get there at the end of the day. Despite all that, the distances and climbs are worth it. You get a real feel for Andalucia. Wide open plains, olive groves, vineyards, etc. The accommodation is very good and it is not difficult to find good places to eat your evening meal. Mostly the roads are quiet, but there is quite a bit that is off-road/unpaved and a few kilometres of that is pretty technical (soft sand or very rocky). The trip directions are generally very good but there are some tricky bits which require some prior study to avoid cycling on motorways! The bicycles were sturdy though a bit heavy and we had no technical issues throughout the trip. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There are some awesome views from the Paradors and the new Parador in Cadiz is a stunning building. What did you think of your group leader? Not relevant - self-guided Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Study the trip notes carefully: there are some tricky junctions. Worth looking on Google Maps and Streetview. Is there anything else you would like to add? The food and wine in Andalucia are excellent. The weather is generally dry and usually warm to hot.
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