Andalusia Spain – May 7 – 18, 2025

Trip Summary

12 Days /11 Nights
Avg miles per day: 30-70
Hill profile: Hilly, this is not a tour for sissies!

We expect you to ride in all weather.

Tour Cost: $10,800/team.
That is: $5,400/person

 

Southern Spain. This beautiful region of Spain includes lush countryside as well as landscapes that will remind you of Arizona. There are hills, rivers and exquisite architecture reminiscent of the Arabian Nights. Visit the cities of Seville, Cordoba and Granada, as well as smaller towns of Ronda, Carmona and Doña Mencia.

Adventures in Tandem will again partner with Naturbike to offer this eleven night tour beginning in Seville and ending in Granada, with optional transport to the airports in Malaga or Seville. Riding will be in the 30 to 70 mile a day range. This tour is suitable to people who embrace hills!

We hope to see you in Andalusia in May 2025!

Day 1
 We begin the tour in Seville, the capital of the Andalusia region of Spain. You will have the opportunity to come early and spend a few extra days in Seville before the tour starts. We will be there during the La Feria festivities. You won’t want to miss seeing the royal palace, Alcázar of Seville, with it’s Moorish architecture, the huge Cathedral of Seville and Giralda Tower. You can also take in a Flamenco show and walk through the winding small streets in the old city or tour the Plaza de España. Seville has a lot of bike lanes. We will offer a 14 mile loop around the city. We will enjoy a dinner together in Seville.
Day 2

 

 As we prefer to ride in less busy areas, we will take you from Seville to the smaller town of Ronda, a two hour drive southeast of Seville. Ronda is unique in that the city was built around an enormous gorge. Ronda is home to the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain. You can explore the Bullfighting Museum and the Puento Nuevo or New Bridge (completed in the year 1793). As you cross the bridge, peer over the 360 foot deep and 200 feet wide gorge that the city is built above. Dinner will be on your own. Ride: 28 miles with 2200 feet of climb
Day 3
 We leave Ronda and cycle to the small town of Carmona. Along the way we will see Setenil de las Bodegas (houses built into rocks) and pass through the lovely white village of Olvera. Look up and you will see the 13th century Arab Fortress  looming above. Ride through the gates surrounding the city of Carmona and explore its medieval streets. We will enjoy a group dinner. Ride choices are 52 or 74 miles, hilly but with more down than up!
Day 4

Mezquita Cathedral

On Day 4, you will have the choice of riding 27, 55 or 76 miles along back roads into the city of Córdoba where we will be spending two nights. Our tour will be in Córdoba for its Fiesta de los Patios in the spring with open courtyards in many of the neighborhoods. Córdoba was a beacon of religious tolerance, art, philosophy and science in the 10th century when the rest of Europe was in the midst of the Dark Ages. Our hotel is in the historic Jewish Quarter of the city, very close to many places of interest. We particularly enjoyed touring the Museum of Al-Andalus Life and Calahorra Tower. Dinner will be on your own in the many restaurants near our hotel.
Day 5

Roman Bridge

We will meet a guide at 9am to take a two to three hour walking tour of the old city and the Mezquita Cathedral. This 8th Century mosque with a 16th Century Renaissance cathedral built on top is amazing in its Moorish architecture and grandeur. You will be on your own for the afternoon to see the sights. We will also offer a loop ride for those who cannot do a day off the bike. Dinner is on your own as there are plenty of restaurants, or if you like to go to bed earlier, you can grab a bite at one of the many tapas bars in the area.
Day 6
 We leave Cordoba on Day 6 riding across the Roman Bridge and then to the town of Doña Mencia. The riding today is on quiet roads through farms and olive groves. The 48 mile route is hilly, with more up than down. Take your time on the hills and soak in the incredible views. Once in Doña Mencia, we will enjoy two days at a small, country hotel that borders on a National Park and the Via Verde bike path. We will enjoy a group dinner.
Day 7

You can tour the Arab Fortress which dates back to the 9th century.

On our layover day, you can do a loop ride in the area, stroll through the quaint town, visit the Castillo de Zuheros (which is in impressive ruins) and see the Cueva de los Murciélagos (underground caves). We offer a choice of rides, but our favorite is a 17 mile loop that takes you to the white hill towns of Luque and Zuheros and the caves… and if you do not want to ride up the hill to the bat caves, we will offer bus transport and a guided tour of the natural caves. Part of the ride is along the Via Verde bike path. We will enjoy a group dinner.
Day 8

This region of Spain is called the Badlands. Many a spaghetti Western has been filmed here.

On Day 8 we leave Zuheros and we, along with our bikes, will be transported about two hours to the Benalúa area. We will ride a choice of 25 or 44 mile rides in a completely different, now desertlike landscape. We will enjoy lunch at Rosalia’s Restaurant in Gorafe. You will have the opportunity to explore some of the hundreds of dolmen’s in the area and also an interpretive museum of the area. (A dolmen is a single chamber megalithic tomb built in the Bronze age about 5000 years ago.)  We will check into our hotel – a very unique place where the rooms are all built into the clay hills. We will enjoy a group dinner at the hotel.
Day 9

Our cave hotel

We will enjoy a layover day in Benalúa. You will have the option to do a 41 mile loop ride to the preserved La Calahorra Castle from 1509, the Guadix cave homes and the Baroque style Guadix cathedral. We will also offer a hike through the badlands that you can take directly from the hotel. Dinner will be at the hotel.
Day 10
 We leave the cave hotel and cycle into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, following the old Moorish trading road from Guadix to Granada. The ride is along quiet roads with incredible views. You will see the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. After a long climb, you will enjoy a spectacular ten mile downhill and then a ride into Granada. Our hotel is walking distance to the major city attractions, but enough on the edge of town so that you won’t have to ride long on busy streets. We will be spending two nights in Granada. You will be on your own for dinner at the many nearby eateries.

 
Day 11
 We spend our last day exploring the city of Granada on foot. We will meet our guide to visit Alhambra. According to Lonely Planet, “Alhambra is Granada’s – and Europe’s – love letter to Moorish culture.” Alhambra is a fortress and palace with parts built in the 13th century. You could easily spend the day here, or you could also explore the city. You will also be reunited with your bike cases here and be able to disassemble your bike in the underground garage. We end the tour with a final group dinner in Granada.
Day 12
 Our tour ends after breakfast. However, we will offer transport to the airport in either Malaga or Seville at an additional cost.

Click here if you would like to see more pictures from our April 2019 scouting trip.

As with most of our tours, we limit the size of the tour to a maximum of ten couples. So our tours fill up fast.

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What is included?

  • Guided tour with a driver and a guide from Naturbike
  • 11 nights lodging in 3 and 4 star hotels, including one cave hotel
  • 11 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 7 dinners
  • Transportation from Seville to the start point near Ronda on Day 2
  • Transportation to Benalúa on Day 8
  • Guided tour and admission into Alcazar in Seville
  • Guided tour and admission into the Mezquita including the Bell Tower in Cordoba
  • Guided tour and admission into Alhambra in Granada
  • Transportation to the bat caves of Zuheros and admission to a guided tour of the caves
  • Luggage transport
  • Support vehicle
  • Tandem bike case storage, and movement of boxes from Seville to Granada

Note that we do not provide any bicycles. We expect that you have a tandem that is in good working order and that you are able to assemble your bike. If you do not have your own tandem, you can rent a coupled tandem from Mel at Tandems East. Mel sells tandems, so if you end up renting from them, you might get a discount if you purchase a bike from him. If you have a tandem that is not coupled it is possible to bring it, but you should make sure that all of your flights could handle the larger box. 

What is not included?

  • Airfare
  • Meals, other than those mentioned above
  • Beverages
  • Admission to some points of interest that we are not entering as a group
  • Airport transfers at the beginning and end of the trip

What is the average mileage per day?

Daily mileage can be seen in the chart below. The rides in italics are optional riding. The days with shorter ride options are transfers to remote start points. As you can see from the ascent and decent numbers below, there are lots of hills in Andalucia. This cycle tour is for intermediate level cyclists. You should be able to ride 50 miles with 5000 feet of climb, although you have all day to do this.

Day Route Miles Ascent Descent
1 Around Seville 14 500 500
2 to Ronda 28 2200 3400
3 to Carmona long
to Carmona short		 73
52		 4500
2700		 6100
3800
4 to Cordoba long
to Cordoba medium
to Cordoba short		 76
55
27		 1800
1800
1100		 2200
1500
1100
5 Loop Ride
 33 3000 3000
6 to Doña Mencia (we will be available to shorten this ride if you need it) 48 4200 2700
7 Subbetica Loop
Caves Loop
Caves and Towns Loop		 48
8
17		 4200
1600
2100		 4200
1600
2100
8 to Benalua long
to Benalua short		 44
25		 2400
1300		 3600
2400
9 La Calahorra Granja Loop 41 2300 2300
10 to Granada 34 2600 3100

Days 2 to 7

Days 8-10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where will we be staying?

While this could change, here are some of the hotels that we plan to stay in.