Cycle Marseille to Barcelona

Our trip starts in Marseille. An exuberant multicultural port city in southern France with a mix of grit and grandeur, Marseille was originally founded by the Greeks in the 6th century BC and has been a crossroads of immigration and trade ever since. The Tour Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 7pm for the welcome meeting and, slightly later, our first group dinner to get to know your fellow travellers. If you would like an airport transfer today, you will need to arrive into Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), which is a 30-minute drive from the hotel. There are no included excursions today and if you miss the briefing, your Tour Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up. No cycling today.

After breakfast we plan an orientation walk around old Marseille - including the old port, Place de Lenche, Place de Moulin, Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica and the historic Panier district. Later this morning we leave the city in our bus and drive for just over an hour to Porte-Saint-Luis-du-Rhone where we take a short Rhone river ferry crossing. It is here that we commence our first cycle ride into the protected lowlands of the Rhone delta alongside dikes and saltwater lakes, always close to the sea until we reach Saintes Maries de la Mer where we spend the night in the heart of the Camargue. All the cycling today is on good gravel roads. Our support vehicle has limited access to us today due to the cycle route. Strong Mistral winds can affect the region we are cycling in today and tomorrow. Please note that it may therefore be necessary to adjust, shorten or change the rides if the weather is bad. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 31 kilometres/19.2 miles on the flat on good gravel roads.

Today we continue cycling on a mixture of paved and unpaved roads through the rivers, lagoons and canals of the Camargue and Rhone Delta. The area has rich birding opportunities and we will keep our eyes peeled for wildlife including the evocative white horses and Flamingos (seasonal). On our route we will visit the fortified medieval town of Aigues Mortes. Finally we reach Villeneuve-les-Maguelone where we end our ride today. We continue by train to Sete where we check into our hotel in the new part of town and you have a chance to swim in the Med. Sete is an ancient port and the old part of town is just 20-30 minutes away by foot. Our support vehicle has limited access to us today as cannot access our cycle route. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 67 kilometres/41.6 miles (100 metres/328 feet total accumulated ascent and descent).

We leave the Camargue today and cycle to Bezier along back roads and a stretch of the famous Canal du Midi. Today's cycling ends in historic Bezier where we get on a train (1hr 30mins) to the medieval port town of Collioure. This picturesque town has a backdrop of the Pyrenees and is set around a quiet Mediterranean bay. It is known for the impressive Chateau Royal de Collioure which dominates the waterfront. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 50 kilometres/31 miles (220 metres/721 feet total accumulated ascent and descent).

Our cycle ride today involves some longer climbs and there are a few busier sections of road to be covered in the first 11 kilometre/6.8 miles. We then cycle inland on quiet back roads over the Banyuls pass, which marks the border between France and Spain. Entering Spain, we cycle south to Figueres, where we spend the night. The afternoon is left free for you to explore the town and you may choose to visit the famous Salvador Dali theatre-museum. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 50 kilometres/31 miles (670 metres/2198 feet total of ascent and 630 metres/2067 feet descent). The climb to cross the border is the only challenging one on this trip but very rewarding.

After breakfast we cycle from our accommodation off across the rolling hills of the Emporda region of Catalonia. We will take a rest stop in Empuries where you have the chance to visit the remains of one of the most important archaeological sites in Spain, where the ruins of a Greek and a Roman city lie side by side. (entrance payable locally). The beaches here are inviting and you have the chance for a swim. We continue by bike to our hotel in L'Estartit, a short walk from the Med. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 60 kilometres/36 miles (200 metres/656 feet total accumulated ascent and 230 metres/755 feet descent).

This morning we cycle from our hotel through diverse scenery including stops at the lovely medieval villages of Peratallada and La Bisbal. Our route continues across low hills covered with oak tree forests before reaching the port town of Palamos. Our bus ride to Barcelona should take 1.5 hours, arriving in the late afternoon. The Leader will arrange a final group meal to celebrate the end of the trip in this marvellous city. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 55 kilometres/32 miles (370 metres/1213 feet total accumulated ascent and descent).

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Barcelona. There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like an airport transfer today, you need to depart from Barcelona-El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport (BCN), which is about 30-45 minute drive away.