Cycle Marseille to Barcelona
Experience Overview
A cycle journey from Marseille to Barcelona that explores the wild beauty of the Camargue, medieval villages, the Canal du Midi, vineyards, Greek and Roman remains and the inviting beaches of Catalonia. We also travel by train and bus as we cycle the most interesting sections between the historic port cities.
Catalan Emporda - Cycle through this beautiful region
Camargue wetlands - Explore the regional park and natural reserve
Mediterranean culture - Contrasts between the French and Catalan (Spanish) Mediterranean
Highlights
Week-long holiday between two important Mediterranean cities|Explore the Camargue regional park and natural reserve|Cycle through the beautiful Catalan region of Emporda
Trip Details
Product Code: 20174
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: BusBicycleFerryTrain
Guide Language: English
Tour Operator:
Explore Worldwide
Supplier Code: CFS
Starts: France
Finishes: France
Duration: 8 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
- Explore Tour Leader
- Driver(s)
Accommodation
- Hotel Carré Vieux
- Hotel Bleu Marine
- Citotel Imperial
- Hotel Princes de Catalogne
- Hotel Pirineo
- Hotel Santa Anna
- Hotel Sant Pau
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $2,770 ($346 /day)
Itinerary
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.
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Tour Operator
Explore Worldwide
A prominent adventure travel company with over four decades of experience, this business that offers a comprehensive array of unique and thrilling experiences worldwide. Catering to various interests, they provide small group journeys, walking and cycling trips, solo holidays, and family adventures.
In Business Since 1981
Reviews
Rachel - Traveled, May 2023
the tour leader Veronique and the driver were
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/24/2023
Rich - Traveled, May 2025
The route was fantastic, lots of variety in terrain, scenery, towns and villages. The only thing missing was more of a cultural experience from the guide. He did a wonderful job navigating and finding good restaurants for dinner, but he was unfamiliar with the cultural and natural history of where we were. I would have gotten much more out of the experience with some background information on the unique places we visited.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/02/2025
Michael - Traveled, May 2023
Explore Marseille which was initial visit for me.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/05/2023
Grant - Traveled, October 2023
The guide Veronica and support person Luis were excellent and made the trip very enjoyable.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/07/2023
Vicki - Traveled, September 2023
Great trip! Very varied terrain and a couple of challenging climbs. Fantastic scenery and excellent coffee stops. Super fabulous tour guide, Veronica, and awesome picnic lunches from our driver, Luis. Lots of fun and laughs, and we even learned a thing or two.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/05/2023
David - Traveled, May 2023
We had a fantastic time on the tour. Our guide Veronica was amazing, as was our driver Michel. We were a fairly small group - 9 people - but we all got along well and looked out for one another. The itinerary was well planned and in general the cycling distance we did each day was well-matched to the group. I am a keen cyclist so personally I would have liked a bit more cycling - we averaged 50km per day and I would be happy for it to be closer to 70km per day with a bit more climbing - we only really did any climbing on 2 out of 6 days. I understand though that we had a wide range of ages and ability among the group so this is not a complaint. On the downside, our accommodation for the first two nights in my opinion was sub-standard and for the amount of money we paid I expect better. The accommodation in Barcelona on the last night was also barely adequate. The other accommodation was good, particularly the hotel in Figueres. My other complaint is that despite providing my height (170cm) there were no bikes provided that were even close to the right size for me. I ride a 52cm road bike and can manage up to 54cm, but the smallest bike available for me was 58cm, which is way to big. I managed with the 58cm bike with the seat at it's lowest height but my legs were still over-extending and getting on and off was very awkward, I would even say dangerous at times. If not for these two complaints I would have given a five-star review and I still give 5 stars for Veronica and Michel. Overall though it was a fantastic tour and we really enjoyed it. We would definitely book another tour with TourRadar. Trip date: May 2023
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/12/2023
Paul - Traveled, May 2023
The ride down from Banyuls, the flamingos of the Carmargue, the harbour in Collioure are just some of the highlights for me, but the whole trip was amazing.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/21/2023
Mary-anne - Traveled, May 2025
We had the most fantastic time. Lluis or driver chef and motivator was so much fun and very organised. His lunches were what kept us riding each day. There was always some fast pedalling when we knew Lluis was not far. Veronica our guide was exceptional. She had the ability to help the group bond and embrace and enjoy every moment of each day. Her knowledge and capacity to speak across languages made our journey informative and easy to communicate. I felt safe and was never in a situation of concern. The tour bikes were exceptional. The stays were local, comfortable and very accommodating. The local restaurants were fantastic and always wonderful to taste the local fare. I couldn’t fault this trip and our crew. Most of all we have made new friends and look forward to new adventures.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/02/2025
Paul - Traveled, May 2023
The ride down from Banyuls, the flamingos of the Carmargue, the harbour in Collioure are just some of the highlights for me, but the whole trip was amazing.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/21/2023
Ross - Traveled, May 2023
Your tour leader, Weronika was extraordinary - you could not do any better; Lluis as support with transport & picnics & bikes was brilliant.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/21/2023
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