Spain, Galicia
Galicia in the far north west portion of Spain is a little known area for bike riding but has some wonderful areas for car free riding and has very little traffic on the smaller roads. You can follow the spectacular coast which is sometimes described as resembling Norwegian fjords and travel to small fishing villages that have few tourists. Spain hasn't invested in a network of cycling trails like Germany but it does have a relatively quite and cycleable countryside. Small fishing towns and scenic beaches are everywhere in the Galicia region.
Coast of Galicia southwest of A Coruña.
Riding in northern Galicia is mostly on small rural roads with little traffic to small cities. Southern Galicia is much more industrialized and busier but has surprisingly good biking infrastructure with paved bike paths in many areas. We didn't any find any major obstacles or unpleasant areas for biking. Ferry crossings run frequently and are happy to take bikes, bridges have pedestrian/bike ways.
Galicia is a hilly area, don't expect to get anywhere in a hurry. This region is more of a tour than a point to point ride. Consider staying in one the many pleasant coastal cities and doing some out and back rides to the end of the peninsulas such as Faro de Fisterra.
The route from Portugal to Pontevedra is one of the Camino de Santiago routes. It is well marked and if in doubt about the route to ride, just follow the Camino signs and they will take you through to your destination.
Guides, Maps and Other Information
Spanish Cycling Federation. "Roteiro Dous Mares" on the Galician coast. This is a GPX track for the coast of Galicia and lots of other information. We have not ridden this GPX track northeast of A Coruña and have not opinion on the route. We rode southwest of A Coruña and had a great ride.
Cyclist Association "CRUNIA" Same information as above but more detail.
Galicia the Galician coast. Official tourism site for Galicia.
Bicigrino site. Has lots of information on the various routes including the Via de la Plata.
See the Maps and Guides page for more mapping information.
Map information
There are many cycling apps with maps available for iphone and android. A couple of the better offline apps are listed here.
Can be used to follow this route (and other routes) Click here for a KML file that can be loaded into the app. Southern Galicia Cycleway. Place the file in the maps.me bookmarks folder (MapsWithMe/bookmarks on your phone or tablet) or alternately, email/text it to your device and open the file with maps.me. Total Commander works great for managing and opening files.
Guru Maps has the ability to show map types other than OpenStreetMap, in particular it will display OpenCycleMap. KML files can be imported by "opening" the file with Guru. To import the KML file place the file in a folder or email/text it to your device, press and hold and open with the app. The route will appear in "collections." A user manual is available.
What it is Like
We rode in Galicia on two separate trips, once in the north after visiting Santiago de Compostella and once as a continuation of a ride in Portugal. On both occasions we followed the coast line because we find these areas more interesting and usually with less car traffic.
Starting at the border with Spain and riding north we were surprised to find the ride quite easy except for the hill which were expected after all this is Galicia. Small rural roads eventually brought us to a busy road but on the side was a very well developed pedestrian and bike path. I supposed this was built for the Camino de Santiago people but was easy to follow on bikes.
Following the Camino de Santiago from northern Portugal. In the south the cycleway is a mix of small roads and paths that can be ridden with a hybrid bike.
- Best Season
Galicia is suitable for bikes most of the year except for the hottest parts of summer and coldest months in winter. The proximity to the Atlantic coast keeps the weather cool most of the year. The region is not nearly as warm as the southern parts of Spain.
- Elevation Changes
There are few flat areas to ride, almost all of the route is rolling hills although not extremely steep. Near the coast there are no large mountains to cross but the route is continually either up or down.
South of Baiona at a small village. Most of the cycleway in Galicia is rolling hills and small villages similar to this photo.
- Ride Quality
Much better than the cobblestone streets of Portugal, all types of surfaces will be found on this cycleway, gravel, asphalt, concrete. A hybrid bike works best and mountain bikes tends to be too heavy for the long tour. We used 38mm tires on hybrid bikes and didn't have any problems and still made good time on the paved sections of road.
South of Pontevedra. Bike paths are present going into and out of urban areas.
- Travel Tips
A Coruña, a busy port located on a promontory in the Golfo Ártabro, is a great place to start and visit and has air and train connections to other destinations in Europe. Consider doing out and back rides to the more remote areas on the peninsulas