Accommodation with en-suite bathroom
Breakfast
Transport to and from arrival / departure points - normally Bilbao or Santander, airports, ferryports, railway stations, bus stations
Information Pack (Route Guide and maps)
Luggage transport between hotels
Partial rider transport wheh the itinerary includes this within a certain day's activities

Lunch & dinner
Bicycle hire (see price list)
Holiday extension - i.e. extra nights at beginning and end of tour.

Comfortable fitted and fully-equipped bikes for your cycling pleasure. We use exclusively Trek bikes on all tours except Camino de Santiago / Lanzarote / Portugal (please request information on bike used on these tours).

You can either make arrangements to bring your own bicycles or hire Iberocycle's own models. Most airlines will carry bicycles for a small extra charge or even free. Cyclists who choose to hire will be provided with a comfortable quality bicycle to suit their particular measurements and preferences. We place great importance on getting the bikes right.

Too many cyclists on trips with other companies have complained about past experiences where they have had to put up with uncomfortable saddles, the wrong sized bike etc. Measurements are requested on booking so the right bike is waiting for you on arrival.

You are provided with hybrid-type tourist bicycles from Trek with conventional handlebars and with triple chain ring and easy-to-change gear ratios for comfortable and easy cycling. Road bikes may also be available on request.We can also provide tandems, which make for great cycling fun, and are also ideal for those with children.

Click on the images below to vist the manufactuters' websites.

Ladies bike (Trek 7.2 FX)	Men's bike (Trek 7.2 FX)
Road bike (Trek 1.5 or 1.2)	Female road bike (Trek Lexa)
Tandem (a fun way to ride, and also ideal for helping smaller children - Dawes Duet)

Equipment depends on the tour option chosen Luggage Service or Independent. Cyclists who choose to carry their own luggage will be provided with spacious waterproof panniers fitted on the rear of the bicycle. Those who take advantage of our luggage service will have their bicycles fitted with two lateral panniers with sufficient space to carry what they need for that particular day.



Hybrid bikes will carry a handlebar bag, useful for carrying money, documents, camera and lots of other useful items which may be needed close at hand. This bag is easily removed it from its click fastening and carried around with the shoulder strap. They are also equipped with a rear luggage rack and one or two panniers, or a rear rack bag to carry just what you need for each day's cycling. Road bikes carry a seat post bag if required.

In addition, all cycles are equipped with pump, spare inner tube, water bottle, bike lock and basic toolkit. Extras such as lights or toe clips are available on request. Iberocycle provides cyclists with a fine bicycle in tip-top condition to make cycling an absolute pleasure.

Childrens Bikes

Children's bikes, and child seats are available on request.

Route Guide and Maps

Full route directions and general information along with plenty of suggestions for your free days.

Each tour has its own Route Guide. This booklet is designed to provide constant suggestions for routes and activities so cyclists are never alone but enjoy a supported independence.

This Guide includes detailed route instructions along with interesting information on landscapes, towns and villages, monuments, alternative route suggestions, timetables for local trains and buses, tips on eating and drinking, an exhaustive gastronomic dictionary and a host of other useful information and suggestions to keep cyclists occupied. Routes are carefully described so no time is wasted on unnecessary deviations. Maps of the area are also provided to support the Route Guide.

Trips that include more than one night in the same destination include optional round rides of differing lengths for these free days so cyclists will never be at a loose end.

IberoCycle will pick up from arrival points in Bilbao or Santander for this tour. This includes hotels, railway stations, ferryports, bus stations and airports. The same is true at the end of the tour. Please contact us if you have an early flight or departure on the last day, so we can let you know if it is possible for us to get you to departure point on time.

Air - The closest airport is Santander Airport. However, it is a smaller than Bilbao Airport so has fewer connections. It is used as a hub by RyanAir, with connections to both Spanish and European cities. See the airports that connect directly to Santander here. Further to the east is Bilbao Airport. Here we probably have more flight options, although transfer time to the start point of the cycle tours tends to be around 90 minutes. You may find this map useful for planning itineraries by air.

Train - Both Bilbao and Santander are connected to inland Spain by the Inter-City RENFE network. Trains are relatively inexpensive. On arrival, it may be more convenient to leave the train in Torrelavega, just one stop before Santander. There is a train service along the coast from Santander; east to Bilbao and the Basque Country, or west to Oviedo and Asturias. However, this is a narrow-gauge railway run by RENFE FEVE and is rather slow and infrequent.

Bus - Santander has good connections by bus to most Spanish cities run by ALSA. Buses are economical and comfortable.

Sea - Santander and Bilbao are connected to the United Kingdom by ferries run by Brittany Ferries. This may be a fun and interesting way to travel if you have the time (the crossing takes around one day), but tends to be more expensive than the many flight options.

We think cycle touring is the ideal way to travel in Europe and that is why we are very pleased to launch European Bike Adventures, as it allows us the opportunity to offer a whole new set of experiences to people we know will appreciate them.

Accordingly we have taken our time in selecting the portfolio of cycle tours you find listed here.

A selection of hand-picked bike trips in spectacular places throughout Europe that focus on fun with the same attention to detail and quality that hundreds of our very satisfied clients have been enjoying with Ibero Cycle Tours since 1999.

Although vegetarianism in Spain is rare, there is plenty on offer for vegetarians to eat. Restaurants tend to be fairly flexible and in general have no trouble in catering for vegetarians. Please consult for further details.

IberoCycle transports luggage to the next hotel. On some stages cyclists are also transferred part of the way to avoid unnecessary climbs (details in individual route descriptions).

Cyclists do not travel as part of a group or with a guide, although they may coincide with other cyclists on the same trip.

Guests are transported to and from arrival / departure points, unless otherwise stated

Our "IberoCycle On Call" service means we are always available for help or advice.

Cyclists are provided with our own detailed Route Guide and maps for their chosen route.

Fitter cyclists may extend stages at will.

Guests on the Northern Spain tours normally spend two or three nights at the same hotel and thus have one or two free days. The Route Guide provides a selection of Free Day Routes of varying lengths for these days. These are of course merely suggestions, and guests are free to do what they like.

Personalised tours are available for groups of 4 or more riders. You may like to add extra days, choose a different arrival day, modify the itinerary.

Please contact us if you would like to personalise this tour.

Bilbao

Many people like to take the option of spending an extra night in Bilbao to visit the city and the Guggenheim Museum (Remember the museum is closed on Monday except during the months of July and August when it is open every day).

In Bilbao we work with the following hotels:

Hotel Miró - the Miró is a pleasant 4-star boutique-style hotel located just opposite the Guggenheim Museum
Hotel Spa Jardines de Albia - a comfortable 4-star hotel with spa facilities and within walking distance of the Old Quarter of Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum
Hotel Silken Indautxu - fine 4-star hotel in centre of Bilbao.
Hotel Silken Gran Domine Bilbao - excellent 5-star hotel right by the Guggenheim Museum.
Prices (including VAT and breakfast) when booked through IberoCycle are as follows:

Hotel Miró - double room from 143 € per room per night / single room from 133 € per room per night
Hotel Spa Jardines de Albia - double room 119 € per room per night / single room 102 € per room per night / triple 152 € per room per night
Hotel Silken Indautxu - double room 109 € / single room 94 €
Hotel Silken Gran Domine - double room 142 € / single room 136 €

San Sebastián

San Sebastián is another option for those who have some extra time on their hands. In San Sebastián we use the modest but comfortable and friendly **Hotel Parma. Contact us if you would like to enquire about prices. The hotel is ideally situated for the Old Quarter with its tapas bars, and is also located on the seafront.

Transport

Customers staying extra nights in Bilbao are responsible for their own transfers between the hotel and the airport. The easiest way is by taxi. There is also a bus service with departures every 30 minutes to Bilbao centre.

There is an hourly bus service from Bilbao Airport to the Plaza de Pío XII in San Sebastián with Pesanet.
Check the Bilbao Airport website for more information on transport options.
There is a regular bus service Santander - Bilbao - San Sebastián run by ALSA.

On this particular tour, when we reach the Picos de Europa, you have the option to stay in Potes or Cosgaya.

Our hotel in Potes is the Hotel Infantado. It is on the outskirts of Potes, around 15 minutes on foot to the centre. The hotel has a good swimming pool, bar and terrace, and a restaurant.

The hotel in Cosgaya is the Hotel del Oso. This hotel also has a good restaurant, swimming pool, tennis court. It is well-located for access to the cable-car at Fuente Dé. From here you can do a free day walk from the upper station and back down to the hotel. To cycle here, you would have an additional 15 / 9 miles ride and 430 meter / 1400 feet ascent.