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This bicycle tour of Andalusia offers you a fascinating insight into the incredible beauty, and the intriguing history, of this part of southern Spain. Enjoy challenging bike rides through spectacular scenery, pedalling your way from hotel to hotel at your own pace.
On this self-guided bike tour, you will cycle along smaller country roads and paths, with a backdrop of the stunning Sierra Subbética mountain range. This awe-inspiring landscape of rolling countryside and traditional pueblos blancos (white villages) gives you a glimpse into the quintessential Andalusia.
Experience the wonder and charm of open skies and country paths that curve their way through tranquil olive groves where you can see shepherds guiding flocks into quiet town centres, where residents stroll in the late afternoon sun and gather on benches to discuss the day’s events.
You’ll stay in small, charming hotels in picturesque Andalusian villages which afford you the perfect opportunity to experience traditional Andalusian cuisine paired with excellent wines.
Day 1: Lucena
Arrival Day
Accommodation: Hotel Santo Domingo
Welcome to Andalusia and the start of an amazing bike tour!
Arrival at leisure in Lucena. The town is 60 km from Cordoba and 85 km from Malaga. Lucena is also well connected to Granada, Seville and Jaen. Please consult with our Bike Spain Tours team if you need any assistance in organizing your transfers to Lucena.
This afternoon, enjoy a walk in Lucena and discover the Gothic-Renaissance church of San Mateo, from the 15th-16th centuries, with one of the most beautiful Baroque sacrariums in Andalusia. You can also visit the castle and old palace of Medinaceli, the house of the Count of Santa Ana, and the house of Rico de Rueda. Lucena was also home of one of the biggest Jewish communities; given it´s reputation the city was known as the Pearl of Sepharad. This beautiful city offers various historical sights and ample heritage, as well as impressive surroundings.
Your accommodation tonight is a repurposed 18th-century convent, full of local character and charm – the perfect place to begin your adventure!
Tonight’s dinner at the hotel is included in your tour package. Please advise reception of your preferred dinner time upon arrival.
Day 2: Lucena – Zuheros
Route: 38 km/23.9 miles
Elevation: +690 m/2264 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Zuhayra
After breakfast, we’ll begin pedalling through classic Andalusian countryside, over rolling hills covered with endless olive trees and vineyards. Once we pass the town of Cabra, we will continue along a peaceful biking path (via verde), a former railway line once used to transport trains full of olive oil from Andalusia to the rest of Spain. Our destination for today is the charming medieval Moorish village of Zuheros, a striking example of beautiful Andalusian architecture, nestled in the Sierra Subbética mountain range.
Zuheros retains the traditional architectural style of white houses with ochre roofs, and is set at the foot of a historic Moorish castle, where we highly recommend stopping to visit the local museum, which has some archaeological finds from the bat cave on display. A visit to this cave is a must – it is a natural opening running into the mountainside, inhabited as far back as the Neolithic period. It is 4 kilometres away from the village. Apart from the cave paintings inside, there is also a stunning view of the region from its entrance. The cave is uphill, and accessible by bike for the most courageous riders or by taxi from the hotel.
At the end of the day, savor your 3 course dinner at the hotel, prepared with local ingredients. This magical atmosphere may just tempt you to stay an extra day!
Day 3: Zuheros – Priego de Córdoba
Route: 49.1 km/30.5 miles
Elevation: +863 m/2844 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Patria Chica
Today, you will enjoy a day of cycling through dramatic landscapes whilst on your way to Carcabuey which is a quaint typical white village on your way to your next destination: Priego de Cordoba.
This afternoon, take some time to stroll around this romantic, typical Andalusian village surrounded by the mountains of the Natural Park of Las Sierras Subbéticas. This is one of the stops that shouldn´t be missed on the Caliphate Route (A European Cultural Tour crossing Andalusia from Córdoba to Granada). You can stroll through the various baroque churches and a visit to the castle just behind your hotel, and accessible by the impressive Adarve balcony, is a must! The lookout is also an amazing spot to enjoy sunrise!
Before dinner, enjoy a relaxing moment in the Arab baths with a good massage to relax your soul and body.
Tonight, dinner is not included. We recommend Balcón del Adarve Restaurant or the Asador La Muralla, both located close to the hotel. Priego’s cuisine, rich in olive oil (with its own Denomination of Origin), will put a delicious end to this splendid day.
Day 4: Priego de Córdoba – Iznájar
Route: 31.7 km/19.7 miles
Elevation: +528 m/1792 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Caserío de Iznájar
Today you will enjoy a beautiful cycle route through the Sierra Subbética Natural Park, riding through endless olive trees and along quiet roads that curve around the mountains as you bike south towards the Genil River valley. Your destination for today, Iznájar, is a gem of traditional Andalusian architecture: a maze of narrow streets and whitewashed buildings, perched on a hill overlooking the impressive reservoir (with the same name).
Our route takes us up into the town to explore the winding streets and enjoy the fabulous views, before heading back down to our hotel, located just outside town beside the reservoir. You can enjoy the afternoon at the hotel pool, with amazing views over the Iznájar reservoir.
Tonight’s dinner at the hotel is included. Please advise reception of your preferred dinner time upon arrival.
Day 5: Iznájar – Loja
Route: 47 km/29.4 miles
Elevation: +1100 m/3574 ft
Accommodation: La Bobadilla, a Royal Hideaway Hotel
Today’s ride takes you through beautiful traditional villages, against a background of mountains and endless olive groves. Everywhere, the air is scented with aniseed, thanks to the numerous traditional aniseed distilleries that made the area famous.
Your destination for tonight is La Bobadilla, renowned as one of the best hotels in Spain! A luxurious 5* hotel set in beautiful grounds, La Bobadilla is a small pueblo blanco in and of itself. Spend the afternoon enjoying the hotel facilities: relax at the spa, take a dip in the outdoor pool (open April – October), or play a game of tennis, badminton or basketball.
Tonight, dinner is not included – you can choose between La Bobadilla’s three in-house restaurants, one of which – La Finca – has been awarded a Michelin star.
Note: Hotel La Bobadilla is open March 21st – November 2nd 2025. In the event that your trip falls outside this time frame, you will stay at Hotel Rural La Paloma.
Day 6: Loja – Antequera
Route: 43 km/26.7 miles
Elevation: +500 m/+1629 feet
Accommodation: Parador of Antequera
Your final cycle route takes you along quiet country roads through the foothills of the Sierra Subbética, passing through olive groves and meadows, and through the medieval frontier town of Archidona, a stage start line for this year’s La Vuelta a España. We recommend a quick stop here to visit the hilltop Moorish fortress. The route is largely downhill, allowing you to enjoy a relaxed ride into your final destination: Antequera.
The city of Antequera dates back to time immemorial, to the extent that even the Romans named it “Antikaria”, meaning “ancient”! The city’s Bronze Age dolmens have been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the patchwork of streets reflect the many different eras and cultures that have left their mark in the city over the centuries. The city is surrounded by mountains, of which the most famous is the Peña de los Enamorados (Lovers’ Peak), the base of many local myths and legends.
Dinner tonight is not included. The restaurant at the hilltop Parador de Antequera offers delicious local gastronomy with fabulous views or you could easily go from bar to bar enjoying Antequera´s vibrant tapa culture!
Day 7: Antequera
Departure Day
After breakfast, your bike tour will come to an end.
We hope you had a great time discovering the traditional white villages of Andalusia.
Antequera is very well connected with other main cities in Andalucia, and the rest of Spain on modern, high-speed trains. If you’d like assistance in planning further travels please contact our Bike Spain Tours team.
OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS:
We would be delighted to offer different day trips departing from Antequera.
Just a mere 15km from Antequera is El Torcal Natural Park, which is a UNESCO site. It is known for its unusual landforms and is regarded as one of the most impressive karst landscapes in Europe.
We are also able to organize visits to El Caminito del Rey. This is a very famous walkway pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge. The views are impressive and it´s a very fun walk along the recently renovated walkways, with a gorgeous river flowing below.
Another very popular option is to spend a night or two in the beautiful city of Granada. We are very pleased to recommend a private, guided tour of The Alhambra, a majestic Moorish palace recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Please contact us for options and availability.
Hotel Santo Domingo
Hotel Santo Domingo is set in the heart of the historic Andalusian town of Lucena.
The building was once a convent, and still has a beautiful 18th-Century cloister. Lucena has a famous Mudejar church and a Moorish castle.
Hotel Zuhayra
A small, charming rural hotel located in the center of Zuheros.
Zuheros is one of the most picturesque villages of Andalusia whose sinuous route reveals its medieval origin throughout the Natural Park and next to the Subbetic Greenway.
Hotel Patria Chica
Hotel Patria Chica offers you a unique experience, far from overcrowded places.
How about a journey through time? A stay at this hotel-museum allows you to discover a unique cultural moment of this lovely town. It’s a journey through the history, culture and customs of rural Spain at the beginning of the 20th century. Relaxation, discovery and recovery are the key words for this unique overnight location.
Hotel Caserío de Iznájar
The Hotel Caserío de Iznájar rises impressively from the largest body of water in Andalucía, the Iznájar reservoir.
Surrounded by nature, the hotel offers visitors a unique experience combining the tranquility of the lake and the beauty of the Sierra Subbética Natural Park.
La Bobadilla, a Royal Hideaway Hotel
The hotel boasts ample luxurious rooms, three restaurants and a large outdoor pool.
Set in its own 350-hectare estate, the luxurious Barcelo Hotel La Bobadilla resembles a Moorish village of white-walled buildings with tile roofs and patios evoking the different cultures that have left their mark on Andalusia.
Parador de Antequera
If there is one Parador that breaks with the trend of historic buildings and acts as a symbol of modernity, it is the Parador de Antequera.
Enormous windows allow the light to flood in from every corner and offer views of the magnificent landscape with gorgeous sunsets over the rocky formations known as the Peña de los Enamorados.
1.350,00€ – 1.450,00€
Discover the typical villages of Andalusia at your own pace with this amazing self guided bike tour.
Availability on request all year around. Start any day of the week.
| Any day of | March 21st to Nov 2nd, Nov 3rd to March 20th |
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First, I’d like to say thank you for the wonderful trip that we had a month ago. It was a dream vacation that I really enjoyed and I’m still replicating our Andalusian breakfasts here, as they were a delicious and relatively healthy way to start the day! My family of three did a self-guided tour through Andalusia over March Break. The Bike Spain Tour team was amazing, arranging our bike rentals, including procuring a smaller road bike for my 9-year-old. We loved it, and will definitely be considering doing another tour with Bike Spain. Maybe not next year, but the year after. Five star rating all around!
We have cycled with Bike Spain before and consider you to be an excellent tour company that works very hard to ensure the clients have a wonderful time. Communication is very easy. Quality of accommodations marvelous. Excellent bikes. Extra transportation arrangements definitely appreciated! Rated a 10, we especially enjoyed the customization we had for our stay at La Bobadilla.
E-bike definitely required for this trip, or at least, if you’re older even if relatively fit, they make it so much easier to enjoy the ride.
Overall we were quite pleased. I hope to ride with you again!
In general, we were very happy with our experience and with the service provided by Bikespain.
Having made it from Ronda to Finca Cortesin was a great feat for us, and we are very proud to be able to have accomplished it. I loved the smells in the routes around Bobadilla, there is some wild yellow flower that had a vanilla-like perfume that was delicious, aside from the Olive oil pressing mills we biked around. Ronda is spectacular, I am glad we took an afternoon off just to walk around the city. What we enjoyed the most was the change in scenarios between the regions, it never got boring.
Just wanted to thank you for helping us plan our self guided trip in Andalusia. We had to trim it down a little because of our schedule but it was a great time and we are so glad we were able to do some riding in such a beautiful area.
