Outside Madrid: Private Day Bike Tours

Overview

If you are planning on spending more than a couple of days in Madrid, why not consider a private day trip outside of the city?

Within an hour’s driving distance from the city centre, you can soak up years of Spanish history and cycle through picturesque scenery on biking day trips to El Escorial, Toledo and Segovia.

With Bike Spain Tours, our private biking tours are the ideal way for small groups to enjoy a truly intimate and customized experience in Madrid and/or its surroundings with the following benefits:

• Small private groups – up to 8 peope max.
• Experienced, local bike guides – offering interesting, historical insights
• Comfortable, high-end Specialized hybrid or road bikes, with helmets
• Private transfers in a comfortable 8-seater van
• Pick-up and drop-off at your Madrid location – specifically for day trips out of Madrid

Currently, we offer the following routes

El Escorial Private Day Tour

Built between 1563 and 1584 the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of King Felipe II and was one of the biggest buildings of the Spanish Renaissance period. It is still one of the most impressive and most-visited royal sites in Spain today and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. The Monastery gets its name from a Habsburg victory at the Battle of St. Quentin in 1557, when the Habsburg forces beat the French, who were being led by the Marshal of Montmorency and Duke Emmanuel Philiberto of Savoy. To honour the victory day – August 10th – King Felipe the Second had the monastery dedicated to the memory of the saint, and the building’s layout was designed to look like a gridiron – the oversized barbecue grate on which St. Lawrence met his maker.

On this private day trip, the Bike Spain bike guide will pick clients up in our private van from their specific Madrid location and drive to El Escorial where the participants can choose between a visit inside the monastery or a walk around the grounds with its imposing architecture and beautiful gardens.

After the El Escorial visit there are two biking options. The first is a gentle ride through the nearby forest of Bosque de la Herreria to ¨the seat of Felipe II¨, a huge granite rock with wonderful panoramic views and then on to the town of Peralejo for lunch.

The other option is a more challenging mountain climb to the town of Navacerrada followed by a downhill ride to ¨Manzanares El Real¨ and its famous castle and on to the town of Soto El Real.

Both options take in some magnificent scenery and pass through many charming villages of the mountains of Madrid.

 Segovia Private Day Tour

Located to the north of Madrid, Segovia is tucked into the foothills of the Guadarrama mountains and is not only surrounded by impressive scenery but also packed with 2000 years of fascinating history and well-preserved Spanish heritage.

The Aqueduct of Segovia is the defining historical feature of the city, dating from the 2nd century, and is regarded as the most important Roman civil engineering work in Spain. Segovia’s striking Gothic Cathedral built in 1525 is also a truly magnificent building which pops into view from the small side streets as you wander your way through the city to the main square of Plaza Mayor.

On this private day trip, the Bike Spain guide will pick clients up in our private van from their specific Madrid location and first drive to the royal palace of Riofrio, located almost 20km from the city of Segovia. This royal residence was historically used by the Bourbon dynasty as a hunting pavilion and a place to rest and relax and is located in a huge woodland area with lots of wild deer.

We start our bike ride at the monument in Riofrio and continue along the plateau of the mountain to another royal palce, the Palacio Real de la Granja de San Ildefonso, an impressive building with beautiful gardens, which became the summer residence of the Kings of Spain from the 1720s during the reign of Felipe V.

From the small town of San Ildefonso, we continue pedalling on small, country roads all the way into the city of Segovia where we will have the opportunity to try out some of the local cuisine for lunch and explore the city’s main historical sights before a private transfer back to Madrid at the end of the day.

Toledo Private Day Tour

Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, Toledo was the capital of medieval Spain until 1560 and was once the most famous seat of learning in the peninsula. Every square inch of the hill rising from the banks of the Tagus River has been built upon, and the city is home to innumerable convents, churches, museums, synagogues and palaces.

On this private day trip to Toledo, we will pick you up from your Madrid city centre location in our private van and transfer south to the outskirts of Toledo where you will begin biking. The ride takes you alongside the Tagus river, the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula, through typical Toledo landscape with striking cypress trees and traditional country houses, also known in Spanish as “cigarrales”.

After crossing the ancient Roman arch bridge, the Puente de Alcantara, you will continue biking along a peaceful bike path below the city centre and on arrival at the historical centre you will have time to visit all the main sights before making our way to the Parador of Toledo for lunch in it’s traditional restaurant with some of the best views of the city.

Following lunch, we will transfer you back to Madrid.

Aranjuez and Chinchon Private Day Tour

Chinchón is one of the most picturesque towns in the region of Madrid and the one with the most character. Its location so close to the capital, only 50km, has not prevented it from keeping its uniqueness. Its brown, grey and ochre landscapes, the clusters of houses grouped on hills which shelter the unique Plaza Mayor, and its winding streets trace the life and history of this town. 


The Royal Palace of Aranjuez stands magnificently on the banks of the River Tagus. It was commissioned by Felipe II in 1561 to be built on the site occupied by the old mansion belonging to the Masters of the Order of Santiago. The story of the building of the Palace of Aranjuez is linked to the successive monarchs who, from Felipe II onwards, the mastermind behind the original idea, followed after one another and chose this Royal Site as their resting place.

On this private Bike Spain day trip we have a private transfer by van from Madrid to the town of Aranjuez, where we will view the impressive grounds of the 18th-century Aranjuez Palace.

Our bike ride will start just 6 km outside of Aranjuez in the settlement of the Real Cortijo de San Isidro. This area is notable because it was built as an experimental agricultural station in 1766 during the Enlightenment, which was inspired by King Carlos III, an enthusiastic physiocrat who was persuaded that the value of his kingdom lay more in its lands and people than in the gold and silver stored in its treasury.

From here we bike to the town of Colmenar de Oreja, where you will have the option of visiting one of the oldest wine cellars in the region, Bodegas Jesús Díaz wine, which has been making wine since 1898. Then we continue by bike to Chinchon and on to Morata de Tajuña for lunch before transfering back to Madrid by van.

What’s Included