Gravel road through the green volcanic landscape of La Garrotxa

Girona, Catalunya, Spain · Limited to a small group

Girona, by gravel.

Volcanic backroads, Costa Brava coastline, and the medieval streets that built modern road racing — all ridden from a 17th-century farmhouse in La Garrotxa.

A six-day gravel journey · October 11–16, 2026

Arrive & depart Barcelona–El Prat (BCN)

5
Days of riding: ~370
Km total: 4
Routes + rest: 1
Basecamp hotel

The idea

Girona has quietly become the gravel capital of Europe.

Girona has quietly become the gravel capital of Europe — and for six days, it's yours. This is a tour built around real riding, real food, and real rest, with every detail of logistics handled so the only decision each morning is which jersey to wear.

Tucked between the Pyrenees foothills, the volcanic plains of La Garrotxa, and the rugged Costa Brava coastline, the roads and trails around Girona offer an almost unfair variety of terrain — quiet farm tracks, ancient drovers' paths, pine-forest singletrack, and the kind of empty backroads that made this town a training ground for the pros.

We base ourselves at one fixed hotel for the entire week, riding out and back each day, so there's no packing a bag after a hard ride — just a pool, a porch, and dinner waiting.

Gravel + one road day
Small group
Bike rental available
All meals included
Wine & coffee stops

A restored stone masia covered in ivy, surrounded by cypress trees and the wooded hills of La Garrotxa

Home base · hospitality partnership

Off Grid, La Garrotxa

A restored 17th-century masia set deep in Catalonia's volcanic countryside, fifteen minutes outside Girona. Rustic-luxury rooms, a resident chef cooking KM0 seasonal dishes family-style, an honesty bar, a big pool, and a dedicated bike workshop — built for cyclists who also want to slow down.

We stay here the entire week, riding loops out from the front door so unpacking happens exactly once. Our partnership means the house is ours: our own chef's table, our own workshop space, and a schedule set around riding rather than hotel hours.

Rooms: 10 ensuite private, cozy rooms
Dining: Communal, locally-sourced
On-site: Pool, bike workshop, gardens
Setting: La Garrotxa Volcanic Park

offgridgirona.com

The route, day by day

Five rides. One region.

From lakeside coffee loops to volcanic singletrack and a full coastal crossing to the Mediterranean — every day rides out from the basecamp and comes home to it.

00Oct 11 · Sunday
Travel + welcome
Touch Down, Settle In
Barcelona (BCN) → Girona → Off Grid, La Garrotxa
Land in Barcelona and take the train up to Girona (about 90 minutes) — no transfers to arrange. After check-in, we'll set you up on your rental bike and walk through bike fit before anyone clips in for real. The week opens properly over a welcome dinner at the hotel.
- MorningArrive Barcelona–El Prat (BCN); train to Girona, ~1.5 hrs
- 5:30 PMRental bike setup
- 6:30 PMGroup meet & greet
- 7:30 PMWelcome dinner at the hotel
- 8:30 PMBike fitting & full route briefing
Girona, first look
01Oct 12 · Monday
Gravel · easy-moderate
Banyoles Coffee Gravel Ride
Out to Lake Banyoles and back — coffee included
50
Kilometers
600m
Elev.
Loop
Route type
Easy+
Effort
An easygoing first day to find your legs and your gears. The loop rolls out to the glassy waters of Lake Banyoles, Catalonia's largest natural lake, with a relaxed coffee-and-lunch stop before the gentle ride back. Afternoon's free to wander Girona's Old Quarter before dinner in the city.
- 8:00 AMBreakfast at the hotel
- 9:30 AMDepart for the ride
- MiddayCoffee & lunch stop at Lake Banyoles
- 4:00 PMFree time to explore Girona's Old Quarter
- 7:30 PMDinner in Girona at Normal
Lake Banyoles
Girona Old Quarter
02Oct 13 · Tuesday
Gravel · big day
Coastal Loop Gravel Ride
Forest gravel to the Costa Brava and back
115
Kilometers
1090m
Elev.
Loop
Route type
Hard
Effort
The big day. Gravel ribbons through cork-oak and pine forest before the trees break open onto the Mediterranean — easily the most scenic stretch of the week. A proper beach lunch and a swim break recharge everyone before the return ride, with the group rolling up to the hotel for a well-earned dinner.
- 8:00 AMBreakfast at the hotel
- 9:00 AMDepart for the ride
- 1:00 PMLunch at the beach
- 2:00 PMShort beach break
- 3:00 PMDepart for the return ride
- 8:00 PMDinner at the hotel
Costa Brava coastline
Empúries ruins
03Oct 14 · Wednesday
Road · challenging
Girona Backroads Loop — Road Ride
No main roads — the quiet way into Girona and back
101
Kilometers
1417m
Elev.
Loop
Route type
Hard
Effort
Swap gravel tires for road for a day on the same backroads that pro teams use for winter training — rolling farmland, quiet climbs, and not a main road in sight. Lunch breaks up the effort in Girona before the return leg, with a relaxed dinner back at the hotel to close out the toughest road day of the week.
- 8:00 AMBreakfast at the hotel
- 9:00 AMDepart for the ride
- 1:00 PMLunch at La Fabrica in Girona
- 2:00 PMDepart back to the hotel
- 8:00 PMDinner at the hotel
Girona backroads
La Fabrica, Girona
04Oct 15 · Thursday
Gravel · challenging
Volcanoes Gravel Ride
Through La Garrotxa Volcanic National Park
88
Kilometers
1288m
Elev.
Loop
Route type
Mod
Effort
The signature ride. Volcanic cones, beech forest, and basalt-strewn farm tracks fill a day spent riding through one of Europe's most unusual landscapes — dormant volcanoes blanketed in green, right in the hotel's backyard. A picnic lunch in the park breaks up the climbing before the final return to Girona for bike return and a farewell dinner on the sea with local wine in Tossa de Mar.
- 8:00 AMBreakfast at the hotel
- 9:30 AMDepart for the ride
- 1:00 PMPicnic lunch in the park
- 5:30 PMReturn to Girona & bike return
- 7:30 PMFarewell dinner in Tossa de Mar with local wine tasting
La Garrotxa Volcanic Park
Farewell dinner, Tossa de Mar
05Oct 16 · Friday
Travel
Safe Travels Home
Off Grid, La Garrotxa → Barcelona (BCN)
One last breakfast at the hotel before check-out, then a relaxed transfer window back to Barcelona airport — plenty of time to make any flight.
- 8:00 AMBreakfast at the hotel
- MorningCheck-out
- 10AM–2PMTransfers to Barcelona Airport (BCN)