Type: Invidual tour
Guidance: GPS
Cycling type: Gravel biking
Difficulty level: 3/5
Luggage xfer: Included
Cycle on your gravel bike from the Alhambra in Granada to the Mezquita in Córdoba, discovering some of Andalusia’s most beautiful white villages along the way. Via Montefrío, Priego de Córdoba and Zuheros, you cycle through a landscape of olive groves, limestone mountains and quiet gravel roads before joining a section of the famous Via Verde del Aceite.
This gravel cycling holiday links two historic Moorish cities, following a varied route through the landscapes in between.. During the first few days, you cycle along quiet, hilly roads past white villages considered among the most beautiful in Spain. Midway you explore the Sierra de Subbética and just before Zuheros, you join the former railway line of the Via Verde del Aceite and continue along the Via Verde de la Campiña to Córdoba. Along the way, olive groves, old stations, viaducts and historic places alternate, with the impressive Mezquita in Córdoba providing a fitting finale.
Before your first day of cycling, take plenty of time to explore Granada. You can do this at your own pace. Wander through the narrow streets of the Albaicín, visit the Alhambra and, towards the end of the afternoon, walk to the Mirador de San Nicolás for views over the city and the Sierra Nevada. In the squares and tapas bars, you will also naturally get a sense of everyday life in Granada.
After your stay in Granada, your cycling holiday through the Andalusian countryside begins, with Córdoba as your final destination. You follow the River Genil out of the city and soon leave the bustle behind. Look back once more and you can see Granada in the distance, with the snow-covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada beyond it, weather permitting.
A gradual climb takes you into the hills west of Granada. You continue through olive groves and farmland towards Montefrío. The village is built against a rocky hill, with the church and old fortress rising high above the white houses. National Geographic once included the view of Montefrío in a feature on villages with remarkable views.
The next day, you continue to Priego de Córdoba. In the old town, whitewashed streets, squares and Baroque churches are clustered close together. It is a good place to explore on foot at an unhurried pace.
After that, you head into the Sierras Subbéticas. You can choose between a quiet paved route along the edge of the nature park and a firm gravel track that takes you further into the protected area. Both routes lead through a landscape of limestone, low mountains and olive groves.
In Zuheros, it is worth staying a little longer. The white village lies against the rock face above the Río Bailón. You can wander through the narrow streets, have something to eat on a terrace or leave the bike for a while and take a walk through the gorge. The Cueva de los Murciélagos, a cave with a large bat colony, is also close to the village.
After that, the rhythm of the journey changes. You join the Vía Verde del Aceite, a traffic-free cycle route along the former railway line of the Tren del Aceite. The train once carried, among other things, olive oil from the Andalusian interior. Today, you cycle over old viaducts and through railway tunnels, with rows of olive trees stretching across the surrounding hills.
Along the way, you pass former stations, some of which have been given a new purpose. You can stop for coffee or lunch before continuing. Via places such as Lucena, you eventually leave the Vía Verde del Aceite and head towards Écija.
Near Écija, you join the Vía Verde de la Campiña. Here too, you cycle along a former railway line, through the open farmland of the Andalusian campiña. The landscape is different from that of the Sierras Subbéticas: more open, with fields of grain, sunflowers and olive groves.
Step by step, you make your way closer to Córdoba. After the hills around Granada, the white villages of the Subbética and the quiet kilometres along the old railway lines, another Andalusian city awaits, ready to be explored on foot.
Duration: 6 days, 5 nights, 5 cycling days
Arrival is possible on any day.
Prices shown are from-prices; the exact price depends on your arrival date.
| 2026 | |
| Package price | |
| Price per person (for 2 travelers) | € 695 |
| Solo traveler supplement | € 365 |
| Optional extras | |
| Single room supplement | € 270 |
| Extra nights | |
| Extra night Córdoba incl. breakfast (per room per night) | € 150 |
| 2027 | |
| Package price | |
| Price per person (for 2 travelers) | € 755 |
| Solo traveler supplement | € 425 |
| Optional extras | |
| Single room supplement | € 295 |
| Extra nights | |
| Extra night Córdoba incl. breakfast (per room per night) | € 170 |
From Córdoba to Malaga (airport)
During your cycling holiday, you stay in atmospheric accommodation, ranging from cosy inns to charming two- or three-star family-run hotels. You will not find large chains here, but places with a warm, personal atmosphere and distinctive details that make you feel at home. Each location has been carefully selected so that you can enjoy comfort and hospitality to the full. Rooms naturally have a private en-suite bathroom.
You can expand each day for more information.
In the morning, we deliver the rental bikes to your accommodation in Granada. This is where your six-day cycling tour from Granada to Córdoba begins. You leave the bustle of the city behind and follow the River Genil westwards. Take one last look back for views of Granada and, if the weather is clear, the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
Halfway along the route lies Íllora, a good place to stop at a café and visit the castle and the Iglesia de la Encarnación. Then the climb to Montefrío begins. The road winds its way up through the hills and eventually brings you to the Mirador National Geographic, with its well-known view of Montefrío.
After a walk up to the Iglesia de la Villa, on the hill above Montefrío, you get back on your bike. Outside the village, it quickly becomes quiet. You cycle up and down along gravel paths and small country roads through a landscape of hills and extensive olive groves, with a few long descents and wide views along the way.
The longest descent takes you to Algarinejo, the only village en route and a good place to stop for a break on a terrace. From there, you continue towards Priego de Córdoba, which you can already see in the distance among the hills.
Once in Priego, you cycle through the narrow streets to your hotel. Later, take some time to explore the old centre, with the castle, the Carnicerías Reales and the small streets and bars around them.
Today you decide for yourself how far you want to cycle and both route options take you through the Sierras Subbéticas nature park. The shortest route takes you to Zuheros in 38 kilometres, leaving you time for a walk through the Cañón del Río Bailón, a gorge close to the village with, among other things, a suspension bridge along the way.
If you prefer to cycle a little farther, you can choose the 55-kilometre route, which takes you deeper into the nature reserve, between limestone hills and olive groves.
You finish in Zuheros, a small white village set against the hills of the Sierras Subbéticas. Park your bike, stroll through the narrow streets and find a terrace overlooking the olive groves. A peaceful end to the day.
Today you continue along the Vía Verde del Aceite. From Zuheros, you follow the old railway line towards Cabra, passing trenches cut into the rock during the Spanish Civil War, through the Plantío tunnel and across the La Sima viaduct.
At the former station in Cabra, an old steam locomotive recalls the days of the Tren del Aceite. From there, you continue through the trees towards Lucena.
After Lucena, the landscape gradually changes. The vast olive groves give way to the first vineyards of Montilla-Moriles. At the former station of Las Navas del Selpillar, you can learn more about winegrowing in this region.
The final kilometres along the Vía Verde take you to Puente Genil where you can have lunch.
After Puente Genil you can take the easier paved road (and visit the Tiscar lagune, with plenty of birds) or a more demanding gravel road.
You finish in Écija, also known as the ‘city of towers’. Baroque church towers, old palaces and squares shape the streetscape of the historic centre. After arriving, take some time to stroll through the town before finding a shady spot for a cool tinto de verano.
You leave the Baroque towers of Écija behind and, outside the city, follow the quiet Vía Verde de la Campiña. Between olive groves, grain fields and sunflowers, you continue towards Córdoba.
Gradually, the landscape changes and the city draws closer. You pass old bridges and other traces of the past before cycling into Córdoba. After six days of cycling, this is the end point of your journey.
Park your bike and walk into the historic centre. Here, the Mezquita awaits, with its hundreds of arches, as well as a maze of narrow streets, patios and small squares. A fitting place to end your cycling tour from Granada to Córdoba.
After breakfast, the cycling package comes to an end. You can continue your journey or stay another day in Córdoba to explore the city on foot. Wander through the narrow streets of the old Jewish quarter, visit the Mezquita and stroll through the gardens of the Alcázar, among ponds and orange trees.
Then take your time over lunch in a square or on a terrace by the Guadalquivir. After six days of cycling from Granada to Córdoba, it is pleasant to spend the final day without a bike and without any rush.
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