This article was produced in collaboration with the Catalan Tourism Board
The Grand Tour of Catalonia Gravel traces almost 2,500 kilometres of dirt tracks, quiet lanes and forgotten roads across one of the most diverse landscapes in southern Europe. Spread over 42 stages organised in 5 sections and climbing more than 40,500 metres, the route links Mediterranean shores with inland plains and the rugged silhouettes of the Pyrenees. Its an invitation to riders to slow down and discover Catalonia beyond its main roads – through vineyards, forests and remote mountain villages not easy to reach. With an average stage length of 63 kilometres, it's designed as an open journey: it feels like a road movie where each rider writes their own script. Where should we start? Here are five stages that capture the landscape and cultural richness of the region.
Stage 5: Between Montserrat and the vineyards of Penedès
Depart: Manresa
Arrival: Sant Sadurní d’Anoia
Section 1
Distance: 65km | +1,421m
82% gravel · 18% paved
Some stages unfold gently. Others announce themselves from the start as something more demanding, more dramatic. The ride from Manresa to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia belongs firmly to the latter. Over 65 kilometres and more than 1,400 metres of climbing, this stage captures the essence of Catalonia’s interior landscapes, moving from forested hills to one of Europe’s great vineyard territories.
Leaving Manresa along the Camí de les Pedreres, the horizon is quickly claimed by the unmistakable silhouette of Montserrat mountains. At first it appears distant, its serrated skyline hovering above the landscape like a mirage. The track winds through woodland between Castellgalí and El Pinyot, shaded and quiet, the kind of gravel that invites a steady rhythm rather than urgency. With every kilometre the massif grows closer, its vertical rock faces and improbable towers becoming clearer as the road tilts gently upward toward Marganell.
Soon the route narrows and the mountain begins to dominate everything. A small road reveals one of the most arresting panoramas of Montserrat, its sculpted peaks rising abruptly from the surrounding countryside. Riding here carries the peculiar sensation of moving inside the landscape rather than across it. The descent that follows skirts the flanks of the massif and enters the rocky terrain of Roques Blanques, where compact dirt and loose stones thread through a rugged Mediterranean landscape.
Then, the terrain softens. Wide gravel tracks fall toward the Anoia valley and the first vineyards of the Penedès county appear, their neat rows stretching toward the horizon. The final kilometres roll gently into Sant Sadurní d’Anoia village, where the day ends among vines and the quiet promise of celebration. Worth reward yourself with a glass of “Cava”, a sparkling wine produced mostly in Catalonia using the traditional method.
Stage 11: Crossing Els Ports Natural Park
Depart: Tortosa
Arrival: Horta de Sant Joan
Section 2
Distance: 49km | +1,333m
25% gravel · 50% paved · 25% greenway
Some days on the bike unfold quietly before revealing their true character. The stage from Tortosa to Horta de Sant Joan is one of them: short on paper, but intense in spirit. In just 49 kilometres, the route climbs more than 1,300 metres, tracing a striking transition from the calm plains of the Ebre river valley, in the very South of Catalonia, to the rugged limestone mountains of Els Ports Natural Park, one of the most brutal and unknown massifs around.
The opening kilometres follow the gentle line of the Via Verda de la Val de Zafán, a former railway that now serves as one of the region’s most scenic cycle paths. Here the riding is smooth and unhurried, the track running almost flat along the course of the Ebre as it passes through villages such as Aldover and Xerta. Orchards and farmland line the valley floor, and the river seems to dictate the rhythm.
Gradually the landscape begins to fold in on itself. Leaving the greenway behind, the route heads inland on quiet roads towards Paüls, where the slopes of Els Ports rise abruptly from the valley. The road steepens, the asphalt narrows, and soon it gives way to rougher ground. The ascent towards Montsagre is demanding and irregular, with rocky tracks threading through pine forests and limestone outcrops. With each turn the views widen, revealing the distant line of the Ebre and the layered ridges of the Cardó– el Boix ranges.
From the high point, the descent begins dramatically. Gravel tracks plunge towards the valleys around Paüls, passing beneath cliffs and sculpted rock formations that give Els Ports its wild, elemental character. Eventually the terrain softens and the road rolls gently into Horta de Sant Joan, a village of warm stone and quiet squares. It was here that Pablo Picasso once found inspiration – and after a day like this, it’s easy to see why.
Stage 23: The high balcony of Pallars: A Pyrenean solitude
Depart: Espot
Arrival: Sort
Section 3
Distance: 55km, +1,149m
65% gravel · 35% paved
This stage is not merely a transfer between valleys; it is a high-altitude pilgrimage through the silent cathedrals of the East Catalan Pyrenees. Leaving the quiet streets of Es-pot, the journey begins with a 12-kilometre ascent that demands both respect and rhythm. The air grows thin and cool as you climb through dense stands of fir trees – a shadowy, emerald tunnel that isolates the rider from the noise of the modern world.
As you crest the Coll de la Creu d’Eixol, the forest suddenly yields to the sky. This is the moment every rider seeks: the transition from effort to awe. Before you lies one of the most prestigious stretches of gravel in the entire range – a natural balcony suspended between the earth and the heavens.
The track toward Llessuí is mindblowing. It winds along the mountain’s spine, cutting through immense alpine meadows where the only witnesses are grazing horses and the distant, jagged silhouette of Pic de l’Orri. This is “slow cycling” at its most profound – 65% gravel, surrounded by an infinite, pastoral silence that feels almost sacred.
The descent through the Vall d’Àssua is a long, sweeping reward. You shadow the Berasti river, passing the ghost-like remains of abandoned ski stations before the gravel gives way to the smooth flow of asphalt. Gravity pulls you through the medieval hamlets of Sorre and Altron, eventually delivering you to Sort. Here, by the rushing Noguera Pallaresa river, the day ends where the water begins, deep in the heart of Pallars Sobirà, one of the wildest counties in Catalonia.
Stage 26: Pedraforca’s embrace
Depart: Gósol
Arrival: Bagà
Section 4
Distance: 43km, +841m
66% gravel · 34% paved
This stage is a journey around the limestone soul of the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees: Pedraforca. Leaving the stone-clad streets of Gósol – a village that once captured the imagination of a young Pablo Picasso in 1906 – the route immediately plunges you into a landscape where geology dictates the rhythm. The initial descent toward Saldes is a fast-flowing prelude, with the iconic "double peak" of the mountain looming ahead like a silent, broken cathedral of rock.
As you leave the asphalt behind in Saldes, the true spirit of the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park begins to unfold. The climb toward the Mirador de Gresolet is a sensory transition; the air sharpens, scented by fir and beech forests, as you reach balconies that offer dizzying views of Pedraforca’s sheer north face. From here, the journey turns into a high-altitude traverse along a rugged forest track. To your left, the vertical grey walls of the massif; to your right, the deep, emerald void of the Gresolet valley.
The ascent culminates at Coll de Torn (1,915m), the stage’s silent apex. This is "slow cycling" at its most visual – a rhythmic crawl across the mountain’s southern flank where the light plays hide-and-seek with the limestone crags. The descent that follows is a long, rewarding glide through shifting ecosystems, where high-alpine meadows gradually surrender to dense forests of Scots pine and oak.
The final act of the day is a masterclass in industrial heritage. Joining the Via del Nicolau – a century-old timber railway transformed into a cycling path – the route becomes a playful dance across wooden suspension bridges and through hand-carved tunnels. The path eventually leads you into the heart of Bagà. Entering its medieval porticoed square, you feel the weight of history next to one of Catalonia’s most sacred mountains.
Stage 35: The golden hour of the Empordà: a coastal mosaic
Depart: Castelló d’Empúries
Arrival: Pals
Section 5
Distance: 69km, +310m
72% gravel · 24% paved · 4% greenway / cycle lane
This is an invitation to exhale. It is a day where the heavy gears are left untouched, replaced by the steady, rhythmic hum of tyres on gravel. This is the Empordà at its most cinematic: a passage from the wetlands of the north to the fortified heart of the south.
Departing the ancient Castelló d’Empúries village, the route dissolves into the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà, a protected wetlands area. Here, the landscape is a liquid mirror of floodplains and sky, where flamingos and herons take flight against the distant, jagged silhouette of the Pyrenees, covered by snow on the top during the winter and autumn. The tracks are wide and forgiving, carving through a patchwork of rice fields and orchards toward Sant Pere Pescador, a town defined by the Tramuntana wind and the slow drift of the Fluvià river.
As you shadow the coast toward L’Escala, the scent of salt gives way to the earthy aroma of pine and limestone as you approach the Montgrí Massif. The 13th-century castle stands as a silent sentinel over the Baix Ter plain, a fertile mosaic of canals and ancient farmhouses.
The final act is a masterclass in Mediterranean heritage. The gravel snakes through Ullastret and La Bisbal, where the spinning of potter’s wheels still provides the soundtrack to the streets. The day concludes in a crescendo of golden stone: the medieval jewels of Peratallada and Pals, village also known for its own rice variety. As you roll into the shadow of Pals’ Romanesque tower, you aren’t just finishing a stage; you have just transitioned from mountains to the sea.
