Vies Verdes in Spain

In March 2024 my sister and I biked a Vies Verde from the Costa Brava to Girona, Spain and searching for ways to navigate from the Spanish coast to the gorgeous and ancient inland city of Girona proved to be a bit of a challenge...since I didn't know what the Green Way system was called and none of the existing blogs made it clear that there is an extensive network of amazing bike trails throughout Northeastern Spain. So, this blog is for all those folks that are looking to ride through a beautiful mix of city and country on well maintenance bike routes that are well designed and easy to follow.

To save you the hassle, here's the link to the Vies Verde website: www.viesverdes.cat/en/

These routes, which are on a mix of packed gravel, asphalt, dirt, packed sand and cobble stones, connect bikers to a few of the lovely little towns just south of the French border, including Sant Feliu de Guîxols, Girona, Banyoles, Figueres, Ripoll, and you can even take them across the border into the Pyrenees Mountains in France. 

We decided to start our trip in Barcelona, so for those folks that want to figure out how to get from Barcelona to the Vies Verdes/Carrilet II, read on!

Getting on the Vies Verde in Sant Feliu de Guíxols

Our adventure began right in the heart of Barcelona, in the Eixample. We were short on time so, we took the Renfe Train up the Costa Brava and then biked from the town of Blanes to Sant Feliu de Guîxols. 
HOWEVER, you could absolutely bike the whole way and I'll share what that ride is like as well.

If you opt for the train ride, good news! It's like €8 for the Renfe from Barcelona north and you can stop at any sweet little coastal town to start your ride. 
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Atenció- Not all trains allow bikes, but most do!
Here's a link to which trains can accommodate bikes
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Awaiting the Renfe train at Barcelona-Sants station.

For the coastal ride, before joining up with the Vies Verde, we used google maps and Ride with GPS to explore some options. I highly suggest Ride with GPS because it gives you the elevation change, it allows you to move your routes off roads and it's designed for cyclists. 
From Barcelona --> north there is a Passeig Marítim that parallels the ocean and the train tracks and it's stunning. When this road ends there are other frontage roads that you can hop on. 
We did our ride in the winter (which was sunny and about 65 degrees every day but all of the camping areas are closed this time of year.) During the summer you'll have plenty of options for campsites to stay at, and by campsites I mean coastal resorts with RV parking, tent camping, as well as bungalows, bathroom facilities, pools, bars, etc. but you'd probably want to book these in advance. 

Adjusting some bike gear and then walking through the coastal market in Blanes.

A trail near Paplús that is nearly bikeable, but awards you with amazing views.

In Blanes the train heads inland. This is where we hopped onto our bikes. There happened to be a market right on the beach front, which would have been a great place to grab pair of sunglasses or some clean underpants if we were in need. There are markets all up and down the Costa Brava though, so if you time your trip right you could enjoy them every day of the week: Here's the list of markets!

​Once you leave Blanes you can find coast roads and even hiking trails that are partially rideable if you want to stay close to the ocean but it'll add a lot of time to your trip. 
All of the bike routing apps suggest getting on GI-682 and you should absolutely do that. Someone wrote a tribute to this route because it's just that fabulous. Check out the Tribute to Costa Bravas Most Beautiful Road to Ride here. ​

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GI-682 which is also called Ctra. Accés Costa Brava, Av. Vila de Tossa, Ctra. Blanes a Sant Feliu, and other names depending on the section of the road, has a ton of elevation change, but it is all equally matched as it meanders along the rugged coast. It feels like biking near Big Sur in California. Blanes to Sant Feliu was 3,185 feet in elevation gain according to Strava and just 30 about miles. We passed and crossed paths with probably 50 cyclists. Although the road rarely has a shoulder, it is so twisty that drivers don't get going much over 30 miles an hour. Also, let's take a minute to praise Europe for not having SUVs! Every car is a sedan or hatchback or a super small flat bed truck, so it's easy to see over and around them. AND the drivers can see you because they are right at your level when you're riding a bike. Smaller cars make this ride feel SO much less treacherous than the Oregon Coast or Californian coast where you can expect logging trucks and huge lifted pick-ups to pas your regularly. 

We got a very late lunch in Tossa de Mar because the GI-682 goes right through the town and then rolled into Sant Feliu de Guíxols around 4pm. We'd timed our ride perfectly so that we could meet a guide and do a Via Ferrata to cap off our day. Since we were there is the quiet season, almost all the hostels were closed in town, but we were very happy to spend a cozy night at Hostel Chic since we'd packed light and just brought clothing, snacks and repair stuff for our multi-day bike tour. 

The start of the Vies Verde from San Feliu de Guíxols to Girona.

The next morning we got breakfast at 8:30am which is pretty early for Spain, but a sweet bakery around the corner from Hostel Chic was open and a pigeon was causing chaos inside, which was an eventful way to start the day.  Back at the Hostel we packed up and returned the key to the manager. In a mix of French, Spanish, Calatan and English we chatted with a couple who were also embarking on a long bike ride. They too has stored their bikes in an empty room in the Hostel and were setting off bright an early. 

​The Vies Verde starts right in town. At first it's a red bike lane that leads you through the narrow streets and eventually it becomes a sandy path, separated from the roads and heads off into the hills.
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The Vies Verde is extremely well marked, and there are tons of intersecting routes, so if you wanted to adventure off to amazing sites you'd have plenty of options. I would have loved to do a short ride out to Tren Pinxo. 

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I worked as a program director for the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition for a few years, so I often consider what makes good infrastructure and the thoughtfulness of the Vies Verde is kind of mind blowing. To me, good bike infrastructure is about connectivity. Having a mix of terrain and classes of bikeway are fine as long as you can get where you need to go and access what you need to access. It would be a breeze to bike commute from Sant Feliu de Guíxols to Girona daily. There are protected bike lanes, separated bike lanes, on road bike lanes and there were even art exhibits along side the green way that told the history of the rail system that this path evolved out of. In addition, Spain has a really great rubbish system where every few blocks you can find a place to drop off your paper, plastic, glass, compost or rubbish. As a bike rider, I really appreciated that the road took us into towns where we could get a bite to eat, past rubbish stations and then back into the hills and farmlands. It made it just that much easier to enjoy the ride, feel well taken care of and keep the space clean. 

We rode to Girona and had no trouble locking up our bikes so that we could tour the city on foot. This was the end of our short trip and we took a train back to Barcelona late in the evening.
HOWEVER, there are epic bike routes around all Girona, including bike packing routes road riding, the famous cobble stone corridors, and mountain biking. And of course, you can hop back on the Vies Verde and continue on to Olot or Camí Ramader.
As a short recap, the Vies Verdes are really accessible and suitable for riders of many different abilities. (I would not say the same for the GI-682 route.) The Vie Verdes have some elevation change but the grades are very gradual. There are places to eat, pee, dispose of trash and rest along the way so you really don't have to bring much. When the trail passes through a town, you often ride right by a bike shop. In addition, the Vies Verdes website has a route planning section that shows you where you can find repair stations.
It does get colder in the mountains than at the coast, so be prepared for different weather as you make your way inland. We packed light and were grateful to have a puffy jacket and a rain layer.
The Vies Verde is used by lots of people all the time, so as with any trail, be respectful, pass other trail users at an appropriate and safe speed that is similar to their speed of travel, and if you aren't from Northern Spain, learn a few polite phrases in Catalan. Here's just a few phrases to get you started. 

Girona