Basque Country & Navarre Cycling Climbs

Mountains

The Basque Country is not home to a single range of high mountains as is the case in many provinces throughout Spain; however, the whole region is hilly or mountainous with a great range of medium length climbs to choose from.

On the coast the climbs are often gentle, but as you head further inland you will come across more of the short, steep ascents that characterize the regions professional cycle tour - the Vuelta a Pais Vasco.

Many of the highest 'Basque' climbs are actually in the neighbouring province of Navarre, which has historically been part of the Basque world.

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Scenery

The Basque Country, like much of northern Spain, has a vibrant green landscape. A lot of the climbs away from the coast are in the trees until the top, which prevents the fantastic long views that you get from high mountains. However, the coast itself is spectacular. On a sunny day the views out to the sea, even on relatively modest climbs, are among the finest in Spain.

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Roads

The road surfaces are of a consistently excellent quality throughout the Basque Country and Navarre, and are a pleasure to ride on a road bike.

The traffic varies depending on the climb. Some are completely empty, while others can carry a lot of heavy goods traffic. Local knowledge of the area is essential.

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Getting There

The Basque Country is easy to reach. Bilbao is the main airport, but it is also possible to fly into San Sebastian (the airport is actually in the nearby town of Irun).

Both major cities, as well as the regional capital Vitoria Gasteiz, are well connected with trains from Madrid. It is also quite easy to get to the border with France from Paris.

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Weather

The Basque Country sees more rain than most regions in Spain. However, it is all relative, and it still is dry and sunny more often than not; and is generally warm enough to cycle all of the climbs throughout the year.

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Cycling Holidays

We run three tours wholly within the Spanish Basque Country. Our Basque Mountains holiday is the one that is most focused on the climbs of the region. The tour tackles Monte Oiz, Arrate, Jaizkibel, Urkiola, Azurki and much more, as it heads from west to east across the most scenic and challenging ascents in the region.

Our Basque Coast tour is a self-guided holiday along the coast. There are two route options; one which is gently rolling and quite easy, and another which has slightly more challenging routes.

The other tour is guided, with an emphasis on enjoying the fantastic food and drink in the region. The routes are generally easy, but there are optional extensions if you would wish to do some of the climbs in the area.

Our two tours in the Rioja Wine Region also enter the Southern part of the Basque Country, and tackle a couple of the very modest climbs there.

Finally, our Pyrenees Coast to Coast cycling holiday also begins in the French Basque Country. This is a much more challenging and mountainous holiday that the others, as it crosses the entire Pyrenees range, before arriving at the Mediterranean.

You can find more details about all of these tours below, click on the links to view the full itinerary.

If you would like to arrange a more hilly cycling holiday in the Basque Country, please get in touch with us, and we would be happy to put together a customized itinerary for you.