Murcia cycling tour

Arrive in Murcia by public bus or private taxi and settle in at your hotel. Later, as the sun goes down, venture out on a stroll, revel in deliciously warm temperatures and take to a terrace for tapas.

Kick the week off with a 45-minute transfer to Bullas, try out your bike then hit the road. Or rather the ‘Via Verde’ rails-to-trails bike path! Stretch your legs part-way through on a wander in the hilltop village of Cehegín. Add an optional extra loop on quiet country roads pedalling past flower farms and vegetable fields on the River Argos.

Today’s adventure ends in Caravaca, one of the world’s five Holy Cities, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana. The splendid local church, part of an impressive 1617 fortress, confers Eternal Forgiveness to pilgrims who journey here during a Holy Year.

Challenge: 38 km / 23.6 mi, 300 m ascent, 330 m descent

Roll along past irrigation channels and elm groves riding from one fountain to the next. Stumble upon Roman and Christian sanctuaries and inspect ancient settlements representing every era from Paleolithic, Argaric, Iberian and Roman eras to Medieval times. After a first tough ascent to Archivel, a way-marked route leads to tiny villages and farmed fields. Riding downhill to La Encarnación, your day finishes with a short section on an unsurfaced GR track. Back in Caravaca, pause at Plaza del Arco to admire the statues of “Moros y Cristianos”, Moors and Christians.

Challenge: 46 km / 28.6 mi, 450 m ascent, 450 m descent

Don’t let the route profile put you off. Today’s ride might look demanding, but you’ll take on both steep 150-metre ascents in the first half. After that you glide along on pleasant terrain, cycling mainly downhill with another section on the greenway. Moratalla makes for an excellent lunch stop where steep lanes wind to a 15th-century Christian fortress and 16th-century church. Pedalling onward you hit huge olive groves, endless orchards and farmed fields. Wherever a tiny bit of water wells up, the almond trees and vegetable gardens magically reappear, as do the rice fields near Calasparra.

NOTE: today's hotel is located in an industrial area on the outskirts of Calasparra but it is the only hotel open in this place currently. It is located 1.6km by bike from the center and works with a restaurant about 100m away. For dinners, the hotel can help you to arrange a taxi to go to the town if desired.

Challenge: 43 km / 26.7 mi, 450 m ascent, 740 m descent

Take time to tour the main monuments in Calasparra or cycle an optional 13 km loop to the sanctuary honouring Our Lady of Hope. Ride next through a peaceful remote area to calming cool views over Alfonso XIII Reservoir. Rolling toward the Río Segura, you cut through a patchwork of almond and apricot orchards, a symphony in pink during the spring bloom. The final 6.5 km go alongside the river into lively Cieza.

Challenge: 46 km / 28.6 mi, 480 m ascent, 630 m descent

Waterways mark the route to Archena as you cycle the Segura, snaking alongside ancient irrigation channels. Get ready for a sudden change of scenery in exotic Ricote Valley, somehow reminiscent of Palestine with a jade-coloured river between dry slopes and exotic oases of orchards studded with palm trees. The 15th-century white-washed villages of Abarán, Blanca, Ójos and Ulea represent Murcia’s last Moorish stronghold and peaceful inland lanes circle back to Murcia.

Challenge: 58 km / 36 mi, 200 m ascent, 340 m descent

Book an extra day in Murcia to rest and relax, do some shopping or tour the gardens south of the city. Test your legs on the optional ascent to the ridgetop sanctuary at Fuensanta, home to Murcia’s patron saint. The 1694 Baroque church is a national monument complete with café serving tasty snacks with fab views.

Challenge: 18 km / 11.,2 mi, 90 m ascent, 90 m descent