Imperial Camino 2022 Cycling and Cultural Tour

September 3-17, 2022

Please check out the daily details of our Love Spain 2022 Imperial Camino Cycling and Cultural Tour itinerary from September 3-17, 2022 below.  The route from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela is around 810 kilometers long over nine cycling days, which averages out to 90 kilometers per cycling day.  On cycling days, those who do not wish to cycle will experience intense cultural engagement and a chance to walk around and explore the places we are visiting. The trip caters to cyclists and non-cyclists alike. Non-cyclists will have their own full activities along the way with tourism opportunities and cultural engagement facilitated at each site. The itinerary also includes four rest days when all participants will be together to allow for ample joint enjoyment and relaxation at the places we will be. Anyone with a moderate level of fitness should be able to complete the trip.  Road bicycles are strongly recommended.  We will be staying in high quality hotels (including five different paradores) and historic establishments on all nights save for house accommodation the first and last night in Madrid.  Accommodations throughout will be centrally located and extraordinarily relaxing allowing you to mix biking, great scenery, tourist attractions, comfort, and a great cause!   Each registrant's fee helps us pay for a half scholarship for a Mosaic Cultural Center student!

Itinerary

Saturday, September 3

All participants need to fly into Madrid, arriving by noon at the latest. In the afternoon, we will assemble bicycles, and in the afternoon the Mosaic Cultural Center in Rivas Vaciamadrid will host a paella welcome for all participants.  We will make introductions, debrief the route, and get organized for cycling and tourism the following morning. Participants will stay in private accommodation in Rivas Vaciamadrid for the night.  

Sunday, September 4

After breakfast, we will depart for a 78-kilometer cycling ride through downtown Madrid, stopping at Retiro Park, Plaza Mayor (above), Sol, and the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium where Real Madrid play, before continuing on to the El Escorial Palace (right). We will stay close by at the lovely Hotel Exe Victoria Palace. Check out the Strava route for the day here.

monday, September 5

On the second cycling day of the tour we will undertake a short 62-kilometer route over the iconic Navacerrada Pass at 1,860 meters, followed by a beautiful downhill into Segovia where we will stay at the Parador de Segovia. Segovia’s castle (left) was a model for the Disney World castle. The Strava route for the day is here.

tuesday, September 6

Rest day in Segovia and a chance to explore this historic walled city and its Roman aqueduct (right). We will stay a second night at the Parador de Segovia from which everything is walking distance.

wednesday, september 7

We cycle nearly 70 kilometers to the historic walled city of Avila - where Teresa of Avila was cloistered. The route rolls up and down until you enter the city of Avila. We will stay the night at the Parador de Avila. The Strava route is here.

thursday, september 8

We have a short climb leaving Avila followed by an extended light downhill and rolling terrain until we reach the historic university town of Salamanca after 97 kilometers. In Salamanca we will stay at the Parador de Salamanca. The Strava route is here.

friday, september 9

Our longest and flattest stage of the tour will take us nearly 120 kilometers across central Spain farmland to the little town of Villalpando where we will stay at the quaint Posada de los Condestables. About seventy-five kilometers into the route in the town of Toro, we will stop for lunch at the Bodegas Fariña Winery which will also provide a great wine tasting tour of the facilities. The tourist/cultural group may also choose to take a tour of the famous Chillon Cheese Factory in town. Our destination lodging also boasts an in-house spa, which will feel great after a long day cycling and touring. The Strava route for the day is here.

saturday, september 10

Free day at the Posada de los Condestables to relax, use the spa, tour the quaint small town, and eat delicious meals with fresh, locally-grown produce. For the more adventurous, we plan an outing to the nearby medieval walled town of Urueña, which, according to their website, boasts 189 inhabitants, 5 museums, and 12 bookstores. It is officially recognized by Spain as one of the 100 prettiest villages in the country. Euronews recently did an article on Urueña, listing it as one of the six most beautiful villages in Spain you have never heard of.

sunday, september 11

Our 117-kilometer route takes us through more farmland as we begin to head farther north until we join the French Camino (the most transited route) to Santiago de Compostela in Astorga where we will pick up our pilgrim passports. As long as we pick up stamps along the Camino documenting our progress (minimum of 200 kilometers on a bicycle) we will receive a certificate in Latin in Santiago de Compostela when we finish recognizing us as official pilgrims. The rest of the way is on the official Pilgrimage of St. James route and we will stop at multiple places on the route over ensuing days on the way - in small chapels, ancient churches, and monasteries until we reach Santiago de Compostela. From Astorga we turn west and begin to slowly climb into the mountain range that separates Galicia from its neighbors to the east. We will stay the night in Rabanal del Camino, a small town on the pilgrim route, at a variety of local hostels, including possibly El Refugio Hosteria. The Strava route for the day is here.

monday, september 12

We start the day by climbing up from Rabanal del Camino to the Iron Cross “Cruz de Hierro”, an iconic monument on the Camino de Santiago where pilgrims place rocks at the base with prayers, thoughts, dedications, etc. attached. We then have a screaming downhill into the city of Ponferrada which we traverse until we reach our destination - Villafranca del Bierzo - after 58 kilometers of riding. We will stay at the Parador de Villafranca del Bierzo which boasts a spa and both an indoor and outdoor pool. The Strava route for the day is here.

tuesday, september 13

Free day to see the sights in and around Villafranca del Bierzo, enjoy the spa at our hotel, the Parador de Villafranca del Bierzo, and watch the pilgrims go by on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

wednesday, september 14

We begin the day with our hardest climb of the tour - up and over the O Cebreiro pass - a stage we had to call off in late May several years ago, when it snowed heavily on the way to the top of the climb. Once you crest the climb, you enter the green hills and valleys of Galicia and after a long downhill pass the historic monastery of Samos, ride through the town of Sarria and then ride to Casa Morgade, a Galician farmhouse (right) smack dab on the Camino. This 88-kilometer stage is spectacular throughout. The Strava route is here.

thursday, september 15

On our last cycling day we follow the French Camino westward for 113 kilometers until we reach our destination, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela at the heart of the city - the place rumored to be the burial place of the Apostle James. We will be staying at the stunning, luxurious Parador de Santiago de Compostela right on the central square. The Strava route for the last cycling day or our tour is here.

friday, september 16

In Santiago, we will receive our Compostelas - our pilgrim certificates - and have a wonderful, final farewell lunch together at a great restaurant specializing in Galician food. All participants, once they register, should purchase RyanAir flight FR5318 that departs Santiago on September 16 at 22:25 in the evening and arrives in Madrid at 23:35. Your bikes will arrive in Madrid at around the same time and you will be able to pack your bikes the night of September 16 in their original bags, boxes, or cases for your flight home from Madrid the following day. (All bike transport cases, boxes, and bags will be safely stored in Madrid from the beginning to the end of the trip). Lodging in the evening of September 16 will be in homes in the Rivas Vaciamadrid area - the same places you will have stayed at on the evening of September 3.

saturday, september 17

Time to say goodbye after a memorable Love Spain trip! Everyone flies home. The tour officially ends after breakfast. We will make sure we provide you as much information as possible so that you are able to navigate home. Your departure home should be from Madrid no earlier than the morning of Saturday, September 17.

Registration and Payment

In order to become an official participant in the Love Spain Imperial Camino 2022 Cycling Tour, everyone must register and pay below.  Scroll down on the registration filling in all items as you go.  Once you have completed the registration, proceed to make your payment.  

The total cost of the Love Spain Imperial Camino 2022 Cycling Tour is 1695 euros.  This payment does not include a credit card processing fee, which is also required if paying by credit card.  Payment covers all internal Spain travel during the trip (with two small exceptions noted below), vehicle backup, lodging, cycling and/or dri-fit attire for participants who have not previously been on a Love Spain event, and breakfasts during the entirety of the trip starting from lodging on the night of September 3, 2022 and ending with breakfast on September 17, 2022. The registration does cover an airport pickup in Madrid upon arrival on June 3, but does not include your flight from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid (it is a very cheap flight - first tickets already purchased at around 11 euros/ticket) or your taxi to the airport in Santiago on the evening of September 16 or from the Madrid airport to Rivas on the evening of September 16. We will however cover transport from Rivas Vaciamadrid to the Madrid airport on departure from Spain on September 17.  Lodging will normally be very high quality hotels (double occupancy) with the exception of the first and last night in Madrid in private homes .  Payment does not cover international travel, lunches, dinners, tips, snacks, drinks, entrance fees, and incidentals.  

Please note that you may also pay by wire transfer, which could save you some money as the fees, especially on Transfer Wise are less than the credit card transaction fee. Please read instructions below in the payment section to see which option (wire transfer or credit card payment) you feel most comfortable with.

Thank you for your interest in the Love Spain Imperial Camino 2022 Cycling Tour.  If you have any questions or we can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the Contact Us page.  Please note that you will not be considered fully registered for the Love Spain Imperial Camino 2022 Cycling Tour until you have fully completed and submitted your registration below and made your trip payment.  In the past, places have filled up quickly so the earlier you register and pay the better.