The three top MTB tours in the Basque Country
1 whaler tour
Always along the old watchtowers on the Basque coast between Hondarribia and San Sebastián - where the whalers once looked out for prey. Spectacular, challenging trail on the steep coast. Grippy sandstone makes technical sections a little easier. You can return by shuttle or train - but only after a dip in the cool Atlantic waves on San Sebastián beach!
Start Hondarribia
Goal Donostia/San Sebastián, return journey by train or shuttle LENGTH 32.61 km
Altitude metres 873 m
Depth metre 879 m
2 Smugglers' trails
Hundreds of Franco's opponents once used the passes of the Atlantic Pyrenees to reach safety in the French Basque country. They used smugglers' trails that were hundreds of years old. Our bike tour combines a few of these old trails to create a challenging tour. Technical trails alternate with varied tracks, garnished with sea views and mountain panoramas. The highlight is the 905 metre high Larrun with sweeping panoramic views over the sea and Basque mountains.
Start/Finish Urrugne, France
Length 34.6 km
Altitude metres 1550 m
3 Cliffs in Bizkaia
Spectacular coastal tour: on cliffs over narrow paths to the coastal town of Armintza, back through the hilly inland. Few carrying/pushing passages, but plenty of flow and short, technical trail sections.
Start/Finish Getxo, Algorta metro station
Length 61.5 km
Altitude metres 1622 m
The GPS data for the three Basque Country tours can be downloaded free of charge in the download area below this article. The link leads to the Delius Klasing online shop. After registering once, you can add the GPS data (free of charge) to your shopping basket and then receive it for download or by e-mail.
The most important information about the Basque Country MTB region
Journey
By car: From Frankfurt across France, it is around 1500 kilometres via mostly toll motorways to Hondarribia on the Spanish-French border.
By plane: Bilbao airport is served by direct flights from German airports several times a day all year round, and also from Berlin in summer. Flight time approx. 2.5 hours. To San Sebastián with a change of planes.
Precinct
"4+3=1" was a favourite graffiti of Basque nationalists for a long time. This is because the Basque Country in the north of the Iberian Peninsula consists of four Spanish and three French provinces and stretches from the Bay of Biscay to the western foothills of the Pyrenees. However, there is no common Basque state. The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, which belongs to Spain, is made up of three provinces: Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Araba.
The best surfing beaches in Europe are located between the urban centres of Hondarribia on the French-Spanish border, fashionable San Sebastián and today's hip cultural city of Bilbao. Behind the cliffs, the first peaks are already scratching the 1000 metre mark. Further inland, the mountains quickly reach 1500 metres.
The entire area is criss-crossed by a network of fine trails and pistes, which require a certain level of fitness due to their jagged altitude profile. Kilometres of trails unfold along the sometimes bizarre Basque cliffs, which also require safe riding technique. The flow is occasionally interrupted by short stretches, but the spectacular views and challenging routes immediately make up for the one or other short interruption.
Communication
Kaixo! A simple hello in the local language elicits a smile from many Basques. After all, Basque is considered extremely difficult to learn. Hardly any locals expect tourists to have even a rudimentary command of this ancient language full of awkward tongue twisters. Spanish is also the official language, however, and in the cities you can get by with English.
Best time to travel
The climate is mild all year round. In winter, the thermometer rarely drops below zero degrees, while the average temperature in the summer months is a maximum of 26 degrees. With just under 130 days of rain, Bilbao and San Sebastián are among the wettest cities in Europe. But: a day can start with rain and end with sunshine from midday. The driest months: May to September.
Bike tours and accommodation
Trail weeks in the Basque Country can be easily organised by yourself, but the best routes can only be found with a guide and shuttle.
Basque MTB is a small but excellent organiser of bike trail trips in the mountainous region between the Pyrenees and the Atlantic. Basque MTB also offers bike hire and a shuttle service for freeriders and enduro riders. Accommodation in charming bike guesthouses.
Further information: www.basquemtb.com
Accommodation near Bilbao, country house with beach views: www.telleri.com
