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We visited Spain in October 2007, for 14 days and our route followed from Malaga on the Mediterranean coast, north to Seville, Cordoba and Granada.

Road Conditions: The roads varied in condition. Mostly they were in good shape although some of the back roads could be bumpy after being patched over several times. If we had one complaint about Spanish roads it was that sometimes we struggled to find a quiet alternative to busy routes and in cities like Seville it seemed almost impossible to leave without running into endless motorways.

Maps: We used a Michelin road atlas of Spain at 1:400 000 scale and found it adequate in most cases, although sometimes it would have been nice to have a more detailed map to find back road alternatives to the busy highways. Certain roads seem to have recently been renumbered in some of the provinces.

Highlights: We were impressed by the olive trees, covering all Andalusia hills. Not far from Malaga, the Alpujarra Mountains offered beautiful if slightly challenges for cyclists. During our sightseeing in the big cities like Sevilla and Granada, we were amazed at the wealth of cultural sights in this area: churches, monasteries, Roman ruins and no end of picturesque towns, not to mention the Islamic monuments! Beautiful!

Challenges: Riding on the highway!!! Andalusian dogs!!

Camping: The campgrounds are ranked from 1st class (the most expensive) to 3rd class. If you see a sign that says 1st class you can expect to pay the better part of €20 for a tent and two people plus the extra charge for the bikes! If you go a bit inland, it is easy to wild camp.

Budget: We spent the night somewhere under the olive trees, while we were at the countryside. We preferred to take a room in Sevilla and used the possibility to wash our clothes. In Granada and Cordoba the camping grounds are not far from the city centre.

Campgrounds – 15-20 euros

Hotel – 2-star 50-60 euros, 3-star 70 euros
Cafe con leche – Between 0.90-1.20 euros
Meal in a restaurant – Menus of the day for 7-10 euros