To Cadaqués by bike: a complete route between sea, trails and wild nature

There are days when you go out on your bike and everything flows. You leave Rustik, the cycling café and bakery in Bellcaire d'Empordà, head towards the sea, head out along dusty trails, swim in a hidden cove, suffer climbing a lonely hill, and end up crossing wetlands in silence. This route is exactly that: a long, intense, and wild adventure through the most authentic Empordà.

The first few kilometers are easy going through open fields, to warm up your legs and mind. The route progresses comfortably to Roses, with open views and a good pace. From here, things get more serious: we enter Cap de Creus and the terrain becomes more rugged and wild. Around kilometer 50, Cala Montjoi appears, one of the great gifts of the route. A perfect place to stop, rest a bit, and, if it's hot, swim in clear, deep waters.

Next comes Cadaqués, a classic that always excites. Arriving by track and seeing it appear in the background, white and sunken between mountains, is almost magical. And although the temptation to take a dip in the sea or have a nearby coffee is strong—and highly recommended—it's important to keep in mind that the departure from Cadaqués is the toughest part of the route: it climbs the Aigües track to the Perafita pass, a demanding, technical, and physical stretch. The descent to Roses begins on a road, but halfway down we take a track that puts us back in gravel mode, among low vegetation and with open views of the Gulf of Roses.

Once we leave the rugged coast behind and descend again toward the plain, everything changes. Smooth paths, wide trails, and the feeling of having crossed another world. The route crosses the Empordà marshes, a space of calm, open horizon, and free-roaming birds. An almost meditative stretch, perfect for catching your breath.

From there we continue to Sant Pere Pescador, and from there we follow the coast along sandy paths with views of the sea until we reach L'Escala, where we have one last chance to cool off on the beach before heading the last few kilometers to Bellcaire.

A route that connects you with the wildest and most authentic Empordà. It's not just pedaling: it's feeling the wind, sweating in silence, stopping to look. And returning to Rustik tired but full, as if you'd done much more than 120 km.

A route that also has its rewards: The first ten cyclists who demonstrate with the GPS in the Castelli Girona store that they have done it and upload a photo or story on Instagram sweating it out climbing the Aigües track or on the Perafita pass mentioning @castellistore_girona will receive a gift!

Albert Pradas is the owner of Rustik Empordà, Bellcaire's coffee A must-see for many cyclists. Tired of driving back and forth between the village and Girona to work every day, he decided to try his luck in 2018 and jump on the pedal craze. Seventy percent of his clients ride gravel bikes.

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