Transport launches a website with more than 11,500 kilometres of cycling routes in Spain to promote cycle tourism and sustainable mobility

Home page of the Cycling Routes in Spain website

On the occasion of World Bicycle Day, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has launched the website Cycling routes in Spain, which includes more than 300 cycle touring routes totalling 11,500 kilometres, as well as mountain biking (MTB) areas, mountain passes and major cycling routes of more than 600 kilometres. The web portal includes an interactive map viewer that allows easy and intuitive consultation of each cycle route.

Under the slogan 'Descúbrelaslas pedaleando', the 'Rutas ciclistas por España' portal is part of the State Bicycle Strategy, approved by the Government in 2021 to promote this sustainable mode of transport from all areas. It is also part of the Safe, Sustainable and Connected Mobility Strategy 2030, one of the strategic pillars of the ministry to face the challenges of mobility in Spain in the next 10 years.

Within this framework, the website has been developed under the initiative of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility with the specific objective of offering quality, easily accessible and interpretable information on the main interurban cycling routes in Spain. The aim is to promote the use of the existing cycling infrastructure in Spain for the purposes of cycle tourism, leisure cycling and sustainable mobility.

Due to the diversity of administrations that promote cycle touring routes, there is a wide range of information on the subject. 'Rutas ciclistas por España' aims to become the common repository of these routes via this website, increasing their dissemination and making it easier for citizens to access the existing information in a simple way.

The website 'Rutas ciclistas por España' includes cycle touring routes from different collaborating organisations: the Vías Verdes programme, promoted by the Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles; Caminos Naturales (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food); EuroVelo (European Cyclists Federacion and EuroVelo Coordination Centre in Spain); Camino del Cid (various regional councils); Ruta Pirinexus (Vías Verdes Girona), and Rural bike (Junta de Castilla-La Mancha), among others.

The website is the result of the joint work of public administrations at the three territorial levels, state, regional and local. For its part, the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) has carried out the technical evaluation of the routes, and through the Directorate General of the National Geographic Institute (IGN), the National Centre for Geographic Information (CNIG), a body attached to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, has developed the cartographic work and the interactive map viewer.

Functionalities of the website

On the main page of the web portal, a map is displayed with all the available routes and the viewer can navigate through them to see the main attributes of each route and a short description. It is also possible to filter routes by name, recommended bike type, length, difficulty and type of route (linear, outward/return, circular). Once the route has been selected, its attributes are displayed, including type of road surface (road, path, bicycle lane, etc.), topographic profile, description and link to the route provider's website.

The routes also provide information on points of interest such as unique or natural monuments, service areas/petrol stations and health centres, bus and train stations, ferry ports and airports. It is also possible to download a file with all the information and the route in GPX format for tracking in the field with a mobile phone. In the upcoming version, users will be able to rate routes and report incidents.

The website also includes Great Cycling Itineraries, which are routes of more than 600 kilometres in length, as well as areas for mountain biking (MTB) and mountain passes.

The portal will be continuously updated and its usability will be improved, and new routes from other providers will be included. The website is available in English and Spanish.

Cycle route viewer

Non official translation