European bike tour: Cycling Gibraltar to Kiel through Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany

We originally got the idea of cycling from Gibraltar to Kiel from a former colleague, whose father years ago did this tour. We have already been quite a bit around in Europe, but never in Spain and France, so the thought of cycling in some new countries and landscapes was definitely appealing. It’s safe to say that this tour exceeded our expectations and has left us eager to plan more cycling adventures in Europe, particularly in Spain and perhaps Portugal.

On this bicycle tour we passed through five countries: Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. In total we covered 3 450 kilometres and climbed 31 537 meters, and spent 33 days. The infographic below is based on our GPX-files and shows the exact route we took. On this page you can read all about this tour, and we hope maybe that you will be inspired to undertake this adventure yourself. Please reach out to us, if you would like the GPX-files.

Infographic from Veloviewer showing the route (based on gpx-files)

We started out with a prologue from Malaga to Gibraltar, and immediately regretted that we had not paid enough attention to avoiding heavily trafficked roads. We were however rewarded with a stunning view of the Rock of Gibraltar as we approached the end of the prologue after about 140 km.

Busy streets on the way to Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar

After a good night’s sleep, we set course north for Kiel. The first 50 km were fairly flat, but after that the climbs began. The first stage ended with a solid climb of nearly 600 meters, to the city of Gaucin. The route the next day kept us in the mountains for a while, before descending into Osuna. This was the first day we really started to feel the heat, with temperatures reaching 47 degrees Celsius and with not much shade to hide in. Mixed with dirt roads, this became quite an intense and almost frightening experience, and a reminder that the high temperatures in Spain in July should be taken seriously. We also learned that there is actually a reason why streets in Spain are completely empty midday during the hottest months.

After Osuna, we pedaled on to La Carlota and Montoro. The landscape is really open and scenic, and a mix of long straights and rolling hills.

After Montoro, however, going north, the landscape becomes more hilly. As we reached Puertollano we had climbed from above 200 meters above sea level to about 700 meters. The next days we reached Tomelloso, Montalbo, Cañamares, and Molina de Aragón. These days the route stayed above about 700 meters above sea levels, often with climbs taking us even higher, for example at Poveda de la Sierra which is close to 1 200 meter above sea level. With temperatures in the mid 40’s, we finally came to the conclusion that it was simply not safe to climb in such temperatures, and we started to ride at night these last stages out of Spain. The night rides certainly made these stages more memorable, as the landscape looks different at night and everything is very quiet. They did however also come with some challenges, as potholes in the road became difficult to spot, even with our headlights. Also, all necessary food and water needed to be in place upfront, as all shops along the way were closed.

As we approached Cariñena, we started a long descent that, with some ups and downs, lasted for almost 100 km, until we reached Zaragoza. Big cities are not good for touring cyclists. We therefore passed the outskirts of Zaragoza during the night and pressed on to Huesca, where we met up with an old friend.

Zaragoza by night

From our resting place in Huesca, we could now see the Pyrenees towering in the horizon. We knew it would be a mean climb, but luckily, some of that elevation was already dealt with on the way to Huesca. After a rather long day in the saddle the following day, we finally made it to Tramacastilla de Tena, where we paused for the day. At the time we undertook this journey, there were some roadworks and cyclists were directed to rather rough byways. We undertook this tour in 2019. Hopefully the conditions in this area have improved in later years, but this is worth checking in advance.

The next day we continued to climb, until we finally reached the top at Col du Pourtalet. This mountain pass is at 1 794 meters and sits right at the border between Spain and France. After catching our breaths, we waved goodbye to Spain, and coasted downhill for 65 km to the French city of Pau. It was truly an amazing descent and it was remarkable to both see and feel how both the climate and landscape changed, from Spain's sometimes desert-like climate and scenery, to the cool, green and lush climate of France.

Leaving Pau, we continued north through the French countryside. We chose a route that kept us inland, but close enough to the coast to enjoy the maritime climate, while at the same time keeping us away from those busy, winding coastal roads. With the landscape now flattened into gentle rolling hills, with elevations rarely exceeding 250 meters, we spent the next stages blazing quite effortlessly through French cities like Mont-de-Marsan, Bordeaux, Jonzac, Chenay, Thouars, Baugé, Alençon, Brionne and Neufchâtel-en-Bray, also crossing the Gironde estuary along the way. Believe it or not, when we reached Gosnay, we also experienced rain for the first time in 24 days. As Norwegians, it’s the first time we truly cheered the rain.

After leaving Gosnay, we crossed into Belgium and made our way to the city of Ghent, then continued through Antwerp before entering the Netherlands at Gorinchem. Our route took us through Deventer and up to Groningen, before crossing into Germany at Westerstede. From there, we pedaled to Nordenham where we caught the short ferry across the Weser river to Bremerhaven, and then continued on to Cuxhaven. We had planned to take a ferry from Cuxhaven to Brunsbüttel, but discovered it was no longer operating. We therefore cycled a bit east to cross the Elbe via ferry at Glückstadt instead. From there, we enjoyed the final stretch into Kiel. The stretch from Gosnay to Kiel redefined our understanding of the word flat. For hundreds of kilometers, there are practically no climbs to be seen. A welcome change, after the rather demanding stages in Spain.

This turned out to be a remarkable journey through incredibly diverse landscapes. Spain proved to be by far the most demanding, with its extreme temperatures and challenging climbs, but also the most rewarding with its, to us, unfamiliar scenery. The cooler climate and gentler terrain of France was a nice change, while Belgium, the Netherlands, and the north of Germany set a new standard for what flat means. Throughout the entire route, we were struck by how well these countries accommodate cyclists, with some minor exceptions, and how friendly and forthcoming the people are.