The Camino del Cid Consortium, chaired by the Provincial Council of Zaragoza, has launched a new cycling tourism proposal aimed at those traveling in gravel and bikepacking mode. The route, which totals 1,485 kilometers between Vivar del Cid (Burgos) and Orihuela (Alicante), passes through 229 towns and brings together all the work developed in recent years within the European program Experiences Tourism Spain.
The initiative began as a pilot in 2021 and has consolidated into a specific offering for gravel cyclists, a modality that allows for alternating between paths and paved sections, and is also suitable for trekking or MTB bikes.
The new itinerary is structured into seven main routes. To define it, extensive fieldwork was conducted resulting in tracks in various formats (KMZ, TCX, TRK, and GPX), seven specialized guides with over sixty maps—available for free in Spanish and English—and two videos showcasing the experience on the ground.
All this information is available on a revamped website at www.caminodelcid.org, featuring interactive maps and descriptive sheets, and also in the official Camino del Cid app for Android and iOS.
Another key support is the Camino del Cid Tourist Product Club, which already brings together more than 90 accommodations, workshops, taxi services, and tourist offices. The club has also promoted a dozen cycling tourism experiences throughout the route.
The provincial deputy of Zaragoza and head of the Camino del Cid, José Carlos Tirado, emphasizes that this proposal strengthens the projection of the itinerary: “It is a solid offering that expands possibilities and acts as a strong attraction to attract new cycling tourists. The route offers freedom and a close, respectful contact with the territory, uniting culture, landscape, and the pleasure of traveling by bicycle.”
The project has been funded by Next Generation EU funds through the Modernization and Competitiveness Plan of the tourism sector, as part of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan of the Government of Spain.
