lefteye

I'm considering a (group, supported) tour of either the Camino de Santiago, or the Barcelona area.

Two main questions:

1) Which is a better choice for a May/June tour, from a weather standpoint and other factors (I've been in Madrid and southern Spain, but not on bike before, FWIW).

2) What companies have you had good experiences with? I'm curious about the bike supplied, type of routes and guides, and accommodations and meals (FWIW, I'm vegetarian).

I normally ride 100-150 miles a week with around 3000 feet elevation gain on a 30-45 mile ride. My wife, who would travel with me, is considerably less experienced, and would need an option that would allow shorter/easier rides.

axolotl

Catalonia has drier weather than northwestern Spain. I toured in northern Spain from Bilbao to northern Portugal and had a fair bit of rain in late May. That part of Spain is much greener and cooler than the rest of Spain. I once toured a bit in Catalonia (mainly in the Pyrenees) in late September and it was still hot and dry.

Most people on this forum, including me, plan their own tours rather than going on organized tours with a touring outfitter. So you might not get any responses to your second question.

lefteye

Fair enough, I suspected as much. I don't see a better place for that question here. Would love even suggestions about a better place to ask!

fantom1 

I've lived in Spain and along the Northern route of el Camino (in Cantabria). I assume you are talking about the Northern route, but there is also the French route which is inland, but still in the North.

This is really an apples to oranges since one tour is along an entire coast, but the other is around a city...

1) The Northern coast is pretty rainy. That said, the temperatures are mild and that time of year shouldn't be any real windy storms. I've seen entire months go by without rain, and I've seen entire months without sun. It's sort of a crap shoot in that regard, but you can expect rain.

Barcelona at that time may also be a little rainy, though likely much less than the North. The temperatures will may also be colder, especially if you are in the mountains obviously.

All things being equal I would say they are equally as nice, though the riding in the North is much better imo (fewer people and better roads).

2) Tours. I know of a bunch in Mallorca, but none in either of those places. Best to check Trip Adviser. Trek has tours in Catalonia, which are supposed to be top notch, and also expensive. As a rule, el Camino is really more of a "guideless" thing. There are so many people on it that you really don't need a guide, and in fact I would say that could severely take away from the experience.


One thing to mention is being vegetarian. I'm vegetarian myself, and Spain in general is not very veg. friendly. If you don't eat dairy or eggs, it will be a serious challenge along the Northern route. Barecelona in that regard is infinitely better. You will have no problems there eating well.