Arrival Toledo

Toledo is easy to reach from Madrid airport: first about three quarters of an hour by subway (or €30 for a cab, 2023) to the Madrid-Atocha train station, from there there is an HSL train every hour to Toledo, 33 minutes travel time.
You’ll stay in Toledo for 2 days so you’ll have plenty of time to explore Toledo’s beautiful old core. There is much to see but also certainly much to taste of tapas and a delicious glass of wine from the region. In the winding alleys you will find plenty of cozy bars, serving delicious tapas. There is also a beautiful walking path along the banks of the Tagus River.

Overnight stay in Toledo

Toledo

Toledo is known as the city of the three cultures. In the Middle Ages, Christians, Jews and Muslims lived here peacefully side by side and shared their knowledge in art and science. Today is Sunday and in the morning and afternoon all the most important buildings in this city can be visited, including former synagogues, mosques, the cathedral and the church of Santo Tomé, with el Greco’s masterpiece “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz.

Overnight stay in Toledo

Transfer and first bike ride (46km – 180↑m) Consuegra – Argamasilla de Alba

After breakfast, our driver will pick you up at the hotel for transfer to the startpek of the first bike ride. The first kilometers on the bike are of the most iconic anywhere: in fact, you ride to the hilltop with a row of mills and the castle of Consuegra. Imagine yourself a cycling Don Quixote and defeat the “giants” on a bicycle!
The route passed through the Spanish countryside to the village of Puerto Lápice, where Don Quixote was knighted. After lunch in Puerto Lápice, there is a 2nd transfer to the riverbed of the Guadiana, where you continue cycling to Argamasilla, a nice village and relaxed atmosphere.

Overnight stay in Argamasilla de Alba

To the lakes of Ruidera (49km – 390↑m)

Start this day early so you can enjoy this special bike route for a long time. In the beginning, you cycle among pine trees and meander along an old irrigation canal, with fields and vineyards on one side and green hills on the other.
Then you cycle through a hilly landscape before reaching the beautiful Lagunas de Ruidera: a chain of fifteen lakes in the valley of the Guadiana. On weekends many people come to enjoy this natural environment but, during the week, besides being beautiful, it is wonderfully quiet. The finca with garden and pool where you stay is located in a hidden corner of the lake district and 1 km walk from the cave of or Montesinos, where a famous adventure of Don Quixote took place.

Overnight stay in Laguna de Ruidera

Rest day: hiking (6,7 km 120↑m) or sightseeing (27 km 120↑m)

Today you can choose to relax by the pool.
If all this is too relaxing, a hike along a couple of lakes or a nice sightseeing tour in the same area are also possible.

Overnight stay in Lagunas de Ruidera

Lagunas de Ruidera – Tomelloso (55km – 270↑m).

Today’s route takes you through the higher lakes, to a beautiful secluded valley. You reach the asphalt again near the village of Ossa de Montiel, handy for provisions or lunch. After lunch in Ossa, the landscape changes: undulating to hilly, interspersed with forests of holm oak and juniper. The final kilometers roll smoothly under your wheels to Tomelloso, a cheerful town devoid of tourists and pretension. Tomelloso is a huge producer of wine and in the afternoon evening the small tour, with visit to two wineries and tasting, is fun, tasty and interesting.

Overnight stay in Tomelloso

Tomelloso – El Toboso (54 km 230↑m) with transfer to Alcázar de San Juan

Wine, wine and more wine…
Today you cycle through an area considered the largest vineyard in the world, planted mainly with grape varieties airén for white wine and tempranillo for red wine,. Very occasionally the landscape is interrupted by a field of melons or a pistachio orchard. Halfway through the ride we reach Campo de Criptana, a white village on a hill and a convenient place for lunch. The last part to El Toboso passes through a diverse landscape of wheat fields and olive groves and you reach the village of Don Quixote’s beloved Dulcinea, a quiet and pleasant village. A visit to the house-museum of Dulcinea , located in a mansion from the 16th century is fun and interesting. From here follows a transfer to Alcázar de San Juan, to spend the evening in a comfortable hotel and cheerful town. Fans of a longer route can also bike the additional 28 km from El Toboso to the hotel in Alcázar.

Overnight stay in Alcázar de San Juan