Experience · Spain

The Vías Verdes greenways

Spain converted thousands of kilometres of disused railway into Vías Verdes — greenways with railway gradients, meaning effectively none.

Best forAdventure seekers · Families · Budget travellers
In October23°C · 10 rainy days
Ideal stayA long weekend per route
Approx. flying time~11h 50m from Los Angeles

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Happens around Spain — nearest airport Seville (SVQ), about 231km away.

CurrencyEUREuro
LanguageSpanish
Local time14:061h ahead of the UK
PlugsType C / FBring an adapter
Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
Dialling code+34

The experience

Spain has turned well over 2,000 kilometres of abandoned railway into surfaced traffic-free routes, and because they follow old track beds the gradients barely register. More than a hundred separate greenways cross the country, through olive country in Andalusia, bear valleys in Asturias and long tunnels in the Basque hills. Many keep their original station buildings, some converted into cafes or simple accommodation.

They work as short trips rather than one continuous route. Pick a single greenway, give it a weekend and use a nearby town as a base, or link a couple by train. Bike hire clusters at the restored stations on the busier routes, and the surfaces suit hybrids and children's bikes alike. Spring and autumn are ideal in the south, while the northern routes stay pleasant right through summer.

Ideal stay: A long weekend per route
The vibe: Easy, sunlit, railway-gradient riding

From our guides

The Vía Verde de la Sierra in Andalusia is the show-stealer: 36 kilometres of tunnels and viaducts between white towns, with griffon vultures wheeling above the crag at Zaframagón. The tunnels are lit, but pack a backup light anyway. Spring paints the verges; hire bikes wait at the restored station in Olvera. Genuinely gentle, genuinely spectacular.

Featured in Ten cycling holidays for completely normal legs

Make a trip of it

Vía Verde de la Sierra

Thirty-six kilometres between Olvera and Puerto Serrano through lit tunnels and over viaducts, past the crag at Zaframagon where griffon vultures nest in numbers.
Vía Verde del Aceite

More than 120 kilometres across Jaen's olive country on tall iron viaducts, with old station buildings at intervals and the Sierra Subbetica alongside.
Senda del Oso, Asturias

A green valley route through tunnels and gorges in bear country, with a viewing enclosure for rescued brown bears partway along the line.
Vía Verde de Ojos Negros

The longest of them all, running from the Teruel highlands towards the Valencian coast, and best taken in sections across several days.
Vía Verde del Plazaola

A Basque and Navarran route defined by its tunnels, including one very long bore, through wet green hills. A front light is genuinely required.
The station cafes

Restored halts along the busier greenways double as bike hire, coffee stop and sometimes a bed for the night, which makes a two-day ride simple to plan.

Getting there

Fly to
Seville (SVQ)

Nearest airport to Spain, about 231km away as the crow flies.
Then
To Olvera

For the Vía Verde de la Sierra, fly into Seville (SVQ) or Málaga (AGP) and drive about an hour and a half to two hours to Olvera; Córdoba (ODB) has almost no scheduled flights. Other greenways across Spain have their own nearest airports.
On the ground
Getting around

Bikes are hired at the restored station in Olvera and the 36-kilometre route runs on old railway gradients through lit tunnels and over viaducts to Puerto Serrano. Shuttles can bring you back, or you ride out and turn round.

Public transport: Rural Andalusian buses reach the white towns only a few times a day, so a car or an operator's transfer is the sensible approach.

Flights

Los Angeles Spain

Flying from

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Roughly 11h 50m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

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Pick your departure date, then your return.

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Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 12°C in January to 36°C in July. Driest in July and August; wettest in March, with rain on about 10 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

October23° · rain 10 daysMild with rain most weeks.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis). Highlighted months are warm and mostly dry — May and June and September.

Where to base yourself

Converted station hotels on the route itself, small white-town hostales and casas rurales, plus apartments. Chains appear only in Ronda, and the station hotels rent the bikes too.

Best base overall
Olvera

A white town with a castle at the western trailhead, where the restored station rents bikes and the Via Verde de la Sierra starts. It is a steep climb up from the station itself.
Find stays in Olvera
Best for couples
Zahara de la Sierra

A dramatic hilltop village above a turquoise reservoir, a short drive from the greenway, with small hotels and long views. Nothing much happens here after dinner.
Find stays in Zahara de la Sierra
Best value
Puerto Serrano

The other end of the route, quieter and cheaper, with the second station hotel and easy parking. The town itself is plain and the choice of rooms small.
Find stays in Puerto Serrano
Best with children
Ronda

Forty minutes away, with the gorge, the bullring and the fullest range of hotels and restaurants. You drive out to the greenway, but there is far more to fill a week.
Find stays in Ronda

Worth knowing before you book: The two station hotels have few rooms and fill at Easter and in spring weekends. Check bike rental opening times, since they follow Spanish hours and close at midday.

Search everything else in Olvera by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

Or see everything in Olvera

Good to know

Bikes: Hybrids and gravel bikes suit the compacted surfaces, and hire is available at restored stations on the main routes. Book in advance at weekends.
Lights: Tunnels on several routes are long and only partly lit. Carry a front light and something reflective even in the middle of the day.
Timing: Spring and autumn are best in Andalusia and Extremadura. Northern greenways stay comfortable through July and August.
Getting there: Trailheads are often in small towns with limited public transport. A hire car with a rack, or a train to the nearest city plus a taxi, usually solves it.
With kids: Railway gradients and no traffic make these among the easiest cycle routes in Europe for children. Exit points can be far apart, so plan the turnaround.