Why cycle in Costa Del Sol?

Cycling is a popular sport in Costa Del Sol and it is not uncommon to see groups of cyclists out enjoying a weekend ride together, touring the countryside. These are often serious road cyclists in full gear, members of local cycling teams training for upcoming cycling competitions. Costa Del Sol is an up and coming cycling destination in Spain. It offers mild winters and a well maintain road network. It might not have the infrastructure of the most popular cycling resort of Majorca but you can definitely find everything you need for a great and affordable cycling holiday, sometimes at a fraction of the price to resorts like Majorca and Tenerife.

There are a few bike hire establishments and bike shops and you can hire top quality bikes organising daily and weekly tours and rides, offering a wealth of local cycling information. Although hotels may not provide specific cycling products and cycling centres like Majorca or Tenerife, most of them understand the needs of a cyclist and they would welcome cyclists throughout the year. After all, some of these hotels are very familiar with pro-cycling teams as through the years Costa Del Sol have provided accommodation to many of them. La Vuelta 2018 featured 4 of their starting stages around Malaga, Marbella, Mijas and other coastal resorts. The international cycling tour ‘Ruta del Sol’ or ‘Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucia’ is held in the area every February featuring many stages around the Costa. Finally, Costa Del Sol’s terrain is suitable for all cyclists offering many flat rides for the leisure cyclists and families around the coast. It also provides great hilly segments for the most experienced and demanding cyclist. Ride and compare your efforts with the pro-cyclists, following La Vuelta’s cycling routes and climb the mountains, sitting primarily on the back ground of the most popular seaside resort of Benalmadena, Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Marbella and the capital Malaga. The Mijas Mountains with its highest climb at 928 metres above sea level or the Cruz de Juanar at the outskirts of Marbella at 835 metres or the Montes de Malaga, a natural park behind Malaga at 910 metres, can offer some serious and challenging climbing.

Cycling Friendly Hotels Costa Del Sol!

Want to cycle Costa Del Sol?

Costa del Sol is a great cycling destination but not as popular and this guide will assist you to organise your cycling break. It’s packed with information with everything you need to know in order to plan a great and affordable self guided Cycling Holiday or a BreakAway in Costa Del Sol and not only. We will let you know and give you detailed information on some of the most popular Costa Del Sol Epic Climbs and suggest to you Cycling Routes and Cycling Tours, to achieve the most out of your Cycling Holiday. We will offer you a comprehensive list of Cycling Friendly Hotels, classified with our own VeloStrive Rating and each one of these cycling hotels will be linked to the most popular Climbs and best Cycling Routes nearby. We will also offer you a list of local bike hire and cycle shops, close to your accommodation. Stay tuned and plan your hassle free Costa Del Sol self-guided Cycle Holiday.

Cycling Friendly Hotels Costa Del Sol

Experience some of the best cycling hotels Costa Del Sol has to offer. Our Cycling Hotel guide features hotels and apartments that welcome cyclists. Although, the majority of the hotels in Costa Del Sol don’t provide specific cycling facilities, the most of them understand the needs of a cyclist and welcome everyone to experience the rides and climbs of the area. We are featuring hotels that offering cycling facilities, or being close to popular bike hire shops and cycling amenities, or being part of a hotel groups that have cycling friendly hotels on other parts of Spain and generally understand cyclists.

All featured hotels have been classified with our own VeloStrive Rating and also linked to the most popular climbs, cycling routes and nearest cycling shop. All of our hotels provide us with special upgrades and exclusive offers so visit our Hotel Offer page for up to date information on all current deals and exclusive offers.

Cycling Friendly Hotels Costa Del Sol!

Best Resort to stay in Costa Del Sol

Costa del Sol has nothing to jealous from the other cycling destinations. It can offer a great cycling break to both families and most demanding cyclists. It offers busy resorts with great nightlife, beautiful beaches to relax after a ride and attractions to see while cycling around making some of the routes unique and interesting. Costa del Sol is suitable if you’re travelling just with friends and family for some cycling or with your club and team mates to get ready for all your summer events. Great winter destination, the most popular resorts are the seaside resorts of Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Marbella. A few of these resorts have been hosts to La Vuelta and Routa Del Sol, two major international cycling events and feature a number of cycling shops and bike rental companies. All of them offer a great location with easy access to the most popular climbs and La Vuelta’s cycling routes. Being popular beach resorts all of them offer a variety of accommodation suitable to every taste bud. All of these resorts are open year around and prices between the months of November and May are seriously very low, making Costa Del Sol one of the most affordable cycling destinations.

The resorts of Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola are all next to each other and very close to Malaga’s international Airport with great transport links and easily accessible. You can go out cycling the day you arrive. Marbella is a bit further out and it can take approximately 50 minutes on a car or just over an hour on a shuttle transfer. Mijas Costa, on the other hand is just about 30 minutes on a car. Other more rural areas available to stay and experience cycling are the villages of Alhaurin el Grande, Antequera and Ojen.

Costa Del Sol Epic Rides and Routes

Check-out some of the most popular Epic Rides and Routes in Costa Del Sol with our cycling route suggestions. We have created routes starting from the most popular cycling resort and hotels taking you around the most popular climbs. Experience El Chorro and Mijas from Benalmadena, Istan Climb from Marbella, and visit the rural visit of Coin from Mijas Costa.

Or just go out for a relaxed ride along the Costa towards Malaga and Torre del Mar from Torremolinos. Discover the route profile, see the elevations and the route map, and download the GPX files to your Garmin.

Costa Del Sol Epic Rides and Routes!

When is the best time for cyclists to visit Costa Del Sol?

You can visit and cycle around Costa Del Sol throughout the year, as is one of those privileged destinations that offer ideal weather conditions for cycle all year round. Although the most popular cycling seasons are very similar to all other cycling resorts, from February to May and September to October, cycling during the summer months is also very popular. Don’t forget that La Vuelta starts in late August or early September and usually includes some stages around the Andalucia and Costa Del Sol Area. The most popular Bike Hire Shops and Hotels are operating year around, organising tour rides and cycling camps for everyone. The classic Ruta del Sol is around February and it’s a great opportunity to start your season by following and cycling some of the stages, although it covers the wider area of Andalucia. During the summer months all the seaside resorts can be very busy and you may need to book far in advance. It is advisable during the summer months to start your rides as early as you can to avoid the summer heat and the traffic as some of the main coastal resorts can get very busy. Winter months on the other hand can be relatively very cheap with roads less busy, making Costa Del Sol a great alternative to popular Majorca.

Winter is the coldest season in the Costa del Sol, but despite this, it’s still a lot warmer than any other parts of Northern Europe. The temperatures between December and February are about 14°C. Winter is a wet season for the resort with December being the wettest month of the year. Costa del Sol receives between 5 and 7 hours of daily sunshine during the winter months. Spring and autumn, Costa del Sol enjoys comfortable and warm temperatures. Daytime highs range between 20-24°C. The average daily sunshine in spring and autumn ranges between 6 hours in November to 8 hours in May.

There’s a good reason why you see local cyclists out during the early morning hours. During the warmer months of the year, the heat is definitely a serious factor to consider when practicing any sport in Costa Del Sol and Andalucia area, and cycling is no exception. Avoid going out during the hot hours of the day and be sure to have plenty of water with you and sun block, even during early morning rides in the summer. During the Summer months weather can be very Hot with temperature reaching up to 40°C+. In order to make the most out of your cycling experience in Costa Del Sol you should also take care of your clothing. Be aware that all Mountains can create their own micro-climate and you may find it's slightly cloudier and wetter there than in other parts nearer the coast so it is advisable always to pack with you arm and leg warmers or a windproof gilet or even a waterproof jacket.

Costa Del Sol Epic Climbs

Costa Del Sol is offering some Epic Climbs with the majority of them being slightly further inland around the mountains behind the major seaside resorts. There are a lot of beautiful areas for road cycling and mountain biking at Costa del Sol. You can ride along and climb some of the La Vuelta’s and Routa del Sol stages like from Marbella to the magnificent Caminito Del Ray climbing the Alto de Guadalhorce, a 5.1 kilometres segment with a 4% average incline.

Not that far from Marbella is the Puerto de Ojen a 7.6 kms stage with an average incline of 4.5%. Maybe you should try and hit Puerto Del Madrona, near Marbella on your way to Ronda. This climb peaks at an elevation of 1065 metres. Further east you can find the Mijas Mountains with some great inclines like the one up to the Mijas Antennas and beautiful drops down to the coast. Not far from Malaga you will also find the Montes de Malaga, a nature park offering great climbs with peaks reaching the 1000 metres above sea level. For the flat lovers you will also find plenty of options riding alongside the coast from Benalmadena all the way to Mijas Costa or towards the east through Torremolinos and Malaga all the way to Rincon de la Victoria and further east. Be aware, that some coastal rides will be on busy with fast flowing traffic roads which can put some people off. Most of the inland routes offer fabulous scenery with less traffic. Our guide to the most popular Epic Climbs in Costa Del Sol as featured in Strava and Map my Ride is full of information providing you everything you need to know and prepare you before the climb. You will be able to find out the climb profile, get all the elevation stats, climb gradients, routes, guides, tips and the nearest Cycling Friendly Hotels to each of the climb.

Costa Del Sol Epic Climbs!

Costa Del Sol Bike Hire

If you don’t want to pack, unpack and carry your own little treasure to Costa Del Sol and you are thinking of renting a bike while on your cycling holiday or training camp, VeloStrive has prepared a list of some of the best cycling shops and bike-hire companies in the island. Discover where these shops are located, which bikes do they offer, their pricing and delivering areas. Our list is there to save you time and money.

Costa Del Sol Bike Hire!

How to get there?

Costa Del Sol is easily reachable by air with many lowcost and scheduled airlines flying direct to Malaga’s International Airport from all over Europe. Easyjet, Ryanair, Vueling, Jet2, TUI, British Airways and Thomas Cook, to mention a few, are offering direct flights from all major and regional UK airports. It is a popular and very competitive route with daily flights, which is great for us and you can get fares as low as £35pp during the low season and booking in advance. The best area to look for flights to Costa Del Sol is Expedia. Malaga International airport is well linked to all major cycling resorts. You can easily use the train to reach as far as Fuengirola. This train connects the airport to all major resorts like Torremolinos and Benalmadena. Should you be travelling further than Fuengirola for example, Estepona, San Pedro or Marbella then you need to take a bus, book a transfer or take a taxi. or the resorts of Playa de Palma and El Arenal. A single ticket to Fuengirola will set you back just 2.70 Euros and for Benalmadena it’s only 2.05 Euros. You can also take 1 bike per person. For all other resorts you can pre-book shuttle transfers, private taxis and minibuses. Our preferred Transfers Company is Holiday Extras or Holiday Taxis. Both of our preferred transfer companies usually provide us with special discount codes so before you book visit our Hotel Offer Guide for up to date information on current discounts and exclusive offers.

VeloStrive has also teamed up with a couple of Car Hire companies offering some of the best deals available. It's great to have access to a car while on a cycling holiday and be able to explore potential new routes and climbs. Our preferred suppliers are Hertz UK, Europcar, Expedia Car Hire and Holiday Autos but before you book visit our Hotel Offer Guide for up to date information on current discounts and exclusive offers.

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