Cycling stops in Girona

29 places · 8 routes · Catalonia, Spain

No town in Europe has more pros per capita. Girona's old quarter is where the WorldTour lives between races, and its café scene was built by the riders themselves: Christian Meier's La Fábrica and Espresso Mafia, Robert Gesink's Hors Catégorie, and La Comuna.

Ride out and the classics start immediately: the Els Àngels loop with its summit sanctuary restaurant, Rocacorba for the long test, the coastal roads of the Gavarres.

Cafés

Banys VellsCaféBanys Vells is a lakeside terrace bar and cafe on the Estany de Banyoles (Lake Banyoles), a stop on cycling routes through the Girona countryside near Serra …Café AquariumCaféRiders roll onto Café Aquarium's terrace at Passeig Darder having just finished, or about to start, Rocacorba, the 13.8 km climb at 6.5% average gradient tha…DvisiCaféDVISI is a fine dining restaurant on the ground floor of Hotel Casa Vincke in Palamós, led by chef Jordi Simón, whose signature cuisine blends Catalan roots …Espresso MafiaCaféSpecialty coffee bar and roastery on Carrer de la Cort Reial in Girona's old town, opened in 2016 by retired WorldTour pro Christian Meier and his wife Amber…Federal CaféCaféAn Australian-style brunch café on Carrer de la Força, the old-town lane climbing to Girona's cathedral.FontanéCaféFontané is the restaurant at the Roca brothers' Esperit Roca hotel, set on the upper floor of the old fort atop Sants Metges hill above Sant Julià de Ramis.Grava PalsCaféGrava Pals is a bike café and restaurant in the village of Pals, built around the local cycling community.Hors CatégorieCaféHors Catégorie is a cycling-themed cafe and restaurant in Girona co-founded by Dutch professional cyclist Robert Gesink.La ComunaCaféRiders climbing out toward Sant Daniel, Rocacorba, or Els Àngels pass right by La Comuna's spare, stone-walled façade at the edge of Girona's old town, and t…La FábricaCaféLa Fábrica has been a fixture of Girona's road-cycling scene since it opened in the old town in March 2015, and riders still gather here before heading out t…La Maglia Coffee & CoCaféLa Maglia Coffee & Co is a specialty coffee shop in Platja d'Aro built around cycling.Mooma SidreriaCaféMooma is a cidery and restaurant on a farmhouse amid apple orchards outside Palau-sator, home to Catalonia's first cider maker.Oniria CaféCaféOniria Café is a small specialty coffee shop near Girona's Plaça de la Independència, opened in 2021 by Nora Salvat and Jannik Schäfer.Rustik EmpordàCaféRustik Empordà is a bakery and café in Bellcaire d'Empordà, running since 2018 on a breakfast-and-brunch concept that mixes tradition with a house "Rustik La…

Food

Restaurant Can PolFood stopGrinding up the Els Àngels climb out of Girona, the gradient eases briefly about halfway, at a garden restaurant with views back over the city, the natural p…Santuari dels ÀngelsFood stopThe Santuari dels Àngels is a hilltop sanctuary and restaurant at 484 metres in the Gavarres massif near Girona, reached by a road popular with cyclists and …

Climbs, views & nature

el MontPeak · 1124.8 mEl Mont rises to 1,125 metres, the highest point of the eastern Alta Garrotxa on the Alt Empordà-Garrotxa border.

History & landmarks

Castell del MontgríCastleFour corner towers and a 31 metre square of wall stand on the bare limestone summit, visible for miles across the flat Empordà plain, and that is the whole o…Catedral de GironaCathedralGirona's cathedral rises above a Baroque staircase of ninety steps, built between 1690 and 1694 by master builder Pere Casas.Església de Sant Pere de GalligantsMuseum · GironaThe Archaeology Museum of Catalonia is housed in a Benedictine abbey.Mare de Déu del MontPlace of worshipThis Gothic sanctuary, built between 1311 and 1318 for the abbot of the nearby monastery of Sant Llorenç de Sous, sits atop the Mont summit with panoramic vi…Monestir benedictí Sant Feliu de GuíxolsMonasteryThe Benedictines chose this bay in the first half of the 10th century for reasons a sailor would recognise: a good natural harbour, hills close behind to fle…Monestir de Sant EsteveTempleMonestir de Sant Esteve was founded in 812 as a Benedictine monastery and gave rise to the town of Banyoles itself, built over the remains of a late Roman te…Museu d'Arqueologia de CatalunyaMuseumNeolithic material from the lakeside settlement of La Draga, Iron Age metalwork from Iberian sites across the province and a white Carrara marble sarcophagus…Museu d'Història dels JueusMuseumFormer synagogue on Carrer de Sant Llorenç, now the Bonastruc ça Porta museum documenting Girona's Jewish history.Museu del CinemaMuseumMuseu del Cinema, on Carrer de la Sèquia in Girona's old town, opened in 1998 as Spain's first museum devoted to cinema and now holds one of Europe's largest…Sant Miquel de CruillesPlace of worshipSant Miquel de Cruïlles is a Romanesque church built in the first half of the 11th century, once a Benedictine monastery placed under the Italian abbey of Sa…Sant PereChurchTwo carved stone lions flank the large window crowning the west portal, which is framed in turn with geometric and plant motifs.Via AugustaRoman roadThis stretch of paved road is part of a secondary route built in the 1st century AD, branching off the Via Augusta from Empúries.

Climbs

Coll de Bracons9.3 km · 7.0%Els Àngels10.6 km · 3.4%Mare de Déu del Mont (from Besalú)21.2 km · 4.5%Rocacorba10.5 km · 7.0%Sant Grau d'Ardenya6.2 km · 5.9%Sant Martí Sacalm (from Amer)8.5 km · 7.0%Sant Pere de Rodes5.3 km · 7.4%Vallter 200011.8 km · 7.3%
CAFE
La Fábrica
lafabricagirona.com (their website)
La Fábrica
lafabricagirona.com (their website)
La Fábrica
lafabricagirona.com (their website)
La Fábrica
lafabricagirona.com (their website)
La Fábrica
lafabricagirona.com (their website)
1 / 5

La Fábrica

Girona

La Fábrica has been a fixture of Girona's road-cycling scene since it opened in the old town in March 2015, and riders still gather here before heading out toward the Rocacorba and Els Àngels climbs. It was founded by Christian Meier, a Canadian professional cyclist who moved to Girona in 2008 and rode the 2014 Tour de France with Orica-GreenEdge, together with his wife Amber. The couple had long planned to open a café once Christian's career wound down, but after that first Tour de France they decided not to wait, and Christian retired from racing at 31 to make it happen. The café fills a former carpentry workshop, its stone walls now lined with antiques the couple collected on their travels through Bali, Japan and Australia, influences that also shaped the food menu. The espresso is pulled from beans roasted locally at the couple's own Espresso Mafia, and the menu spells out the exact recipe: 18 grams of coffee extracted for about 30 seconds to yield 36 grams of espresso.

La Fábrica is where Girona's resident peloton actually starts and ends its day: riders collect at the counter before heading out, then return hours later for a debrief over a second espresso, alongside the roughly 90 professional cyclists who call the city home. The café sits in a courtyard at the foot of a stone staircase on the edge of the old town, its outdoor tables spread across the landing steps between levels so the terrace catches both sun and shade through the day. Inside, bare stone walls carry sepia-toned race photography by Kristof Ramon and a backlit road bike mounted above the coffee machine, with Dali-moustache door handles on the way in. The floor is bare concrete, laid so cycling cleats can walk straight in without a change of shoes. A tire pump waits by the door and a basket of cable locks is free to borrow, on top of the bike racks out front. Open daily from 9am to 3pm, it has been called the gold standard among Europe's cycling cafés.

Loading rider experiences…

From riders

What you'll see

A courtyard terrace at the foot of a stone staircase, its tables spread across the landing steps, sits behind bare stone walls hung with sepia cycling photography and a backlit road bike mounted over the coffee machine.

Worth knowing

The daily meeting point for Girona's roughly 90 resident professional cyclists, who gather at the counter before rides and return for a debrief after.

Practical

Open daily 9am to 3pm. A tire pump and borrowable cable locks wait at the door, and the concrete floor is built for walking straight in on cycling cleats.

Cuisinebrunch
SeatingOutdoor seating
Phone+34 872 00 02 73

lafabricagirona.com

Common questions

Why stop at La Fábrica on a bike ride?
La Fábrica has been a fixture of Girona's road-cycling scene since it opened in the old town in March 2015, and riders still gather here before heading out toward the Rocacorba and Els Àngels climbs. It was founded by Christian Meier, a Canadian professional cyclist who moved to Girona in 2008 and rode the 2014 Tour de France with Orica-GreenEdge, together with his wife Amber. The couple had long planned to open a café once Christian's career wound down, but after that first Tour de France they decided not to wait, and Christian retired from racing at 31 to make it happen. The café fills a former carpentry workshop, its stone walls now lined with antiques the couple collected on their travels through Bali, Japan and Australia, influences that also shaped the food menu. The espresso is pulled from beans roasted locally at the couple's own Espresso Mafia, and the menu spells out the exact recipe: 18 grams of coffee extracted for about 30 seconds to yield 36 grams of espresso.
When is La Fábrica open?
Open daily 9am to 3pm. A tire pump and borrowable cable locks wait at the door, and the concrete floor is built for walking straight in on cycling cleats.

Checked 26 July 2026

CafeSpecialty coffeeTerracePro connectionPart of: Cafés owned by pro cyclists

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited per image · Coordinates © OpenStreetMap contributors · Spot a mistake? The open-data way to fix it: edit OpenStreetMap.

Places / Girona / La Fábrica

Only you

Hours and reviews on Google Maps

Photo: lafabricagirona.com (their website) · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Sources: OpenStreetMap