Are you looking for a scenic cycling route that’s suitable for beginners? The Spanish Via Verde de Ojos Negros from Teruel to Valencia is a perfect choice for your first bike touring adventure but won’t disappoint seasoned cyclists either.
In this post, you’ll find everything you need to know before biking Spain’s longest Greenway.
On a route you can comfortably cycle in one weekend, you’ll find a whole kaleidoscope of views and experiences: vibrant, red gorges, peaceful pine forests, vast plains, abandoned railway stations, and majestic arches of bridges and tunnels. You’ll also enjoy the tranquillity and solitude away from cities and cars. All of that is just a 2.5-hour-long train ride from Valencia.
One of Spain’s most stunning Greenways is named after a mining town, Ojos Negros, which in the early 20th century was famous for its high-quality iron. The railroad embankments, viaducts and tunnels you can cycle today were built for the trains to transport the iron to the port of Sagunto, where it would be melted.
In the 1970s, a new railway with a greater capacity replaced the old one, and 30 years later, the government decided to convert the disused railroad into a cycling and hiking trail.
What are Via Verdes?
Via Verdes (Greenways) are cycling and walking routes created on disused railway lines. With no motorised traffic and barely any steep hills, they are a perfect playground for outdoor enthusiasts of all skill levels. You can find them all over Spain. There are already 7600 kilometres of Via Verdes, allowing you to explore the hidden gems of the Spanish countryside without worrying about cars and steep hills.
Cycling the Via Verde Ojos Negros – route length and elevation
The actual route starts in Ojos Negros and, after 217 kilometres, ends in Sagunto. However, many travellers, including me, start cycling in Teruel, where you can get by train and finish in Valencia. The route from Teruel to Valencia is about 170 kilometres long.
Most people prefer to cycle from Teruel towards the coast, as it’s much less demanding. After the long (but relatively mild) climb on the first 12 kilometres of the route (from 915 to 1235 metres above sea level), the rest of the route is going down! Cycling Via Verde de Ojos Negros is a perfect opportunity to enjoy vast mountain landscapes without steep, depleting climbs.
How much time do you need to cycle Via Verde de Ojos Negros?
Depending on your pace and form, cycling Via Verde de Ojos Negros will take you from two to four days. It took us two and a half days (the train brought us to Teruel at 15:00 on Thursday, and we reached Valencia around the same time on Saturday).
Taking a bicycle on a train from Valencia to Teruel
If you decide to cycle from Teruel, the easiest way to get to the starting point is by train. The train from Valencia Estacio Del Nord departs thrice daily (9:35, 11:57 and 16:22) and takes around 2,5 hours.
Look out for the Media Distancia train to Zaragoza Miraflores.
Each train has space for three bikes, and reserving it in advance is impossible. Sometimes, the conductor accepts more than three bikes, but only if there is space.
The train is comfortable and has a wide door, making loading the bike easy, even without taking the panniers off.
Buying tickets at the train station in Valencia was confusing and stressful for us. We tried to buy our tickets using the ticket machine but were unsuccessful. So we tried queuing at the ticket office, where we had to get a ticket with a number from a machine. After 40 minutes of waiting, we were far from the counter.
So, five minutes before the scheduled departure, we decided to run to the platform and informed the conductor that we had no tickets. He issued the tickets for us (16,65 euros per person) and our bikes (3 euros per person).
To avoid stress, buy tickets online and purchase the bike supplement from the conductor.
Renting a bicycle in Valencia
You’ll have plenty of bicycle rentals in the bike-friendly city of Valencia. Most of them, however, have only city bikes that won’t be the best choice for the long hours of cycling Via Verde de Ojos Negros.
Bike In Mind offers a good-quality Trek touring bike for just 18 euros a day.
Make sure to book it in advance (we started planning too late, and they didn’t have any bikes available).
We ended up renting trekking bikes from Do You Bike for 20 euros a day. The bikes did their job, but they could have been more comfortable.
Cycling Via Verde de Ojos Negros – My Itinerary
If you want to make your life easier, you can steal my exact itinerary and plan your trip with overnight stays in the same places I stayed.
Day 1: Teruel – La Puebla de Valverde
Distance: 32 km
Elevation gain: 387 m
This stage is short, so you only need half a day. If you want more time to explore the charming town of Teruel, take the morning train (9:35 from Valencia Nord). We couldn’t pick up our rental bikes before 9:30, so we had to opt for a train at 11:57.
You can find a list of things to do in Teruel here.
Teruel has a little Carrefour shop and even a Lidl, where you can get snacks and drinks for your ride.
After leaving Teruel, brace yourself for the longest climb of your whole route. The gradient is primarily mild, between 2-3 %, but stretches over 12 kilometres, which can feel exhausting for beginners.
The route will lead you through aromatic pinewoods; you’ll also cross your first tunnels and some majestic viaducts.
There are a few B&Bs and hotels in La Puebla de Valverde. We stayed in the affordable Hotel Puerta de Javalambre. It’s located just off the Via Verde and outside the town. We spotted two beautiful deer just 100 metres away from the hotel!
The hotel gave an authentic countryside vibe, with some locals playing cards in the bar and an explicit, low-cost soap opera playing on the TV. They offered a three-course meal for just 14 euros (no vegetarian options), which tasted like at grandma’s (no vegetarian options available, so I had to put my convictions aside and eat a tuna salad and chicken). For dessert, I ordered fruits. You can imagine my surprise when the waitress handed me a plate with a lonely apple, served plain and not even precut.
Day 2: La Puebla de Valverde – Jerica
Distance: 69 km
Elevation gain: 128 m
You can expect a much easier ride on day two despite the longer distance, as most of the route to Jerica goes downhill. However, it wasn’t easy for us – we had to fight against strong headwinds, and even going down, we were pretty slow.
This stretch feels like the real Wild West – barely any villages are on the way, and you’ll pass some abandoned train stations, like the one in Mora de Rubielos and Sarrion.
The route is also rich in stunning tunnels and viaducts, with the Abeltosa Viaduct being one of the most picturesque spots of the trip.
We stayed in Hotel Jerica (which even has a special bicycle storage room!) and enjoyed the evening in this lively little town. The historic centre has charming, narrow streets. You should also walk up the hill to the castle. From there, you have a stunning panorama over the town, including its famous landmark, Mudejar Tower, a remnant of Jerica’s Arabic past.
Where to eat in Jerica?
Starving after hours on a bike, Jerica tried our patience. None of the restaurants served food before 20:00, so we took a long walk before dining at El Rullo. It was worth the wait—the salad I ordered was gigantic and tasty, and the patatas bravas were crispy and spicy.
There’s a little grocery store and a supermarket in Jerica, so you can restock your snack supply before the last stage of your cycling trip.
Day 3: Jerica – Valencia (or Sagunto)
Distance: 73 km
Elevation gain: 320 m
The beginning of the last day treated us to some amazing landscapes in Sierra de Espadán Natural Park. You can enjoy the unspoilt nature without worrying too much about navigating the route until you reach Algimia de Alfara, where the official Via Verde de Ojos Negros ends (at least for now; we saw that its further stages were under construction).
Later, you’ll still encounter some signposts directing you to Sagunto, but you’ll have to share the road with cars (although the traffic isn’t significant), and the route meanders more, crossing from one side of the highway to the other.
While we barely needed to look at the map for the first 100 kilometres of the route, in the last stage, we had to use the navigation much more often.
Here is our route to Valencia (we decided to skip Sagunto and headed straight to Valencia). Be aware that there’s one steeper climb and a section with heavier traffic in Pucol. The last 20 kilometres to Valencia are rather unimpressive but lead through protected bicycle lanes.
If you prefer to end your trip in Sagunto, here’s a map with a recommended route:
Via Verde de Ojos Negros – Map of POIs
Cycling Via Verde de Ojos Negros – Packing list
Here is a list of essentials to carry with you:
- Bicycle light or flashlight. Most tunnels are illuminated, but sometimes the lighting does not work correctly, and it’s hard to see anything.
- Sunscreen. Remember to reapply sunscreen every two hours, especially if you’re cycling in summer and spring.
- Sunglasses. The sun was pretty bright in May.
- Water. There are relatively long stretches of the route where you won’t pass any towns or fountains. I recommend carrying at least two litres of water, depending on the temperature.
- Snacks. Again, you won’t see any shops for kilometres in some parts of the route. Make sure to have enough carbs in your bags to keep you energised.
- Bicycle repair kit: a spare inner tube, tyre levers, and a pump are necessary.
- Rain jacket.
Can you wild camp along the Via Verde de Ojos Negros?
While wild camping isn’t formally allowed in Spain, there’s plenty of space to pitch your tent along the Via Verde Ojos Negros. You’ll quickly find a secluded camping spot with breathtaking views inviting you to spend a night in nature.
When is the best time to cycle Via Verde de Ojos Negros?
The best time to cycle Via Verde Ojos Negros is spring and autumn. It can be unbearably hot in the summer, while the temperatures near Teruel can drop below 0℃ in the winter.
I cycled this route in the first half of May, and the weather was simply perfect – sunny but not scorching hot and pleasantly fresh in the morning.
Is Via Verde de Ojos Negros suitable for cycling with children?
Yes. Most of the Ojos Negros route is free from car traffic and relatively flat, making it great for a cycle tour with the entire family.
What kind of bike should I use for Via Verde de Ojos Negros?
A big chunk of the Via Verde Ojos Negros is compact gravel and unpaved roads of good quality. Every bike except for a road bike should do. I recommend cycling it on a gravel or touring bike.
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