European Greenways Association

23/08/2026

📯We invite you to read our newest Newsletter # August 2026. Happy reading and happy Greenways! 🛤🚴‍♀️🚴🚶🌿
➡️

https://mailchi.mp/fd5f4eb42fbf/egwa-newsletter-8-2026

19/08/2026

Philippe Marchina, treasurer of 🇫🇷AF3V - Pour les véloroutes et voies vertes, a member of the European Greenways Association, discusses how inclusive, accessible and environmentally responsible greenway infrastructure can contribute to climate action, biodiversity and healthier communities. He highlights the importance of balancing environmental impact, cost, durability, accessibility and user comfort, while stressing the role of 🚴cycling, local initiatives and European cooperation in promoting a wider shift towards sustainable mobility.

➡️Read the full interview on the European Greenways Association website: www.aevv-egwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/EGWA-Interviews-–-France-–-Philippe-Marchina_compressed.pdf

11/08/2026

We are happy to announce the “Cycling and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2026” organized at the castle in Central Bohemian spa town Poděbrady in 🇨🇿Czechia, September 30 – October 1, 2026.

The theme of this year’s conference will be the development and marketing of 🚲cycling tourism and cycling tourism products in the Czechia and abroad as an ideal form of sustainable tourism. Conference will be accompanied by the experiential cycling tour along the Elbe Greenway in Central Bohemia, featuring an attractive combination of cycling and boating. European Greenways Association will be there!

➡️Check the program: https://www.aevv-egwa.org/event/cycling-and-sustainable-tourism-conference-2026-in-czechia/

The organizing team from Partnerství, obecně prospěšná společnost, EGWA Member, looks forward to seeing you there!

photo: Martin Spelda, Partnerství, o.p.s.

04/08/2026

Join the 3rd Edition of BIDEBERDEATE! 🌿

📅 Sunday, 8 November 2026
📍 Pobeña (Muskiz, Bizkaia / Basque Country, Spain)
🕒 From 08:00 to 15:00

Discover the spectacular Vía Verde Montes de Hierro- Burdinmendi - Iron Mountains Greenway with a choice of 7 km, 9 km or 22 km hiking routes, suitable for all levels. Enjoy a day that combines nature, local heritage, and Basque traditions!

The Montes de Hierro Greenway (Iron Mountains Greenway, Burdinmendi in Basque) won the European Greenways Award in 2025. It is a living testimony to the industrial mining heritage of Bizkaia (Basque Country, Spain), an economic engine of the Industrial Revolution, transformed into a safe route for sustainable mobility that combines rich heritage with natural beauty. It is a 39 km route that links inland valleys with the coast, passing through forests, rural landscapes, tunnels, and industrial remains related to the region’s iron mining history.

>>> More information about the event:
🔗enkarterrialde.eus/Contacto
🔗aevv-egwa.org/event/3rd-edition-of-bideberdeate-2026-at-the-montes-de-hierro-greenway/
>>> Registration: buscametas.com/modulos/ticket/evento.php?codigo=1365

- with enkarterrialde - Asociación de Desarrollo Rural de Las Encartaciones, Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia - Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, Eusko Jaurlaritza - Gobierno Vasco, Visit Basque Country

🛤BIDEBERDEATE 2026🛤

📢Hemen da BIDEBERDEATEren edizio berri bat!
🔘🔘🔘Izena eman duzu?🔘🔘🔘
🗓Datorren azaroaren 8an Burdinmendi Bide Berdean nobedade askorekin itxarongo zaitugu.
🌐Egin ezazu esteka honetan:
https://n9.cl/r6zwa5

📢¡Ya está aquí una nueva edición de BIDEBERDEATE!
🔘🔘🔘¿Te apuntas?🔘🔘🔘
🗓El próximo 8 de noviembre te esperamos con muchas novedades en la Vía Verde Montes de hierro.
¿Quieres inscribirte?
🌐Hazlo ya en el siguiente enlace:
https://n9.cl/r6zwa5

30/07/2026

We look with deep 🩶sadness towards the Sierra Oeste region of Madrid, which has been devastated by forest fires that continue to burn out of control. Burnt mountains, evacuated villages, affected communities, and a highly uncertain future for the 🌿Greenway project on the former Villamanta–Casavieja railway line.

We send our heartfelt solidarity and support 💚to the Sierra Oeste region, its towns, and its people, while hoping that the fires will soon be brought under control.

We are equally saddened by the many other wildfires affecting different parts of Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Greece. We hope that the active fires will soon be brought under control and that no new ones will occur. We hope that nature recovers soon.

Text and images: Spanish Railway Foundation Vías Verdes - Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles

22/07/2026

🚴‍♀️ Wallonia 🇧🇪is strengthening its position as one of Europe's top cycling destinations! With more than 1,500 km of greenways and dedicated cycling routes, Wallonia offers cyclists a unique way to discover its stunning landscapes, charming towns, and rich cultural heritage.

Highlights include:
🌿 The extensive RAVeL network built on former railway lines and towpaths.
🚲 International routes such as the famous Vennbahn and EuroVelo.
🏰 Themed itineraries connecting UNESCO World Heritage sites, historic abbeys, castles, and picturesque villages.
🛎️ The Bienvenue Vélo label, ensuring cyclist-friendly accommodation and services throughout the region.

By investing in high-quality cycling infrastructure and sustainable tourism, Wallonia continues to show how greenways can connect people with nature, culture, and local communities.

See:

Agenttravel.es, diario líder de información sobre turismo en el sector profesional: agencias de viajes, turoperadores, hoteles, compañías aéreas, rent a car, seguros de viajes, economía y tendencias.

15/07/2026

🇪🇸Spanish Greenways Vías Verdes - Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles continue to be highly valued recreational and tourism resources. In 2025, only 36 monitored routes or sections recorded almost 5 million uses, with walking representing the majority of activities.

🛤🚶🚴‍♀️The most successful routes demonstrate the capacity of Greenways to support sustainable tourism, local economies, and access to natural and cultural heritage. The growing monitoring system provides valuable evidence for improving management and promoting Greenways as strategic infrastructure for active mobility and rural development.

🗒️📊The report is available in Spanish: “Experimenta Vías Verdes de España. Estudio comparativo de metodologías y observatorios para el análisis de las vías verdes” (eng. “Experimenta Spanish Greenways. Comparative study of methodologies and observatories for the analysis of greenways”), 2025.

More information: www.aevv-egwa.org/event/spanish-greenways-continue-to-attract-millions-of-users/

08/07/2026

Registration Open | Conference: "Destination Greenway? Rethinking the Redevelopment of Former Railway Corridors"

📍🇫🇷Tuesday, 22 September 2026 La Cité, 55 Avenue Louis Breguet, 31400 Toulouse, France

🌿The third AF3V - Pour les véloroutes et voies vertes Conference, hosted by the Occitanie Region, invites elected officials, local authority officers, consultants, representatives of associations, and professionals in mobility and spatial planning to reflect on the complementarity between rail transport and active mobility.

We are pleased to share that one of the speakers will be Arantxa Hernández Colorado, Manager of the Spanish Greenways Programme at the Spanish Railways Foundation Vías Verdes - Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles and Secretary General of the European Greenways Association.

Participants will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the "Greenways and Railways Charter," which remains as relevant today as ever. On this occasion, new partners will join the original signatories: AF3V, the French Cyclists' Federation (FUB), the National Federation of Public Transport Users' Associations (FNAUT), the French Cycling Federation (FFVélo), Friends of Nature, and France Nature Environnement (FNE).

➡️More information, program and registration: https://www.af3v.org/save-the-date-colloque-destination-voie-verte-penser-la-requalification-des-emprises-ferroviaires/

04/07/2026

We recommend joining the European Commission's webinar, "Climate Mitigation in Tourism: Turning Evidence into Action", taking place online on 8 July at 10:30 a.m. CET.

It will bring together experts from the European Environment Agency(EEA) and the Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH) to explore how tourism destinations can move from understanding climate risks to implementing effective mitigation actions.

Through a moderated discussion, the session will connect climate evidence, policy developments, and practical destination-level approaches, highlighting tools and methodologies that support the transition towards more sustainable tourism systems.

The session will be moderated by Ralf Pastleitner, Head of TUI Group Corporate Office EU and Chair of the T4T Expert Group on the Green Transition.

We would like to thank to Mercedes Muñoz Zamora, our European Greenways Association Ambassador, for being part of the expert group on the Green Transition “Together for EU Tourism – T4T,” led by DG Mobility and Transport 💚!

Join us on 8 July 2026 for a focused interview bringing together experts from the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH) to explore how tourism destinations can move from understanding climate risks to implementing effective mitigation ac...