Check out our new and updated bicycle tours coming in 2019!

We are excited to announce that our departure dates for the 2019 bicycle tour season in Europe are listed on our website**! Take a peek and start planning where you’d like to cycle next year. Feel free to contact us if you need a little help deciding where to go next.

We’ve also revamped a few of our classic tours, take a look at these fresh new itineraries listed below!

**There are a few itineraries we are still finalizing so if you don’t see any dates for the trip you’ve set your heart on, send us a note and we’ll let you know if it is on the schedule.

New Tours

We never stop searching for the best cycling routes that allow our travelers to dive deep into unique destinations. This year we’re excited to announce the following new itineraries and destinations:

Cycling Ancient Greece From Sparta to Kalamata Plus! Pylos

It’s been over a decade since we’ve run a tour in Greece, but due to popular demand we’re excited to announce our new itineraries: Cycling Ancient Greece From Sparta to Kalamata Plus! Pylos. We have an 8-day version or a 12-day version you can join.

Explore the Southern Peloponnese regions of Lakonia, Messinia, and the Mani Peninsula – a region full of ancient and mythical history. The Mani Peninsula has some of the most dramatic and varied scenery in Greece, much of it still wonderfully under-explored. You will pedal through diverse landscapes including the lush foothills of the Taÿgetos Mountains, pristine coastal coves with tiny villages nested amid olive groves, and arid landscapes peppered with abandoned stone towers. We begin our cycling adventure in Mystras, home to one of Greece’s most beautiful archaeological sites from Ancient Sparta and ride along hilly coastal roads, staying in the picturesque villages of Gythio, Areopoli and Kardamyli, before landing in the charming town of Kalamata where our 8-day tour ends.

Those joing the Plus! extended trip continue on to end in Pylos with an excursion to Nestor’s Palace. The Palace of Nestor, home of the king of Pylos, who took part in the Trojan War, is one of Greece’s best-preserved Mycenaean palaces. This tour is fit for the gods offering travelers a taste of of Greece’s scenic cycling, warm hospitality, and arguably the best food in Greece.

Highlights: UNESCO World Heritage site of Mystras, History of the Ancient Spartans, Mysterious tower houses of the Deep Mani, Cycling on quiet roads, Spectacular coastal scenery and views, Experience traditional Greek village life.

Bike and Barge the Seine 

Bike and Barge the Seine Plus! Castles of the Loire

Join us aboard our newest bike and barge itinerary “setting sail” in 2019. This week-long bike and barge cruise takes you along the Seine River Valley, passing by splendid estates including the castle and grounds at Fontainebleau, and through small medieval towns on the way to Montargis. Enjoy this scenic ride on easy canal paths, with frequent stops to sip café au lait in quaint French villages. Our boat for the week floats quietly along the Seine River, slipping through locks and under bridges while sumptuous meals are prepared on board. This tour is ideal for anyone who loves the French joie de vivre, and those who are new to cycling and want to try bicycle traveling without having to pack and unpack their bags.

The Plus! extended tour is land-based and takes you along the famed Loire River, giving those who want to keep exploring the chance to spend another few days pedaling between important chateaux’s including Blois, Chambord, Amboise and Chenonceau.

Highlights: Paris; Castle of Fontainebleau; “artists’ villages” – towns that inspired 19th and 20th century Impressionist painters; medieval fortified towns and castles.

Tour Updates!

We are constantly trying to improve and update all of our itineraries – even those we have been running for 35+ years.  This year we’ve revamped some of our favorite trips in Italy and the classic trip along the Danube  – read more below.

Easy Cycling in the Italian Alps

Easy Cycling in the Italian Alps Plus! Venetian Villas and Venice

Updated for 2019 with a new extended “Plus” version the Easy Cycling in the Italian Alps itinerary makes cycling through scenic valleys in the shadow of Italy’s famous Alps accessible to cyclists of all levels. Perfect for groups with varied cycling abilities, this tour takes you along pristine bike paths and small towns as you enjoy pedaling by the lush meadows of the Venosta Valley with Alpine peaks and glaciers in the background. Along the way, you’ll pedal past some of the best preserved castles in the region, vineyards and orchards, and visit historic cities including Merano, Bolzano, Trento and Bassano del Grappa – with plenty of opportunities to explore cafes in central plazas. This tour is a perfect blend of fascinating Austro-Italian history and the famous beauty and tranquility of Northern Italy’s mountains, lakes and valleys.

The new “Plus” extended version of Cycling in the Italian Alps takes you out of the mountains to pedal the best of the Po Valley along the Brenta river to famed art cities of Vicenza, Padova and incomparable Venice.  Explore some of the most famous Venetian Villas in Italy and end with a ride into Venice. This extended tour shows off northern Italy’s natural and architectural splendor in a way that can only be experienced by bicycle.

Highlights: Small medieval walled town of Glorenza, Adige River riding, Merano and its chic thermal spa town center, Gondola ride and dinner in a traditional “maso” in a mountain valley, Dedicated scenic bike paths, Views to the Dolomites and the Alps, Guided visit of Trento, Land art installation visit of Arte Sella.

Cycling Italy’s Culinary Delights Plus! the Farm

This popular bicycle tour just got a little more mouth watering. Join our revamped itinerary as we travel new roads and taste new flavors of Italy’s premier culinary region. Join us to go behind the scenes and learn time-honored traditions of making some of Italy’s most famous foods including Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, cured meats, and wine! (Not to mention taste testing said ingredients in extraordinary local dishes made according to tradition.) Every day of pedaling will not only take you on behind-the-scenes visits to the artisans and chefs, but also to ancient castles and world heritage UNESCO sites. On tour you will visit art capitals including Modena and Parma. You’ll round out the tour in Bologna and put the ingredients you’ve seen made over the previous days together during a hands-on cooking class.

Those continuing on the Plus version of this tour will cycle to hilltop villages, countryside resorts, and stay in restored parish houses in the Apennine foothills. You’ll explore aged cheese (formaggio di fossa) fermented in pits under ground, and you will pay a visit to Casa Artusi— the father to Italian home cooking cookbook and the first to “appreciate” and document home cooking beyond high-end royal dishes. Pellegrino Artusi who wrote “Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well” in the 19th century, and documented his maid’s cooking. Join us Cycling Italy’s Culinary Delights Plus! the Farm as history, art, culture, and tradition conspire in Italy’s premiere food region to make this tour unforgettable!

Highlights: Balsamic vinegar cellar, Parma, visit to see Parmesan cheese is made, Castle of Torrechiara, winery visit, Modena, Cooking class in Bologna, hilltop villages.

Bicycling the Danube Plus! Czech Republic and Prague

Discover the unforgettable landscapes and cycle through living history as you join us Cycling Passau to Vienna the first week, followed by an optional second week of this tour, Cycling Vienna to Prague. It will be hard not to fall in love with Central Europe as you explore the “greenways” and rural roads of this fascinating region. The tour begins in Passau, a city that was an important trade center for centuries in part due to its location on the confluence of three major rivers, the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz.  We’ll literally begin on the Danube with a boat ride from Passau to Aschach where you’ll start your first day of cycling with a stunning viewpoint over the riverbed of the Schlögener Schlinge, or Danube loop. Every day you’ll explore the region’s colorful towns, and impressive historical sites including a stop in the town of Melk to visit to the Benedictine Melk Abbey, perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river. You’ll get a flavor for the local food and landscape while pedaling past vineyards (and stopping to taste some fantastic wine!), through forbidden forests along the Austrian/Czech border, and into late Renaissance towns unchanged since the 17th century. Gently rolling cycling, bicycle-friendly paths and roads in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic make this region enormously popular for cyclists of all stripes. Those on the Plus! will enjoy delving into Central European history as we pedal north into Bohemia.

Those joining the second week of this tour (Cycling Vienna to Prague) will explore Bohemia, the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech lands in the present-day Czech Republic as of 1918. Bohemia is one of the prominent parts of the Holy Roman Empire and one of the richest parts of the Austrian Empire as you’ll notice while cycling through its thick forests dotted with castles, chateaux and picturesque towns. This tour is all about pedaling off the beaten track while pedaling through farmland past gently rolling countryside, by lakes, and through tiny towns. Join us cycling Passau to Vienna and the Czech Republic and find yourself in be in places where you’ll be the only non-resident.

Highlights: Cycling bike paths, Boat ride on the famous Danube river, Crossing three borders, Wine tastings, Historic abbeys and castles. 

Book Early and Save

Take advantage of our annual Early Booking Discount and save $200 on all 2019 European bicycle tours. Submit your reservation by November 15th, and we will take $200 off (per person) to reward you for planning early! Some 2019 tours are already filling up, secure your spot for next year and save before the Early Booking Discount ends!
Re-Cyclers: Remember if you are on your 5th, 10th or 15th ExperiencePlus! tour, we do limit Re-Cycle discounts to two per departure so it is also important for you to book sooner rather than later.
Learn about additional ways to save on tours here!

*Restrictions and fine print: Only one discount per person. Discounts not available for our TourzPlus! partner trips.