Best place to Bike or hike in May

Hi Mary-we've done a lot of biking (road, never MTB) in Europe but have always rented bikes over there, and haven't taken our own. If you take your own pedals, you have to carry around the rental's pedals, too, so that might or might not be a consideration. In Belgium in 2008, we went in late June, just before the Tour de France started. Flanders and western Belgium were a delight, with lots of off-street bike paths, canal towpaths, and sharing the road with bike-minded motorists. The bike network is supported by good signage. The one issue we had was wind coming off the North Sea. Our six-speed bikes were geared OK for relatively-flat Flanders, but one day, we rode against the wind the entire day in first gear -- you'd have thought we were ascending Rabbit Ears Pass with rusty chains!

We visited Glarus Canton in Eastern Switzerland in during April 2000 without doing any riding, that was saved a week later for biking along the Danube from Vienna to Linz, and while the high peaks still had snow, Glarus Town was clear and dry, with mild weather. The hamlet of Enge, higher than Glarus, was also snow-free, and some flowers were starting to appear among the grassy hilsides. The creek was gushing with snowmelt, and as in the Rockies, you could get fine weather one day and be back in winter the next. The Wachau valley in Austria, however, was great cycling. Radler (half beer and half French Lemonade or Sprite) is basically Austrian Gatorade - refreshes you without making you too drunk to get back on your bike.

In Sicily at Christmas 2012, we only saw cyclists just one sunny day in Agrigento, but the weather was temperate the whole time, much warmer than Rome had been a week earlier. I can only imagine that it would be excrutiatingly hot to ride there in the summer, so May might be a great time to go. We've never visited Sardinia, but if it's hills you're after, that might be another place to consider.

If you go to Ireland or Scotland any time of year, plan on rain and enjoy the times when it's not pouring. In Ireland, hug the left edge of the road, avoid the reflectors embedded in the road surface, and pray that the Swiss tour bus passing you doesn't clip you with its side-view mirror. The scenery, however, is stunning, and the riding very fulfilling!

There are many places where you can bike and hike in Europe in May. Check this one:
http://www.bicycle-tours.cz/

Probably anywhere but the Alps in May. The hiking season there is hit or miss until about mid-June.

Belgium's great for biking... hiking, not so much, except the Ardennes. There's trails throughout the country, but most of them are fairly short 2-3 hour hikes. Only in the Ardennes do you find longer jaunts.

Germany is a hiker's paradise, particularly the southern and central parts of the country.

Cycling from Passau to Vienna is fantastic in May.
http://www.donauradweg.at/radfahren-am-donauradweg.html

Just returned from Belgium and The Netherlands which are perhaps more equipped for bike lanes than anywhere else. Belgium: the land is flat and the country is dotted with lovely little villages. Bruges was my favorite. Have fun!

"Belgium: the land is flat and the country is dotted with lovely little villages" Just to be completely accurate here, only the northwest and parts of the northeast of the country are flat. Most of the rest is rolling hills and even low mountains in the southeast.

That can be hard to pick not knowing what kind of terrain you prefer or types of scenery you like to see. That time of the year most places should have their trails ready for the most part (Switzerland could still have some snow but you would have options). The area around Lauterbrunnen Switzerland offers a lot of options for hiking but you can also find good options in England, Scandinavia, Slovenia, Italy, etc. I recommend watching some of Rick's Programs and see what stands out to you. From there you can look into more specific hikes and biking options.

We biked northeastern Germany late September riding in the Rugen - Stralsund and the Mecklenburg Plau Am See areas. Routes were relatively flat to rolling and a mix of roadways, bike paths and farm roads. I was happy that we rented bikes. The bikes came wide (35mm) robust tires and fenders. Roads included precast concrete planks, cobbled and an occasional dirt/gravel road. Bike panchos and Goretex bike jackets were useful.