Bike Tours

What are your concerns about a bike tour (in Europe)?

For things like itinerary, difficulty, lodging, etc, the company itself will usually go
to great lengths to explain the setup (arrival, departure, typical day, etc) to you.
Hotel websites, Google Maps, etc can all help.

If you are not 100% sure of your cycling abilities, probably best to go with a guided
tour, as opposed to a self-guided one.

Planning is relatively easy, once you pick the tour. Just get to and from the start/end
point, decide if you want to spend time before/after the bike part somewhere.

Solo travelers are always welcome. The question is how comfortable you feel socially
if a majority of the trip participants are couples. Some companies can match you up
with a roommate, or you can pay a single supplement.

In general, bike trips are not cheap these days, but there is a price range which is
to a great extent based on level of luxury in lodging and meals.

One small biking tip: what you will do on a bike trip that you don't do at home is bike
every day. If you walk, run, work out, etc., your legs may be in shape, but, it's the part
of your body that uses the saddle that may cause the greatest discomfort if you aren't
biking a bit before your trip. A gel seat may also help.

Welcome to the forum.

Just as info: different countries have varying regulations for driving various classes of e-bikes. Some require a driving permission which sometimes require an IDP from travelers.

Hi!

I have done over a dozen biking tours, mostly in various parts of Europe. All with an organized tour company, not on my own. Among the companies I used, most commonly it was VBT out of Burlington, VT.. Eleven times if my count is right. I was very pleased with my trips, with VBT, as well as with Backroads. While I never traveled on these trips as a solo guest, there were several solo traveler on various tours. I never sensed they were at any disadvantage. Other guests were welcoming and the solos were welcomed even on “non-package” events. I would not hesitate going alone.

Never used an e-bike, but many other guests did so. I don’t recall any negative feedback-back. And the various tours companies usually offer a variety of trips, at various level of cycling skills.

JimD

Welcome to the Forum.

We are actually big fans of biking - e-biking in our case - but we opt for self-guided rather than guided tours. Why? Because it’s half the price, we have much more flexibility in setting the dates and we can easily get operators to adjust the offerings to meet our needs.

Our first trip was guided in 2018 with Meridien Ten in Croatia. Local, Split based company. Great tour, great guides, nice group. Their customer base is largely US and other English speakers. https://www.meridienten.com

For France, there is an individual, Lyn, who has a website with TONS of information about all things related to cycling in France. All regions, multiple tour operators, local shops, routes, and more. This should be your first website to check. https://www.freewheelingfrance.com/

We’ve now done self guided trips in the Loire chateau region (2023), the Dordogne (2023), Alsace (2025) and Burgundy (2025). We’ve booked all those with Velo Voyageur. They worked with us in revising their offerings. We added one day to their 7-night Dordogne tour, we plucked 7 days or so out of their longer 15 day or so Loire Valley tour, we added extra nights at the start of their so-called 6-day Strasbourg to Colmar trip and we swapped out a night in Chalon sur Saone for a second night in Beaune on their so-called 5-day Burgundy tour. (Like every tour operator, they count arrival and departure days as days.).

We also booked a trip on Germany’s Mosel River with them (2025), but they subcontracted that trip though an Austrian company, Pedalo, and the Pedalo bikes were heavy - too heavy, and shifted badly if at all while going uphill. Biking the Mosel was great. The Pedalo bikes were not.

And we biked in Puglia (2024) on another self-guided trip though a local company there, https://www.pugliacycletours.com. They offer both guided and self-guided tours.

You will find that these companies offer multiple trips of different lengths and itineraries. Again, with the self-guided trips, they just need to get you started with a bike, so they are totally flexible on date(s) and adjusting the itineraries that they offer. They are available by phone or What’s App if you have a problem. They book the hotels and arrange the luggage transfers. They give you itineraries and GPS based step by step direction on your mobile phone … or in Puglia Cycle’s case, they supplied the device.

It’s a good idea to take a small battery or charger with you since your mobile phone or their supplied device may run out of power by the end of the day.

We also combine biking with other travel modes. For example, our most recent trip was 30 days in Germany and France, with 3 e-bike segments and 13 days of cycling, other travel by train, and one five day travel stint by car.

Direct Message me if you want and I can provide you links to our Trip Reports. LATE NOTE DuVine and Backroads are companies that offer guided tours in France.

I think Fred and I have both contributed to a similar thread on bike trips before.....

OP, if you don't bike regularly, have not been on a bike vacation before, and
have not traveled in Europe a lot, I think a guided tour is best for the first time.
After that, if you think you have the lay of the land, a self-guided tour will definitely
save you money, but you have to be able to manage your own affairs and potentially
do things like change a flat tire.

The Loire Valley is pretty flat, so that won't pose too many climbing challenges.

As noted, most days on any trip will have more than one option for easy/moderate/
hardcore bikers. It's hard to avoid hills in Tuscany, and in Holland, although it's
flat, the wind can be an issue. When pushed, the companies will usually tell you
the amount of climbing on each day for the various levels of difficulty.