Guided cycling tours in Europe

Be aware that for driving e-bikes in parts of Europe (partly from a certain power) you will need a valid driving permission for the country, means valid driving license likely plus IDP.

Germany is an example. Have no info about Italy or Spain.

There are a plethora of tour companies that do guided bike tours in Europe. You
can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $1000+ per day for the cost of your trip,
which includes just about everything, but this differs between companies.

Some companies specialize in a specific country or region, others, such as Backroads,
try to offer something for everyone (who has money).

I would not, however, necessarily suggest that people who are not cyclists do a bike
trip in a foreign country as their first bike riding experience. Too many distractions
and too easy to make mistakes which can result in injury. If you are targeting summer
2026, then your group should plan to do some biking and get in a bit better shape before
the trip.

Here's a website you could start with:
Bike Tour reviews

Shoeflyer has given wise advice.

I have been on two Backroads trips. One for hiking (Italy) and one for biking (US). The biking tour was before e-bikes became available, so I cannot comment on that. But I can recommend Backroads for the quality of its guides, accommodations, equipment, food, etc. My only complaint is that they are expensive.

If you do go with Backroads or any other guided biking outfit make sure you understand how easy or difficult the routes may be. Will there be an option to "opt out" or take an easier route, is there a "broom wagon" that will pick you up if you can't make it, is the equipment well maintained, do they give you a map of the route in case you get separated, how many guides are on the trip, who manages the luggage, etc. And as others have mentioned make sure that you understand how e-bikes work. You do have to pedal or the bike won't go. The bikes are also very heavy, so you have to be able to manage it if it tips. They can also be very powerful so understand how the different "assist" mechanisms work.

I have done numerous cycling trips such as you are suggesting. I have once gone on a Backroads trip (Chile and Argentina). It was wonderful. All was as promised. Great hotels and sumptuous meals. Two outstanding guides, excellent bikes. No complaints. But not inexpensive.

I have also traveled with VBT on at least ten trips. Throughout Europe. While not as luxurious as Backroads, nonetheless outstanding. Delightful hotels, tho not as luxurious as those offered by Backroads. Still, quite charming and well located. Very good meals. And good guides, local people. Good bikes - on most trips you have a choice of road bikes, hybrid bikes or e-bikes. Price wise - very reasonable. Per diem, probably half of what you would pay on Backroads. That is an estimate - I haven’t closely compared the prices. And with VBT, airfare is normally included, tho you are free to make your own reservations and thus pay a lower price for the tour package. I haven’t closely compared the prices of the two companies, tho when I have looked at tours, I have viewed them and thus can certainly say there is a significant difference in cost. In short, I have always been pleased with VBT and have no reservation in recommending it. Again, as said above, VBT is not as luxurious as Backroads and some other companies, but to me, a good value and all was delivered as promised.

Thank you this is all helpful information! I used to cycle back in the day, so I’m not worried about myself and I have ridden an E bike in Croatia being older. We do have a serious cyclist with us, but most of the others just do some cycling classes. So yes, I do need to take all of this in consideration. And yes, I’m hoping that everyone will try and prepare for the trip!! Looking for a recommended company that can handle all types of riders.

For the amount of $$$ these trips tend to cost these days (a Backroads trip will probably
run between $4000 and $6000 for a 6 day/5 night trip, land package not including airfare),
the companies will take good care of you no matter what type of biker you are. The
price difference tends to be reflected more in the lodging/meals and the logistics (e.g, how
one gets to the trip start point - are you on your own to do it, or do they pick you up in a major
city and shuttle you there).

There are usually multiple route options for each day and the van can shuttle people up
hills if necessary. It's important to know the general terrain going in; for instance, Tuscany
has some moderate climbs, but they can be long. Also weather conditions for the time of
year you plan to go. For me, biking in 95 degree weather is difficult. The tour companies
will generally share pretty honest info; the last thing they want is for a customer to pick the
wrong trip and have it be way too easy or way too hard.

Don't forget that you will most likely need accommodations for at least one night before
the actual trip and one night after. The companies tell you all this stuff but you need to
read their info and pay attention.

Note that you will get nice food, but not necessarily 3* Michelin food at dinner. The
companies make plans for the group and this usually means a set menu or limited
choices. Lunch is also not usually a gourmet affair, as you just need to fuel up for
the afternoon ride. Backroads is well known for their picnic spreads, though.

We’ve cycled in Europe three times, now.

• 2018 Guided, Croatia, with MeridienTen, a local company based in Split.
• 2023 Self-Guided, France (Dordogne for a week and Loire for a week), through Velo Voyaguer, a company based in France.
• 2024 Self-Guided, Puglia - the heel of the Italian boot, through Puglia Cycle Tours.

So, each time we have used a local or at least same-nation company. Self-guided is mucho cheaper and Shoeflyer is probably right about guided tour costs.

I think self-guided is the way to go. Price-wise it makes sense in terms of what you get … hotels, bikes, routes, “app,” maps and luggage transfers. Self guided biking in Puglia was more than 20 or 25 percent cheaper for us than Rick Steves Guided (bus) tour in Sicily.

I’ll edit this post later tonight with links and more.

ADDITIONS

We are using Velo Voyageur again this fall in Germany’s Mosel River Valley, Alsace and Burgundy. All their tours in France are easy to find in English, but beyond France they seem to require you to read French or use Google Translate. They do have two tours in Catalonia. See https://www.levelovoyageur.com/fr/espagne-a-velo_d27.

For our 2024 TR that includes our review of our experience with Puglia Cycle Tours, see

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/southern-italy-30-days-three-ways-to-travel

For our 2023 review of Velo Voyageur, see https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/fabulous-tour-de-france-2-weeks-on-foot-and-by-train-2-weeks-by-e-bike

LATE LATE NOTE. Shoeflyer has a point, I suppose. We’ve been well satisfied with our experiences so far. Broughtt our own metal irons from home for potential tire changes and with both Velo Voyageur and Puglia Cycle, they provided tools and locks. Never used the tools, though when I got a flat tire in Sarlat - in town fortunately - I just walked the bike over to a store. Phone support was great with both companies. Self guided is much cheaper, lacks many of the perks and local guides who speak the language.

Up to you what you want to do and what level of self-reliance or adventure vs. comfort and price suits you and your group.

Since you are planning as a group, check into what negotiating leverage you might have on price, as well as itinerary plan and add on sights, like wineries or restaurants.

I agree with Shoeflyer about looking for reviews. I was very satisfied with the reviews, review content, review “profiles,” and the numbers of reviews I found on Trip Advisor for MeridienTen in Croatia and for Velo Voyageur in France and Puglia Cycle Tours. And, I was very frustrated at not being able to find much in the way of reviews that I could count on for other operators in Germany. See my 11/26/24 “reply” to my own post at https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/rhine-and-beyond-itinerary-ideas

Re Fred's comments about self-guided.....

Yes, they are definitely much cheaper, but, there is an additional layer of scoping you
would need to do. Things like:
- how luggage gets transported from place to place each day
- what type(s) of navigation do you get? A nav device is great for making sure you make
the correct turns, but it is of less value in trying to get an overview of the day's ride,
and knowing when to prepare for things like upcoming hills, etc.
- what are the arrangements for assistance should someone get hurt, arrested, etc.

I would also say that if you're not somewhat versed in bike repair/maintenance, like
changing flats and resetting chains, or not able to handle first aid, then a self-guided
trip is not for you. They are for self-reliant and experienced bikers.

Thank you for all of this information! Y’all have given me a lot to think about. A deciding factor will be whether our avid cyclist goes with us. He is very knowledgeable about repairs, first aid and reading any route maps. It’s been a while since I have done any of those. But we all have experience traveling in Europe. I have a lot of research to do!

If you attempt to do a tour as self-guided, the extended question is whether your
experienced rider is willing to act as guide. This means circulating between faster
and slower riders, making sure everyone is doing ok (hydrating, eating, on course,
etc). It means riding a lot more miles than the standard route, especially if there
are variants. It means having a cell phone plan with lots of minutes in Europe,
just in case.

On a guided tour, of course, the guide does this. But there are usually 2 guides,
and they alternate between riding and driving the support van, so they have a day
off in between their extended riding days.

Most likely you'd be fine and have a great time. But when there is not all that much
between bliss and trouble, better to think things through early.

OP and Shoeflyer.

I was not planning to comment further, but since an experienced cyclist may be joining and in light of Shoeflyer’s comment about that person having to take on the job of becoming as a guide …

In our limited experience, self-guided tours does not mean that you figure your itinerary yourself. Look at what the itineraries are. The companies have

• booked the hotels,
• provided details of length of ride from one hotel to another as well as the overall elevation gains and drops,
• provided luggage transfers,
• provided maps and a GPS connected “app” that gives explicit, real time instruction, like “at the roundabout in 100 metres, take the third exit” (with photos included), and
• Provided materials suggest sights, restaurants, bakeries etc along the route.

The instructions from the two companies we went with were quite complete.

One caution is that someone in your group should have a lightweight, pocket battery/charger in case your cell phone (or other GPS internet device) runs down late in the day.

They provided the bikes (of course), some bike tools, locks, paniers, spare tire tubes and helmets. However, for our upcoming trip on the Mosel River in Germany, we are told that helmets are not available, so we will buy a couple in Germany.

Of course, the guided tours, complete with sag wagon, guides, refreshments and more can be great. We loved our experience with MeridienTen in Croatia and the fact that.they were locals based in Split, Croatia was a huge plus. See https://www.meridienten.com/ But it does run close to twice the price to get those perks. ( BTW - We have friends who used Backroads in Croatia and they were happy with it, too.)

One more thing for OP. I know you mentioned you are looking to do this trip in Spain or Italy. If you are not committed to those two countries and France is an option, there is one website that has TONS of information about multiple tour providers and offerings in every part of France: https://www.freewheelingfrance.com/

We used Cycling Country in Spain in 2013 for a self-guided trip in Andalucia. They also have guided and self-guided tours in Spain, Portugal, England, France, and Canada now. Our self-guided trip, as others noted above, included a full itinerary with planned routes, baggage transport, hotel reservations, breakfast, and support. We just had to follow the routes at our own pace with whatever we needed for the day, and get ourselves to the next hotel. We rented bikes through the tour company, and it was so easy. They do have e-bike options now as well. Following the routes now would be even easier with using a GPS and having better cell phone/data coverage.

There was another bigger group that was 1 day behind us, they had a mix of cyclists and people driving, the tour company handled all of their hotel reservations for the whole group. I will note that obviously Andalucia is pretty hilly, and we trained a bit before going to be in shape. Ebikes help but you still need to be in shape to sit on a bike for a few hours a day for several days in a row. We also scheduled a rest day in the middle to have a day off the bike, which was a great idea.

https://cyclingcountry.com/

Editing to Add: my husband is an avid cyclist so we were confident if we had issues on the road he could patch/repair a flat, etc if needed. He was even able to speak some limited Spanish with one of our hotel staff members when he needed a screwdriver part way through to fix his bike shoe cleat. The staff at that hotel in a small town in Andalucia did not speak much English. So the comments above about the guided vs. self-guided are quite important in the case of your group of novice riders.

Also if going to Spain would highly recommend going early in the season. We had a scheduling conflict and went in mid-June and it was so hot cycling between Granada and Sevilla. Would have preferred the weather in May.

A neighbor has done more than 10 Backroads tours and highly recommends them. He agrees that any experienced cyclist can easily do the same tour self supported for less than half the cost of the Backroads tours, he stated that the added comforts and options through Backroads appeals to his wife’s interests as a casual cyclist as many tours have a shorter or easier day option that some of the tour guests elect to take. Consequently both spouses can get what they want on the same day.

Since I am part of the reason this thread is still going (not sure that is good or bad)....

I have done over 20 guided bike tours, and if you can afford them (knowing there is
definitely variety in the pricing), then I think the main reason you might do a self-guided
tour is if most people in the group can be fairly self-sufficient, and the group is happy
socializing within themselves. You probably won't explore, or reach out, as much in
a self-guided group as with a guide who is helping to curate the experience.

I may have mistakenly overassumed that OP's group would be a bunch of novice riders.
But it's important to understand that during a typical bike day, everyone in the group
is not biking together. So each "pod" needs to be able handle whatever comes along.

So at the end of it all, I have pretty good confidence the self-guided tour companies do
their best to set the group up for success. It's the makeup of the group itself that becomes
more important in a self-guided tour, thus my comments about someone more experienced
perhaps needing to take on the guide role (which will affect their own ability to enjoy the trip)
since there is no guide.

I think I would steer away from a self-guided tour for the first time in Europe. If after the
first time, the group likes the experience and wants to do it again someplace else,
they have a better idea of what they're in for and a self-guided trip may work.

My wife and I have done 13 self-guided rides since 2003 (5 France, 5 Italy, 3 Spain) and had wonderful experiences on all of them. We still talk about the people who helped us stay on course when we erred; even though there was not a common language. One person drew a map in the sand; another got in their car and drove us to the trail. We are now in our mid 70s. We did our first guided ride with VBT in 2023 (Croatian Boat and Bike) and will do another with VBT (Greece) this October. While I still ride 300+ miles a month at home, my wife’s health doesn’t allow her to train as much. We opted on e-bikes on both VBT tours, and were glad we did,.whatever you choose (self-guided or guided), take time to enjoy your surroundings. Biking is a great way to meet people and learn about the country’s culture.
Have a wonderful time!