Summer is the best time to travel by bike. Europe has plenty of bike paths with beautiful views, excellent surfaces, and cheap hotels in every town and village. The mountains of Switzerland, the Tuscan coast and castles in the Loire Valley – we will tell you about the most beautiful cycling routes in Europe.
1. Loire Valley (Loire a velo) – medieval castles, vineyards, French cuisine and wines
Length: 800 km
Route: Orleans — Tour — Angers — Nantes — Saint-Nazaire
Route website: cycling-loire.com
Every year 700 thousand travelers pass through it. The path passes the ancient castles of Chambord, Saumur and Chenonceau, through the Loire-Anjou-Touraine nature reserve with rare birds, and through medieval villages where you can enjoy French cuisine and wines. The Loire cycle path has almost no climbs and excellent infrastructure – you can rent a bike and equipment and drop it off at any point along the route. If you are tired and want to shorten the route, take the Train velo Loire. From June 10 to August 27, 2017, it is equipped with an additional carriage for bicycles.
2. The Tuscan coast – cypress groves, sea, Leaning Tower of Pisa and Elba Island
Length: 317 km
Route: Marina di Carrara — Pisa — Livorno — Grosseto — Capalbio
Route website: italy-cycling-guide.info
This relatively short but very beautiful route follows the ancient Aurelian Way past the Etruscan necropolis in Populonia and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, through pine forests and vineyards. The Tuscan hills offer beautiful views of cypress groves, the sea and medieval villages. The first hundred kilometers of the route pass along the coast, then hills and low mountains begin. A few kilometers from the cycle path there is a train line that connects Pisa and Rome; in summer it is equipped with a carriage for bicycles. Every 25-30 km you will find a hotel/camping/hostel and a bicycle workshop.
3. Rhine Cycle Route – Swiss mountain valleys, German castles and Slate Mountains
Length: 1233 km
Route: Andermatt — Basel — Strasbourg — Mannheim — Dusseldorf — Duisburg — Rotterdam
Route website: rhinecycleroute.eu
The road passes through Alpine valleys, next to glaciers and waterfalls, through UNESCO-listed towns and villages, through the cliffs and castles of the Rhine Slate Mountains. The route is very long and suitable for cyclists of any level of training – the road is divided into sections of varying difficulty, maps, cycling atlases and guides are published every year. In every locality there are cafes, hotels and repair shops. This year the Rhine Cycle Path celebrates its 200th anniversary with vintage bike exhibitions, festivals, celebrations and even several bike parades in different cities.
4. Austrian Danube Bike Path: Baroque abbeys, vineyards, nature reserves and beautiful Vienna
Length: 320 km
Route: Passau — Linz — Vienna — Bratislava
Route website: danube-cycle-path.com
This bike path is the most beautiful and popular section of the huge Danube bike route, which starts in the Alps and goes to Hungary. Most travelers travel with the Danube, so it is better not to travel against the current. Along the way you will see the picturesque bends of the Danube, bubbling rapids, Wachau vineyards, Baroque abbeys and castles. Bicycles and equipment can be rented in any city. From May to October, the Rad Tramper Donau train runs from Vienna to Passau, where bicycle transportation is free. Many choose to end their trip not in Bratislava, but in Vienna, where there are hundreds of bike tours of castles, palaces and parks, including children’s excursions.
