Cycling holidays in Southern Europe
Greece / Turkey
Comfort is when the hotel travels or swims with you. If necessary, you can take an extra rest day on board. A new Mediterranean route for cycle and boat trips starts in Bodrum, Turkey, heading for the Dodecanese and Cyclades. A total of 180 quite challenging cycling kilometres are covered on the Greek islands. The eight-day trip takes place on three dates in 2018. www.inselhuepfen.com
Apulia / Italy
Italy is also bursting with cultural cities, culinary highlights and marvellous beaches on the heel of the boot. The one-week individual cycle tour around the Salento peninsula takes you to the towns of Lecce, Gallipoli and Otranto, which are well worth a visit, and leads past an almost infinite number of olive trees and vineyards where the powerful Primitivo and Salice Salentino wines thrive. Not forgetting the countless watchtowers and the dream coasts on the Ionian and Adriatic Seas. www.wikinger-reisen.de
Alentejo / Portugal
The Costa Vicentina in the Portuguese Alentejo is not only home to the highest waves in Europe. This stretch of coastline and nature park in the south-west of the country is also one of the most unspoilt regions in the world. The eight-day individual tour is largely away from the tourist hotspots and large cities. www.vuelta.de
Umbria / Italy
The base is an elegant four-star hotel in a quiet location just outside Perugia. From there, daily star tours take you to Assisi, the city of St Francis, to the medieval towns of Bettona and Montefalco and to Lake Trasimeno. The programme also includes an excursion to the famous Chiorri winery, including a tasting, and to the Etruscan town of Todi. www.eurobike.at
Slovenia
From Slovenia to Veneto, from Bled to Venice, a new, individual eight-day trip from the Alps to the Adriatic. Firstly, the route takes a sporty route from Bled through the southern foothills of the Alps, including the fascinating Soça Valley, down to the Friulian Adriatic and the island town of Grado. The route then follows the Adriatic arc through Friuli and Veneto via Portogruaro, with its Venetian-influenced old town, to Lido di Jesolo. www.cyclingslovenia.com
Douro Valley / Portugal
This trip starts in Porto, Portugal's second largest city, along the Douro River. The programme includes the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Socalcos, which comprises the vineyards on the steep terraced hills along the Douro, many examples of local architecture and the world-famous port wine and other wine cellars. www.dertour.com
Andalusia / Spain
From Malaga to Seville, across Andalusia, this individual nine-day tour takes you on a journey. Along the route are cultural highlights such as the Alhambra in Granada, the mosque in Cordoba and the Alcazar in Seville. Not forgetting the original little towns in the hinterland. You cycle on Vias Verdes, former railway lines and quiet country roads. www.wikinger-reisen.de
Northern Europe
Finland
Cycle and ferry from island to island in the south-west of Finland. The guided week-long tour through the huge archipelago starts in Turku or Naantali. The five mostly flat daily stages are between 27 and 50 kilometres long and are mainly on asphalt cycle paths or low-traffic country roads. www.wikinger.de
Denmark
This individual seven-day trip runs along Jutland's Baltic coast between Flensburg, Sonderbørg and Haderslev. Royal castles, historic towns, but also wide fields and forests as well as beautiful sandy beaches lie along the flat route. www.mecklenburger-radtour.de
