Where to go on a cycling holiday? The best cycling holiday tips for 2018
A trend with no end in sight! Just like cycling in general, cycling holidays are becoming increasingly popular. Even the classic routes along the major German rivers, such as the Elbe, Weser and Rhine, are growing from year to year. And although the infrastructure is excellent, at least "individual package tours", i.e. with a road book and pre-booked hotels, are booked through tour operators on river cycle routes. But experienced touring cyclists also want to discover new territory.
This is why tour operators are creating more and more tours in less illustrious regions, such as Schleswig-Holstein or the Harz Mountains. And it doesn't always have to be a long stage tour. Due to increasing demand, programmes for 2018 include more short trips of three to five days as well as star tour holidays with daily stages from a fixed location.
The offerings for southern climes have also been expanded
Cultural tours in southern Italy, Spain and Portugal are particularly suitable when it is not yet or no longer cycling season in Germany. Especially as the infrastructure for cycle travellers is slowly but steadily improving there too. For example, there are more and more offers on the Vias Verdes in Spain, on former railway lines.
The choice of destinations for long-distance travellers is also constantly growing
Above all, these are becoming increasingly exotic. In 2018, for example, there are exciting tours in Ethiopia, Brazil and Colombia, which has hardly been travelled to in the recent past. Even those who enjoy touring for weeks on end can put themselves in the care of tour operators and travel throughout India or from Dublin to Copenhagen in Europe.
There is hardly any way around the topic of e-bikes in the future
At least several tour operators, such as Die Landpartie and Eurobike, have launched special programmes for e-bike tours. Bike Adventure Tours has even set itself the lofty goal of becoming the leading provider of e-bike tours for long-distance destinations.
Interview with Thomas Froitzheim, ADFC tourism expert What are the cycling travel trends for 2018? Cycling holidays in Germany have grown by 30% in the last three years and the trend appears to be unbroken. 2018 will also be a year of tourism in Germany. Cycle routes along rivers, coasts and lakes are the top destinations. However, a clear target group is also dedicated to sporty tours such as Transalp tours. What changes would the experts like to see in cycle tourism? We need more quality in the entire structure of offers, starting with low traffic, well signposted cycle routes through to transparent offers. There is now a great deal of digital data, i.e. route suggestions for downloading, but their quality often leaves a lot to be desired. How is the topic of e-bikes making itself felt today? E-bikes have become very popular. Many individual cycle tours are now completed by e-bike. The trend towards e-mountain bikes is fuelling regions in low mountain ranges and the Alps. However, it is still difficult to transport e-bikes on public transport, starting with access to railway stations due to a lack of lifts or ramps.
The complete article was published in Trekkingbike issue 1/2018. You can download the issue in the MYBIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or in the DK-Shop order.
