Hiking season in the Alps is coming to a close. But that doesn’t mean that adventure season is over. There’s still time for one of my favorite modes of adventuring…bicycle touring. I think every hiker should dabble in bicycle touring, even if you don’t consider yourself a cyclist. Bicycle tours are loaded with adventure, but that adventure has some great characteristics that we don’t often get with hiking. Hear me out.
Let me just start by saying that the extensive network of dedicated bicycle trails, that keep you away from traffic, makes bicycle touring in Europe much more comfortable than it is in other parts of the world. In Europe, bicycle touring is considered a family-friendly and retiree-friendly activity.
8. You don’t need a lot of specialized gear
There’s a lot of crossover when it comes to clothing. I know the marketing gods want you to believe otherwise, but you really don’t need a lot of cycling-specific stuff. Except for my chamois (you know, the padded bike shorts) and shoes (and I mean normal sport shoes…cycling shoes are not necessary), everything I wear when I cycle is from hiking. Bicycles, helmets, and even the panniers (sometimes called saddlebags), can all be rented. But be picky about your rentals…many rental bicycles are designed for city travel and not for touring. If you book a tour with Alpenventures, we can help you arrange high-quality bicycle rentals.
Learn more about the gear you do and do not need in our Packing for a Bicycle Tour video.
7. You experience cities, nature, and villages
If you are traveling to a foreign country, you probably want to absorb some culture in addition to the local natural beauty. Many people flock to the cities, before and after their hikes, in order to find it. While you may find culture in the form of museums and opera houses in the big cities, the true authentic culture of a country lives in the villages. This is why I consider bicycle touring to be one of the most comprehensive ways to experience a region. You get blasts of natural beauty, sprinkled with urban experiences and coated in village authenticity.
6. It’s environmentally friendly
Even pre-COVID, traveling was starting to get a bad reputation for its impact on our treasured planet. But not all travel has to be wasteful. Cycling around on a bicycle and staying in small, locally-owned accommodations is a responsible way to travel. And yes, if you have to fly there, there is an environmental impact. It’s just a much smaller one than if you are renting a car and staying in massive hotels in overcrowded regions. Check out my blog post on Responsible Travel for more tips. And maybe now would be a good time to mention that we offset one metric ton of carbon per customer, which covers the carbon footprint of our tours, probably by double or triple. Learn more about our responsible travel initiatives.
5. You move fast enough to cover a lot of distance
Alright, there’s nothing wrong with a hiking pace. Most of the time, that’s my preferred pace. Every once in a while though, and especially when I travel to a region of the world that I don’t get to spend a lot of time in, I want to cover more distance and experience more things. That’s where bicycle touring is perfect. It’s active and adventurous, AND also allows me to cover more ground.
4. You move slow enough to soak in the culture
To juxtapose the previous point, bicycle touring is also certainly not fast travel. When you zoom around from place to place in a car or in public transportation, that’s fast. But cycling through villages and along streams still gives you time to soak it all in. And the open-air environment means that you are experiencing a place with every sense. But above that, your most treasured memories from a bicycle tour are likely to be the kind strangers you interact with along the way.
3. There’s almost always a luxury option and a budget option
When bicycle touring, you typically overnight in guest houses and hotels in towns, rather than in a hut in the mountains. This means you can choose your style of accommodation, just like you would on almost any other trip. It’s possible to do a bike tour and stay in a variety of 4-star hotels along the way. Or it’s possible to go budget, and stay in simple guesthouses, and even at a campground or two that offer accommodation. In Germany, guided bicycle tours often fall into the “Genusstouren” category. “Genusstouren” is basically “enjoyment touring” and it’s designed for those who like the finer things in life. If you want to do a Genusstour, I recommend booking the Comfort Package on our Munich to Venice Bicycle Tour. There’s even an overnight in a castle.
2. You can make it as easy or as difficult as you like
The very nature of a bicycle tour means you are going through plenty of villages along the way. This means that you also have more frequent options for accommodation than you wouldn’t have on a hut hike. And this means you can plan short, relaxing days in the saddle, or you can go big and ride all day. This makes bicycle touring phenomenal for families and even for aging adventurers who may need to shift gears but aren’t ready to slow down (pun intended). And if you are still worried the tour might be too difficult, let me tell you about the e-Bike. An e-Bike is a bicycle with a little motor that assists. It only works when you pedal, but it can quickly eliminate the sweat factor from just about any bicycle tour. And yes, we do rent e-bikes for our tours.
1. It can save your marriage – introducing the e-Bike
Speaking of e-Bikes, these are working magic for marriages around the world. You know those couples where one half is super gung-ho and drags the other half on all sorts of crazy adventures that they barely survive? Are you maybe even in one of those marriages? The e-bike is a solution that might not be on your radar yet. Using an e-bike for the not-so-gung-ho half of a marriage can make adventure and activity enjoyable again for the above-mentioned couples. I’ve met several couples while out on my cycling adventures that talk about how much happier they are adventuring together now that one of them has an e-bike. But don’t just take it from me, check out this article, How E-Bikes Can Help Couples Cycle Together.
Learn more about bicycle touring in the Alps on our Bicycle Touring Tips page
Are you convinced yet? Maybe our selection of bicycle tours will tempt you…