5 Best Cycling Trails To Travel In Europe
(Last Updated On: 12/04/2022)
Whether it is a few days trying to figure out your bike gears but still enjoying the scenic cycling trails, or an epic 1,800km ride from Canterbury to Rome, our 5 Best Cycling Trails To Travel In Europe will inspire you!
- This article was written to educate about Train Travel and was made by Save A Train The Cheapest Train Tickets Website In The World.
1. First on our list of 5 Best Cycling Trails To Travel In Europe is: Passau, Germany To Vienna
This one isn’t for the aforementioned bike gear fiddler. For the slightly more experienced, but not quite Tour De France cyclist, this is for you!
A one-week first cycle route, we’d recommend you catch the train over the German border to Passau, a beautiful city where the rivers Inn, Danube, and Ils meet. Rent bikes from Matthias Drasch at Fahrrad-Klinik and pedal off along traffic-free paths beside the Danube.
Esterbauer publishes a guide in English for this classic route: maps are excellent (Don’t attempt to ride whilst reading though. tried that. Short story; it ended badly) The maps will give you tips for accommodation listings and places of interest along the way, like Melk and the Austrian vine and fruit growing areas. Fahrrad-Klinik has an arrangement with a hotel on the outskirts of Vienna where you leave the bikes. Spend a day or so in Vienna before catching the train back to Linz and flying home.
2. Cycle Route: Via Francigena, Italy
For the geographically challenged, this should be on your 5 Best Cycling trails to travel in Europe list. This is the longest signposted cycle route in Italy! The Via Francigena runs from the Great St Bernard Pass on the border with Switzerland to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Once a pilgrimage route, it is over a thousand years old. The route takes riders through Tuscan landscapes and past medieval towns like San Gimignano. Would give yourself a couple of extra days just for photo stops, the occasional wine tasting, and to enjoy your grand entrance into Rome.
3. Danube Cycle Path
If you want to make your trip a family affair then the Danube Cycle Path is your best bet! It is one of the most well-known and well-traveled bike routes in Europe. So it’s no wonder it’s one of the 5 Best Cycling trails to travel in Europe.
It follows the Danube River from its source in Germany all the way to the Black Sea, but the most popular stretch of the trail is the 190 miles (306 km) portion between the scenic German village of Passau and Vienna, Austria. Almost entirely car-free and relatively flat, this path—which crisscrosses the border between Germany and Austria throughout much of the ride—is perfect for cyclists of any age and ability.
4. Holland Junction Network
It’s very difficult to list just one cycle path that stands out as the best in Holland. In fact, our 5 Best Cycling trails to travel in Europe list could consist of just Holland trails! This is a country with such a fantastic cycling infrastructure that you’re in for a treat wherever you cycle! Following the junction network of signposted routes, rides along the 32,000 km of cycle paths are joyously flat with short distances between notable destinations.
Whether you’re looking to explore the peaceful coastline and pretty harbor villages of Holland’s North Sea coast, the country’s colorful bulb growing fields, or routes around the vibrant capital city of Amsterdam, you’ll find cycle paths that embody everything that is great about active cycling at a leisurely pace.
5. The Cycle Route To Paris From Dieppe (or London)
It may not be long-distance for some (it Was for me! Lol!) but the 127 miles from Dieppe to Paris provides a beautiful few days of cycling! The most famous cycle route is the Avenue Verte, but the best route has been pioneered by Donald Hirsch.
Donald’s route
The early miles of the route meander through little French villages, over rolling downs and past fields of wheat and corn. Try not to do wine tasting too soon on the trip though! The roads are quiet and safe though, and there are just enough hills to keep it interesting but not exhausting. Donald’s website contains links to cycle-friendly accommodation.
As you near Paris, unlike the Avenue Verte, this route takes you through a series of royal hunting forests to avoid the traffic. After 120 miles of villages, fields, and hunting forests, you enter Parc St Cloud. It’s an area of woodland just after Versailles, traffic-free, long and straight, and bordered by tall trees. Then, you see that the road opens out to a paved area, fountains, and something beyond.
Donald’s route takes you to the left, so you never see what’s at the end of the road. But it’s worth cycling on to investigate. You find yourself on a cliff, with all of Paris stretched out in front of you. It will leave you breathless from the view, not the exertion.
Ready to get your pedal on and choose one of the 5 Best Cycling Trails To Travel In Europe? Great! All these places can be reached by train with the help of Save A Train of course! So start planning and start cycling!
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