VBT Bicycling Vacations

Highlights

• Indulge in luxurious accommodations where you can relax on a private sandy beach, soak in natural Etruscan hot springs, dine on elegant meals, and more
• Visit the home of a longtime VBT friend and founder of Cooking in Tuscany, then cook a traditional Tuscan meal with her
• Learn about different olive oils by taste with the family that owns the Fonte di Foiano olive oil mill as your guide
• Cycle past Bolgheri’s Super Tuscan vineyards and along its famous cypress-lined avenue, a prelude to the stunning medieval towns of Castagneto Carducci, Sassetta, and Suvereto
• Explore the fascinating Etruscan city of Populonia, a bustling port in ancient times, and take in breathtaking views of the turquoise waters of Baratti Bay.

Highlights

• Savor delicious Mediterranean cuisine, including paella, all flavored with unique Majorcan touches and accompanied with delicious local wines.
• Complement your cycling days with stays in luxurious boutique hotels, each a unique property with its own character and history that embody the region.
• Ride in a cyclist’s paradise of diverse landscapes: turquoise Mediterranean waters, dramatic Tramuntana mountains, coastal wetlands, emerald farmland and vineyards, rice fields, and more.
• Stroll small coastal villages with deep farming traditions, each graced with beautiful honey-stoned buildings and a breathtaking setting of mountains and valleys.
• Meet the owner of one of Mallorca’s oldest fincas and learn how his family has been producing olive oil for 17 generations using the only traditional press on the island.

Highlights

• Enter the world of Downton Abbey in Bampton, its stand-in on the beloved PBS series.
• Explore the gardens and staterooms of Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Cycle through a classic English countryside of sheep-dotted pastures, woodlands, market towns, tiny hamlets, and thatched-cottage villages.
• Experience the charms of Bourton-on-the-Water, called the “Venice of the Cotswolds” for its graceful arched stone bridges.
• Probe the region’s Roman heritage on a 2,000-year-old cycling route and end at the ancient ruins in Bath.

Highlights

• Explore three countries on a single journey—on one memorable day you eat breakfast in Switzerland, lunch in France, and dinner in Germany.
• Cycle through idyllic countryside, framed by the Vosges Mountains, providing a stunning backdrop for your adventure.
• Immerse yourself in the dual French and German culture of Alsace, and learn about the region’s history as a hotly contested territory.
• Behold Eguisheim, one of the most beautiful villages in France. It’s even won awards for its overflowing flower boxes decorating the half-timbered buildings and cobblestone streets!
• Stroll through the cobbled streets of Colmar’s old town and embark on a “floating tour” of La Petite Venise (Little Venice) aboard a small boat.

Highlights

• Delve into the imagination of artist Vincent van Gogh on a private guided tour.
• Roll through pastoral landscapes of olive groves, vineyards, farms, and villages, set against the lofty Alpilles.
• Stride across the Pont du Gard, the magnificent, UNESCO-cited Roman aqueduct.
• Join a local guide on a tour of Avignon, the “City of the Popes.”

Highlights

• Marvel at the scenic alpine vistas that surround you as you cycle easy bike paths
• Gain a rare glimpse into the ancient Ladin culture, and feast on mountain specialties
• Thrill to a 1,900-foot (580-meter) descent along the Val Venosta Bike Path
• Enter into the dual Austrian-Italian culture of South Tyrol, as you explore the little city of San Candido
• Explore the beautiful cathedral, cloister, and palace of Bressanone on a guided walking tour

Highlights

• Cycle along tranquil rivers and past meadows, dairy farms, quaint villages, and polder countrysides.
• Get acquainted with local people—and local life—during a visit to a family home.
• Join a local guide for a boat tour of Ghent, whose history dates to around 600 AD.
• View the famous Kinderdijk windmills, a UNESCO Heritage site.
• Sip authentic Belgian beer during a special tasting on board.

Highlights

• Delight in the lilt of an Irish brogue as a local expert leads you on a guided tour of The Burren.
• Explore the medieval churches, Neolithic tombs, and sacred sites of Noughaval.
• Marvel at the rugged and magical countryside of Connemara, whose mountains, lakes, and peat bogs have inspired poets for centuries.
• View Kylemore Abbey, the oldest Benedictine abbey in Ireland.
• Listen to crashing surf as you trace the coastline of the unspoiled, tranquil Renvyle Peninsula.