VBT Bicycling Vacations

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

• Learn how cider is made during a visit to a family-run apple orchard—and enjoy a taste and picnic.
• Visualize the dramatic events of D-day as you tour Omaha Beach with a local guide.
• Stroll a fairytale setting of ramparts, half-timbered houses, and harbor views on a guided tour of the Breton town of Dinan.
• Savor crepes, a paper-thin-style savory pancake and specialty of Brittany and Normandy during dinner at an authentic creperie.
• Visit spectacular Mont Saint-Michel, the medieval island village crowned by its well-preserved Benedictine abbey.

Highlights

• Learn about the personal life of artist Salvador Dalí during a visit to Púbol Castle.
• Pedal a rural landscape past fields of sunflowers, fruit orchards, and rice fields.
• Enjoy lunch at a typical mas—a small Catalonian farmhouse—featuring dishes crafted from our hosts’ organic farm.
• Admire one of the finest amphitheaters outside of Rome on a guided audio tour of the Greek and Roman ruins of Empúries.
• Enjoy a scenic private cruise along the Costa Brava.

Highlights

• Prepare to be dazzled by the staggering beauty of the South Island’s glittering lakes, lush forests, fertile farmlands, and alpine peaks.
• Hike up a valley carved by the retreating ice of Franz Josef Glacier.
• Spend a day at a wilderness resort, enjoying kayaking, canoeing, hiking—and perhaps strolling to a colony of glowworms.
• Experience life on a working ranch and savor a home-cooked meal during a visit to a sheep and cattle station.
• Sample local vintages during a wine tasting at a local estate.

Highlights

• Learn about Banff National Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site and Canada’s first national park.
• Spin downhill along the magnificent Bow Valley Parkway, a stunning wilderness corridor.
• Observe wildlife from the saddle–including elk, deer, bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and even black and grizzly bears.
• Pass panorama after panorama of jaw-dropping alpine splendor as you cycle in Kananaskis Country.
• Hike the trails of Ptarmigan Cirque to an alpine meadow with epic views.

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

• Learn how historic windmills work and how they are used to reclaim land called “polders.”
• View rare and historic flower bulbs at the flower garden museum, Hortus Bulborum.
• Explore the living catalogue of spring flowers at Keukenhof Gardens.
• Explore Holland’s “Green Heart,” a rural and peaceful nature zone.

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.