Cycle Tours Global Blog

Baden is about 25km north west of Zurich and is a return trip although there are several different routes available so we made it a loop to make it more interesting.

I travel a lot and ride my bike a lot, but up to now have never travelled by air with a bike. I know lots of people do plane travel with a full-size bicycle with the minimum of fuss and I’m sure it gets easier every time - but that's not for me or my stress levels...

The opportunity to take a group of my friends to Northeast Victoria's Murray to Mountains rail trail was too good to miss - I knew they'd love it too. We booked a self-guided trip with Tour de Vines who looked after everything for us so we could focus on the cycling, the food and the wine...

The scourge of spring in Australia and New Zealand, magpies are fiercely territorial and during nesting season will chase away anything they percieve as a threat. And although others are vulnerable, it is cyclists that seem to be the primary target.

Based in Albury there were a few good options; the trails and cycle paths in and around the city and the High Country Rail Trail that started from Wodonga. We decided on the latter and made an early start to allow for the 100 odd kilometre ride out to Old Tallangatta and back.

There are several trails in and around town, of varying levels of difficulty, length, terrain and scenery - urban and rural. Doing them all in one day would be a worthy challenge - more due to the variety of surfaces than the combined length – but is very achievable.

Over the past five years a huge amount has been invested in cycling infrastructure around the country - particularly outside the cities. This is not very well known by the rest of the world but that is changing and future years are likely to see a big increase in cycle tourism.

Greece, the cradle of western civilisation, with a sun-drenched Mediterranean climate, is a perennially popular destination. The tavernas are welcoming and you can sip ouzo over ice with the locals. Greek food is fresh and uncomplicated and well suited to energy-hungry cyclists.

Cambodia has an ideal terrain for cycling, being very flat with some highland areas including the Cardomom Mountains in the southwest. However as one of the poorest countries in Asia the infrastructure is poor, albeit improving.

Not the easiest place to get to unless you're from Australia, New Zealand is well worth the extra travel. There is very little of the country not suitable for cycling and the level of services and facilities are among the best in the world - plus a big advantage for many is it is an English speaking country

Vietnam is probably the most popular country in Asia for bike tours with hundreds available. The legacy of the war is still an important factor particularly in Saigon, but there is so much more to this country.  November to April is the best time of year to tour to avoid the wettest and hottest weather.

A relatively small country in the extreme south-west of Europe, Portugal is off the beaten track and often overlooked by cyclists. However this very much stands in Portugal's favour. With a population of just over 10 million there are plenty of open spaces and get-away-from-it all places.

This morning our mountain bike tour takes us along hiking trails, which has not been feasible in many places. We follow the river, but higher up the hillsides and in between sweeping pine trees along local walking tracks.

Although we had climbed almost 1,000m in altitude on our mountain bikes, we aren't yet at the highest point of the tour. After a rest day at 3,700m in Muktinath we are ready to go up another 200m to the Lubra La pass to begin the long descent - and main selling point of the tour!

Today is the big day - despite the distance to be covered being only 12km. However we will climb almost 1,000m making this a much more challenging proposition.

Distances on this tour are not significant as the terrain and altitude are the main challenges. However today should be relatively easy with an earlyish scheduled arrival in Kagbeni, a good introduction to cycling at altitude.

Anything worth doing does not come easy, and starting a bike tour halfway up the Himalayas certainly isn't easy - but boy is it worth it!

This rail trail in northeast Victoria is amongst the best recreational cycle touring routes in Australia, and you can't go far wrong with Tour de Vines to guide you.

Your annual holidays are quickly approaching and you are searching for an idea for a holiday with a difference for all of the family.

Time off work to spend with the family? Too hot/cold to go out on your bike? Why not get everyone involved browsing through cycle tours to find one that suits you all? Or if you're the only cyclist, take your time, search and compare the best of what you find so you get the best out of your precious time and money!