Top Travel Ideas for Cycling Activities

If youre a lover of the great outdoors and want to explore on two wheels, these cycling travel ideas are worth a look
If you're a lover of the great outdoors and want to explore on two wheels, these cycling travel ideas are worth a look | © Leonovo / Alamy
Siobhan Grogan

Love cycling abroad? These small-group adventures will steer you on the path to a bike-embracing vacation you won’t soon forget.

Every devoted cyclist knows nothing beats seeing the world on two wheels. On a biking tour, it’s easy to travel at your own pace, escaping the tourist crowds to see the most unspoiled areas of a country. Think show-stopping coastlines, remote forests and winding rivers. Whether you prefer freewheeling in Italy or tackling the hills of Ecuador, these cycle-friendly trips – bookable with Culture Trip – are well worth getting on your bike for.

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A woman cyclist cycling through the vineyards in Italy

Wine and dine through vineyards in Southern Italy

Bike adventures come with free rein to feast on platefuls of delicious pasta in this food-focused corner of Southern Italy, boasting hilltop towns, emerald seas and rolling rural views. Load up on a street food tour in Naples and on a visit to the bread-making city of Altamura before you hit the picturesque Itria Valley – where you’ll head off on an e-bike tour through breathtaking countryside trails that weave through vineyards and olive groves. If you’re still feeling active, there are walking tours to come in Santa Maria di Leuca and Ostuni, where whitewashed buildings spill down the hillside and have earned the town the nickname of the White City, or La Citta Bianca.

From US$2709

Next available from 29th Mar 2024

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Naples, Italy

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ENDS AT

Lecce, Italy

DURATION

10

GROUP SIZE

14

PHYSICAL RATING

Easy

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STYLE

Discovery

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A cyclist takes a break, sitting overlooking a pair of waterfalls in a green and rocky canyon

Get active along the Andes and the Amazon

With its volcanic landscape, glacial lagoon and remote rainforest, Ecuador is a natural wonderland for adventure lovers. If you’re looking for a cycling trip you’ll remember forever, don’t miss out on the chance to bike between three waterfalls on the road from Banos to Puyo. The water from all these flow into the Amazon River, making this one of the world’s most scenic bicycling tours. There’ll be no time for boredom out of the saddle either as this eight-day tour features horseback riding in Cotopaxi National Park, hiking round the volcanic crater lake at Quilotoa and white-water rafting on the Jatunyacu River.

From US$2199

Next available from 9th Mar 2024

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Quito, Ecuador

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ENDS AT

Quito, Ecuador

DURATION

8

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

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STYLE

Discovery

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Colourful paper lanterns hang across a busy, narrow street in Hoi An, Vietnam

Ride in rickshaws and sample local food in Vietnam

If you like the idea of exploring Vietnam on a cycle tour but don’t fancy the hard work, this 12-day tour gives you a taste of life on two wheels without the sweat. Instead, you’ll visit the former capital of Hue and take a tour by cyclo – similar to a rickshaw – to sample local dishes from the area including spicy beef noodle soup and steamed rice cakes with shrimps. You’ll take to the water after that to cruise down the Perfume River, where you’ll watch an exquisite royal tea ceremony in the style of the Nguyen Dynasty.

From US$1689

Next available from 17th Feb 2024

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Hanoi, Vietnam

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ENDS AT

Hoi An, Vietnam

DURATION

12

GROUP SIZE

18

PHYSICAL RATING

Light

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STYLE

Discovery

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trips_azores_supplier image_Bikes Sete Cidades1_resized

Make the Azores your adventure playground

This Portuguese archipelago is one of the best places on Earth for a cycling holiday, and our six-day trip will have you exploring the main island of São Miguel by boat, kayak and bike, as well as on foot. You’ll hike around Furnas Lake, abseil down a waterfall and soak in natural hot springs, but your favourite part of the island is bound to be Sete Cidades – two shimmering volcanic crater lakes surrounded by verdant forestry, which you’ll spend an afternoon cycling around before swapping the bike for kayak and going out into the craters themselves.

From US$1529

Next available from 29th Mar 2024

Secure your spot with a low deposit

Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Ponta Delgada, Portugal

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ENDS AT

Ponta Delgada, Portugal

DURATION

6

GROUP SIZE

8

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

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STYLE

Discovery

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Additional reporting by Maja Proescholdt and Gethin Morgan.

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Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

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