Bicycle Touring in Europe - Five Easy Tips to Get Your Adventure Started

People have a sense of adventure and love the idea of getting on their bicycles and touring Europe. Yes you can purchase an excellent guided tour from a travel company.

However, planning your own bicycle touring is easy if you follow these tips:

The bicycle routes of Europe

Where to start? Austria, Germany or Switzerland each offer long distance cycling paths which are well signed and easy to follow, even for people with a poor sense of direction. For instance the Romantic Road Bike Route starts near Frankfurt and goes for 420 km to the Austrian border passing castles, walled towns, mountains and more. The Danube Bike Route starts in Germany and continues through Austria (Vienna), Slovakia and Hungary to Budapest.

Purchase a detailed bicycle touring map and guidebook

Once you have picked your destination get detailed bicycle touring maps, decide how far you plan to cycle each day look for the closest towns. Also use a guidebook to outline sights along the way; this may change your stopover locations slightly. It is a good idea to sometimes spend more than one night in a town to explore the local area. Also remember as you are cycling with a loaded bicycle you will not be able to travel as far as you would at home.

Your bicycle

You can either take your own bicycle in a bike box on board the flight or rent. In Switzerland touring bicycles with luggage (pannier) racks and locks can be rented and dropped off at over 200 railway stations around the country. In Austria there are rental locations along the Danube and other major routes. In Germany bicycle rentals locations vary from city to city. Most trains in these countries have bicycle cars for storage which require a small additional payment if taking a train to your starting location.

Book your flight with travel insurance

See your local travel agent or book your flight online. There will be a charge if you are taking your bicycle. Also check on how to pack your bicycle for the journey. Travel insurance is essential when travelling to a foreign country.

Accommodation

You can either camp or stay in small hotels. Look up the tourist office for the towns you will be visiting online and there is usually a list of local accommodation. Some chains such as Logis Hotels and Tiscover Hotels represent small inns, guesthouses and farms on their English websites. You should at least book your first and last nights accommodation as those days you need a place close to the airport.