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Cycling Holidays 101

Here you'll find compact answers to the questions that come up most often before a cycling holiday – explained clearly and straight from us, so you can start fully prepared.

Two cyclists with red bikes and blue panniers riding along the Inn River in Passau, with historic buildings and a church visible across the water.

Everything you need to know about our cycling holidays

Planning your first cycling holiday, or wondering how a bike trip with luggage transport actually works? You've come to the right place.

On a cycling holiday, you discover Europe's most beautiful regions actively, flexibly and at your own pace. By day you cycle along varied routes, and in the evening you enjoy the comfort of carefully selected accommodations. We take care of all the organisation in advance, so you can relax and simply enjoy your holiday.

In our cycling holiday 1x1, you'll find answers to the most important questions about the trip itinerary, luggage transport, touring bikes, difficulty levels and much more.

 

Phare de Ploumanach lighthouse on pink granite rocks by the blue Atlantic Ocean under a cloudy sky, with green coastal vegetation.

Phare de Ploumanac’h, Bretagne

How our cycling holidays work

Travel independently. Enjoy the flexibility.

Most of our cycling holidays are individual trips. This means you travel entirely without a tour guide and without a fixed group. Instead, you decide for yourself when to set off, how long to cycle each day, and where to stop for a break.

We take care of the organisation behind the scenes. From hotels to luggage transport to your travel documents, everything is already prepared for you. This way, you enjoy the freedom of an individual cycling holiday together with the comfort of a perfectly organised package trip.

By day, you discover Europe's most beautiful cycle routes at your own pace. In the evening, your next accommodation is already waiting, and your luggage has already arrived.

Thanks to our digital travel documents, GPS tracks and personal support along the way, you can focus entirely on what matters most on holiday: cycling, the scenery, and the many small discoveries along the route.

Two cyclists on red touring bikes with panniers riding through Seeburgpark in Kreuzlingen. Lake Constance and Konstanz visible in background.

Phare de Ploumanac’h, Bretagne

Itinerary & Organisation

Travel independently, fully prepared

You travel flexibly and at your own pace – orientation, luggage and unexpected situations are already taken care of.

Cyclist in red jacket on cliff edge overlooking sandy beach and turquoise Atlantic Ocean near Sagres. Dramatic coastal cliffs frame the bay.

Most of our cycling holidays are individual tours. You travel without a tour guide and without a fixed group, giving you maximum freedom to shape each day exactly as you like. A small number of trips are offered as guided tours; these are marked accordingly in the relevant tour description.

Your luggage is transported daily from one accommodation to the next, so during the day you only carry what you really need. 

Our digital travel documents, GPS tracks and route information keep you well prepared. You'll also find all the important information for your trip in the Radweg-Reisen app.

If something doesn't go according to plan along the way, we're happy to help. You'll find the contact details for our emergency hotline in your travel documents.

Which cycling holiday suits you?

The right trip for every kind of holiday

Whether a leisurely round trip, a varied point-to-point tour, or a trip with a ship as your floating hotel: each type of holiday has its own character. Which one suits you best depends on your personal preferences.

Two cyclists on red bikes riding along a cobblestone bridge in Ulm's Fishermen's Quarter with half-timbered houses and willow trees.

On a round trip, your cycling holiday starts and ends at the same place. This is especially convenient if you arrive by car, since you automatically return to your starting point at the end of the trip. On a point-to-point tour, the start and end locations are different. You follow a route from region to region and travel back from your final destination after the last stage.

On a star tour, you stay at the same accommodation for the entire trip and set out on daily cycling excursions from there.

Yes. Many cycling & cruise trips follow well-developed cycle paths and are also suitable for guests with little cycling holiday experience. 

Our family tours offer child-friendly stage lengths, family-friendly accommodations and varied sights along the route.

Our difficulty levels

Every cycling holiday makes different demands. To help you quickly find the right tour for your fitness level and personal preferences, we've divided our trips into four difficulty levels. The rating takes into account, in particular, daily stages, elevation profiles and route conditions. External factors such as wind can also affect the perceived level of difficulty.

●○○○ EASY
Mostly flat routes and short daily stages. Ideal for occasional cyclists and – on trips marked accordingly – for families. Well-developed cycle paths and low-traffic roads make for relaxed cycling. The focus is on enjoyment, culture, sights, and plenty of time for breaks.

●●○○ MEDIUM
The difficulty level for most of our trips. Suitable for leisure cyclists with a normal basic fitness level and moderate daily distances. Occasional hills and longer climbs are part of it. Some stretches may have changing or unpaved surfaces. Wind, for example along coastal cycle paths, can also increase the level of difficulty.

●●●○ CHALLENGING
For cyclists with good basic fitness and regular cycling experience. Some longer daily stages as well as longer, steeper climbs are possible. Occasionally, you can expect more demanding elevation profiles. This level calls for a bit more stamina and experience.

●●●● ATHLETIC
For advanced, experienced cyclists with very good fitness. Several long daily stages of around 70–90 km or challenging route profiles characterise these trips. Even shorter stages can be demanding due to steep climbs. In some cases, long distances combine with challenging elevation profiles.

Female cyclist in pink jersey and helmet standing with bicycle on lakeside platform in Austria, viewing mountains and lake under blue sky.

Booking & Trip Preparation

Relaxed from planning to departure

From booking to departure, we support you every step of the way. Many questions can be clarified before your trip even begins, so you can enjoy your holiday right from the start.

 

Stone footbridge with balustrades connecting to a green rocky islet in Biarritz. Blue ocean, sandy beach, and coastal buildings visible under sunny sky.

Rocher de la Vierge in Biarritz

By submitting the booking form, you send us a binding booking request. We will then check the availability of all services, including hotels and other travel arrangements. Your cycling holiday is officially booked once you receive our booking confirmation and invoice. If any service is unavailable, we will contact you with a suitable alternative.Kann ich besondere Wünsche angeben? 
 

You can use the comments field in the booking form to let us know about special requests, such as bringing a dog, twin beds, air conditioning, or a gluten-free breakfast. We will gladly forward your requests to our hotels and service partners and let you know if a request cannot be accommodated.

You can usually select additional nights directly when booking your trip, or request them afterwards from our travel specialists. 

On the Road

Well prepared and well looked after

We don't leave you on your own along the way either. With helpful documents, our emergency hotline and support from our local partners, you can enjoy your trip with peace of mind.

Two cyclists riding through green countryside near Lake Constance. Woman in white jacket leads, man in green jacket follows on sunny day.

Bad weather is sometimes part of a cycling holiday. Many stages can be shortened if needed, or covered using public transport.

Our emergency hotline is available to you throughout your trip and supports you with any unexpected problems.

No. You set your own pace. Breaks, sightseeing and individual stops are entirely up to you. On many tours, there are also options to shorten stages or cover part of the route by public transport.

Thanks to GPS tracks and detailed route information, you'll usually find your way back onto the right route quickly.

Hotels & Meals

Rest and recovery after every stage

After a day on the bike, you'll enjoy comfortable accommodations, carefully selected for location, amenities and service.

Smiling couple with luggage at hotel reception desk talking to staff member. Modern lobby with lounge area and large windows in background.

Category B offers selected hotels with good comfort and a pleasant atmosphere. Category A stands for upscale hotels with extra comfort and a higher hotel standard. Category Charme includes particularly individual accommodations with their own character and special ambience.

Yes, unless stated otherwise in the tour description.

For most of our cycling holidays, only overnight stays with breakfast are included. This keeps you flexible along the way, so you can decide for yourself when and where to stop for a meal. For some tours, additional meals are already included in the price. This applies, for example, to selected cycling & cruise trips, which often include packed lunches and dinner. You can find out which meals are included in your trip under the included services in the relevant tour description.

Single rooms can be booked on many tours. Please check the relevant tour description for availability.

Your Digital Travel Documents

Well prepared and well informed on the road: for the 2027 season, we're switching our travel documents to digital. With our new Radweg-Reisen app, all the important information is always at hand, right on your smartphone. This makes your cycling holiday even easier, more flexible and more comfortable.

The digital route book

In the digital route book, you'll find everything you need along the way: detailed daily stages with maps and route descriptions, GPS tracks for navigation, and information on sights, places to stop for refreshments, and bike workshops along the route. Elevation profiles and up-to-date notices also help you gauge each stage and keep track of your progress.

The routes are available in four languages. A particular advantage of the digital travel documents: information and notices can be updated at any time. If there are any short-notice changes along the way, they're immediately visible in the app.

Your trip, your navigation

Would you rather use a different navigation app on the road? No problem! On request, we'll provide you with the GPS data for your trip, so you can use your preferred app or your own navigation device.

And if you prefer paper?

Digital is convenient, but we know that some guests still like to have something printed in hand while travelling. That's why, on request, you can also receive a printed route book. We'll provide this to you on site for an extra charge of €20. Please let us know your preference when booking.

There for you on the road, too

Our digital travel documents are designed to support you as best as possible, but they don't replace our personal service. If you need help along the way, we're available to you. For bigger challenges, you can turn to our travel specialists. If, for example, a bike rented from us suffers major damage, we'll take care of repair or replacement as quickly as possible.

This way, you have all the important information at your fingertips at all times and can focus entirely on what makes a cycling holiday special: being on the move, discovering and enjoying.

Important documents on site

Even though your travel documents are mostly available digitally in our Radweg-Reisen app, you'll receive a few important documents in person on arrival.

These include the current hotel list, service vouchers and luggage tags.

Two cyclists sitting on stone wall reading a map near Neckargerach Margaretenschlucht, with forested hillside in background.
You now receive special conditions when you book a trip.