If you’re one of our many customers who consider enjoying world renowned food and wine to be an important part of your cycling holiday, you’ll be delighted to know we have labelled a selection of our tours as Gastro/Wine cycling holidays.
We have 32 of these across Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain all in regions recognised for the quality of the locally produced wine and/or cuisine. And to make it easy we have selected our top three for you to try this summer.
Umbria - Gastronomic Tour
If being surrounded by fabulous food and wine is simply not enough then this hands-on Umbrian Gastronomic tour is the finest way to satisfy your appetite. Guests are offered the chance to learn to cook, discovering secrets of authentic Umbrian cookery while taking in the stunning countryside by bike. The tour starts in the medieval town of Spello, before cycling 28 miles to Spoleto for the first lesson creating antipasti, pasta and risotto. Once in the town of Bevagna, the focus turns to a mix of 'Grandmother's secrets' and a take on modern cuisine. Aside from the food the cycling tour makes a stop in the small town of Torgiano, famous for its excellent wines, where a dinner of Umbrian specialities is prepared with a special wine tasting evening.
Moselle Valley
A cycling tour along Germany's Moselle Valley explores one of the most varied and beautiful river valleys of Europe, starting in Trier and meandering through to Koblenz. Owing to its favourable climate, this area became famous for its excellent wine producing, notably Riesling and Müller-Thurgau and is a good choice for wine lovers with local wine cellars dotted along the way. The gentle riding, along mostly flat terrain, is ideal for anyone looking to appreciate the beautiful scenery along the way.
Brewery Tour
Prefer hops over grapes? Spend a week exploring Upper Austria’s gentle hills and bottle-green river valleys along with parts of beautiful Bavaria, touring breweries which, back in the Middle Ages, were only the privilege of monasteries, hospitals and brotherhoods.
Start with an introduction to wheat beer in the Baroque city of Salzburg, and develop your understanding of brewing as you tour Bavaria and the Austrian Lake District , sampling as you go. Remember, cycling is thirsty work, and a cold beer is very refreshing. A beer bath is another way to relax - yes, a bath for you made of beer awaits you in Franking!