Where should you tour in Europe? Some tips

So you’ve worked out what form of bike touring might be for you – or if you haven’t, read my [guide for first time tourers]. Now you need to decide where might be best for you.

What this will come down to is:

What time of year do you plan to travel?
What is your budget?
Terrain: do you want flat terrain? Hills? Mountains? Do you like being by the sea or prefer inland? Lakes?
Are you interested in history/ culture?
How about food? Do you have any dietary needs/ preferences?

Let me break this down a bit before listing some of my favourite countries or regions for touring. In terms of specific planning, I have written more in the attached article on organising your bike tour.

What time of year?

This will be fundamental in your decision.

The spring months: mid-March to late April. This can be an absolutely glorious time to ride. But unless you are happy with days of rain and getting cold, Scandinavia, the Baltic, the British Isles, Benelux, Germany, Alpine regions and even northern France is pretty risky. Southern Spain, southern France, mid to southern Italy and the southern and western Balkans and especially Greece can be magnificent, though always a chance of bad weather. I froze my butt off in late April in Montenegro.

May. Very unpredictable but will open up all the countries just listed plus Germany, mid to northern France, Visegrad (Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary) Romania, Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia. Indeed, this is probably the best time to see the latter.

The summer months: June to late August. At this point, all the countries that I listed as good for the spring months can start to get seriously hot, as well as Visegrad. By contrast, these are the best months for Scandinavia, the Baltic, the British Isles, Benelux, Germany, Alpine regions and even northern France.

September: Really unpredictable. Southern Spain, Italy, Croatia, the Balkans and Greece can still be boiling hot. Scandinavia can start to get cold and rainy and the Alpine region totally unpredictable. This is the best time for mid-southern France, northern Spain and northern Italy which can all be magnificent, and I would guess, Visegrad and Slovenia.

The autumn months: October to mid-November. A great time to visit southern Spain, southern Italy, the Balkans and Greece, though the evenings can be chilly. I had a wonderful tour round Andalucia in October 2021.

What is your budget?

This one is pretty easy. The lower your budget, the more it will make sense to ride outside the summer months and in the less expensive parts of Europe. You can still travel very cheaply in the western Balkans and many travellers swear by it.

At the other extreme, Norway, Switzerland, the tourist hubs of France, Germany and Austria, and increasingly the UK and Slovenia, can be pretty pricey especially in summer, and those who wild camp report that enforcement is pretty strict and Warmshowers hosts with space can be hard to find.

Terrain

Again, this is pretty simple. The more that you like flat, the more this will push you to ride along the lower parts of major rivers: the Loire, the middle Rhine, the middle Danube (Regensburg to Budapest) and the Danube from Belgrade to Vidin are all good, but the Elbe is well worth considering. The lower parts of these rivers become rather industrialised and boring. Many people have a great time riding in the Netherlands.

If you can take a few hills, this will open up many more options, and honestly, I think that you will enjoy it. I have had great experiences of up and down hills in Provence, the Upper Rhone valley, Bosnia and Albania (see below). I have heard good things about the Harz mountains of Germany. And closer to my home are the wonderful Ardennes of southern Belgium/Luxembourg as well as the Vosges in Alsace.

If you like mountains, good for you! The landscapes can be quite spectacular, and you don’t always need to go over passes. There is plenty of valley riding. As well as the obvious options of the Alps and Pyrenees, Norway offers some fantastic mountainous terrain but without the crowds.

A word about the coast. I love the coast – I grew up on one – but most coasts are not much fun to ride along. The hills can be stunningly steep and you will often not see much of the sea for miles on end as roads head inland. I rode parts of the Portuguese coast north to Lisbon and don’t recommend it for biking and the same for South West England. Bikers to Croatia find the coastal road teeming with cars and either head inland or do some island-hopping (which can be a great option). Hiking is a much better option.

History/culture

Many bike tourers design routes around historical trails or towns and Europe is absolutely wonderful for that kind of tour, jammed full of sites from all ages of its history. First or Second World War battlefields are popular, and the scenery is beautiful. Equally, many enjoy the Via Franciscana in Italy and of course the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Some like riding the former Iron Curtain trail. The formerly Moorish towns of Andalusia such as Seville, Cordoba and Granada can also be great. See my account of my 2021 ride here.

Food/ Diet

For most people, this will not be an issue because you can eat well pretty much everywhere in Europe, and I have had some wonderful meals in all the countries I have visited (see below).

But be aware that if you are vegetarian/vegan or if you have particular food intolerances, or are travelling with someone who has, parts of central and eastern Europe can be more tricky. The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria are all traditionally meat-based societies and in smaller towns, the options for vegetarians/vegans can be rather limited. If you want to travel to those areas, it might mean a combination of cooking for yourself and accepting the rather limited options on offer.

At the other extreme, another option for organising your tour could be around food. Guardian food writer Felicity Cloake has written a fun and informative book about bike touring and eating her way around France. Italy, Spain and Greece can be wonderful for eating.

Some personal favourites

Over the years, I have toured or ridden in the following: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark (partly), Estonia, France (Brittany, Languedoc, Rhone valley, Provence), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy (northern/middle), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands (Zeeland), Norway (south and central), Portugal (the coast south of Lisbon), Romania (briefly), Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (Andalusia), Switzerland, Turkey (Thrace), UK (South West England) and still have many more parts that I want to ride through.

Everyone has their favourites, but these are the countries or regions that I have most enjoyed and would willingly go back to.

Provence. Really, really beautiful and a wonderful region for bike tourists. A mix of landscapes, pretty and historic towns, great food and drink and bike-friendly locals. And easily accessible by train – Avignon or Aix en Provence. Read [my account] for further details.

Albania. If you ask most experienced bike tourers for their favourite European countries to tour in, Albania would almost certainly top the list. It is a simply gorgeous country with some stunning towns such as Gjirokaster and Berat. There are not many bike paths, but drivers are used to bikes and the locals are incredibly welcoming. Riding from Elbasan to Tirana was one of the great rides of my life. Oh and the food can be wonderful. I bought the tastiest tomato of my life in a market in Lezhe.

Norway. Yes, it can be expensive. Yes, it can be difficult to find accommodation. Yes, the weather can be miserable. But the people are welcoming, the landscapes are stunning, and there are many excellent bike paths. When the sun is out and your legs are feeling up to the climbs, it can be one of the finest places on earth to ride. Need further convincing? Just look at the videos on this site.

Interested in reading more about bike touring? Check out these other pages: