Cycling France via bike tour sound like fun? To some, the idea of a “tour” can seem limited and forced. With set-in-stone itineraries, arrival and departure times and even restricted sightseeing, some travelers feel they are better left on their own. This is the reason bike touring has grown in popularity over the past few years.

Cycling France, in particular, can offer even the return tourist a new and refreshing visit to one of the world’s most culture-filled and scenic destinations.

There are countless France cycling companies which offer self-guided tour packages. All of which will supply bikes, safety gear such as helmets, knee and elbow pads, easy to follow route instructions, sight information and even 24 hour on-site or check-in point support.

Cycling France and bike touring, in general, is one of the best ways to discover hidden cultural treasures which may be too far off the beaten path for most tours. Some are even left off tourist maps altogether, making them easily missed or forgotten. These places could be sights such as vineyards which are centuries’ old, renaissance castles, pre-historic cave paintings and cliff dwellings and even ancient Roman monuments.

There are also some Cycling France companies which offer your own personal Tour De France, outlining and allowing you and your family to cycle some of the easier sections and stages of the world’s most famous cycling race!

These are just some of the sights and spectacles you can expect while cycling France, and the best part is, you will be guiding your own tour, which will allow flexibility and the option to stay, ride or even sleep as long as you want!

There will be no groups of strangers or uncomfortable buses, no itineraries to keep and absolutely no limitations on how much time you have! You can take as long as needed to build life-time memories!

Cycling France can take you beyond the hustle and bustle of Paris streets and museums to the seemingly untouched, unspoiled regions. Letting you leave with true feelings of exploration and adventure!

photo credit: crabchick

Mountain Bike Tours in America

Mountain bike tours are some of the most adventure filled and fun filled experiences all over the world. People who have a daredevil and adventurous spirit would definitely try this out. The best place to explore on your mountain bike is America. There are many wonderful trails for biking in USA and the facilities when it comes to accommodation are also very good. You get to choose between the hilly tracks, the rough trails and the trails, which are regularly used by mountain bikers. Mountain biking is an activity, which involves passion as well as adventure. You can choose between the southwest trail, Pacific Northwest trails and the southeast trails in the US.

The trail, which you choose, is dependent on your personal choice and your basic idea of challenge and excitement. You can choose between the western mountain bike trails and the southwest mountain bike trails. Some of the southwest mountain bike trails are Pinery Canyon road in Arizona, the south boundary trail in New Mexico and the flume trial in Mexico. Mountain bikers look forward to a breath-taking experience when they come here. Every trail has different kinds of challenges, which are easily tackled by passionate mountain bikers who have the daredevil adventure spirit in them.

Every trail has its own specialties for every mountain biker. A specific element of thrill and adventure can be found here. The surveyors ridge in Oregon, Mount Tamalpais in California and the Methow trail system in Washington are some famous trails. You will not get the real mountain biking experience unless you visit at least one of these trails. You also get to know the challenges of mountain biking this way.

You get to choose the kind of mountain biking tour, which you want to take, and also the level of challenges, which you would like to undertake. Trails to see the eastern United States can be found in the Appalachian region. You get to choose between the Tsali region in North California or the Bee Log Rid, which starts from Northern California to Tennessee.

Swiss cycling truly bring the unsurpassed beauty of Switzerland to life!  To truly experience the magnificent majesty of the Swiss Alps you have to be among the vast wilderness which spans the valleys and cliffs and breathe the clean and crisp mountain air. It’s obvious that bike touring might not be the fastest or most convenient way to travel in these regions of Switzerland however, convenience and ease are not usually a part of true adventure. Swiss cycling surpasses almost all other cycling tours for both scenery and skill. Here are the two most popular and recommended Swiss cycling routes and what they have to offer.

Alpine Bike Route

From Scuol to Aigle

There is only one word to describe this trek, spectacular! Starting from the most eastern corner of Switzerland, you will travel south-east and experience what thousands of years and unimaginable geological forces can produce. From Scuol to Graunden to Aigle, you will work your way up steep climbs and fly down through seemingly untouched valleys. This route though beautiful, is challenging and is recommended only for the more experienced mountain cyclists. Swiss cycling is taken to a whole new extreme here and is sure to satisfy both the adrenalin junky and the earth-loving naturalists.

Panorama Bike Route

From Rorschach to Montreux

So many places on earth are said to be “scenic” however, until you have completed the Panorama Bike route through the Bodensee regions of Switzerland you have not experienced true scenery! With lakes, valleys, villages of painted houses, fields of wildflowers, cliff-dwelling wildlife and even the rigid peaks and cliffs of the Vaud Alps, this route is truly the experience of a lifetime! This route has some areas which are said to be more rough than difficult and is known for being the easiest of Swiss mountain cycling routes. However, it is only accessible during certain parts of the year. With only a few passages over 1000m and some places more than 1600 meters above sea level, this rote can be covered with snow as early as mid to late May.

Swiss cycling will allow you to experience Switzerland in ways that just aren’t possible by bus or train. Cycling Switzerland truly takes bike touring to a new level!

Bike World Tour

People who want to gain the ultimate travel experience in a different country should try to see places like Spain in the form of a bike tour. This will get you a more in-depth view of the local life in the country and there will also be a lot of fun and adventure. Many different companies are responsible for organizing bike tours all over the world. Marti Jemison is the winner of the US national tour. He has taken a tour of Utah, France and Spain on his bicycle. But these tours are only meant for people who are seriously into bicycle riding since these tours involve traveling very long distances by cycle and tackling many different kinds of terrains.

A leisure bike tour is another option for people who are not into competitive bicycle riding. You get to determine the speed at which you can take the tour and you can also enjoy a lot more of the local culture this way. You can even select the route that you would prefer to use. This is a much more relaxing and enjoyable experience. Irrespective of the place that you are covering, the best advantage of touring a place on your bike is that you get to control the speed of your journey. The entire family can take a bike tour or just friends who are interested in bike touring can undertake it. The tour companies help you in planning out all the finer details so that you can gain the best experience out of this.

The bike tour is an experience, which the entire family can enjoy. Even children can be taken along on a bike tour. They will definitely enjoy riding the pillion of the bicycle and getting to see the world. These memories will stay with them for their entire life. You can adjust the bike tour to suit your needs and experience. Some people are into serious cycling while many more just prefer to enjoy it as a hobby. There is a bike tour designed for every kind of person to see the world.

People who have an adventurous spirit would grab the first opportunity to take a bike tour and see the world. You get to meet the local people of the place that you are visiting and also get to know more about the local culture and the way of life. Bike tours, which are conducted in Spain and other places, will have a leader who will make sure that you do not miss anything important during your trip and he will have all the necessary information about the place that you are visiting.

Spanish Bike Tours

Spain is a festive country where different festivals are celebrated at different times of the year. All these involve a lot of fun and excitement. Some of the festivals celebrated here are:

Travel Spain (Sanfremines)– This is better known as the Running of the Bulls. The San Fermin festival in Pamplona starts on July 7 and lasts for a week. People wear white shirts and the red sash and go on the street to find bulls and outrun them. There are also many carnivals and ferris wheels. Many giant puppets are taken on the streets in a parade at night and bands accompany them. The festival closes on July 14 at the Plaza Consistorial where people sing mournful poems.

Travel Spain (Semana Santa) – More than a million people come to Seville in the week of Easter to watch this festival, which begins on Palm Sunday and closes on Easter. During the 16^th century, Catholics wanted to bring the passion of Christ to the common people on the street. Holy figures were made from wood and clothed in the best fabrics. They were placed in the front of the parade, which went to the Cathedral of Seville and returned.

Travel Spain (Feria de Abril ) – People come to the city of Andalusia for this festival. The most frequented place in Seville is the cathedral here. This is the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in the world and the largest medieval Gothic edifice. Seville is famous for the festivals held during Easter as well as the April festival. You will find a lot of Flamenco dancing and bull fighting during the april festival which does not have any set dates. Many beautiful women dressed in flowery dresses do the Flamenco dance. This dance takes place in the evening. A lot of bullfights take place during the day.

This festival takes place on the banks of the Guadalquivir River. Many tents are set up here during this time. There are separate tents for the Spanish families and separate ones for the tourists.

Travel Spain( Las Fallas de San Jose) – Seville is situated in Southern Spain. But Valencia is found on the eastern coast. Valencia is the place which one should visit in the spring. The Las Fallas de San Jose takes place from March 13-19. The Fallas are gaint models made using paper mache, wood and wax. These fallas are burnt after ten days when the festival ends in the middle of a lot of cheer and fireworks.

Travel Spain (Romeria Viking )- The Catoira region in Pontevedra, Galicia is the place for some fun and adventure. The Romeria Vikinga is held on August 3 every year. A Viking raid of the Spanish coast is acted out every year. A Viking ship attacks the ‘Torres de Oeste’ or ‘Towers of the East’. 30 Vikings come to fight and demand for wine. A feast of red wine and seafood is served at the end of this.

Wine Tours by Bike and Coach

An excellent way of touring New Zealand is by joining a wine tour. You get to taste the wonderful red wines and white wines and your guide will make sure that you get to see all the places without any mishap. Most wine tours are conducted through a coach full of people and this can sometimes make the experience of a wine tour a little drab and boring. Here are some of the ways to get a different experience of a wine tour.

Fine Wine Tours – A guide on a wine tour will have some knowledge about wine but all the finer points can only be covered by a professional. People who are taking a wine tour will just be dropped until the door of the wine cellar. But a Fine wine your is a totally different experience. This is an Auckland based company and Phil Parker who is a wine writer conducts all the tours. He has a lot of information on wines and he is eager to share to with you. Only a maximum of ten persons will be taken on a tour so that he can take personal care of every person. People get to see the gold medal wineries in Auckland, which include Kumea River, Coopers creek, Matua, Matakana estates, Soljans and many more like this. Complimentary cheese is made available along with your wine and tasting notes will help you to understand things better. These tours are a different experience and they cost $139 per head.

Pacific cycle tours – This tour will help you to taste the Marlborough wine, which is so famous, and you can also get some exercise this way. You also get a good view of the scenic beauty when you are riding your bike and this is also friendlier to the environment. You can cycle from 20-30 km in a day and this does not need much effort. Your bags as well as the wine, which you have bought, will be transported along wherever you go. These tours are a little more expensive since they cost $1850 per head. This includes accommodation for four nights along with breakfast, helmets and bikes.

Grape escape – This Company offers wine tourists a taste of New Zealand, which they will not forget in a long time. There are tours for the casual drinkers as well as wine enthusiast. The duration of these excursions vary from one day to twelve days. The Heli wine and dine tour is one such tour. You get a thirty-minute helicopter ride where you can see the Hawke’s bay region. You can see the Te Mata peak and also got to the Gimblett Gravels wine district. The tour ends at the Sileni Estate where you get a two-course meal with wines. You get to visit four wineries and taste the wine with cheese. Tours offered by this company start at $60. The Heli tours start at $395.