VBT Bicycling Vacations

Highlights

• Prepare to be dazzled by the staggering beauty of the South Island’s glittering lakes, lush forests, fertile farmlands, and alpine peaks.
• Hike up a valley carved by the retreating ice of Franz Josef Glacier.
• Spend a day at a wilderness resort, enjoying kayaking, canoeing, hiking—and perhaps strolling to a colony of glowworms.
• Experience life on a working ranch and savor a home-cooked meal during a visit to a sheep and cattle station.
• Sample local vintages during a wine tasting at a local estate.

Highlights

• Indulge in luxurious accommodations where you can relax on a private sandy beach, soak in natural Etruscan hot springs, dine on elegant meals, and more
• Visit the home of a longtime VBT friend and founder of Cooking in Tuscany, then cook a traditional Tuscan meal with her
• Learn about different olive oils by taste with the family that owns the Fonte di Foiano olive oil mill as your guide
• Cycle past Bolgheri’s Super Tuscan vineyards and along its famous cypress-lined avenue, a prelude to the stunning medieval towns of Castagneto Carducci, Sassetta, and Suvereto
• Explore the fascinating Etruscan city of Populonia, a bustling port in ancient times, and take in breathtaking views of the turquoise waters of Baratti Bay.

Highlights

• Sample delicious sparkling wines at a cantina in Franciacorta, Italy’s “Champagne” region.
• Cycle the scenic lakeside bike paths around Lake Iseo, made famous when the artist Christo installed his “floating piers” here.
• Marvel at breathtaking scenery when you ride the UNESCO-listed Bernina railway, then cycle among the splendid Bernina peaks.
• Ride the easy bike paths of the Valtellina valley, blanketed in vineyard terraces among miles of dry-stone walls.
• Taste delicious Pizzoccheri pasta and local cheeses only found in Valtellina.

Highlights

• Admire the magnificent vistas of France’s most renowned wine regions by river and by bicycle.
• Enjoy the best of both worlds: an all-inclusive river ship cruise and VBT Bicycling Vacation.
• Ride among the lush, fertile vineyards of Burgundy and Provence, pausing at your leisure for wine tastings and tours.
• Learn the history of the magnificent Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct and UNESCO World Heritage site’s museum, and savor a delicious picnic lunch.
• Walk the cobbled and historic streets of Lyon and Avignon as a local guide brings them alive with history and lore.

Highlights

• Delight in the lilt of an Irish brogue as a local expert leads you on a guided tour of The Burren.
• Explore the medieval churches, Neolithic tombs, and sacred sites of Noughaval.
• Marvel at the rugged and magical countryside of Connemara, whose mountains, lakes, and peat bogs have inspired poets for centuries.
• View Kylemore Abbey, the oldest Benedictine abbey in Ireland.
• Listen to crashing surf as you trace the coastline of the unspoiled, tranquil Renvyle Peninsula.

Highlights

• Pass renowned wine villages rolling through the world-famous vineyards of the Côte de Beaune and UNESCO World Heritage Route des Grands Crus.
• Visit the 15th-century Hospices de Beaune, a masterpiece of flamboyant Gothic art and architecture.
• Enjoy a guided tour and tasting at an authentic wine cellar in the heart of Beaune.
• Engage with a local family during a game of pétanque and a picnic lunch at their charming summer home.
• Discover Dijon, with its protected historic city center that has inspired musicians, artists, and writers for centuries, and browse its wealth of fascinating—and free—museums.

Highlights

• Experience three countries—Germany, Luxembourg, and France—up close, by bike.
• View quaint villages, lush vineyards and forests, and fairytale castles as you roll along a scenic river.
• Explore the ancient Roman and medieval treasures of Trier.
• Enjoy a private wine tasting.
• Relax on your barge and sip Germany’s finest Rieslings and beers.

Highlights

• Enjoy a wine tasting at a mountain hamlet famous for its Gewürztraminer.
• Savor house-made specialties from the gourmet restaurant of your 5-star hotel in a ski-resort town beloved by celebrities.
• See spectacular mountains rising around you as you ride through dramatic canyons and ravines.
• Cycle a Mediterranean-like paradise on the shores of Lake Garda.
• Explore the old town of Bolzano, where you can marvel at the museum’s renowned glacier mummy, Oetzi the Iceman.