VBT Bicycling Vacations

Highlights

• Explore three countries on a single journey—on one memorable day you eat breakfast in Switzerland, lunch in France, and dinner in Germany.
• Cycle through idyllic countryside, framed by the Vosges Mountains, providing a stunning backdrop for your adventure.
• Immerse yourself in the dual French and German culture of Alsace, and learn about the region’s history as a hotly contested territory.
• Behold Eguisheim, one of the most beautiful villages in France. It’s even won awards for its overflowing flower boxes decorating the half-timbered buildings and cobblestone streets!
• Stroll through the cobbled streets of Colmar’s old town and embark on a “floating tour” of La Petite Venise (Little Venice) aboard a small boat.

Highlights

• Explore Girona’s cultural treasures, including the old Jewish quarter, medieval walls, Gothic churches, and Romanesque architecture.
• Savor superb Catalan seafood and farm-fresh cuisine, complemented by excellent local wines including sparkling cava.
• Cycle through history, stopping to view Greco-Roman ruins at Empúries, Gothic gems in Girona, and charming medieval villages.
• Discover the most important Greco-Roman ruins on the Iberian Peninsula at the coastal archeological site at Empúries.
• Immerse yourself in authentic Catalonian village life in historic Pals.

Highlights

• Discover the historic old town of Passau at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers.
• Stay at comfortable lodges with spectacular river views and hotels brimming with history.
• Ride along one of Austria’s most famous bike paths, the Ybbs Valley Cycle Trail (Ybbstalradweg), formerly a railroad connecting the Alps with the Danube.
• Bike on one of Europe’s most well-known bike paths, the EuroVelo 6, along the banks of the Danube combining easy terrain with fabulous views from both sides of the river.
• Taste the famous white wines of the UNESCO World Heritage Wachau Valley whose vineyards date back to the medieval Roman settlements.

Highlights

• Explore the walking trails and fascinating exhibits of the highly regarded Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.
• Bike and picnic among the beautiful saguaro cacti of Saguaro National Park.
• Visit the Tumacácori National Historical Park for a self-guided tour, home to three Spanish mission communities and beautiful orchards and gardens.
• Cycle on The Loop, named the number one bike path in America by USA Today, through vibrant Tucson, along the Santa Cruz and the Rillito Rivers.
• Savor local cuisine infused with Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo-American influences.

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

• 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

• Enter the world of Downton Abbey in Bampton, its stand-in on the beloved PBS series.
• Explore the gardens and staterooms of Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Cycle through a classic English countryside of sheep-dotted pastures, woodlands, market towns, tiny hamlets, and thatched-cottage villages.
• Experience the charms of Bourton-on-the-Water, called the “Venice of the Cotswolds” for its graceful arched stone bridges.
• Probe the region’s Roman heritage on a 2,000-year-old cycling route and end at the ancient ruins in Bath.

Highlights

• Ride among alpine peaks and breathe bracingly clean air as you discover the majestic beauty of the Colorado Rockies
• Enjoy easy, hand-selected routes that take advantage of descending canyons, valley floors, recreational trails, and paved bike paths
• Marvel at the breathtaking views of “The Bells,” twin 14,000-foot summits mirrored in sublime reflection at Maroon Lake
• Cycle the gradual descent through the Roaring Fork Valley on the car-free Rio Grande Trail from Aspen to Glenwood Springs
• Learn about early settlers and the history of the 19th-century Colorado Silver Boom during an interpretive walk through a deserted mining town