Cycling Holidays

Walking Tours

2012 brochure [15.2Mb]

Cycling Holidays

Cycling Holidays in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic

Take to your bike, enjoy the feeling of freedom and experience European hospitality at its best...

Established in 1986, we at Bents have been providing the very best European cycling holiday experience for more than a quarter of a century. Our winning formula balances freedom and independence with a high level of service and support. Our routes are the result of detailed research – we have found quiet lanes and forest paths that lead you off the beaten track and steer you around any big hills.

We have chosen wonderful hotels in excellent locations, so places of local interest are accessible by bike or on foot. At each hotel you spend two nights (except on our ‘One Night Stops’ option and our Moselle tour), allowing you time to unwind and get to know these interesting towns and villages.

Our representatives ensure that everything runs smoothly. Each is fluent in the local language and has a keen interest in the region. From meeting you at the airport to preparing the bicycles and transferring luggage between hotels, they are on hand to offer advice and insight.

Suitable for all levels of fitness

You don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to really enjoy all the benefits of a leisurely cycling holiday and the great places it can take you...

Bents cycling holidays - available in two formats

All except one of our tours are now available in two formats. The ‘Original Bents Formula’ of two night stays at each hotel, moving on alternate days, is available for all departure dates. Our ‘One Night Stops’ itinerary, where you stay two nights in your first hotel followed by just a single night in each subsequent hotel, is offered on selected dates. Our Moselle Tour, has a specially chosen itinerary tailored to the landscape.

How difficult is a Bents Bicycle Tour?

A Bents Bicycle Tour is no Tour de France! Instead, imagine a gentle potter at your own pace through the lush German, Austrian, Swiss, Slovenian and Czech countryside with time to savour all the atmosphere of these friendly regions.

In Upper Bavaria, we take you to the mountains but not over them. Immediately south of Munich, the rolling hills of the alpine foreland rise up, gradually growing until they reach the Alps at the border with Austria. Once in Austria, majestic mountains are all around – however, where there are hills and mountains, there are valleys and lakes, and these are the ways we have found for you.

The Moselle is a joy for those wishing to take it easy. The journey follows the meandering river downstream and, whilst the scenery is spectacular with vineyards and castles clinging to steep hillsides, the only ascents en route are the bridges as you hop from one river bank to the other.

The terrain in the Black Forest is more challenging than other regions. However, we have minimised the difficulty levels: during the tour, there are just three or four extended climbs (and, of course, the equivalent number of long descents!). We’ve also reduced the distances involved – so you’ll have plenty of time to take it easy.

Slovenia is perfect for cycling; a medley of majestic mountains and beautiful rolling meadows. Our tour starts among the high peaks and gradually loses altitude en route to the capital; Ljubjlana.

Bohemia in the Czech Republic is a wonderful patchwork of lakes, rolling pastureland and wooded hills. Our tour follows valleys and contours for a relaxing journey through the unspoilt landscape.

Switzerland is a mountainous country and certainly the scenery is spectacular. However, our routes through Appenzellerland and, from Gruyères to Lake Genèva, are no more strenuous than those in Bavaria or Austria. Gently undulating alpine meadows, meandering valleys and lakeside cycle paths are the routes we have chosen.

Who can enjoy a Bents Bicycle Tour?

Anyone who is healthy and can ride a bike will enjoy our holidays. We try particularly hard to cater for children, so that the whole family can cycle together.

We have a range of lightweight bicycles for the over 8s, and we find that most children from this age have no difficulty in wearing out their parents! For infants and toddlers, we have the latest in child-seats from Kettler (probably the safest and most comfortable on the market) and suitable for children under five.

For children aged between 4 and 10, we also have top-of-the range Burley trailer bikes which attach to the back of an adult bicycle and effectively transform it into a tandem.
The child can pedal while remaining completely under the control of the adult bicycle. With your luggage carried for you, you won’t find it a chore to bring the children along.

We also have electric bicycles which are available at a small supplement. Should you choose one, you will ride up hills with ease and keep going longer and further with minimal effort. All our electric bicycles are supplied with two batteries to ensure they keep going all day.

Fit and healthy grandparents can also come along for the ride!

“It was a fantastic holiday - superb accommodation, excellent routes. A marvellous area for cycling - one of our best holidays ever. We will definitely return with Bents- we wish we’d done it earlier.”
Mike Hoskins, Gloucestershire.