The bicycle travel market is saturated with companies that will help you plan your ultimate cycling adventure in Europe. That said, who should you work with to get your trip booked? Who offers the best deals for your money? What factors should you think about?
Of course, you could book with Backroads, which has been in the travel game for a long time and is an excellent choice for a company to do your first organized cycling trip. Or you could use a company like Trek Travel, which offers cycling trips and also builds bikes. But if you really want to ride somewhere in Europe that most tourists never experience, then you should choose a European company that is operated by cyclists for cyclists like Cycling Holidays.
About Cycling Holidays
Cycling Holidays, before it became the company it is today, originally had nothing to do with cycling. At the start, the burgeoning company offered hiking, canyoning (walking, climbing, rappelling, swimming, and sliding), and lake visits in Slovenia. But even then, the approach was to take its guests off the beaten path and show them something unique.
But the motivation to become a bicycle travel company came from its guests who wanted more than just a day-long bicycle ride. They wanted to explore Slovenia fully. It turns out that Lan Lajovic, the manager of Cycling Holidays, was an avid cyclist, as were other members of his staff. They knew the roads and had ridden them many times, so in 2020, the Cycling Holidays adventure began.
The first tours the company did were with a handful of guests, but over time, guests requested multi-day tours not only in Slovenia but in other places. Today, Cycling Holidays organizes both guided and self-guided trips in 20 countries and offers over 160 tours to choose from.
What Makes Cycling Holidays Special
You might think that’s a hard question to answer, or that you would first need to experience a trip with the company. But just by looking at Cycling Holidays’ website, you can read about what that special element is: it’s the guests and their repeat use of the company for booking their cycling adventures.
Cycling Holidays is a company that listens to its guests and tries to honor their requests for multi-day cycling trips in various European locations. The company also has three types of trips to appeal to every kind of traveler: self-guided, private guided, or group trips. They offer road, gravel, E-bike, and mountain bike trips. And they are open to beginners, families, and the hardcore roadies who like to take on big rides.
Multiple Brands That Fall Under the Cycling Holidays Banner
Cycling Holidays is at heart a small company, so you might wonder how they can organize travel in all the countries listed on their website. Because the demand for their services became so great, the company broke into specialized brands for cycling trips in Italy, Greece, Croatia, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, etc.
This splitting of the brand makes it possible for cycling holidays to take care of everything during your trip, from route planning to luggage transfers. Your hotels (with breakfast) are arranged ahead of time. If you want to rent a bike, the company brings it to your hotel. Trips can be 5 days to 10+ days.
For a road biking trip in Slovenia for 8 days, you can expect to pay around 6,000 Euros (almost $7,000), which is not cheap. But when you think about the level of service you receive during your trip, the price is almost worth it when all you have to do is show up and ride your bike.
Last Thoughts
Cycling Holidays looks like a great company to book some cycling travel with. They offer a ton of trips and cater to every type of cyclist. Their trips can be expensive, but the fact that the company is split into multiple brands and is based in Europe means the level of attention you receive will be high. You can rely on the fact that all the details are painstakingly researched and arranged. I say choose a trip that works for you and give them a try.
Bicycle Day Trips - Bicycle Travel: Events, Rides, Destinations, Other Cycling Topics 