Rest_assured

Hi all,
Planning my first bike tour, and I want it to be in Europe. I came across a company which offers a tour from Barcelona to Rome, apparently which roughly follows the route taken by Hannibal and his elephants. Here is the organised tour-
Hannibal Bike Tour - Cycling Barcelona to Rome
Way out of my price range, and TBH I prefer to do things by myself anyway.
Has anybody done this before? The website gives no info on day-to-day stops, accommodation etc. The closest thing that I could find to a map is here-
Riding to Rome in the Footsteps of Hannibal ? The Route
I am assuming that there is a day's ride between each point marked on the map.
I would do the route in reverse, starting in Rome. If I play my cards right I would be in the south of France around the time when le tour passes by, and I would consider taking myself from Barcelona over to the Camino de Santiago and end up near the top of Portugal.
I would not be in a rush, and I am not anal about planning, just want to ask here if it is doable without an organised tour group. I would be looking for budget accommodation day by day.
What do you think?
Cheers

axolotl

Sure, it's very doable without an organized tour. I've toured along parts of that route either on my own or with friends. I hope you're a strong climber, because there's barely a flat day along that route. However, it would be a very pretty route.

chasm54

I haven't done that specific route, but it looks like a lot of fun if, as axolotl says, you can climb. And doing it solo would be no problem, there's lots of accommodation to be had along the way. Availabilty is likely to be good unless you're choosing to make the trip in July or August, in which case book ahead.

imi

Looks good.I've ridden the med coast from Barcelona to Rome which is flatter (well except for crossing the pyrenees, and the tail end of the maritime alps) has the sea, but is very built up and lots of traffic... So the inland route looks like a great idea... Will be a lot of ups and downs as mentioned. I've been through a whole bunch of places on that route, but never followed it as such.

Camping at "camping á la ferme" or "camping municipal" is the cheapest way to go organised.

I wouldn't worry about "stages" as towns are so close together, and you'll find any number of campsites or other accomadation. I use google maps and just search for "campsite near sometown". Just outside of larger towns you'll pass mega supermarkets multiple times a day, so that's not a problem. Some people avoid tap water and buy bottled (which is cheaper the bigger the supermarket), I usually drink whatever's in the tap in europe.

The Camino de Santiago(s) are stunningly beautiful.

So, is it doable without an organised tour? A resounding "Absolutely!"

Rest_assured

Thanks a lot for the advice.
I booked the flight yesterday, and last night was knocked off my bike on the way to the grocery store. I have a badly sprained ankle and broken bone in my heel... it will take 3 months to recover properly, then I will be on my way. A bit dejected, but no point getting too worked up about it. Thanks again for the tips!

Rest_assured

Thai airways were great about it BTW, changed the dates without a fee.

imi

Wow! Sorry to hear about the foot
Here's wishing you a speedy recovery and a fantastic tour!

Edit: btw, when will you be in France? The football (soccer) euro cup will be played there between 10th june - 10th july, making for a fantastic atmosphere in the whole of the country... well, in the whole of europe actually. I'll be popping down to ride around, watch a couple of games and have a couple of beers at whatever village bar I happen to end up every evening. Bring your national soccer jersey and wear it all the time... It becomes more or less a uniform here

Rest_assured

Cheers, I'' remember that. My new flight to Rome is on the 14th June. I expect I will stick around for the whole 90 days permitted by a tourist visa (or apply for a 'working holiday' permit). I expect I will find myself around the south of France in early-mid July, so that could work nicely!

imi

Cool! I'm presuming you're from the USA. If you don't have one, do buy a USA football shirt. The new blue away shirt looks really cool btw
https://www.footyheadlines.com/2014/12/nike-usa-2015-away-kit.html?m=1

It doesn't matter that it's a european cup, having a shirt will be a conversation opener, and it really is the accoutrement de rigueur.

Rest_assured

Actually, I'm an aussie.
so would be more like this:
Australia 14-15 World Cup Home Shirt (Cahill 4) [578177-702-43622] - 78,68$ Teamzo.com

'Socceroos' is a pretty terrible name for a soccer team imho....

imi

Ouch, yeah, hadn't heard that one before... It's better than "Foot-Bill Platypuses" I suppose