Eltell

Anybody done any (and where)?

fietsbob

Several, longest one was 91, from AMS,, Belgium Calais France, Across the channel , Length of England to Newcastle, Ferry to Norway (no longer operates), Denmark , Ferry CPH to Poland, from SW PL thru CZ republic, , Austria , Germany France , Belgium, back to NL ..

Ireland and Scotland on another occasion.

paper maps and film cameras.

Machka 

Organised tours or tours on our own exploring the area?

Tourist in MSN

I did two with REI travel in continental Europe, they provided the bikes, lodging, english speaking guides, route information, most of the meals.

And one tour on my own with my own bike and camping gear in Iceland last summer.

NCG

Germany - bike routes along the Elbe and Rhine rivers (two separate trips).
Elbe route: from Hamburg to Dresden. Fairly dull until you get to Meissen.
Rhine route: starting in Andermatt (Switzerland), followed the Rhine river to Cologne. About 600 miles (took the train a couple of times due to bad weather). Switzerland is the best part, but all of it is pretty good.

Eltell

WOW!! impressive...old school too - what route was that from Norway to Denmark?

Eltell

Is there good road riding in Iceland?

Tourist in MSN

By road riding, do you mean on paved roads? Near the coast there are a lot of good paved roads.

I avoided highway 1 (also known as the ring road) as much as possible, that has a lot of traffic on it. But I found most secondary roads to be quite pleasant. That said, there are almost no shoulders on the roads. I usually tried to be on the road by 7am each day to have the road almost to myself, the traffic did not really start flowing much until after about 9:30am.

But if you go in the interior, the roads are not paved and variable in quality. I liked the interior, but I wanted to see as much wilderness as I could. Near the coast there is more agriculture and less true wilderness.

They are getting more and more crowded every year with tourists and the biking season is pretty short.

str

is this about who toured more countries? where do you want to go?

Iceland, great, VERY touristy.

jefnvk

I did Brusels to Amsterdam with the fiancee last year. Very easy intro ride to touring, for sure, nice infrastructure, lots of accommodations/food.attractions every few miles, and not much elevation change.

Very dependent on when and where (but, should be good any time you'd actually want to be on a bike there, which is most definitely NOT March), but an absolutely beautiful country I'd recommend to anyone! It is my next Euro bike trip.

Eltell

So to truly enjoy this place would you recommended mtb tour of interior roads?

Brittney

Cycled from London to Antwerp in Belgium last Autumn - quite nice all the way. The Europe section consisted of a good mix of bigger and smaller road, canals, cycle paths (including pushing my bike up the Koppenburg hill in Flanders)

Few years back cycled Brussels to Amsterdam using the Fietsroute network. Also a great mix of small road, off road, forests, quite urban cycling.

Cycled along the south coast in France also - would not really recommend this really - very similar terrain for 100s of Kms

travelinhobo

Well, gosh Eltell, if you're not going to answer the questions we've been asking, why should more of us respond?

Eltell

I'd be interested to know your route out of London - did you ride to Dover?

fietsbob

Ferry from Kristiansands N, to Hirtshals DK.. I put in 4 years in the US Navy, I'm fine with Ships.

Lucy.P

Great thread - i've spent many years cycling around Europe on different routes in loads of locations mostly thanks to using organised tour operators. I have to say there can be quite a difference between them in terms of organisation and routes used. Some of my most memorable and fun experiences have been on the more adventure rides in the more eastern states of Europe, Czech Rep, Bulgaria, Hungary, Bosnia to name a few. Check out europeancyclingtours.com who are in my view easily the best, professional outfit for guided/supported rides in Europe.

Brittney

I did cycle to Dover - out of SE London via Greenwich, Dartford and into Kent. To be honest it was a bit difficult for my level. Some of the hills killed me. It was a nice route though, quite rural for the most of it.

Exact route is linked below
mapmyride.com/workout/1730068943#

niknak

We toured in Europe last summer for 5 months. England > Ireland > Scotland > Norway > France > Spain. England had the best pubs but worst traffic and steepest climbs. Ireland had the friendliest people and many excellent areas for cycling. Scotland's weather was crappy most of the time but the coastal highlands were fantastic. Norway's road network seemed to be all brand new. Smooth as butter. The coast was breathtaking. France had an excellent low-volume road network, great weather, wonderful food, lots of campgrounds, but the worst drivers of anywhere we've ever toured. Spain takes the cake for our favorite country we visited. The roads were consistently quiet, the food was cheap and excellent, the people were kind, the landscapes were wonderful, the weather was great, and the drivers were incredibly courteous.

TLDR: Go to Spain!

Machka 

We've opted to take the train to Dover.

Dan Burkhart 

My wife and I have done a couple of organized tours. The Danube cycle way from Passau to Vienna. Accommodation was pre arranged with luggage transfers included.
We opted to go self guided which was great, because we went at our own pace, and made our own choices for lunch, and which sights we chose to spend time checking out.
The guided groups seemed to be all about getting the day's ride over with so they could socialize and drink beer at the end.
We also did a bike/boat trip from Paris to Montargis.A great way to meet and spend a few days with interesting people from all over the world.
Great times, great food, and great people.

Jim246

A friend and I cycled from Berlin to Prague a few years ago. About 500 km. We calculated that on average we had a beer every 15 km or so over the trip... One of the best trips I have done, except for getting thrown out of that youth hostel!

acantor

Packing my bicycle on the plane, I cycled through Alsace and Burgundy in France. Both routes were hilly, beautiful -- and educational. In Burgundy I visited the remains of a neolithic shelter, a castle, and famous vineyards; in Alsace I travelled between villages that had had significant Jewish populations from Roman times to the 19th centuries, to a monastery on a mountain top, and to Natzweiler-Struthof, a German concentration camp (now a museum) in occupied France.

On another trip, starting in Zurich (Switzerland), I cycled over the Alps to Milan (Italy). My advice, if you do something similar, is to take lots of time when climbing mountain passes -- give your body time to acclimatize to the altitude, and to recover from the stresses of pedaling uphill for an entire day.

I have also rented or borrowed bicycles and tootled around Holland, Germany, and Finland. For years I have dreamed of touring around Holland on my own bike.

aperezy

I am planning my first tour abroad and I will do it myself. Would you mine sharing travel strategies/tips? because I am doing it myself I need to plan how to use a box, get a new one on my way back, what to take in the airplane, etc. Any advise is much appreciated.

wassertreter

One very special road is the Maloja Pass between Switzerland and Italy. It is said to be the most asymmetric pass of the alps, and if you approach from the north, it is a very gradual climb. Allegedly you need to go 500km on the north, to gain the elevation you lose within 30km down south into Italy. There is a lot of traffic where you end up in Italy, but the region is so beautiful, and it's worth it. You can continue to the east (Alto Adige region) and find lots more good riding.

I did it years ago in November. After an early start in Austria my water bottle froze up there in Switzerland, and my toes were not very comfortable either. But then I freewheeled down into Italy and took a dip in the lake, and a risotto for dinner. Great memories.

kellyon

My boyfriend and I cycled from Berlin to Copenhagen last year. This year I want to cycle from Paris to Lyon