Suggestions for a week's cycling trip - Europe

[pal]

Oh thanks all for the great suggestions, I'll have a look into them all. I have also been googling various routes and came across the Adige Valley cycle path (Reschen to Verona), it looks nice. Has anyone been or does anyone know anyone that has?

I've done little bits of this (around Bolzano). That part was lovely: mountains (to look at, but not especially to climb, unless you actively choose to detour up them...), endless apple orchards, nice villages, etc. In fact, I'm a big fan of that region of Tirol/Adige for cycling in general: you get many of the advantages of Italy, but also the good bits of Austro-German culture (by which I mean: mountainous plates of food and cake )

[simonhill]

EDIT: (Written at same time as pal's post)

If you want t fly, then the first thing is see where your chosen airports fly. No point in planning somewhere they don't go.

Flying out and back from different airports is not unusual, but as you say requires some thought on packing. Some use the CTC Polythene Bag, which is very portable, although has drawbacks, the biggest being it's not always accepted by some airports. I have a fold up Cordura bag, but it's over a kg and about the size of a packet of A4 paper. You can contact a bike shop and arrange to pick up a cardboard box from them - always risky if the shop hasn't got any.

Any EV (cycle path) type tour will require different out and back, so why follow a predefined line. Construct your own circular tour so you return to same airport. Bike packing stored at hotel.

Bear in mind that a week tour isn't very long and you could easily eat up an inordinate amount of time by travelling to and from.

I think I might be looking at Normandy or Brittany for your first tour, using ferry from Portsmouth or Plymouth if you don't want to fly.

[emzyflea22]

Also is there any clever solution for a one-way trip that doesn't include a return train? So we would fly to one airport, cycle, then fly home from the destination. I'm thinking this likely isn't an option as we'd have to leave all our bike bag/packaging wherever we arrive. I've never taken a bike on a plane before, my brother has many times but it was a very long time ago and I think he flew with it in a giant cardboard box packed out with clothes (which I'm sure I saw on an airline you're not allowed to do now?)

There are various ways round this. You could use a cardboard box: ditch the outbound one when you get to the arrival airport, and then find a friendly bike shop at or near your departure airport who will provide you with a new one. (Once you know where you're heading, this board is often a very good source of suggestions for such bike shops). My method, when I've done this sort of trip, is to use a 'Ground Effect' bike bag, which packs up small enough to fit into a large jiffy bag; I then post it to my destination (either poste restante, or sending it to the last hotel on the trip). Or you could use an airline which doesn't require bags (not many left -- Lufthansa used to be in this group, but I don't know if they still are), or which provides boxes (KLM? Again: not sure if they still do...).

Extra stuff in bike bags/boxes: this varies hugely between carriers, though in general my sense is that all airlines are more relaxed in practice than their rules actually say. (Though you're always a bit at the mercy of whoever's running the check-in desk.) Lots of carriers don't mind, though, as long as you don't exceed the maximum weight for the bag.

Yes I was thinking a bag and then posting might be an option. Are bikes treated relatively well on planes? Are bags sufficient to protect them? We've travelled a lot on planes and the kids car seats are always a worry, we ended up buying spares just for trips abroad as they get chucked about in their carrier bags.

[wheelyhappy99]

Cyclovia Alpe Adria Radweg from Salzburg to Grado on the Adriatic is a week well spent. A couple of climbs and a couple of downhill days, almost all on cycle paths. Scenery varies from.pretty to beautiful and spectacular. Running next to German, Italian and Slavic language zones there is loads of historical and cultural interest. Budget airlines go to Salzburg and returns from Trieste (actually near Monfalcone) or Venice (an hour or two on the train). Not particularly expensive areas.

[emzyflea22]

Cyclovia Alpe Adria Radweg from Salzburg to Grado on the Adriatic is a week well spent. A couple of climbs and a couple of downhill days, almost all on cycle paths. Scenery varies from.pretty to beautiful and spectacular. Running next to German, Italian and Slavic language zones there is loads of historical and cultural interest. Budget airlines go to Salzburg and returns from Trieste (actually near Monfalcone) or Venice (an hour or two on the train). Not particularly expensive areas.

yes it looks great! I've had a little look and watched a few videos. There's so many options to choose from! I like the idea of a one way trip flying home from a different airport to avoid a day on a train at the end, just not sure how best I'd go about the bike packing situation. Definitely don't have hundreds to spend on an expensive bag (and also wouldn't be able to post it once I got there), a cheap one i'm not sure would be okay? And a box I guess could be discarded but then I'd worry I wouldn't be able to get it home. I guess you could wrap in bubble/foam tubing but then you'd have to get rid of it when you arrive.

[simonhill]

The bag I have is probably the same as pal's, its a Groundeffect bodybag (now renamed).

I line it with cardboard, scrounged at final stop. This effectively creates a cardboard box inside the bag. I've flown a fair few times with it and no damage. However it's always a risk.

Airports have rubbish bins. You can also search out a cleaner and give it to them. I've never had a problem getting rid of packaging. If leaving a box, try to hand over, otherwise either flatten or leave very obviously open to save the bomb squad blowing it up.

[pal]

Yes, my bag's the same as Simon's, and my method's the same too: line it with cardboard (which it's almost always possible to locate, from a shop or a bin or somewhere...), and you're away! I used to take at least a (return) flight a year with it, and only once (in about ten years) had damage which necessitated a trip to a bike shop (a bent derailleur). It requires minimal dismantling, too (pedals and one wheel off; handlebars turned): about 15 minutes packing or unpacking time, if everything goes smoothly; probably quicker if you were really slick.

The downside: they're not especially cheap, esp. because they don't (afaik) have a UK distributor, so you have to pay import duties from NZ.

[nirakaro]

... Adige Valley cycle path (Reschen to Verona), it looks nice. Has anyone been or does anyone know anyone that has?

I rode the Via Claudia Augusta, over the Reschen pass, a few years ago.
As I recall –
The pass itself is perhaps a bit dull, but the scenery generally is fabulous.
It’s a pretty gentle climb, and after that it’s practically downhill all the way to Verona.
The cycling infrastructure is generally superb – if anything too good, as you have to look out for groups on fast, heads-down training rides, who’d be on the road anywhere else.
You won’t feel you’re in Italy until almost Trento – above there it’s a German-speaking region, who seem to resent being in Italy, and are assertively Teutonic – lederhosen, dirndl dresses, long blond plaits. I found it rather tiresome.
Because they have to know two local languages, there’s not a lot of English spoken – I recall a campsite with signs in German, Italian and Dutch, but not English.
It’s silly expensive – a campsite wanted €45 to pitch a tent!
The wine is excellent, and the food gets better as you go downhill.

Enjoy the ride, wherever you go.

[roubaixtuesday]

came across the Adige Valley cycle path (Reschen to Verona), it looks nice.

We stayed in Mals near the summit this summer to ride the Stelvio (nice day detour if you fancy it!), and rode a few km either way.

Very nice, very well surfaced, loads of very well equipped cycle tourists on it.

This is looking down towards Mals

In same area, we previously camped at Lago Di Caldenazzo near Trento, perfect for swimming, and there's also an excellent cycle path down the Valsugana towards Bassano del grappa.

Finally, there's also a cycleway to Cortina d'Ampezzo which is stunning, again we only cycled a short part of that, but it was excellent.