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Cycling Experiences On Holiday: How To Plan Yours

Much like the American cowboys experienced a couple hundred of years ago, there’s something special about seeing the world from a saddle, just in our case, it’s a bike saddle! Cycling experiences mean you can cover more ground than walking, while taking in the same information. You can stop wherever you like, change direction without consequence, and find yourself down a side road that no tour group or taxi would ever take you.

We have some absolute cracker travel memories from cycling. Pedalling through rows of vines in Chile’s Casablanca Valley in the morning sunshine before arriving at a winery for a tasting. Riding the car-free circuit of Rottnest Island in Western Australia, trying to spot quokkas at every turn. Exploring the chain of Toronto Islands on bikes and ferries.

Woman on Cycling experience in Tulum, Mexico

Cycling Experiences On Holiday: How To Plan Yours

Much like the American cowboys experienced a couple hundred of years ago, there’s something special about seeing the world from a saddle, just in our case, it’s a bike saddle! Cycling experiences mean you can cover more ground than walking, while taking in the same information. You can stop wherever you like, change direction without consequence, and find yourself down a side road that no tour group or taxi would ever take you.

We have some absolute cracker travel memories from cycling. Pedalling through rows of vines in Chile’s Casablanca Valley in the morning sunshine before arriving at a winery for a tasting. Riding the car-free circuit of Rottnest Island in Western Australia, trying to spot quokkas at every turn. Exploring the chain of Toronto Islands on bikes and ferries.

Woman on Cycling experience in Tulum, Mexico

Table of Contents

Go back to our experiences guide

This page sits within Stage 2 of the Love Travel Planning Platinum Roadmap, as part of the holiday experiences hub. Within this guide, we will cover cycling as a holiday experience rather than as a holiday type. These are days or half-days on a bike that sit within a wider trip, making a destination more accessible or an afternoon more interesting. 

The global cycle tourism market was valued at USD 135 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 234 billion by 2030, growing at nearly 10% annually. Europe accounts for around 39% of the market share, with the UK, Italy, Spain, France and Portugal consistently among the most popular cycling destinations for British travellers (Grand View Research, Cycle Tourism Report 2024).

Do you need to be a confident cyclist to try cycling on holiday?

Confidence is all you need to be for most holiday cycling experiences. Most of the experiences we speak about here, or even recommend, do not require specialist skills, racing fitness or anything beyond balancing on a bike. 

We are not a ‘lycra wearing’ cycling family in the competitive sense, none of us travel with our bikes, or have completed a triathlon. These cycling experiences we have planned have all involved hiring bikes for a day or half-day, in places where the bike was simply the best way to see what we had come to see.

We mention this because it shapes how this guide is written. Everything here is aimed at the holiday traveller who wants to hire a bike for a day, explore a specific place or landscape, get the most from the experience, and return the bikes at the end of the day. If you are planning a serious multi-day cycling tour, specialist operators and dedicated cycling tourism organisations will serve you better than this page, 

What this guide does well is the cycling experience that most people will actually have on holiday – a hired bike, a good destination, the question of how to plan it properly, and a pint at the end.

What kind of cycling experience suits your holliday?

Row of bicycles lined up in front of canal in Amsterdam with row of multicoloured Dutch houses on the other side of the water
Row of bikes in front of Amsterdam canal houses

Cycling on holiday covers a wider range than most people assume before they try it. The cycling style you chose changes the preparation needed. Here are the four main types, with guidance on who each suits and how to plan for it:

City cycling: Is a bike tour right for your next city break?

City cycling means hiring a bike and using it as your primary way of moving around a city destination for a day or part of a day. The bike replaces the taxi or the bus, covering enough ground to understand the scale and character of different neighbourhoods, but slowly enough to stop when something catches your eye, double back down a side street, or pause at a cafe without worrying about parking a car.

City cycling suits almost any group comfortable on a bike. It works best in cities with good cycling infrastructure and relatively flat terrain. Amsterdam is the obvious example, with a network built around cycling that makes a bike the most natural way to get around. Copenhagen, Seville, Ghent, Valencia and Bordeaux are equally well-suited for similar reasons.

For hillier cities, e-bikes are a game changer. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, for example, is more manageable and memorable day out on an e-bike than a standard bike is not, particularly for mixed aged groups.

City cycling suits city breaks, road trip stop-offs, and the first or last day of any trip where a destination is worth getting to know quickly. It requires no advance booking in most cities beyond reserving the bikes themselves.

That said, for added reassurance about cycling around a new city, sometimes it can be a good idea to join a guided city cycling tour.  Then all you need to do is follow the leader and let them deal with any navigation; you can also benefit from their local knowledge at stops along the way.  We found great city cycling tours in New Orleans, Vancouver (around Stanley Park) and San Francisco where we biked over the bridge to Sausalito.

Explore our city cycling blogs:

Scenic & leisure cycling: From Islands to fields

Destination cycling means riding to or around a specific place that is either impractical or significantly less enjoyable to reach any other way. Car-free islands are the clearest examples, like Rottnest Island in Western Australia, Hiddensee in Germany, or Sark in the Channel Islands. All of these can only be explored by bike, and the circuit in ease case is the experience rather than a means of reaching something else.

Flower growing landscapes work in the same way; the tulip fields of the Bollenstreek outside Amsterdam in spring, the lavender fields of Provence in July, or the cherry blossom routes through Japan’s cycling infrastructure are all landscapes that a car window cannot do justice to and a walk would take all day.

Destination cycling tends to produce the most memorable cycling days precisely because the environment is the point. It suits anyone who wants to move through a landscape rather than simply arrive at a viewpoint.

Explore our leisure cycling blogs:

Vineyard cycling: Combine wine tours & rural riding

Vineyard and rural cycling means riding through agricultural and wine-producing landscapes as a way of connecting with a region’s food, drink and culture before arriving at a tasting or a food producer. A bike gives you access to individual estates in a way that self-driving cannot, particularly in regions where responsible drinking is the point of the visit.

France’s Loire Valley is probably the best-developed cycling and wine tourism circuit in Europe. The La Loire a Velo route runs 900 kilometres, passing through UNESCO-listed chateaux and the heart of Muscadet, Vouvray and Saumur wine country, and attracts over a million cyclists a year. Burgundy, Alsace, and Tuscany offer shorter half day and full day alternatives that connect producers along well-maintained routes.

In South America, the Casablanca Valley in Chile and the Mendoza region in Argentina have well-established vineyard cycling options within striking distance of Santiago and Buenos Aires respectively. 

The single most important planning point for this format is sequencing. Cycle before tasting, not after. Morning is almost always better; cooler, quieter, and the light on the vines is at its best. Arrange return transport before you set off rather than assuming you will want to cycle back after wine. Vineyard cycling suits couples, empty nesters, and groups with a genuine interest in food and drink culture. It works less well for groups with young children.

Explore our vineyard cycling blogs:

Multi-activity days: Cycling excursions

You do not need to spend an entire day in the saddle to enjoy cycling on holiday. In fact, for mixed-aged family groups or travellers who want variety, the best way to introduce a bike is as part of a multi-activity day.

Volcanic regions and adventure destinations tend to work well for cycling on multi-activity days. Instead of taking a tour bus, you might in the morning ride an easy trail through a Costa Rican rainforest, arriving directly at a river-tubing launch point or zip-line canopy course for the afternoon.

Cycling excursions suit families with older children or teenagers, or anyone who suffers with short attention spans. It can help you all get a little fitness into the holiday, without exhausting the group or alienating those who aren’t enthusiasts.

Explore our multi-activity cycling blogs:

How to plan a cycling experience

Row of four bikes parked up. Each has a brown basket on the front with a pale green sign and Tulum Rental Co Logo
We're ready to roll...

The Platinum Roadmap gives you the right order for planning any holiday experience, here is how each stage applies specifically to booking cycling experiences:

Stage 1: Who are you travelling with?

Your companions determine which cycling format is realistic before you consider anything else. A car free island suits a family with teenagers who can manage 22 kilometers in a few hours. It does not suit a group with young children or someone recovering from a knee injury.

Vineyard cycling suits adults with a shared love for wine and beautiful landscapes. Multi-activity cycling suits mixed groups where not everyone wants to spend a full day on a bike. Being honest about who is coming and what they are realistically capable of and interested in is the step that shapes every other decision.

Stage 2: What kind of cycling experience do you want?

This is where you decide which of the four cycling styles described above fits your group and holiday type. City cycling, destination cycling, vineyard cycling, and multi-activity have different physical requirements, different logistical demands, and suit different holiday types. 

Deciding on the format at this stage means that when you reach Stage 4, finding a destination, you are looking for a specific thing rather than browsing generally and hoping something fits.

Stage 3: When can you go, and does the timing work for cycling?

Cycling is one of the most season-sensitive experience types in this guide. Seasonal cycling experiences have windows that are fixed by nature rather than preference. The tulip fields of the Bollenstreek outside Amsterdam peak for two or three weeks in late March or early April, varying by year. Provence lavender peaks in July, while Japan’s cherry blossom cycling routes move north across the country through April.

For non-seasonal cycling, spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons in Europe and the southern hemisphere. With mild temperatures, manageable crowds and good light. Summer cycling works well in northern destinations but requires early starts in warmer climates to avoid cycling through the hottest hours of the day. Working through timing at Stage 3, before the destination is confirmed, removes the risk of arriving somewhere and discovering the experience you planned around is not running.

Stage 4: Find a destination where the cycling experience you want is happening

With your companions, holiday style, and timing clear, Stage 4 is finding where to go. GetYourGuide is the most effective tool for this step because searching by activity type rather than by destination shows you what is available and where, with real reviews, before you have committed to anywhere.

Search vineyard cycling or island cycling tours and you get a picture of what destinations have strong tour operators, current pricing and verified reviews from recent visitors. A destination that looks ideal on a travel blog but has sparse cycling operators is worth knowing about before you build a trip around it.

When reviewing tour companies, filter by rating and read recent reviews with a focus on how the guide handled mixed ability levels, whether the route matched what was described, and how any problems on the day were managed. Group size matters for cycling tours specifically. A small-group guided ride with a knowledgeable local is a very different experience from a large group following a red flag through a city centre.

Stage 5: Budget for bike hire and cycling costs

Cycling is one of the more affordable experience types. Standard bike hire runs from around £15 to £40 per person per day at most popular destinations, including helmet, lock and a basic route map. E-bikes run from £30 to £60.

Guided cycling tours will vary, with large city group tours being around £25, and private vineyard half day tours being around £80 or more. The main variable being, how much else are you getting within the tour i.e. a wine & tasting menu.

Stage 6: Book the bikes and any guided experiences

Once destination, timing, and budget are confirmed, book the bikes and any guided experiences before you travel rather than on arrival. For popular destinations in peak season, bike hire at car free island destinations and spring flower cycling routes can sell out on busy days.

Guided tours with well reviewed tour companies at high demand destinations book up weeks ahead. Confirm e-bike availability specifically at this stage if anyone in your group needs one. Do not leave this to the day, as e-bikes are far more popular than traditional bikes.

Stage 7: Pack what you need for a cycling day

The basics are consistent regardless of destination. Water in larger quantities than you expect to need, particularly in tropical or warm weather. Sunscreen and a hat for exposed routes. A small backpack for layers, snacks, and a phone with an offline map downloaded. Comfortable shoes with grip. A basic first aid kit for any ride over two hours. If your route involves any elevation or variable terrain, check the profile in Komoot or Strava before you set off.  A flat-looking map regularly conceals gradients that transform a manageable day into a tiring one.

Need some inspiration? Check out our blogs!

See all coastal posts

Cycling experiences FAQs

Are e-bikes worth hiring on holiday?

For many groups, e-bikes have made cycling experiences far more accessible by removing the fitness barrier. A family where one member is a confident cyclist and another is not, can now share an experience together they wouldn’t have otherwise. 

Couples where one partner has concerns about stamina or terrain can now ride together comfortably on routes that would previously require careful selection. Just note that e-bikes are far more popular, and bike hire companies do tend to higher the price.

As with any experience, if you are travelling in peak season, we recommend booking in advance. The more remote a destination is, the less bike stock hire companies will have, and so in these cases it is wise to also book in advance. 

For less popular times and destinations, on-the-day hire is usually easily done. Check the hire company’s booking policy when planning rather than assuming availability.

The holiday styles that mix cycling with other activities work well for mixed groups. Non-cyclists can join the day by taxi, public transport or on foot for the non-cycling experiences. Most car-free islands (like Rottnest) have bus tours or walking routes for visitors who are not cycling. 

Vineyards also welcome visitors arriving by other means. For a group where cycling is only part of the day, the multi-activity format is usually the right choice.

Standard travel insurance policies cover recreational cycling as part of a holiday. The caveats are around competitive cycling events, mountain biking on dedicated trail networks, and any organised cycling that increases risk. 

For hire-bike cycling experiences of the type covered in this guide, standard cover is normally sufficient. Just be sure to check your policy documentation if you are planning beyond leisure cycling, and declare any pre-existing conditions relevant to a cycling injury claim.

GetYourGuide is always a reliable starting point for discovering what is available and what recent visitors have thought about it. Search by activity type rather than by destination at the early planning stage – searching vineyard cycling or island cycling shows you where these specific experiences exist and at what quality level before you have committed to a specific destination.

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