13 Of The Best Cycling Holidays In The World
Because sometimes two wheels are better than four…
Bike getting dusty because, now that summer’s over, you’ve gone back to the warmth of public transport? Well, get it out of the shed, because we’ve found 11 of the world’s best cycling holidays to get those legs back in action.
1. Cairngorms, Scotland
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Like mountain biking, whisky tasting and beautiful Scottish landscapes? Then the Cairngorms Adventure Scotland tour was made for you – providing you’d consider your bike skill level ‘intermediate’.
As the UK’s largest National Park, The Cairngorms is home to beautiful rivers and lochs, forests and farmland – not to mention some super friendly Scots.
The trip costs £1065, including seven nights accommodation, and you can find out more info at Mountainbikeworldwide.com.
2. Dubrovnik to Split, Croatia
If you’re up for cycling 27 miles a day and taking in Croatia’s beautiful Dalmatian Coast, then keep reading. This self-guided tour will allow you to see the Dubrovnik city walls, Ston’s ancient salt works, Diocletian’s palace and loads of gorgeous beaches.
For €1640 (£1475) you get six nights bed and breakfast across Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar and Split, plus your bike rental, luggage transfers and necessary private boat and ferry transfers. Just add flights and a bunch of mates! Check out Biketours.com for more info.
3. Cuba
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Now we’re talking. Cycle the length of Cuba, taking in Havana, Trinidad and Santiago, as part of a guided group. Taking 10 days total, 13 of which will be cycling (the others are flight or free days), this trip is ideal for intermediate cyclists.
Priced from £2,199, the trip includes return flights from London, all accommodation, all breakfasts, 11 lunches and five dinners, plus activities, bike hire, your guide and a tourist card visa. Sounds positively heavenly. Hit up Exodus.co.uk to book and for more info.
4. Morocco
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Camel riding and camping in the Sahara sound like fun? Then book yourself a cycling holiday in Morocco, where you’ll pass through Draa Valley, the Sahara desert and dreamy Marrakech.
The 8-day tour is suitable for intermediate cyclists and costs from £629 without flights or £799 with flights, including accommodation, guide and airport transfers. Visit Explore.co.uk for more info.
5. Idaho, USA
Visit Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains and check out the famous hot springs. The six-day course is designed for more experienced riders and you’ll camp along the way, with all meals, snacks and sports drinks provided.
Priced at $1,390 (£1,141) without flights, all the deets you need are at Usabiketours.com.
6. Highway 1, USA
Don’t drive or would rather see California and the Pacific Coast by bike than car? You’re in the right place. Cycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles via the wine estates of Napa Valley and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, over 11 days, with one travel day to start and a day in LA at the end.
Prices start from £2,529 including 11 nights accommodation, bike hire and most meals. Check out Grandamericanadventures.com for all the info.
7. Byron Bay, Australia
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Beaches, beaches and more beaches lie within this route from Ballina to the Gold Coast, as well as the (big) small town of Mullumbimby, the valley of Eltham and Mount Warning.
Suitable for beginners, the trail takes four days and five nights, with prices available on request from Cyclingtours.com.au.
8. London to Amsterdam
It might sound like a schlep, but London to Amsterdam is a fairly easy, flat route. You’ll start in Greenwich, ride through to Kent and take the ferry from Dover, before cycling through France and into Belgium. Arriving in Amsterdam on the seventh day, you’ll enjoy an overnight stay there, before the tour ends at breakfast the next day. Of course, if you want more time to enjoy the windmills, canals and everything else the city has to offer, you can always book additional hotels and hang out for a bit longer.
The tour costs €890 (£800), including seven nights accommodation, some meals, ferry transfers and luggage transfers. Get all the info at Biketours.com.
9. Namibia, Africa
Get up close and personal with Namibia’s wildlife, including giraffe, zebra and oryx, as you travel on bike, foot and Landrover. The 12-day trip is suitable for novice cyclists (yay!) and includes 11 nights accommodation with breakfast, plus nearly all your lunches and dinners, as well as all your water and energy drinks for £2,380.
Get more info at Mountainbikeworldwide.com.
10. Bangkok to Phuket, Thailand
This 800km trail is split over eight riding days, with a rest day by the beach on day four, and a chilled last day on Phuket Island. Take in beach towns like Hua Hin, National Parks like Sam Roi Yot and the beautiful Khao Lak, all by bike.
The trip costs $2,075 (£1,703) including accommodation and guide, as well as a constant supply of cold drinks and fresh fruit, and all meals on cycling days. Check out Spiceroads.com for all the info.
11.Tenerife and La Gomera, Spain
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This two islands tour gives you the chance to explore both Tenerife and La Gomera in just one week, staying at four and five star hotels all the way, including the gorgeous Costa Adeje Gran in Tenerife. What’s 240 miles of cycling when you’ve got luxury accommodation every night and beautiful weather all year round?
Priced at €1,295 (£1,165), almost all meals are included, as well as your guide, coaching, airport transfers and a cycling jersey. Check out Tenerifebiketraining.com for more info.
12. Costa Rica - Pacific Coast to Caribbean Coast
You read that right. A 12-day cycling (and whitewater rafting!) trip that takes you from the east coast of Costa Rica (hello Pacific coast) to the west coast (OH HAI Caribbean coast).
Along the way you'll traverse actual volcanoes, bike off-road through jungle and across ravines, and end up - knackered - on a beautiful sandy beach on the other side of the continent.
As far as central American adventures, they don't come much more spectacular.
Prices start from $2,350 USD - check out Bike Hike Adventures for more info.
13. South Island, New Zealand
ICYMI, the South Island of New Zealand is one of most beautiful, geographically stunning, smorgasbord-y landscapes on the planet.
So hurrah for a biking tour that allows you to traverse from top to (almost) bottom, taking in some of the country's most iconic scenery along the way.
From staying in mountian huts so remote that your luggage has to be flown in by helicopter, to soaking in hot springs, and even taking a breather to whale watch off the coast of Kaikoura (sidenote: from personal experience, one of the best things you'll ever do), this trip offers life experiences to match the exercise highs.
Prices start at $3,525 (£2,350) - head to H+I Adventures for more info.
These Are Literally The Coolest Hotels In The World
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Sweden’s Treehotel in Harads is made up of six different treehouse-type structures, including a UFO-shaped den that can sleep five, complete with bathroom and living room. -
A night in the UFO will set you back 4900 Swedish Krona (around £445) for two adults, as will its neighbouring Mirrorcube, which sleeps two and has a roof terrace. Treehotel.se -
Zoku hotel in Amsterdam offers loft-style living for working and playing, with visitors encouraged to use the social spaces – including a communal living room, bar and kitchen – to meet new or old friends. -
For those on a budget, Zoku offer their ‘Bootstrap’ room option, specifically for entrepreneurs who need a cheap night in the city for work. Prices start from €60 (around £54). Livezoku.com -
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Finland is made up of individual glass igloos perfectly designed for watching the Northern Lights from indoors. Showers and saunas are housed in a separate building, but you do get your own private toilet. -
Fancy something a little bigger? Go for the Kelo-Glass Igloo, sleeping six, with private sauna and kitchen. A small glass igloo for two people, including breakfast and dinner, starts around €305 (£275) per night. Kakslauttanen.fi -
The Caves in Negril, Jamaica, is a cliffside hotel made up of 12 villas, where secret caves hold private dining options, as well as hot tubs and saunas. It’s more than a little bit sexy, so make sure you take your s/o! -
Prices start at around $555 (£455) per night for two people sharing a garden view cottage on an all-inclusive basis, with some activities included. Thecaveshotel.com. -
Free Spirit Spheres on Vancouver Island, Canada, are three spherical treehouses sleeping between one and two people. With prices starting from $175 (£107) per night, it’s a pretty reasonable cost for an insane hotel experience! -
The ‘Melody’ sphere even comes with this classy little outhouse. Freespiritspheres.com -
Who wouldn’t want to sleep in a bubble? Attrap Reves Hotel is situated in the gardens of Palais Longchamp in France, just outside Marseille, and basically allows visitors to live in clear spherical tents. -
Bubbles start from €159 (£142) per night for two people, with breakfast included, and a telescope “at your disposal”. Upgrade to include 30 minutes in an open air jacuzzi for €60 (£54). Attrap-reves.com -
Hotel Huettenpalast in Berlin offers caravan living inside a warehouse, with loads of different styles and sizes available, from €69 (£62) per night for either one or two people. -
Little wooden sheds are also available if you fancy indulging your inner Bill or Ben. Huettenpalast.de -
Palacio de Sal in Bolivia is the world’s first hotel constructed entirely from salt – srsly! Prices start at around £100 per night for two people sharing a standard twin or double room. -
We would not recommend licking the walls. -
Bookworm? Then New York’s Library Hotel on Madison Avenue will be right up your alley. Not only do each of the 10 guest floors honour one of the categories of the Dewey Decimal System, but the hotel houses 6,000 books, all available for guests. -
Added bonus: daily wine and cheese receptions included in the price of your room – and yes, there’s prosecco. Rates start from $199 (£163.41) per night for two people sharing a petite room. Libraryhotel.com -
Wanderlust Hotel in Singapore’s Little India might be the cutest thing we’ve ever seen. With a different theme on every floor, you can choose from ‘Industrial Glam’, ‘Eccentricity’, ‘Is It Just Black And White?’ and ‘Creature Comforts’. -
If you want to go all-out, get the space loft. Prices start at 129SD (£77) for two adults sharing a Pantone room. Wanderlusthotel.com -
Car fanatic? Stuttgart’s V8 Hotel, nestled in the heart of the Motorworld region, is the one. If you’re splashing out, the Mercedes Suite will fulfil all those fantasies you had of owning a car bed as a kid. -
Other rooms are themed around the car wash, gas station and even a drive-in cinema. Prices start from €139 (£125) per night for a single, non-themed room, while double themed rooms are available from €179 (£161) per night. V8hotel.de -
Club Tropicana, drinks are freeeeee… Not really, but Ibiza Rocks House at Pikes Hotel is the actual hotel featured in George Michael’s Club Tropicana video, fact fans. A great base for music lovers, Pikes rooms come with record players and vinyls… -
…while their bar/club plays host to everything from bathtub karaoke to major DJ sets. You’re almost always guaranteed to see someone famous there, too. Prices start at around €200 (£180) per night for a standard double sleeping two. House.ibizarocks.com -
Planning a weekend in Brighton? Hotel Pelirocco is as kitsch as they come, with rooms themed around Dolly Parton, the Sex Pistols and Star Wars, to name but a few options. -
There are also a few, err, ‘naughty’ room options for couples, like the Nookii room and Kraken’s Lair – complete with its own pole… Rooms start at £79 per night for a double. Hotelpelirocco.co.uk -
Australia’s Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island is like something out of Charlie’s Angels (the Cameron Diaz reboot) or James Bond. Just look at those views! -
Made up of 21 luxury suites with views of the Southern Ocean, a stay here doesn’t come cheap, with prices starting from $1,100 (£688) per person per night based on two sharing. However, that does include all your meals and an open bar. Southernoceanlodge. -
If you’re a dog person, why not take things one step further, with a stay at Dog Bark Park Inn. Yes, the rooms are inside that giant dog structure! -
Located in Idaho, Dog Bark Park Inn sleeps four, priced at $98 (£81) per night for two sharing (and including breakfast!). Add $10 (£8) per night for each additional person or a one-off fee of $15 (£12) per pet.
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