Cycling in Europe

With so many countries in Europe, it’s hard to draw broad summaries.

The Euro may be the common currency but put money aside you’ll find a new language, culture and cuisine to explore across every border.

Summer is the best time to tour around most of Europe, with long days and warm temperatures. Spring and autumn can be pleasant too if you can deal with some campgrounds being closed and the risk of a few chilly, rainy days.

There’s some good winter cycling along the Mediterranean coast but in the summer it will be uncomfortably hot. With a little planning, you can plan a lengthy tour crossing between northern and southern Europe that will follow the improving weather as you go.

Cycling around Europe is generally a very comfortable affair. You’re rarely far from a hotel, campground, restaurant or bike shop. Choosing where to go is the big dilemma. Several months will let you take in a lot of Europe but with a few weeks to spare you’ll have to pick and choose.

You may want to consider putting your bike on the train, which is usually possible although some of the high speed services may ask you to bag your bike. The best solution is to choose a small area to cover and take local trains.

Some guidelines when you’re choosing where to go:

• Portugal has very low prices if you’re on a budget
• Germany has excellent cycle path networks if you don’t want to tango with traffic
• Italy has the best coffee, amazing mountains and stunning vistas
• France is a classic and there’s nothing like a chocolate croissant to start your day
• Slovenia is a great choice if you’re worried about language – its citizens speak excellent English
• Hungary has lots of free wifi access if you need to work from the road
• Greece has plenty of northern hills and wild camping opportunities
• Belgium is the obvious candidate for beer lovers
• Spain offers beautiful and remote cycling in its interior
• Holland is the most bike-friendly country – 30% of journeys are made by bicycle

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