VBT Bicycling Vacations

Highlights

• Learn about Banff National Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site and Canada’s first national park.
• Spin downhill along the magnificent Bow Valley Parkway, a stunning wilderness corridor.
• Observe wildlife from the saddle–including elk, deer, bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and even black and grizzly bears.
• Pass panorama after panorama of jaw-dropping alpine splendor as you cycle in Kananaskis Country.
• Hike the trails of Ptarmigan Cirque to an alpine meadow with epic views.

Highlights

• Marvel at the scenic alpine vistas that surround you as you cycle easy bike paths
• Gain a rare glimpse into the ancient Ladin culture, and feast on mountain specialties
• Thrill to a 1,900-foot (580-meter) descent along the Val Venosta Bike Path
• Enter into the dual Austrian-Italian culture of South Tyrol, as you explore the little city of San Candido
• Explore the beautiful cathedral, cloister, and palace of Bressanone on a guided walking tour

Highlights

• Cycle along tranquil rivers and past meadows, dairy farms, quaint villages, and polder countrysides.
• Get acquainted with local people—and local life—during a visit to a family home.
• Join a local guide for a boat tour of Ghent, whose history dates to around 600 AD.
• View the famous Kinderdijk windmills, a UNESCO Heritage site.
• Sip authentic Belgian beer during a special tasting on board.

Highlights

• Admire the magnificent vistas of France’s most renowned wine regions by river and by bicycle.
• Enjoy the best of both worlds: an all-inclusive river ship cruise and VBT Bicycling Vacation.
• Ride among the lush, fertile vineyards of Burgundy and Provence, pausing at your leisure for wine tastings and tours.
• Learn the history of the magnificent Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct and UNESCO World Heritage site’s museum, and savor a delicious picnic lunch.
• Walk the cobbled and historic streets of Lyon and Avignon as a local guide brings them alive with history and lore.

Highlights

• Cycle along the harbor of Postira, a beautiful village nestled between the ocean and hillsides graced by centuries-old olive and pine groves.
• Visit a world-renowned stone-cutting school.
• Connect with daily life in this stunningly beautiful region during two home-hosted meals.
• Behold breathtaking views from Vidova Gora, the “summit of the Adriatic.”
• Take a dip in the Adriatic at Zlatni Rat, Croatia’s most famous beach.

Highlights

• Delight in the lilt of an Irish brogue as a local expert leads you on a guided tour of The Burren.
• Explore the medieval churches, Neolithic tombs, and sacred sites of Noughaval.
• Marvel at the rugged and magical countryside of Connemara, whose mountains, lakes, and peat bogs have inspired poets for centuries.
• View Kylemore Abbey, the oldest Benedictine abbey in Ireland.
• Listen to crashing surf as you trace the coastline of the unspoiled, tranquil Renvyle Peninsula.

Highlights

• Sample delicious sparkling wines at a cantina in Franciacorta, Italy’s “Champagne” region.
• Cycle the scenic lakeside bike paths around Lake Iseo, made famous when the artist Christo installed his “floating piers” here.
• Marvel at breathtaking scenery when you ride the UNESCO-listed Bernina railway, then cycle among the splendid Bernina peaks.
• Ride the easy bike paths of the Valtellina valley, blanketed in vineyard terraces among miles of dry-stone walls.
• Taste delicious Pizzoccheri pasta and local cheeses only found in Valtellina.

Highlights

• Tour two historic treasures of Santiago de Compostela—the Hostal dos Reis Católicos and the splendidly ornate cathedral, the city’s revered pilgrimage site.
• Cycle the scenic Portuguese Coastal Camino de Santiago, perhaps passing pilgrims along the way.
• Taste the most prestigious wines of the region: Spain’s albariño in Rías Baixas and Portugal’s vinho verde.
• Enjoy lunch as honored guests at a Portuguese Count’s elegant manor house.
• Board a traditional fishing boat and pick shellfish with a local “Sea Woman” in the heart of Galicia’s seafood tradition.