Family Bike Trip Suggestions

[GuyGadois]

One thing I would like to do with my family is to go on a bike tour. When I was in 7th grade I went with a teacher and five other kids and rode around England. It was a great experience. In 9th grade I spent a summer in Dollar, Scotland riding every road I could find and loving it (this California boy even learned how to ride in the rain). I would like to start researching a ride for next summer or the summer after for the family. At that time the kids will be 12 and 13 and should be able to get a little distance in. Both my kids have been riding to school since kindergarten so they know their way around bikes faily well. We would definitely have to do a little train though. I wouldn't expect long distance. The focus would be on fun and learning about where we are.

So, I would love to hear some suggestions on a week or so bike trip. We would be open to camping or a combo of camping and credit card camping. I am attracted to Europe because so much of it can be bike friendly. I am primarily concerned with picking a safe route.

I've heard of some nice routes in the Netherlands and a path down the Rhine.

Cheers,

Gadois

[Buzz]

We have been thinking about this as well for our kids. Have you looked into http://www.tauernradweg.com/eng/

Bike path in Austria that passes by Salzburg. Anyone done this? Looks like 30-40 miles per day, hotel to hotel along the way.

[Steve in SLO]

As a slightly OT suggestion, another vacation to consider is a canal boat holiday. I have heard lots of good about them, and they give the option of everybody not riding all day every day.

[GuyGadois]

And here is some info about cycling along the Rhine...

http://www.rheinradweg.eu/en/index.php?page=rhine_cycle_route/description

Anyone done this?

GG

[dave thompson]

My wife and I have done the Salzburg to Vienna and Scharding to Vienna on the Danube twice. Both very family friendly with lotsa of places/things to see/do/eat. (I found the world's best Apfelstrudel in Passau and Weinerschnitzle in Vienna)

We arranged our trips with VonGogh Tours http://www.vangoghtours.com/bicycle_tours.html Everything was handled expertly and perfectly both time. I can't say enough good things about VanGogh or the cycling experience.

[Karin Kirk]

Along the same lines, cycling around the Bodensee is a tour that is carefree, scenic, safe and will take you through Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The Bodensee is a huge glacial lake that is formed by the Rhine - it flows in one end and out the other.

This is my cycling home base when I travel over there. One of the amazing things about riding around the Bodensee is the sheer number of cyclists. And not "cyclists" in the sense of serious riders, but just of people out riding and enjoying the wind in their hair.

And of course, the riding is well-punctuated by cafes, parks, gardens and other niceties that make Europe so much fun. :)

Here is some random blog that has photos that make me homesick for the place, so it gets the point across.
http://www.nonlintec.com/biketour/

[tiretrax]

My brother and I went to summer camp in Maine. He went on a cycling tour around Nova Scotia when he was 15. I took a backpacking trip instead. I wish I could have done both.

[godfrey1112000]

Cycle in the morning

Beaching in the Afternoon, stay in West Tisbury and go to Lambert's Cove

Eating at night then to sleep

repeat for 28 days

nothing like it

[foo_fighter]

Brittany would be a great place for a family bike trip...We did it 2 years ago before we had our first kid and it was one of the tour company's family friendly destinations. They also had an option to stay at Mont St. Michel which would be really cool for kids(and adults).

[maunahaole]

We took a trip to the Netherlands last year. We did a day trip to Maastricht and took the train down in the morning. I was dying to have a bike to ride and a week or so just to explore. The countryside is pretty empty, mostly flat and there is just enough space between towns. You could ride from town to town and explore the towns and have full days of it. The Netherlands is super easy as most everyone that you run into speaks excellent english and is not resentful about it (as happens sometimes in France) and the country has a nice cycling friendly infrastructure.