I’m looking for inspiration for my next cycling holiday.
This would be focused on road riding. The tricky part here is that I’m also looking for a place I could bring my wife and 5 year old along where they could also have a good time with non-cycling related things.
Also open to just general recommendations on non-family oriented cycling holiday destinations as well, because why not.
Priorities would be scenic climbing, safe roads away from traffic, access to bike hire (I could bring a bike but in the past I’ve preferred the relative ease of renting).
Depends on what you’re looking for - road / gravel / MTB. But we had a wonderful time with the family (3yo, 1yo) in the Dolomites recently. Some hiking, some mountain biking, and endless good road cycling. There are a few bigger towns with great spots for kids and heaps of activities. I can’t wait to go back for a bigger cycling specific trip!
I’m pretty biased fanboy of Italy, mainly because I have an n+1 addiction to Italian bikes and save heaps of duties taking delivery there, making it amused bike and exempt.
So Dolomites/Corvara or Alps/Bormio top my list, climb oriented and nice tiny towns with a fair degree of non-bine options.
Scenic but pricier option would be around the lakes Guarda/Como, which offer decent climbing as well as gorgeous flat/rolling options and much stronger resort/touristy options.
All of the above have solid bike rental options, including MTB, and very bike friendly lodging.
There is obviously winter/summer differences but in general you’ll find those a bit less extreme than, day, France or Spain.
It depends where you’re coming from and willing to travel, but as an Aussie I reckon Chiang Mai would be ideal. Heaps to do for a family and great riding.
The roads are amazing. Really well maintained, smooth and somehow really fast. The traffic is good. They don’t really make special effort to accommodate cyclists but everyone is so used to just being kind to each other as drivers it’s easy to blend in with the scooters and not feel any issues.
I didn’t do that whole loop but I’ve done rides along most parts of it across two different visits.
Were there any issues navigating the steep hairpins alongside busses, scooters and other vehicles, around the bits of the Mae Hong Son that you’ve been on?
Have also been a little hesitant with riding in Chiang Mai, re: the loop, because of those narrow, steep, hairpins…
No issues at all. Aside from being very steep it’s all very pleasant. The roads are pretty quiet out of the city itself and any traffic is slow and respectful. The roads themselves are rarely that narrow. Here’s what you can expect…
I haven’t mentioned to anyone yet but I think I’m going to do a little trip write up and pitch it for the site. If it doesn’t make it there I’ll post it here instead.
I’m based in Canada. Recently we’ve travelled to Mallorca as a family and that was great for both riding and non-riding. Asia would be a bit far for me but keep them coming, could always use the inspiration for another time.
The Canaries are great for year round cycling. The islands can vary in price. Lanzarote usually the cheapest, best for XC with some fantastic gravel and more technical routes. Road a bit more limited but probably enough for a weeks worth of spinning, it’s undulating but nothing too demanding.
Tenerife is superb and can be very quiet in places away from the coast. However you only either go up or down, there is very little flat. Expect very long climbs and epic descents. It can be a little more remote in places for coffee stops. You can also island hop over to places like La Gomera for a day trip on the ferry with your bike if you really want to mix it up.
I see you’ve already been to Majorca, that offers everything, flat and hilly. Cyclists are well catered for in every town.
I went to Provence earlier this year and that was amazing (Mount Ventoux), staying in Bedoin was a fantastic base. Brilliant roads, plenty off the bike also being the Chateauneuf region.
Also south of Annecy and the Rhone Alps has plenty to offer and is fairly stunning on a bike.
Spanish mainland although I’ve not been many rave about Calpe.
One area I have covered is Asturias and that’s quite spectacular, with many famous climbs from La Vuelta. Amazing food also. Weather can be a little more mixed depending on the time of year.
Might be a little controversial but I live in Scotland and some of the cycling is amazing if you can manage to time it right and get some decent weather.
Likely an outlier take (all the other ideas are of course splendid and “right”) but from Canada, if you want to keep it easy traveling with a toddler, maybe Los Angeles? I could spend months riding in the Santa Monica Mountains, personally…it’s arguably the best road cycling “playground” in the US (presuming you enjoying climbing). Also rideable year-round while the rest of the country is frozen. Could also take day trips to explore/ride around Santa Barbara, too, and hit the famous stuff there (Gibraltar Road, etc.). And of course the LA region has a few things to do as a family
Good suggestions here, but I’d add Switzerland, specifically south side of lake Zurich. You have roads like Japan and plenty of them so easy to combine loops. Options of flat rides round lakes, lumpy rides or as many vertical km as you can handle, with stunning scenery. I’ve been to Italy, Mallorca etc and each have their good points but roads and scenery here are better. In summer climate also better as it’s not scorching. Only downside it’s expensive.
Second option is Belvedere Hotel Riccione. Usually top ten Europe on TripAdvisor. Not as good as Switzerland for roads and scenery, but better for holiday and summer partying. People super nice, food great, beach for the family and you get bike hire of good bikes plus a local bike guide to take you to all the good places you’d never find yourself. That can range from 160km at race pace up Pantani’s favourite climbs flogging yourself to stick on guide’s wheel, to 50km with lunch and wine tasting in a group at 20kph. I’ve been about 20x. Tell Marina I recommended you.
