There are times in life when you really do need a quick hit of you-time and, for some, it’s getting back into that saddle that helps you escape the humdrum and hassles of everyday life. So how do we define our short cycling breaks? Well, some of them are manageable over a long weekend of four days, others are five day forays. They may be short, but the immersion in nature will make you feel like you’ve packed a lot into your pannier. Please note that we haven’t included our centre-based cycling holidays because they deserve their own special blog. So, have you got out of the habit of treating yourself to a short restorative break? Check out some of these beauties and you will see that it’s just like riding a bike.
Short cycling breaks in Spain
We have several Spanish shorts for a hasty hit of happiness in the saddle. Here are some of our favourites:
Ruta del Cister, Catalonia
The Ruta del Cister is a circular cycling pilgrimage, where you take in the region’s monasteries over five days. And Catalonia definitely knows how to do monasteries, with the most iconic being Poblet, Vallbona de les Monges and Santes Creus. If you worship both natural and cultural heritage, this is a speedy and spiritual cycle, but one that takes you through some of Catalonia’s most sacred and sublime landscapes. With no shortage of vineyards and wine villages en route.
Ebro Delta Natural Park
Ebro Delta Natural Park is the largest and most important wetland in Catalonia where you not only get top birding opportunities, but also some very soothing landscapes. If you haven’t tried a dose of Ebro, it’s the way to go, and we have three different holidays there that delve into the delta. The shortest is our four day version, starting in the historic and handsome town of Tortosa and finishing in the coastal village of La Ràpita. With an exquisite Ebro mix of coasts and canalside paths, lagoons and luscious rice fields, as well as the wildlife wonders of Encanyissada Lagoon in between.
Short cycling breaks in Italy
Sometimes we can only treat ourselves to a dip into the dolce vita rather than a deep dive. But dips can be delicious too, as you can see in our top shorty cycles below.
San Gimignano and Volterra, Tuscany
This five day trail gives you a top Tuscan experience, starting in the heavenly hilltop town of San Gimignano, with three full days of cycling. San Gimignano is just 55km from Florence, so you can also combine this with a city break, for a dreamy natural and cultural combo. And if it’s Etruscan aesthetics that you’re after, this is the one for you, with San Gimignano famous for its skyline of 14 stone towers and well-preserved 14th-century architecture, as well as being a stop on the Via Francigena pilgrimage route. You spend two nights here, exploring daytime trails along obligatory cypress-lined roads, pootling past olive groves and vineyards. The last two nights are in Volterra, another Etruscan hilltop heaven with a Roman theatre thrown in for good measure. This may be a quick trip, but you lose all sense of time in Tuscany.
Cammino dei Borghi Silenti, Umbria
This is Umbria at its most utopian, following a trail that translates as Path through the Silent Villages over five days. Explore a part of Italy that feels untouched by time, with a silent circuit that starts and ends in Orvieto which, as well as being famous for its winelands, is also only 1h 16mins by train from Rome. Leave the Italian capital behind and immerse yourself in Umbria, cycling through ancient woodlands and traditional villages, to gorges and lakes. All with the backdrop of Monte Croce di Serra, the highest point of the Amerini mountains (994m). And you’ll feel empowered too, if you take our e-bike option. If silence is golden, then this five day escape is 24 carat.
Parenzana Trail, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia
As proponents of slow travel, we wouldn’t recommend zooming through Europe at speed. However, this five day cycling holiday on the Parenzana Trail is an exception, a 123km former railway line along the Istrian Peninsula that takes you through Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. Starting in Trieste in Italy, and crossing the finishing line in Poreč in Croatia, this is a relatively easy cycling trail, following an ever-changing course that takes you by surprise at every turn. Cycle under tunnels and over bridges and viaducts, through villages and alongside vineyards. Work your way up to the ancient hilltop towns of Grožnjan and Motovun, and shred your way down to the sea to Adriatic waterfront gems such as Poreč.
Short cycling breaks in France
Un petit peu de France always leaves you wanting an encore, but the good news is that there is always more. With a world of canal and coastal, alpine and Alsatian, river and Riviera trails, France’s landscapes are fecund. However, if you just need a teaser trail, we have some vite vélo-vacays.
Alsace Wine Route
The Alsace Wine Route heads from north to south for 170km, give or take a few detours to wineries in the foothills of the Vosges. However, we have a small glass of gorgeousness that still hits the spot, covering over 121km of the wine route in five days. This is one of the quickest ways to immerse yourself in viticulture, Alsatian culture and nature. Starting in the historic city of Strasbourg, with a fine wine finale in medieval Colmar, you can also reach these places by train. And with beauty spots like Riquewihr, which is not only one of France’s official Plus Beaux Villages de France, but also home to some of the most aromatic white wines, you’ll be keen to pop a few bottles in your luggage with no liquid restrictions.
Avignon to Arles, Provence
On this five day cycling holiday in Provence, you have UNESCO sites in Arles and Avignon, a regional nature park in the Camargue, the foothills of the Alpilles and some of Provence’s prettiest villages, including St. Remy-de-Provence. And with an option to rent e-bikes, you can power through Provence without a care in the world. This short cycling break is also accessible by train, so this is one speedy, sustainable sojourn.
Fontainebleau to Versailles
We’re making an exception with this cycling holiday between two of France’s most colossal cultural highlights, as it’s six days long, not our usual four or five day short cycling breaks. But these are royal trails, so we’re rolling out the red carpet. This cultural duo, cycling holiday between Fontainebleau and Versailles, is topped and tailed with two ultimate UNESCO treats, as well as Île-de-France’s stunning national forests, all within an easy distance of Paris, with the added bonus of some serious other châteaux along the way. Combine it with a citybreak to Paris for a perfect town and country, palace and pootling adventure.
Short cycling breaks in the Netherlands
Nowhere does flowers quite like the Dutch, and our five day cycling holiday of the country’s most famous tulip fields comes into full splendour in April. This journey around the Dutch tulip fields starts and ends in Amsterdam, with city stops at Haarlem and Leiden in between. The tulip reveal happens on day three, when your route takes you through Bollenstreek, boasting tulip fields of every colour. They have been grown here for over 400 years, where excavated dunes and sea air create the perfect growing (and cycling) conditions. We have another five day cycling adventure in North Holland, which is also timed with the tulip season, but this one starts and ends in Alkmaar, an elegant Dutch city with canals, museums and a lot of tulips.
Short cycling break in Slovenia
As well as the aforementioned Parenzana Trail, you can speed your way through Slovenia’s most sublime cycling spots on this five day holiday. Starting in Bled, you cycle around the shimmering waters of its eponymous and exquisite lake, closely followed by Lake Bohinj, with nights in both places too. You also get some exhilarating highs, such as being transferred up to the high plateau at Pokljuka, before gliding down into Bohinj Valley, the jewel in the heart of the Triglav National Park. Or cycling down through alpine forest trails into Selška Dolina Valley, leading to Škofja Loka, one of the oldest towns in Slovenia. Then, last but not least, you have a day and a night in Ljubljana, which you can also explore by bike.
Short cycling break in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco
If you want a quick Atlas adventure to add to a Moroccan mix of cities and surf, we have a jaunty journey into this colossal mountain range. Our Moroccan mountain biking holiday in the High Atlas takes you up winding, steep slopes, past ochre Berber villages that merge with the rock faces of the same hue, following in the tracks of shepherds or goat herders and their trusty pack mules. The tour runs all year round, with cycling highs along the way including a ride up to Kik, a plateau in the High Atlas foothills of Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest mountain. Or a challenging ascent to Tadmamt Pass (1,800m), with views across the vast Haouz Plain or Ourika Valley.
There are many reasons we all need to take a quick break, and we hope that this guide has helped you realise that sometimes you are only a few quick steps away from an uplifting change of scene. You may also enjoy Our most popular short walking breaks and Our top centre-based cycling holidays blogs. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact our adventure specialists.
Cycling in Catalonia: La Ruta del Cister
Cycling in Catalonia: Ebro Delta Natural Park Short Break
San Gimignano and Volterra Cycling Break
Cycling in Umbria: Cammino dei Borghi Silenti by E-bike
Cycling the Parenzana Trail
Cycling the Alsace Wine Route: Strasbourg to Colmar
Cycling in Provence Short Break
Cycling Fontainebleau to Versailles
Cycling the Dutch Tulip Fields
Cycling in North Holland: Tulip Season
Cycling the Lakes and Historic Towns of Slovenia
