Cycling holidays in Italy: our all-inclusive trips, from Tuscany to Puglia

Why choose Italy for a cycling trip?

Italy is a magnificent country with a thousand faces. Like France, it boasts great diversity, varied landscapes, and very different atmospheres. From North to South, from Veneto to Puglia, the culture and scenery are rich but very different. If you love heritage, appreciate good food, and are ready to be blown away by breathtaking views, then cycling in Italy is for you!

A cycling holiday in Italy is also an opportunity to experience the hospitality of this Latin people and live the Dolce Via every day.

A Diversity of Landscapes Unique in Europe

From the Dolomites and their jagged peaks, to the shimmering lakes of northern Italy, passing through Venice and its lagoon, to the rolling hills of Tuscany or Puglia, Italy holds many wonderful surprises for cyclists. Few European countries offer such a variety of landscapes and atmospheres. Cycling in Italy is the perfect opportunity to experience it all at your own pace and up close!

Heritage, Gastronomy, and the Art of Living at Every Stage

If there are two things that make Italians proud, it's their heritage and their cuisine. The country, birthplace of the Renaissance in Florence, boasts remarkable sites that bear witness to Italy's various golden ages: antiquity with the Roman Empire and the Republic of Venice.

Gastronomy, too, is something to be taken seriously. Pizza is serious business (and it's not the same in Rome, Naples, or Puglia, for example), nor are pastas and other Italian specialties. They are numerous and very diverse, even if these two examples are the most well-known. Wine is also a centuries-old tradition. There are no fewer than 700 grape varieties in the country (compared to 200 in France, for example).

A rapidly developing cycling network

While Italy isn't the most advanced European country in this area, significant investments are being made in this direction. Greenways are being developed here and there, making certain destinations more accessible. Most of our cycling tours in Italy take place on quiet secondary roads.

As for EuroVelo routes, four cross our transalpine neighbor: the Via Romea (EV5), the Veloroute del Sole (EV7), the Veloroute del Med (EV8), and the Baltic-Adriatic (EV9). Looking for information on cycling routes in Italy? Check out Cartovelo, a specialized online bookstore with a wide selection of guides and maps on the subject!

👉 Cycling maps and guides for Italy

Our cycling destinations in Italy

Cycling in Tuscany

Cycling in Tuscany is one of those experiences that stays with you long after the trip. You pedal to the rhythm of the endless rolling hills, dotted with cypress trees in single file, vineyards planted in perfect rows, and ochre farmhouses perched as if by chance atop a ridge. Choosing a cycling tour in Tuscany means indulging in the luxury of traversing the cradle of the Renaissance at just the right pace: slow enough to stop in front of the facade of a forgotten Romanesque church, brisk enough to link a hilltop medieval village and a Chianti winery in the same day, where you can happily share a plate of pecorino and a glass of Chianti Classico in the shade of a vine.

Cycling in Puglia: Between Salento, Matera, and Otranto

Our local correspondent, Carlo, is undoubtedly the best person to describe cycling in Puglia: “The name ‘Puglia’ is said to come from the Latin word ‘Apluvia,’ meaning a land without rain. Yet, in spring, our region becomes surprisingly green and blooming. The landscape here is very mineral: white stone, dry-stone walls, villages bathed in sunlight. But there are also ancient olive trees, red earth, fig trees, vineyards, and of course, the ever-present sea. We are a borderland, a place between East and West, between Italy and Greece. Here, you truly feel like you’re ‘at the end of the earth.’”

A cycling route in Puglia winds its way between cliffs, whitewashed villages, olive groves, and small rural roads lined with dry-stone walls, where encounters with the locals are just as important as the scenery. And for those who want to fully enjoy the region without worrying about the terrain, Puglia by e-bike offers the perfect solution.

Lake Garda by Bike

Cycling around Lake Garda promises a gentle and contemplative Italy, where you pedal between turquoise waters and palm groves, the vineyards of Bardolino and Lugana, and villages with colorful houses like Lazise, ​​Garda, and Desenzano. Sirmione and its medieval peninsula, Peschiera and its ramparts, and Riva del Garda nestled at the foot of the Dolomites create a setting that Goethe already described as a "delightful spectacle." The terrain is gentle, the cycle paths are numerous, and you can extend the experience with a panoramic ferry crossing or a detour to Verona, Mantua, or the enchanting garden of Parco Sigurtà. It's an ideal destination to savor la dolce vita at your own pace.

Cycling in Veneto: Venice, Treviso, Padua

Discover the sumptuous heritage of Venice, unfolding along its canals and peaceful plains. On the itinerary:

• Venice and its lagoon
• Padua and its ancient university
• Vicenza and its Palladian villas (the famous Villa Rotonda being a highlight)
• Treviso and its ancient waterways
• The Prosecco hills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• The charming wooden Ponte Vecchio in Bassano del Grappa

Cycling routes in Veneto follow the Brenta, Sile, and Bacchiglione canals, lined with Venetian villas (Pisani, Malcontenta, Widmann) that evoke the golden age of the nobility. Flat terrain, little traffic, the shade of plane trees: this is a cultivated and luminous Italy, ideal for travelers who enjoy combining heritage, the coolness of canals, and leisurely stops.

The Alpe Adria Trail: from Malnitz to Grado

The Alpe Adria cycle route is one of the most beautiful in Europe: a long descent from the Austrian peaks of the Hohe Tauern National Park to the golden beaches of Grado on the Adriatic coast. Starting in Malnitz, the route follows the verdant Drau Valley, crosses Tarvisio at the border triangle, and then the old Val Canale railway line leads to Friuli, Udine, and Palmanova, a fortified Venetian town. An 85% car-free route, flat to gently downhill: ideal for experiencing two cultures and a true gradient of landscapes, from mountains to sea, in just one week.

From Bolzano to Venice: from the Dolomites to the lagoon

From Bolzano to Venice, you'll cycle through Northern Italy in all its diversity. Starting in the UNESCO-listed Dolomites, you'll descend the Adige Valley along the Wine Route, follow the shores of Lake Garda and its palm groves, then reach romantic Verona, Vicenza with its Palladian villas, Padua and its thermal baths, before surrendering to the magic of the Venetian lagoon. A seamless route, from the peaks to the sea.