If Trains, Planes, Buses and Ferries Aren’t Enough: How to Ride a Bicycle Through Europe

Broke Ass Travel, Europe | admin | August 31, 2009 at 11:02 am

The United States has finally awakened from the drive everywhere, no harm done dream and realized how our consumption of oil for personal transportation is damaging the world around us. Our recent love affair with bicycles stems from this realization. The Europeans had this thing figured out way before us and put some great programs in place to allow for traveling Europe atop your new two-wheeled friend.

Bike Sharing

You do not need to own (or bring) a bike to ride a bike in Europe. Bike sharing programs are available throughout many parts of Europe, most notably the Netherlands and France. Through years of trial and error (mostly people stealing bikes and not honoring the honor system), Europeans figured out a method of bike sharing quite similar to the library card. Basically, you create a membership with a company, such as Velib in Paris, and you pick up a bike at their station, use it, then drop it at any other station (they have tons all over the city). Check out their website for subscriptions and pricing. Variations of this system can be found in Germany (Call a Bike), Amsterdam (OV-fiets) and many other places in Europe. Bike sharing is cheap, fun, earth-friendly and gives you a reason to wear spandex (because with no reason, spandex is unjustifiable. Tights are not the new version pants).

European Bike Express

For a different take on biking Europe, catch a ride on the European Bike Express, a coach line offering comfortable transportation for you and your bike. EBE stops in over 30 cities in Europe, opening up the UK, France, Northern Spain, Germany and Switzerland. Visit their website to plan your route. The bus offers entertainment, comfortable reclining chairs and plenty of like-minded travelers to shoot the cycling shit with. Since your drop-off and pick-up locations don’t have to match, you can experience a variety of cultures and sites. If you choose to play tag with the bus, you can get dropped off in Spain and bike your way into France.

Gastrobiking

One thing is for sure, biking around Europe will make you hungry. Eating around Europe will require you to exercise. The Europeans thought of a way to combine food and cycling into one (those clever bastards). It’s called Gastrobiking and it offers the best of both worlds with food and cycling tours through South-Eastern France. Gastrobiking offers tours full of long climbs, swooping descents, delicious pastries, fine wines, fantastic meals, quaint cafes and quiet roads. The tours range from weekend trips to cyclospotives: long distance, organized cycling events. Check out the Gastrobiking website to plan your menu!

Riding a bike through Europe is a unique and interesting way to explore as it allows you to gain access to roads not navigable by larger vehicles. It’s also easy on the pockets, saving you hundreds of dollars in transportation costs. So get off your ass (then back on it) and bike your brains out!

Written By: Megan Finnigan
Co-Written By: Anna Starostinetskaya