Italy - Cycling along the coast of Tuscany
- From the Leaning Tower in Pisa to the island of Elba off the coast from Piombino -
This cycling holiday combines the charming, characteristic Tuscan hills with the striking, beautiful scenery on the coast of Tuscany. Well maintained bike paths will lead you from the cultural highlights of Pisa to the charming old town "Venezia Nuova" in Livorno, before finally reaching the characteristic square of Piombino, which goes straight into the sea. Feel the warm Mediterranean breeze as you bike along the white sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs. The tour will also bring you into the Tuscan highlands, which is admired by food and wine lovers, from around the world.
The route goes along the lush vineyards and through olive groves, before reaching the one of the highlights: the cycling experience on the island of Elba.
The terrain alternates between flat to minor hills. There are only two stretches on the trip where you will experience longer inclinations. Most of the trails on this tour are unpaved, few will be a little more rustic, and in the cities there will be shorter stretches on citystreets.
Highlights on this tour
- The Miracle square in Pisa, on which the city cathedral, with the famous Leaning Tower is located
- Cycling along the beautiful white sandy beaches, from where you can quickly take a dip
- Beautiful trails through national parks, pine forests and along the sea
- The medieval Tuscan villages of Bolgheri, Castagneto Carducci and Suvereto
- Piombino with its central square, which goes straight into the sea
- Beautiful ferryride to Elba with cycling on the island with its beautiful beaches and characteristic Mediterranean vegetation
- Marked routes and detailied bike descriptions and maps, that makes it easy to find your way
Itinerary See all daysClose all days
Individual arrival to the first hotel in Pisa (from the train station it is only a short walk). Depending on how early you arrive in the city, it will be possible to walk around in the old charming town.
Hotel (example): Hotel Repubblica Marinara
From Piazza dei Miracoli, which is home to the city cathedral and its famous Leaning Tower, nice and winding paths will lead you through the National Park Macchia Lucchese and out to the seaside. Continue along white sandy beaches until reaching the charming coastal town of Viareggio. If you feel like it, go for a dip in the Tyrrhenian Sea along the way. A short train ride will bring you and the bikes back to Pisa for another night.
Distance: 30km + a train ride
Hotel (example): Hotel Repubblica Marinara
The morning begins with a short train ride to Livorno. This historic port city has much to offer, including the popular neighborhood of Venezia Nuova, with its many canals. After a stretch along one of the promenades, you head up into the Tuscan highlands. A longer inclination leads you through the National Park of Monti Livornesi and further through the Tuscan villages, which beautifully meanders in the hilly landscape. The descent brings a spectacular view with the blue sea in beautiful contrast to the green landscape.
You will be staying at a hotel, located close to the steep cliffs, with small paths along the beach and palm trees gently swaying in the wind, which together create a true Mediterranean atmosphere.
Distance: 40km + a train ride
Hotel (example): Hotel Miramare
The cycling stage of day four, goes along the beautiful coast of Tuscany. After following some of the famous white sand beaches around Vada, the route will lead you through some of Italy's most beautiful pine forests. Then you will cycle through the national park of Tomboli and from there on to the town of Bibbona. From here you head to the famous wine village of Bolgheri, where the extraction of wine from the Tuscan topclass grapes takes place. After following a long avenue lined with cypress trees, you will again reach the seaside and the coastal town of Marina de Castagneto, with its many beach cafes and promenades.
Distance: 50km
Hotel (example): I Ginepri
The day begins by going up a hill towards the medieval town Castaneto Carducci. Here the views are spectacular and it is advised to sit down at one of the cafes and enjoy a well-deserved and well-brewed Italian espresso. From here you continue cycling up a winding mountain road through romantic cork oak forests Take your time and make small stops in the traditional Tuscan villages you pass on the way, and enjoy with their characteristic stone houses and Tuscan atmospheres. The next part of the tour brings you down through lush olive groves to the coastal town of Golfo de Baratti, where the silence at the archaeological excavations sites is a great contrast to the beach life not far from there.
From here it is only a few kilometers to Piombino, which is an impressive coastal town, where you can enjoy an Italian gelatto on the square right at the beach.
Distance: 60km
Hotel (example): Hotel Esperia
A ferry will bring you and the bikes to Portoferraio on the island of Elba. The trip takes about an hour, but the time is excellently used enjoying the stunning views of both Elba and the mainland. On Elba it is the possible to chose between two different routes, one short and one longer. The short tour will take you on a panoramic route passing several deserted bays and coves. The slightly longer trip gives you the opportunity to get up in the hilly inland area of the island. Here you can experience the characteristic vegetation of Macchia Mediterrenea.
After a day full of experiences on the island, the return journey on the ferry will be the perfect place to enjoy the sunset.
Distance: 15 or 35km + a ferry ride
Hotel (example): Hotel Esperia
When checking out of the hotel in Piombino, you also return the bikes. From here it is possible to take the train back to Pisa (This takes about 2 hours and costs about €10,- p.p). If your tour started on a Sunday it will also be possible to join a transfer directly from the hotel to Pisa. This transfer departs from the hotel between noon and 1 pm, and will get you into Pisa round about 3 pm. There is a limited number of seats on the transfer, so this must be booked before joining the tour. The payment of this transfer is done locally and the price is € 45 p.p. (If you broad your own bike on this tour, it is possible to bring it on the transfer at no additional costs.)
Posiblity of extra day of sightseeing day in Pisa or Lucca
If you are interested we can easily arrange an extra night in Pisa, after the completed cycling holiday. In addition to sightseeing in Pisa, which quickly fills you day, it is also easy to take the train from Pisa to Lucca. This city also has lots of charm and cultural experiences to offer. The train journey takes about 30 minutes and costs about € 5 p.p.
The day will be without bikes, as these are returned when leaving Piombino, and you will have to bring your luggage with you from Piombino to the hotel in Pisa. You will be staying at a 4-star hotel incl. breakfast.
Price includes
- 4 nights 3-star tourist class hotels, many of them located directly on the beach
- 2 nights in 4-star hotel in Pisa
- Breakfast every day
- Luggage transfer between hotels
- Train ticket from Viareggio to Pisa incl. bike
- Train ticket from Pisa to Livorno incl. bike
- Ferry tickets to Elba roundtrip incl. bike
- Detailed descriptions of the routes (route maps, route descriptions/roadbook, information on relevant tourist attractions and important phone numbers.)
- GPS tracks available
- Service hotline
- This is a packaged holiday and is therefore covered by The Travel Guarantee Fund - See which benefits this means for you - click here
- Transportation to/from Italy
- Cancellation and Travel Insurance
- optionalBicycle rental (see options below)
Practical info
The price is based upon two people sharing. It is also possible travel alone in a single room. Simply choose "1 person" in the booking form and it will automatically add the single room surcharge.
On this tour you will be on your own supplied with maps, route descriptions and luggage transfers. That means that your time is your own and you have plenty of time to enjoy the stages in your own pace.
Check the price quickly
You can quickly check the price of your desired trip without having to fill in anything. Here's how:
- Choose your desired start date
- Click on the green button "See price and reserve your holiday" and go to the booking form
- Select number of people, add any optional extras and see the price at the bottom of the page (you don't have to fill in anything on the form).
Get a quote
For example, if you want a flight included or changes to the trip, you can order a quote for this using the "Get a quote" button. Remember to describe in detail what, if anything, you want changed.
The process of your booking
When you book, we will start booking hotels and arranging all the practical details of the trip. This process typically takes 2-5 working days, but some bookings may take longer. If you are arranging your own transport, we recommend that you wait until we have confirmed your booking before arranging this.
Dates
If you can select the date in the tour calendar at the top of this page, this is a possible start date. We continually update the tours with sold-out dates, after which those dates will turn red and cannot be selected.
On all our cycling holidays it is possible bring your own bike but it also possible to rent a bike for the tour. The bikes you can rent are all perfectly suited for the tour and the local terrain and all bikes are perfectly maintained. If you want to rent a bike on your holiday, then you select this on the booking form where you can also see the price. Remember to write your height in the message field when you book so that we know which size bike you need.
PHOTOS OF THE BIKES ARE BELOW THIS TEXT
On this tour it is possible to rent the following bikes:
- Unisex 21-gear bike – with free wheel
- Unisex 7-gear bike – with back pedal breaks
- Gents bike 21 gear – with free wheel
- PLUS gents bike 27 gear – with free wheel
- Unisex ebike – with backpedal breaks
Equipment included in the bike rental:
- Saddle bag (water repellent)
- Handlebar bag (water repellent)
- Service-set with tools and extra bicycle tube
- Combination lock
Roadside assistance
All bikes are equipped with puncture resistant tyres which means that it is virtually impossible to puncture. No rule without exceptions, so should you experience a punctured tyre then you can quickly fix it by using the tools in the service-set. If the damage is greater than a simply puncture then you simply call us and we make sure that your bike is fixed or you will be supplied with a new bike as quickly as possible.
Insurance is included
Insurance against theft and damages are included in the bike rental. Should you have any problems of this nature then all you have to do is to let us know and we will supply a new bike as quickly as possible. Naturally, careless or mischievous behavior is exempt from this.
Unisex 21-gear bike – with free wheel / Unisex 7-gear bike – with back pedal breaks
Gents bike 21 gear – with free wheel
PLUS gents bike 27 gear – with free wheel
Unisex ebike – with backpedal breaks
The flights to/from Pisa are not included in the price. You can easily find a suitable flight via a flight booking engine such as Momondo or Skyscanner.
Notice: we recommend that you book with us and wait for the confirmation before you book your flights.
Book a quote
If you prefer that we handle your flight, then we would be happy to arrange this for you. You simply book a quote below the map on this page and we will return with a quote as soon as possible (usually within 48 working hours). Please note that we add a handling fee of 45 euro to each flight and this means that the flight will be cheaper if you book it yourself.
Luggage transfer is included on this tour. Upon arrival at the first hotel you will be given luggage tags along with the rest of the welcome package. You fill out the luggage tags and put them on your bags where they will remain for the duration of the tour.
Your luggage is picked up from the hotel lobby around 9am every morning and will arrive at your next hotel at 6pm at the latest (often long before that). If there are any special exceptions to the luggage transfer you will be notified upon arrival.
Luggage transfer includes one bag per guest and the bags can weigh 20kg each.
The terrain alternates between flat to minor hills. There are only two stretches on the trip where you will experience longer inclinations. Most of the trails on this tour are unpaved, few will be a little more rustic, and in the cities there will be shorter stretches on citystreets. The tour is level 2 and you can read more about our grading system here.
You will recieve the following documentation
Upon booking
You recieve practical information about the tour in a digital format
One month before arrival
You recieve your hotel list and your voucher (hotel list is often supplied upon booking)
Upon arrival
You recieve the welcome package which contains the printed version of the road book, luggage tags, local specific vouchers and if you have rented bikes then they will also be delivered and fitted at the first hotel.
Here you can get an overview of the entire route and the elevation profile for each day. The data shows the data from the GPX-files related to the tour. Notice that the routes are sometimes updated, which means that there might be small variations.
Colors
Blue routes: The route as normal
Red routes: Variations/options (such as shortened or extended routes)
It can be difficult to plan a trip according to the weather, but to give an idea of the local climate, see data below:
We are members of the Travel Guarantee Fund (nr. 2529) and have all available insurances. This covers you regardless of your nationality. Read more about that here.
Call our experts on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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