Feb 6, 2008
Bike Tours Direct has announced its program for 2008, and it's an island of reasonable costs in a sea of big-time expense
I've written before about the improbable, Tennessee-based operator of European bicycling tours that represents dozens of local European bike operators in the operation of so-called "self-guided" bicycle tours of Europe. Its prices often are 70% less than what most other American bike operators charge. The company is Bike Tours Direct (www.biketoursdirect.com), and for the equivalent of about $1,200 a week it provides you with accommodations with private facilities in two-star hotels each night, two meals a day (breakfast and dinner), shipment of your luggage from town to town, and detailed instructions on following the itineraries you're given. They take care of all the reservations and every one of your needs other than airfare to Europe, a bicycle -- rentable for about $125 for two weeks--and daily lunch.
While most of their tours run for a week, the trick is to combine tours into either a two- or three-week itinerary. When you do that, the results are magical. My own "dream itinerary" is one that starts in Orleans, France, and follows the Loire through the awesomely beautiful, historic Loire Valley to the Atlantic Ocean, from which you take a train back to Paris. For a 15-day, 14-night tour in 2008 (leave any day), the cost is around $2,400 -- and by bicycling standards (the major U.S. operators often charge $600 a day!), that's a remarkable price.
Bike Tours Direct has now incorporated all its 2008 tours into its website, and some of them are even cheaper than the Loire itinerary, including its most popular tour of 2007 called the "Danube Bike Path." Poland is a new destination for 2008, including five different weeklong tours that begin or end in Cracow. Among other new itineraries are Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian Coast, Amsterdam to Bruges, and tours of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers.
I wish I could announce a lower price for this year's Bike Tour Direct's European programs, but the dollar amounts are due to an exchange rate of nearly $1.50 for every Euro. As long as that exchange prevails, Europe is a fairly pricey place, but Bike Tour Direct is one of the most effective ways to experience the highlights of Europe's countryside and historic villages at a reasonable cost.
Write and read comments about this post.
While most of their tours run for a week, the trick is to combine tours into either a two- or three-week itinerary. When you do that, the results are magical. My own "dream itinerary" is one that starts in Orleans, France, and follows the Loire through the awesomely beautiful, historic Loire Valley to the Atlantic Ocean, from which you take a train back to Paris. For a 15-day, 14-night tour in 2008 (leave any day), the cost is around $2,400 -- and by bicycling standards (the major U.S. operators often charge $600 a day!), that's a remarkable price.
Bike Tours Direct has now incorporated all its 2008 tours into its website, and some of them are even cheaper than the Loire itinerary, including its most popular tour of 2007 called the "Danube Bike Path." Poland is a new destination for 2008, including five different weeklong tours that begin or end in Cracow. Among other new itineraries are Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian Coast, Amsterdam to Bruges, and tours of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers.
I wish I could announce a lower price for this year's Bike Tour Direct's European programs, but the dollar amounts are due to an exchange rate of nearly $1.50 for every Euro. As long as that exchange prevails, Europe is a fairly pricey place, but Bike Tour Direct is one of the most effective ways to experience the highlights of Europe's countryside and historic villages at a reasonable cost.
Write and read comments about this post.
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
