Bike Trip 2.0! On the road by bike & boat

A vacation idea that makes waves!

The idea of combining cycling and a boat is as simple as it is clever! A ship becomes your floating hotel: equipped with comfortable cabins, on-board galley, cozy saloon with bar and dining area, seating and lounging options on the outside decks and, of course, storage space for the bikes. This way you can travel from port to port and the hotel simply comes with you. Goodbye packing, hello relaxation! Once you arrive at your destination, the bikes are unloaded and you set off on a discovery tour ashore – through breathtakingly beautiful nature and beaches, to magnificent viewpoints and special sights. Photo and coffee stops are naturally included. Sounds good? It’s even better!

Home Sweet Home – what makes a floating hotel so special

Are ships always cramped? Admittedly, a ship is naturally smaller than a hotel and space is therefore more limited. But that is no reason for claustrophobia! In fact, the boats used on our bike and boat tours offer more room than meets the eye and are most cleverly designed. Here, the bench seat in the saloon becomes an extra storage space, cupboards are installed under stairs to save space and comfortable mats on the sun deck create a sunbathing area in no time at all. Particular attention is paid to the interior design and the layout of the guest cabins to create a real home away from home. Each cabin, equipped with private shower and WC, provides the necessary comforts. Compared to a hotel, a ship is naturally noisier – with ropes groaning & wooden slats creaking. If you can get used to this, you will be gently rocked to sleep. Electricity, water and internet are of course available on board, but not unlimited. However, if you use them wisely, there are enough resources for everyone. Nevertheless, the heart and soul of every ship is its crew, who will look after and feed you in a loving manner while ensuring you travel safely from port to port. In contrast to large cruise ships, the sailing ships, motor yachts and river cruisers used for our bike and boat trips provide a much more informal and personal atmosphere.

River or Sea?

Where do you want to go? It is no easy decision, because we offer so many unique destinations. The successful concept is available on the most beautiful rivers and canals in Europe as well as on islands in different seas. Whether Mediterranean, North Sea, Baltic Sea, Atlantic or Far East: no travel wishes are left unfulfilled!

To make your choice easier, it’s best to follow your personal preferences: are you afraid of seasickness? Do you prefer traveling on well-maintained bike paths? Then the versatile river cruises from Boat Bike Tours are ideal as starter tours. The selection ranges from Holland and France to Germany and Belgium. These are all wonderful destinations that are ideal for exploring by trekking bike or e-bike thanks to their fantastic networks of bike trails.

Or would you like to get a taste of real sea air and explore as many islands as possible? Then Islandhopping tours by bike and boat are probably just the thing for you! Islandhopping is – as the name suggests – specialized in the most beautiful islands and coasts worldwide. Destinations such as Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Scotland or Vietnam are waiting to be discovered by you. Although there are usually no dedicated cycle paths, the islands are mostly quiet. Islandhopping tours are available in a wide variety of designs: As a bike or e-bike tour, mountain bike or road bike trip and even as a family-friendly adventure cruise.

Oder möchten Sie liebe echte Seeluft schnuppern und dabei so viele Inseln wie möglich erkunden? Dann sind Inselhüpfen Reisen mit Rad & Schiff vermutlich genau Ihr Ding! Inselhüpfen ist – wie der Name schon sagt – auf die schönsten Inseln und Küsten weltweit spezialisiert. Destinationen wie Kroatien, Griechenland, Türkei, Italien, Schottland oder Vietnam warten darauf, von Ihnen entdeckt zu werden. Radwege gibt es dort zwar zumeist nicht, aber auf den Inseln geht es überwiegend ruhig zu. Inselhüpfen Reisen gibt es in verschiedensten Ausführungen: Als Rad- oder E-Bike Tour, Mountainbike- oder Rennradreise und sogar als familienfreundliche Erlebniskreuzfahrt.

Guided or self-guided?

It is entirely up to you whether you travel with a local guide or cycle individually with maps and GPS data. Many river cruises in particular offer self-guided cycle tours. Each day, the on-board manager will provide you with daily information on the cycle routes and the sights along the way. Then you set off on your own and cycle individually to your destination, where your ship’s crew will warmly welcome you back on board in the afternoon. There are also many river cruises which are guided by a local. The guide will show you the way safely while cycling – stopping along the way to show you key sights and share interesting facts about the country and its people. The same principle also applies to all Islandhopping tours by bike and boat on the sea, which are guided group tours. But even on a guided tour, nothing stands in the way of individual cycling on a day-by-day basis after consultation with the guide on site.

With or without E-support?

A question that many boat and bike travelers ask themselves when planning their vacation. The answer to this is quite simple: if you bike on a regular basis, you have a good basic level of fitness, like exertion (even at higher temperatures), then a normal trekking bike, MTB or racing bike is the ideal vacation companion for you. If you are more of a connoisseur type, preferring to take lots of photo stops and are more sensitive to heat, then an e-bike or e-MTB is the right choice for you.

Rental bike or bring your own?

It is generally recommended that guests rent a well-maintained bike from the tour provider that is tuned to the terrain requirements. This saves you the often complicated and expensive transportation of your own bike and the need to take spare parts with you. However, if you don’t want to do without your own bike, you should consult the organizer in advance: Storage space on the ships is usually limited, which is why either no or only a limited number of private bikes are permitted. Anyone wishing to use an e-bike should also be aware that e-bike batteries are not permitted on board airplanes.

How much does a typical bike and boat trip cost?

A typical bike and boat trip costs between 900 and 3000 euros per person (depending on the destination, type of ship, cabin type, duration of the trip and season). The prices usually include accommodation on the ship, meals (half board or full board), cycle tours with local guides, port fees, entrance fees for sights and museums and travel documents. Not included are usually the arrival and departure, rental bikes, transfers from/to the airport or train station, drinks on board and meals ashore, tips for guides + crew and travel insurance. For 900 euros, for example, you can get an 8-day self-guided cycle tour on the Rhine and Moselle from/to Koblenz on a river cruiser for up to 92 passengers. A one-week tour on a deluxe motor yacht with a maximum of 20 passengers to the Cyclades and islands of the Saronic Gulf (from/to Athens), led by two tour guides, costs 2,790 euros.

Where can I find more information?

 
Boat Bike Tours is the world’s largest tour operator for bike and boat trips. Based in Amsterdam, Boat Bike Tours has been organizing bike & boat trips on Europe’s most beautiful rivers and canals for over 40 years, where guests take part in daily bike tours and stay overnight on the boat. The fleet comprises over 20 passenger ships with a capacity of 20 to max. 110 passengers. All ships have twin cabins with en-suite bathrooms (shower/WC). Some also belong to the particularly comfortable and exclusively equipped “Premium Class”. Guests undertake the cycle tours either individually or in small groups with 1- 2 experienced German/English speaking tour guides. Detailed cycle maps, route descriptions and the free cell phone navigation app RideWithGPS (including GPS tracks in German and English) are available so that guests can find their way around independently and travel at their own pace.

Information & Buchung: Tel. +49 2102 42 06 55
info@boatbiketours.com | Official Website Boat Bike Tours

Islandhopping: Since 1998, the Boat Bike Tours travel brand “Islandhopping” has stood for active vacations by bike and boat on the sea. Islandhopping guests are accommodated in two-bed cabins with en-suite bathrooms (shower/WC) on one of around 20 comfortable motor yachts with space for 12 to 35 passengers. In addition to the Greek Aegean and the Ionian Islands, the most popular cruising areas include the Croatian Adriatic and the coasts of Turkey. However, exotic long-distance destinations such as Vietnam and destinations in the north such as Scotland or the Öresund are also on the program. Sailing and cycling cruises on impressive tall ships are a unique offering. With this travel concept, the “Islandhoppers” pedal in the morning and set sail together with the crew in the afternoon.

Information & Buchung: Tel. +49 (0) 7531 36 18 60
info@inselhuepfen.de | Official Website Islandhopping