A cycling trip with the whole gang is pretty much the ideal family vacation. On the road, you see a place from a completely different perspective. The kids get away from their gizmos. You’ll get fresh air and exercise, but don’t worry, it’s not the Tour De France — you’ll be making plenty of stops to see iconic sights and scarf down delicious eats. Bikes and equipment are provided, along with transportation in case anyone conks out on the trail (distances will vary according to age and ability). And at the end of each day, your kids will sleep like champs. Pedal your way through these family bike tours guaranteed to bring the excitement.
1/8 California Redwoods Family Multi-Adventure Tour
Courtesy of Backroads
It’s thrilling to pilot your bike through the California Redwoods, the tallest living things on the planet, some of which were alive before Christopher Columbus. After winding through the forest, break times will be spent playing on a wild beach, kayaking on a quiet lagoon teeming with wildlife, or wandering through the magnificent fern canyon that was used as a backdrop in Jurassic Park. At night, you’ll eat s’mores and swap stories around the campfire at the Albee Creek Campground (one of the Golden State’s best-kept secrets) and Patrick’s Point State Park, situated right by a bluff with epic views of the Pacific.
5 days, from $1999 per person. Backroads.com
2/8 Puglia Family Bike + Adventure Tour
Cycle southern Italy, eat incredible food and splash in the clear waters of the Adriatic Sea. Repeat. Sound like heaven? It is. On DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co.’s tour of Puglia, you’ll pedal along Italy’s heel past dreamy coastal roads, sleepy fishing villages and sun-dappled olive groves. After a ride, stop to taste fresh-made mozzarella at a local farmhouse or snorkel through the ruins of the ancient city of Egnazia. Or swap your bikes for horses to take a sunset ride through the golden countryside near Otranto. In the evenings, you’ll eat homemade orrichiette pasta at local restaurants and bunk down in one of three accommodations: an elegant converted monastery, a sweet farmhouse hotel, and a trullo—one of the UNESCO-listed conical stone dwellings unique to Puglia.
6 days, from $4,495 per person. Duvine.com
3/8 Holland: Amsterdam to Odoorn
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The Dutch own more bicycles per capita than any other country in the world, so your family will instantly fit in with the locals on this fun-filled trip from Austin Adventures. Cycling through Holland’s immaculate northern territory is a dream—the bike paths are pristine, well-marked and largely flat. Zoom past flower-filled meadows, dense forests and canals. Stops include a working windmill, a zoo and a famous Dutch pancake house in Odoorn (it may take a while to choose, as hundreds of pancake varieties are available). Hotels along the route are comfortable and kid-friendly—one even has four bowling alleys for a nighttime tournament.
7 days, from $2698 per person. Austinadventures.com
4/8 Mt Rushmore Family Tour
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South Dakota’s gentle, ridiculously scenic Mickelson Trail is one of the country’s best paths—and Bicycle Adventures has put together an action-packed tour that will make grownups feel like kids again. When you’re not taking a leisurely spin past enormous grazing buffalo on the bikes, you’ll explore an active Wooly Mammoth dig, take in the grandeur of Mt Rushmore, hit a local waterslide and visit the mysterious Wind Cave, one of the longest in the world. After one ride, you can soak your road-weary muscles in a hot spring. The journey finishes up in Deadwood, notorious home of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Rest up in the Sylvan Lake Lodge, a classic since 1937.
6 days, from $2556 per person. Bicycleadventures.com
5/8 Derbyshire
Courtesy of Saddle Skedaddle
UK-based tour company Saddle Skedaddle offers the perfect cycling tour for first-timers: three days in the bucolic countryside of the Peak District National Park. Cruise along former railways that have been converted into traffic-free cycle paths such as the famous Tissington Trail, which winds through impossibly green hills dotted with sheep. In the evenings, you’ll turn in at Harrington Hall, a stately former 17th century manor house.
3 days, from $480 per person. Skedaddle.com/us
6/8 Vietnam and Cambodia Family Adventure
Courtesy of Butterfield & Robinson
This bucket list journey from Butterfield & Robinson is the best of country and city. One day you’ll cycle through Hanoi’s bustling Old Quarter, passing Buddhist temples and the region’s famously narrow houses. On the next, you’ll traverse the quiet countryside through serene rice fields and over bamboo bridges. The tour culminates in a visit to the glorious temple of Angkor Wat. The kids will scarf up the mouthwatering cuisine in this corner of Asia (what’s not to like about noodles, rice and spring rolls?). It’s one of the many ways they’ll soak up a vibrant culture they’ll never forget. Hotels are unabashedly luxurious, such as Hoi An’s Anantara Resort, nestled in lush gardens on the Thu Bon River.
8 days, from $6995 per person. Butterfield.com
7/8 Vermont Family Trek
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There’s a dreamlike quality to central Vermont. Whiz past quaint towns, placid cows munching grass and follow the meandering path of the Winooski River. After a long day on the bike, there are so many delicious ways to cool off: kayaking and paddle boarding on Lake Champlain, plunging into swimming holes, or splashing in the crystal-clear waters of Lake Elmore. Vermont has artisanal food galore, so you’ll also take the concept of farm-to-table to new heights with lunch at a local farm. One night, parents will enjoy dinner and some grownup chat at an award-winning bistro in Vergennes, while the guides keep the kids occupied.
6 days, from $2799 per person. Trektravel.com
8/8 Sud Tyrol Family
Glide past the spectacular Alpine landscape in one of the most beautiful bike paths in all of Europe.
Courtesy of Ciclisomo Classico
(a woman-owned bike company, which is still a rarity) has put together a magical itinerary to please everyone. Meander along the rolling Etch River Valley with its eye-popping view of the Alps before enjoying a bucolic picnic in the stunningly picturesque village of Oberbozen—all while surrounded by flaxen-maned Avelignesi horses. Gape at a 5300-year-old mummy named Otzi at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, go wind-surfing in the Lake Garda district and visit the Medieval castle of Roncolo. At night, you’ll collapse into a feather bed in an elegant mountain lodge.
7 days, from $4295 per person. Ciclismoclassico.com
By Jancee Dunn