This is the updated Second Edition 2017. Over 25 Interesting, Historic, and Cultural Rides.
Cycling Along Europe's Rivers is a "How To" book on taking self-guided bike trips to Europe that are affordable and easy to organize.
The book is based on the author's extensive experience, including over 20 years of annual cycle trips to Europe.
Rhine River, Danube River, Elbe River, Loire River, Po River, Neckar River, Mosel River, Main River, and more.
• How to plan and prepare.
• How to get what you need to the start of a ride and home again --bikes, panniers, and you.
• What to bring and what not -- how to keep your load small.
• How to handle getting around and other logistics.
• Bike, Lodging and Eating advice.
• Safety, Security, and Communication advice.
• Route recommendations and key features.
In short, everything you need to know to have a first-class, comfortable, flexible, and interesting riding trip to Europe without spending a fortune or going with an organized package. We budget about $120 per day per person (less if sharing rooms) plus airfare for hotels, meals, and everything else for rides that are typically 8-14 days in length.
Rivers make the perfect touring -- flat, easy to navigate, interesting towns, historical sites, and relatively short distances between stops and sites. These trips are for everyone -- from weekend warriors to casual riders, from the young to the old. I have undertaken these rides with riders in their 80s, and the last four years with my 11 year old son on a tandem.
Our routes guide riders through Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Italy, Switzerland, and, Slovakia, and utilize the detailed maps found in the terrific German Bikeline map guides.
"Cycling Along Europe's Rivers" is a companion book to the European Bikeline Map Guides. It will tell you how and where to go, which Bikeline map guide to use for route details, and how to use these maps. That's all you need! Please Note: While the book does provide over 25 routes, suggested overnight stops, and associated mileage, it does not provide turn-by-turn details, and detailed maps, because this is not necessary for these trips given GPS, generally well-marked trails, the very detailed Bikeline companion guides, and the rivers themselves providing the ultimate route guide!
Cities and regions in Europe you can visit include, among many other: the Danube Gorge, Amsterdam, Leiden, the Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Arnhem, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, Koblenz, Cochem, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Colmar, Basel, the Rhine Falls, Lake Bodensee, Konstanz, Regensburg, Passau, Linz, Melk, Vienna, Bratislava, Gyor, Tata, Budapest, Cesky Krumlov, Prague, Dresden, Meissen, Wittenberg, Potsdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Hameln, Hann. Munden, Orleans, Chambord, Blois, Amboise, Chenonceaux, Chinon, Saumur, Angers, St. Nazaire, Milan, Cremona, Parma, Mantua, Merano, Bolzano, Lake Garda, Verona, Padua, Chioggia, and Venice. Even a brief mention of the C&O Canal and Erie Canal rides as warm-ups.
Cycling Along Europe's Rivers is practical and well-organized. We have loved these trips and think you will, too!
The standard print version is in black and white, and on Kindle in full color maps (but not updated with Northern Italy route).
Please feel free to contact the author at: mlyon@cycletouringbooks.com. We appreciate all your kind reviews and feedback!"
Note on Second Edition: Original book published in 2012, and has been updated annually, including Rhine Gorge, Mosel River, Lake Bodensee, Inn River, and Passau to Vienna along the Danube River. In 2016 extensive additions on Northern Italy routes were added. Please note that the Kindle version does not contain updated Italian section, but purchasers can contact author for the update.
