Perhaps the best way to immerse yourself in a destination—far more so than when you’re seeing everything through a car, bus, or train window—is by cycling. You feel the sun and breezes on your face, and whenever you want to stop to check out an old church, sip some wine, or admire a view, you can simply tap the brake, with no need to find parking. Also, you can cover much longer distances than on a walking tour, and opting for an e-bike makes it easy to keep up with other cyclists on the tour.
Those are among the many reasons (more on those later) why the ultimate way to experience a place while traveling is on two wheels. And few places in the world are as ideally suited to bike touring as the Piedmont region in northwestern Italy. EF Adventures crafted an eight-day guided bike tour that lets travelers experience the region the best way possible. You can spin stress-free over its quiet back roads before refueling at restaurants in an area well-known for its gastronomy.
Go truffle hunting in Italy
A dog hunts for truffles in Piedmont, Italy.
Courtesy of EF Adventures
Surrounded by France on the west, Switzerland to the north, and the Alps on three sides (Piedmont translates to “foot of the mountains”), the region is filled with castles, quaint villages, endless vineyards—and truffles. The highlight of the tour is the visit to a family truffle farm, where two brothers, fourth-generation truffle hunters, lead you on a hunt for the delicacy with their truffle-sniffing dogs. The flavorful fungi are more than a local ingredient in this part of Italy; collecting them is a centuries-old tradition that ties in with the modern-day slow food movement.
The truffle hunt occupies just one afternoon of the tour as the travelers spend the rest of the week engaged in another hunt—the hunt for experiences colored by the beauty and culture of Piedmont.
Enjoy food and wine in Piedmont
Grapes in Piedmont, Italy.
Courtesy of EF Adventures
Piedmont is known for its lesser-known reds, especially Barbera wines. Travelers can sample these wines in a tasting accompanied by the truffles you just picked after rolling through the region’s Nebbiolo vineyards.
Tastings of hazelnuts and risotto are also part of the tour. Both have roots in the culinary traditions of Piedmont; hazelnuts date to the 17th century and risotto to the 19th. You’ll visit a hazelnut farm for a tasting and learn about the 500-year tradition of rice cultivation while enjoying a risotto lunch at a 12th-century abbey.
Travel off the beaten path in Italy
Piedmont, Italy
Courtesy of EF Adventures
You’ll also visit a ninth-century Benedictine monastery on a tiny lake island, medieval towns, and castles, and much more. Because it’s less crowded than other parts of Italy, with only one real city (Turin), Piedmont is ideal for bike touring on back roads, where you’ll encounter charming villages and the occasional castle when you aren’t pedaling through vineyards. Otherwise, transit options are minimal, but EF Adventures takes care of all transportation.
Why you should go on a European bike or e-bike tour
Cycling in Piedmont, Italy.
Courtesy of EF Adventures
European bike tours have steadily grown in popularity since the 1980s, but they’re trending even more with the availability of e-bikes on tours. E-bikes help travelers enjoy all the benefits of traditional bikes, especially the ability to immerse yourself in the environment, without having to push as hard on the pedals. Often called “the great equalizer,” e-bikes allow cyclists of all experience levels to keep pace with other cyclists, even up steep hills. It’s among the top five adventure travel trends in the last five years (culinary travel, also a feature of most bike tours, is first), according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association. The same organization found that 77 percent of adventure travelers rate cultural immersion as important in motivating them to book more active travel, with “learning” as the primary driver of adventure trips.
But why Europe? There are many reasons why all 10 of the bike tours offered by EF Adventures, one of the world’s leading adventure travel operators, are on the Old Continent. The network of paved back roads, bike paths, and signed bike routes is unparalleled.
Plus, Europeans have a deep connection with their history and cultural traditions. Even after the formation of the European Union—making travel and currency exchange among its 27 nations much easier—Europeans still identify proudly as citizens of their country, region, and city or town, and that’s why they pour so many resources into preserving and celebrating archeological and architectural wonders dating back to the Roman Empire. Bike tour participants learn about the historic places they pedal past from local guides who love to show off their home turf.
Europe also arguably leads the world in seeking sustainable solutions to climate change, so it makes sense that the most energy-efficient clean form of locomotion, cycling, is a key cog in that effort. Also, the broad definition of sustainability includes preserving cultures; bike tours help support the hotels, restaurants, and attractions where participants stay, dine, and visit.
Bike across Europe in Catalonia, Tuscany, and Beyond
Which of the many bike tours offered throughout Europe is best for you depends on your fitness level and personal preferences. Among the options, a 10-day bike tour of Catalonia and the Costa Brava in the northeastern corner of Spain showcases a stunning array of scenic rides along the Mediterranean coast, plus visits to a medieval village and the castle where Salvador Dalí lived. Rachel, a participant on the 2025 EF Adventures tour, said, “While I initially joined the tour for the love of cycling, I ended up finding something much deeper: a personal journey of renewal.” A 10-day cycling tour of France’s Provence region also rolls past medieval villages, vineyards, lavender fields, and olive orchards; some of the routes have been part of the Tour de France.
Dining in a castle is one of the many culinary highlights of a nine-day bike tour through Tuscany, along with pasta, coffee, ricciarelli (a chewy almond cookie), and wine tastings as you eat, drink, and pedal your way through that iconic region of Italy. And cyclists who fear hills because they find climbing to be daunting or descending to be frightening gravitate to tours in the Low Countries, such as on an eight-day bike tour through Belgium and the Netherlands, so flat that only church spires and windmills sprout from the landscape as you explore the countryside, small towns, and vibrant cities like Bruges and Ghent.
Discover more multiday biking trips in Europe here.
