Italy Self Guided Biking / Umbria

Tour Dates: Mid-March through Mid-November

Umbria is often called The Green Heart of Italy. Pedal through olive groves and past vineyards, wonder at Etruscan burial chambers, Roman ruins and splendid churches. Pedal through olive groves and past vineyards, wonder at Etruscan burial chambers, Roman ruins and splendid churches. Pause in medieval villages perched on the hillside and lose yourself in the tales that ancient stones tell. Italy’s “green heart” offers you food for body and soul. Medieval villages perch on hillsides cloaked with dark forests hiding truffle secrets. Nourish your soul with a splendid history of painters and saints.

Umbria Self Guided Biking Tour begins in Cortona, Lake Trasimeno. Continue to magnificent Perugia, rich and dense like the Perugino Bachi chocolates. Pass the ceramic workshops of Deruta, then arrive in Assisi and let the spirit of St. Francis fill you. Savour the beautifully preserved towns of Spello, Bevagna, Spoleto and Todi. Let the great colored cathedral of Orvieto be your beacon across vineyards producing a winning white wine. Umbria offers broad valleys lined by rolling hills, and is not as demanding as Tuscany.

2024 Price: €1290 Euros pp double occupancy

Single Supplement: €200 Euros Bike Rentals: Hybrid bike / € 170 euros, Road bike / € 220 euros, E bike / € 300 euros
Price Includes:
  • 7 days/6 nights
  • 6 nights hotel
  • 6 breakfasts
  • luggage transfer
  • trip information package that includes maps, route descriptions, suggested sights to visit
  • emergency phone numbers for our Italian staff support
Price Does Not Include:

International flights, bike rentals, lunches, dinners.

Tour Difficulty

Distances average 25 – 30 miles each day.

  • Difficulty: Moderately Hilly
  • Road Conditions: Smooth & Paved
  • Recommended Bike: Hybrid or Road

Tour Highlights

  • Ancient walled cities
  • Hillsides covered with olive trees
  • Renaissance art
  • Umbria’s finest wines
  • Lake Trasimeno

Sample Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival in Cortona

Arrive in Cortona, the setting for Francis Maye’s best seller, Under the Tuscan Sun

Day 2 – Cortona – Solomeo 45 km

Enter Umbria and cruise by Lake Trasimeno, whose shores shelter bamboo, migratory birds and lovely villages surrounded by olive groves. Take a boat to Isola Maggiore where old ladies weave lace and fishermen mend their nets. Today’s destination is a B&B in the countryside near Perugia. Dinner included.

Day 3 – Solomeo – Assisi 60 km

As you cycle through the heart of Umbria, pause to visit Deruta, famous for its ceramics, and Torgiano, home of Umbria’s finest wines, produced by Giorgi Lungarotti. Visit their wine museum, which also includes medieval machinery. Settle in for two nights in Assisi.

Day 4 – Assisi Bevagna Loop Ride 53 km

Enjoy the day ride into Assiis, Bevagna and Spello and tour the artistic highlights. (The Basilica of St. Francis is still being repaired and only the upper part will be open to visitors.) Take the time to immerse yourself in its life as you explore the winding streets of the pink city. Continue on an easy ride along the Subasio slopes to the small town of Spello, a perfectly preserved town still encircled by Roman walls.

Day 5 – Assisi – Todi 50 km

Cycle into the heart of the wine country to Montefalco, nicknamed “the balcony of Umbria” because of its spectacular views. It’s also famous for its wine. Don’t miss the dazzling Renaissance frescoes painted by Benozzo Gozzoli in the 15th century in the huge church of San Francesco. Continue through the Umbrian hills to the hilltop town of Todi. Visit the impressive Piazza del Popolo, one of the most striking squares in Italy, designed so that narrow exits at each corner could be closed off and the square defended. Be sure to see the Palazzo as well, one of the oldest surviving public buildings in Italy.

Day 6 – Todi – Orvieto 45 km

Wind through the rugged, beautiful landscape. Pause to enjoy the views over Lake Corbara before reaching the Etruscan town of Orvieto, perched atop reddish-brown cliffs of soft, volcanic tufa stone. Visit the Duomo, considered the finest cathedral of its period in Italy and home of some amazing frescoes by Signorelli.

Day 7 – Departure

Catch a train from Orvieto to your next destination

** Shorter itineraries available.