Italy Self Guided Biking / Veneto

Tour Dates: Mid March through October

Veneto Self Guided Bike Tour is an easy-paced cycling tour on flat roads and bike paths with hotel accommodations. This Self-Guided Tour lets you ride at your own pace with a map and detailed route book. The route is visually stunning and passes through an area rich in art, culture, history and some of Italy’s most beautiful cities – Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa, Asolo, Treviso, Padua and Venice, the jewel of the Adriatic.

Trips begin in Vicenza on Saturdays and Sundays. Other departure days may be arranged for an additional cost.

Tour Difficulty

The itinerary is completely in the low-lands except for the 1 km slope in Asolo. You ride on secondary streets with low traffic or paved bike paths. Easy cycling in mostly flat areas, with only few short climbs and descents.

  • Total distance for the tour is around 265 kms and the total climb for the entire trip is only 530 meters.
  • Road Conditions: Road Surface: 85% asphalt, 15% unpaved road surface
  • There are train connections to each overnight location, so you can always put your bike on the train if you want to take a day off from riding.

Tour Highlights

  • Venice – city of magnificent piazzas and narrow canals
  • Elegant villas of Venetian nobility by Palladio
  • Wooden covered bridge in Bassano del Grappa
  • Padua, northern Europe’s oldest city with its medieval marketplaces
  • Asolo, a picturesque hill town surrounded by vineyards of prosecco grapes

2021 Price: €1300 Euros pp double occupancy

Single Supplement: €560 Euros
Price Includes:
  • 8 days/7 nights
  • 7 nights hotel
  • 7 breakfasts
  • luggage transfer
  • trip information package that includes maps, route descriptions, suggested sights to visit
  • emergency phone numbers for our Italian staff support (shorter itineraries available)
Price Does Not Include:

Lunches and dinners, train and ferry transfers, local taxes, rental bikes (hybrid / €90 Euros, road bikes / €150 Euros, electric bikes / €190 Euros)

“We requested the trip on very short notice and you were still able to accommodate our ‘special needs’ which allowed us to do the extra art, history and architecture exploration we wanted. Thank you!”

~ Tamara S.

Itinerary

Day 1: Vicenza

Individual arrival. A nice and cozy historical city center characterized by the buildings of the famous architect Andrea Palladio (16th century).

Day 2: Vicenza – Bassano del Grappa (40 km)

From Vicenza you cycle towards Marostica, famous for its castle and the chessboard in the main square. The last stop is Bassano del Grappa with its covered wooden bridge and the famous “grappa”.

Day 3: Bassano del Grappa – Treviso (65/40 km)

You enter Asolo, which represents the only real uphill section of our ride. The downhill run takes you to the land of Prosecco vineyards and on Maser, until you reach Treviso.

Day 4: Treviso – Venice (45 km)

Leaving Treviso behind you, follow the course of the River Sile up to Casale. At the end of the trip Venice awaits you for an evening among canals and narrow streets.

Day 5: Venice – Chioggia (35 km)

You depart Venice and take a ferry along the canal Giudecca to Lido. This is the most exciting day, pedaling on the two narrow islands that divide the sea from the lagoon: the island of Lido, with the ancient hamlet of Malamocco, once capital of the Serenissima Republic, and the island of Pellestrina, with its long wild beaches.

Day 6: Chioggia – Padua (60 km)

You will be pedalling along the two rivers that carried trade in and out of Venice in this area centuries ago: Bacchiglione and Brenta. You continue on to Strà, famous for the majestic Villa Pisani. On arrival in Padua, you will find the great basilica dedicated to St. Anthony, the historic Caffè Pedrocchi and Prato della Valle.

Day 7: Padua – Vicenza (50 km)

The Bacchiglione River points the way out of the the city and you reach Costozza, a little town at the foot of the Berici hills. The bike path passes in front of Villa Rotonda, the most famous of the Palladian villas. Just before entering Vicenza you see the Villa Valmarana ai Nani with its marvelous frescoes by Tiepolo.

Day 8: Vicenza

Departure after breakfast.

Due to organizational reasons, weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during the holiday.

Along the way you may find temporary deviations (for example road works) which cannot be foreseen; in this case each rider can decide autonomously how to deal with these stretches.