HE Travel

Starting near Lisbon, our tour takes us along quiet roads from the seaside hills of the Blue Coast through the agricultural region of Alentejo to the brilliant beaches of the Algarve. While hugging the Atlantic Coast, we'll pass charming windmills, historic nautical sites, and quaint fishing villages. Experience the beauty and warm hospitality of Portugal!

The Costa Azul, also known as the Blue Coast, is a long and beautiful stretch in southwest Portugal. The pristine countryside follows the Atlantic coast where caravels sailed off to make the greatest of the 15th and 16th century New World discoveries. The remarkable history of the area is just one of the charms of this stunning corner of the world. There is the quiet beauty of the uninterrupted beaches, lagoons and fishing villages.

For a week our gay Portugal trip will have us riding through the virgin landscape across vast valleys and along the Atlantic shore, staying at remarkable inns that each reflect the ambiance of their corner of the Alentejo region. Along with the unique accommodations will be culinary feasts and a chance to sample the best port wines in the world. Portugal, often overlooked by travelers, is being discovered and celebrated by visitors, but it still retains its off-the-beaten-track charm. A fun and moderately challenging bike trip, fine food, and comfortable, unique accommodations make this a trip of a lifetime.

Highlights

• Enjoy a night in Lisbon with a welcome dinner and live Fado music.
• Cycle the headlands of Portugal’s rugged Atlantic shores.
• Explore the footsteps of the world’s most famous explorers such as Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan and Prince Henry the Navigator.
• Travel through the charming, sleepy villages of the Alentejo coast.
• Feast on the freshest catch of the day at quaint seaside fishing villages.
• Enjoy a boat ride featuring panoramic views of the rugged Algarve coast.

Visit Chateauneuf, Roman ruins, medieval towns, and important sites in Catholicism. Burgundy is famed for its food and wine, so dining and wine-tasting will be as much fun as the biking!

Highlights

• Roam Beaune’s sprawling Hotel Dieu, a masterpiece of Flemish architecture and the site of a world-famous wine auction.
• Follow a quiet, tree-lined trail alongside the locks and barges of the Burgundy Canal.
• Step over the Seine River, near its source in the heart of the Bourgognian forest.
• Discover the gastronomic delights of a region known for its cheeses, wines, sausages, wild mushrooms, and creative chefs.
• Visit the haunting ruins of the 13th-century Abbey of Ste. Marguerite, and the beautifully restored grounds of the abbeys at Fontenay and Bussiere.
• Pedal through a quiet village, onto a solitary forest road, then emerge from the trees to see the feudal castle of Chateauneuf looming ahead beyond the pastures.
• Explore the old streets of medieval Semur-en-Auxois, perched high over a loop on the Armancon river.

Few regions in the world offer such a diversity of natural scenery, fine cuisine, and history as does the ancient kingdom of Burgundy. Join a small, friendly gay bike tour group and pedal through a historic area.

We begin in Beaune, a town dating back to the Caesars. Here, under the arched stone ceiling of a long cellar, sample some of Burgundy’s world-famous wines.

And so the week continues, an invigorating mix of quiet biking roads, villages lost in history, time-outs for hiking and skinny-dipping, encounters with the people of Burgundy, and of course, the food and wine for which Burgundy is known.

Burgundy would be magical under any circumstances. As you’ll discover, the magic is even greater in the company of a lively gay group.

Stroll among the remains of a feudal fortress and a crumbled theater. Picnic at a Roman aqueduct. Bicycle through the magical forests and golden stone villages of Luberon.

Highlights

• Climb the time-worn stone steps at Arles’ Roman amphitheater, its walls still ringing with the sound of ancient gladiator fights.
• Gaze out over the vast countryside from the ruins of Les Baux, a legendary court of love in the 13th century, later the refuge of brigands.
• Cycle past the hauntingly familiar sites that Van Gogh painted during his remarkable years in St.-Remy-de-Provence.
• Browse at the famous antique markets of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
• Take a break from cycling, to stretch your legs in an endless field of scarlet poppies.

Twenty-five centuries of history, and beautiful cycling

We offer biking vacations in several regions of France. The romantic corner of southern France known as Provence is the focus of one route, which we call The Provencal. After just a day here, you’ll understand why so many people say that biking in Provence was “the best vacation I ever had.”

Provence is so named because it was the first of the outlying provinces established by the Romans. On this trip, we’ll travel past many remnants of the old empire: from the Pont du Gard aqueduct, towering 160 feet over our heads, to a Roman arena still used for concerts and bullfights.

This is primarily a bike vacation, but with many other activities available. You’ll have opportunities for hiking and swimming, for walking tours along streets that date to the Middle Ages — and, of course, for some leisurely and memorable dinners.

Spend a week cycling along ancient Roman lanes, coastal drives, and mountain paths. Each night, relax at an authentic gay owned and operated agriturismo, enjoying a glass of wine from the villa’s vineyards, gourmet meals, and a dip in the pool, with cute locals always stopping by to enjoy the festivities

Highlights

• Reside for a week in the authentic 14th century Villa Cappelli, perched next to the fabled Appian Way.
• Cycle through medieval towns and villages ranging from Adriatic coastal fishing ports to inland market towns.
• Relax by our private, clothing optional pool in the villa’s courtyard and enjoy a complimentary cocktail hour every night.
• Dine on local delicacies prepared in the villa’s kitchen, using olive oil produced at the villa and exported to gourmet shops.
• Taste wine produced at the villa and sample the vintage of nearby vineyards.
• Meet neighbors who rarely see tourists and who enjoy mingling with the guests.
• See what “La Dolce Villa” is all about: this a very authentic Italian experience without any “tourist” traps.
• Travel with friends and request the top floor of the villa (three rooms that share a huge living room and one bath).

Cycle along the ancient Appian Way and lightly traveled roads through countryside that reflects centuries of pilgrims, soldiers, and other travelers. Stay in a villa that has stood since the 14th century (and some parts even older), which has been restored to its ancient splendor by a gay American with deep family roots in the soil of Puglia.

During our gay Italy bike tour in Puglia, we’ll have five biking days, designed in a “roller coaster” fashion, with light days in the beginning and end and harder days in the middle.

Each day you are fully supported with a van, an SUV with a bike rack and two Italian guides. Most rides take you on back roads you’d never be able to find on your own (avoiding a lot of traffic in the process), allowing you to see and enjoy the beauty of the land that few get to see. From local fishing villages to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Castel del Monte to ancient Roman bridges, you’ll experience all that Puglia has to offer. Each day, enjoy the food and wine of the region, freshly prepared in the kitchen at Villa Cappelli, or at restaurants in Terlizzi and around the area.

For 200 years, the kings of France outdid one another as they built palaces along the Loire Valley. Bicycle to Amboise, Chenonceau (where gay Henri III held drag parties), and Azay-le-Rideau.

Highlights

• Visit the elegant chateau of Chaumont, towering on cliffs above the Loire River.
• Picnic with the black swans of Chenonceau chateau, once home to Catherine de Medici, perched on stone pillars over the river Cher.
• Stroll the celebrated 3-tiered terraced gardens at Villandry.
• Ride through a troglodyte village near the riverfront town of Azay-le-Rideau.
• Cool off in one of our secret swimming spots.
• Pause and dream on the edge of Chinon Forest at Usse, the storybook castle that inspired the legend of Sleeping Beauty.
• Bike past sunflowers, vineyards, and a solitary windmill, to the pastoral abbey at Fontevraud, Eleanor of Aquitaine’s final resting place.
• Roam the historic ruins of Chinon, once a Roman stronghold, later the chateau-fort where Joan of Arc changed the course of French history.

Bicycle to France’s better homes and gardens — and a millennium of French history

For two centuries, the kings of France outdid one another as they built palaces and chateaus along the Loire Valley. Our bicycling week begins in Blois, at a chateau constructed over four distinct and romantic periods of French history. We’ll enjoy a festive French dinner, and those with extra energy can explore the regional nightlife.

Then we begin bicycling. Each day you’ll discover the distinct personality of a new chateau, from the grandeur of Amboise to the elegance of Chenonceau (where gay Henri III held drag parties — a fact omitted from most guidebooks!) and the enchantment of Azay-le-Rideau. Between castles, you’ll realize why bicycling is such a perfect way to travel on a vacation in France. Pullover with ease for a quick swim in a solitary woods, or at a café on a cobblestoned street, in a whitewashed village where time seems to have stopped.

Our gay Italy bike trip begins in Tuscany, in the fabled Renaissance city of Florence, and home of Michelangelo’s “David.”

Florence is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, as recognizable names from History like Siena, San Gimignana and Radda become more than just points on a map, they become living, breathing time warps which we will cycle through and into!

After the first night in Florence, we spend two nights at each hotel, allowing time to get to know each region in more depth. Tuscany has hills, and part of the fun of this trip is riding over the hills, and enjoying the vistas as you descend the other side. This trip has the perfect combination of riding and relaxations, with plenty of art, touring, and gelato thrown in! We’ll also explore and savor all the “Flavors of Tuscany” guiltfree after all our hard work!

Highlights

• Stroll along Florence’s picturesque Ponte Vecchio, crammed with leather shops, admire Michelangelo’s David, then check out Tuscany’s nascent gay scene.
• Enjoy lunch in a medieval town in the heart of “Chianti Classico”, sampling the red wine that made the region famous.
• Watch for the wild boar, pheasants, and occasional wolves that still inhabit the forests of scrub oak and pine.
• Sip a cappuccino in Siena’s breathtaking Piazza del Campo, one of the most beautiful public plazas in the world.
• Delight in the scents and flavors of Tuscany: Fresh-picked wild mushrooms, robust cheeses, crusty Italian bread, and ruby Chianti wines.

We invite you to join HE Travel friends to cycle this historic route on a gay Spanish tour that many pilgrims consider the trip of a lifetime!

Highlights

• Explore Medieval villages
• Cruise through the scenic Spanish countryside
• Visit places out of the history books
• Relax at night in quaint inns and manor houses where countless pilgrims have stayed before you
• Tour the Cathedral and see Saint James up close
• Join in the miracles and the magic

James Michener described this journey as one of the three best in the world, and you will learn why when you accompany us on this mystical adventure that is the Santiago de Compostela,” a pilgrimage across northern Spain to the sanctuary at Santiago de Compostela.”

Since the bones of St. James the Apostle were reputedly discovered here in 813 AD, all peoples from thieves to bishops, beggars to Popes, writers to priests, why even the fabulous Shirley MacLaine have made this famous pilgrimage! Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Quinn, the list goes on and on…Our tour will follow The Codex Calixtinus, the first-ever guidebook, written by a monk in the 12th century and still the main source of info for Pilgrims today. Along the journey, we will stop in inns, guesthouse, and even a monastery as we complete our quest in relative comfort and style!

Ride from Nantes through cities, towns, inland valleys and winding coastal French landscapes on this gay France bike tour. Meander along rivers, enjoy ocean vistas, visit beaches, and ride to the islands of d’Yeu and Noirmoutier. Our tour ends in the port city of La Rochelle.

Highlights

• Enjoy our welcome dinner on a typical bateau on the beautiful Erde River near Nantes.
• Ride to the tip of Noirmoutier-en-l’ile, a tiny island in the Atlantic.
• Explore the coastal beaches and placid wetlands of Western France.
• Tour La Rochelle, the beautiful port city of limestone and light.
• Discover new tastes in French wine and cuisine in lower Brittany, south of the Loire River.
• Spend an extra day in La Rochelle to enjoy a day trip to the island of Ile de Re.

Our newest bike tour starts in the Loire River port city of Nantes, then winds through picturesque woodlands to the coast of southern Brittany. Rivers, islands and the Atlantic Ocean form the backdrop for our invigorating ride. We’ll also explore quaint villages and seaside towns as we ride through history on our way to La Rochelle, where we finish our journey. Along the way, we can stop to admire chateaux, monuments, cathedrals and stunning vistas.