Mondo Bike Tours

The “heel” of the Italian boot, Puglia has been home to ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, and the royal Spanish court of the 1600’s, while in recent years it has become a popular tourist destination for its charming hilltop towns, amazing landscapes, and excellent food. We visit the unique city of Alberobello, which is home to over 1,000 "trulli" houses, whose conical stone roofs create a fairy-tale atmosphere. We also go to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Matera, a dramatic city carved into the cliffs and gorges that cut through the town. The landscape and architecture of the region are completely different from northern Italy, and it is now home to some of Italy’s best food and most innovative wines. Pedal down quiet country roads through a sea of olive groves and along glittering sea on this biking adventure!

The biking is more moderate than our Tuscany bike tour, but there are plenty of optional extension rides for those who want something a bit more strenuous. The hotels have been chosen to let you to experience Puglia’s countryside and village life. Our first night is in Bari, the capital of Puglia, where you can explore its beautiful medieval center as well as the broad 19th century boulevards lined with majestic date palms. Our next two nights are at a wonderful boutique hotel in a converted 16th century convent in the charming baroque village of Conversano.  Then we spend two nights in a lovely resort near the sea, and we finish at a 4-star hotel in the heart of Matera.

Begin in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica and then cycle northwest along the coast to finish with two nights on historic Korçula island, Croatia. Our first stop is the imposing fortress-town and UNESCO World Heritage city of Kotor, located along the shores of stunning Kotor Bay. The next day, bike along the lake and then hop onto a short ferry and ride to the charming port town of Cavtat, Croatia. Your next ride offers the unique opportunity to bike 35 km along a bike path through Bosnia as we skirt behind Dubrovnik.

Drop down into Croatia again and spend two nights in medieval Mali Ston, whose 600-year-old defensive walls still guard the once strategic seaside town. After each day’s ride you will be treated to delicious local cuisine, which features fresh seafood but also hearty meat dishes and flavourful cheeses from the interior. Wash it all down with the crisp local white or the rich red wines grown on the Pelješac Peninsula. This tour offers up the perfect blend of scenic riding, delicious food, and fascinating history, with the added bonus of finishing the day off with a swim in the warm waters of the Adriatic. The trip is fully van-supported so you can ride as much or as little as you like.

Enjoy quiet rides by the glittering Mediterranean and then challenge yourself with some fabulous rides through the hills and valleys of the interior. We begin in magnificent Siracusa, whose old town (Ortigia) and 2,500-year-old Greek theatre are world famous. You will cycle past charming fishing villages and explore the beautiful Baroque towns that are now heralded as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Taste some of the powerful red wines being made around Noto, try the original Atzec recipe for chocolate in the town of Modica, and learn how to make fresh ricotta cheese the traditional way. The tour finishes along the southern coast, so you can kick back and relax with a swim after your day’s ride and then watch the sunset from the terrace of your hotel. You may want to extend your tour with a guided hike around Mount Etna with a volcanologist (we'd be happy to set that up for you).

It was part of the Hapsburg Empire for centuries, so its capital has more in common with Vienna or Prague than with its southern neighbors. We begin the tour in delightful Ljubljana and then head straight for the Julian Alps. The first three days are in magnificent Alpine scenery, while the next two take in the Mediterranean flavor of Slovenia’s western edge. We even spend a day in the vineyards, orchards and rolling hills of Italy’s Friuli region. The hotels range from charming 3-star “boutique” B&Bs to 4-star luxury mountain lodges, complete with sauna and indoor pool. We end the trip in Italy and spend the night in a former royal palace. Come and experience what some consider the most spectacular biking in Europe.

Trip design: We designed this tour to be a journey through Slovenia’s dramatic landscape, from the Julian Alps to the gently rolling wine country. We see the country’s most beautiful lakes, bike the most exciting pass, circle the highest mountain, have dinner at one of Slovenia’s finest restaurants, and end in Italy with the shimmering Adriatic in the distance. In the middle of the tour, we have a two-night stay in lovely Kobarid, which allows us to enjoy a ride into Italy’s little-known Friuli region. There is a satisfying sense of “flow” to the trip as we cycle broad alpine valleys and over spectacular passes towards the Adriatic Sea.

We pick you up from sophisticated Turin and soon have you riding through an undulating landscape of terraced vineyards, medieval castles and picturesque hilltop towns. The snow-capped Alps serve as a dramatic backdrop to the gently rolling hills of Asti, Alba, and Barbaresco.  At the end of the day, relax by the pool at your lovely boutique hotel before an exquisite dinner of local specialties complimented by an elegant Barolo. Biking, exquisite natural beauty, and superb wine and food make for the perfect week.

It has rugged mountains in the interior and hundreds of miles of glittering blue coastline. As part of Greece, it also has fantastic food, delicious local wines, and a long and rich history. In fact, you could say that Western European civilization was born with the Minoans on Crete some 5,000 years ago! Come and explore the central and western part of the island with us on this new and exciting bike trip. Dimitris and Claire have woven together exciting biking with beautiful "boutique" hotels, fun cultural activities, and plenty of downtime at the beach and in vibrant small towns to ensure you experience the best that this wonderful island has to offer.

Thanks to an ingenious series of bike paths and trails, you can cycle easily and scenically from town to town, past orchards and vineyards, to the shores of Lake Garda and on to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Verona. We begin in the elegant ski-town of Innsbruck and then shuttle into the countryside to start our ride. The tour finishes in Verona, famous for its Roman amphitheater and picturesque medieval streets. Our tour combines cycling with a hearty dose of history, culture, and of course delicious food and wine. It’s a great way to explore one of the most beautiful regions of Europe!

There is very little traffic, the road surface is good, and we have designed routes that allow you to get into your rhythm and ride at your own pace. The dramatic scenery includes limestone cliffs, crystalline seas, and pristine beaches with bleached white sand that welcome you after a hard day in the saddle. In addition to its natural beauty, Sardinia has a rich and unique culture, including the mysterious 3,000 year old Nuraghi towers that still adorn the landscape. The tour starts in the delightful seaside town of Alghero, then moves inland to stay at the famous Hotel Su Gologone, and ends at the east coast to complete a full traverse of the island. This cycling holiday combines exciting rides with plenty of downtime on sandy beaches and in charming villages, accompanied by delicious regional food and wine.

We bike along the Venice “Lido” to the historic city of Ferrara, once home to the Dukes of Este and the notorious femme fatale Lucrezia Borgia. From there we ride along the marshes and salt flats of the Po Delta, now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its biodiversity and rich animal life. We have a day to explore Ravenna and its amazing 6th century mosaics, then continue on to the hilltop town of Dozza, where we stay in a renovated convent with fabulous views over the countryside below. We end the trip in Bologna, one of Italy’s most beautiful and “non-touristy” cities, famous for its arcades, soaring brick towers, and some of the best food in the country!

We designed this trip to enable novice cyclists to discover the joys of exploring Italy by bike. We ride along quiet roads that traverse the flat yet beautiful landscape of the Po valley. The last day of riding is a bit more challenging through hilly terrain, but otherwise the terrain is FLAT.

Dramatic landscapes of olive groves and craggy mountain ranges spread out before you, as white-washed Moorish villages sit perched on rocky pinnacles. By day, village squares laze in the warm sun, while by night they hum with vitality as the cafes, wine bodegas and tapas bars spring to life. It is also home to some of Europe’s finest architectural achievements, like Seville’s medieval cathedral, Cordoba’s massive mosque/church complex (the “Mezquita”), and Granada’s Alhambra Palace. We also visit a number of “Pueblos Blancos” (white villages), take in a Flamenco show, and sample plenty of tapas and local “vino tinto” (red wine) along the way. Most tour companies don’t take you to all four of the “queens of Andalusia,” but we do: Seville, Ronda, Cordoba and Granada, thus including 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites during the week. This 9-day itinerary will show you why Andalusia is one of the premier destinations in Europe.