Tour de Vines

This cycling tour on the Great Taste Trail is a journey into food and wine country on the south island of New Zealand. Starting and ending in the scenic, seaside town of Nelson, this tour will delight with the array of wonderful local produce, including some incredible wines!

Tour de Vines offers this exclusive fully guided small group cycling tour of the Great Taste Trail on select dates.  The tour completes the full cycling loop of the trail, a total of 159kms over 5 nights and 6 days.

Visit a number of local cellar doors to taste the gorgeous wines, and don't forget those quintessential majestic mountain and ocean vistas.   Fully guided, fully supported and heaps of fun, this stress free escape will have you feeling refreshed, revived and alive!

We also take advantage of the pristine environment that surrounds us, with a full day visiting the absolutely stunning Abel Tasman National Park.  This is a tour highlight with optional activities including cycling, kayaking, trekking or dolphin spotting.

Highlights

•   A full day exploring the incredible Abel Tasman National Park
•   Stunning seaside and Alpine scenery throughout the tour
•   Cycling the off road Great Taste Trail one of the most popular trails in New Zealand
•   Mediterranean weather (never guaranteed by pretty good chance) and coastal scenery
•   Savouring the incredible food and wine from the region
•   Meeting new friends and socialising in a small group of like-minded riders.

This exclusive cycling tour is an all inclusive, small group weekend complete with meals, accommodation, local guide, special wine tastings, gourmet food, luggage transfers and transport. Group tours depart select weekends from October to May and do book out well in advance. Take the stress out of your weekend away, enjoy this wonderful easy cycling escape in the gourmet North East Victoria region along the famous Murray to Mountains Rail Trail.

Cycling in a small group is great fun! Make new friends, meet new people or grab a bunch of friends and partners and book a weekend away, knowing that everything is taken care of for you.

This weekend of cycling fun is also great value. Pretty much everything is included, with all meals (except 1 dinner) part of your package, 2 nights accomodation, transfers, local guide, support bus, coffee and heaps more.

Our Murray to Mountains Rail Trail group tours also enjoy some extra privileges, including exclusive wine tastings, access to talks from local farm gate producers and more. The cycling group size is limited to 10 riders plus your guide, so it's small enough to get to know your fellow riders, cycle at your own pace with no pressure and enjoy the ambience of the beautiful scenery and surroundings.

Highlights

• The food! Your tour includes 1 group dinner, 2 x full breakfasts, 2 x winery gourmet lunches and lots of snacks and tastings in between!
• The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail itself is a wonderful paved off road cycling path that is a joy to ride
• The Alpine scenery of North East Victoria
• The historic town of Beechworth, the small & lovely Myrtleford and famously beautiful Bright, all different and all great places to visit
• Cycling in a small group, making new friends and enjoying the company of others whilst you cycle, sip, taste and admire the scenery without a care in the world!

Mudgee is a mecca for food and wine lovers. The region has an intense concentration of amazing cellar doors. And being almost completely flat, it's perfect for some gentle cycling.

This is a self guided cellar door cycling tour that will have you visiting at least 5 wineries. You will be treated to a gourmet winery lunch, with a glass of wine. The package includes bike hire, lunch, breakfasts, printed itinerary and cycling maps. The package also has 2 nights accommodation together with your day of fun cycling.

The cycling directions provided will ensure you don’t miss any secrets in this fantastic food & wine hub. You will visit famous cellar doors including beautiful di Lusso Estate, famous Robert Stein, Robert Oatley iconic Peter Van Gient cellar doors to name a few.

Highlights

• Discover lesser known cellar doors and the impressive wines of Mudgee
• Gourmet winery lunch included in your tour
• Easy relaxed cycling on quiet country back roads, with rolling vineyard scenery
• Your getaway is all organised with a single booking, including accommodation, bikes, tastings…the lot!

Join us on this exclusive guided cycling tour in Australia. Explore beautiful north east Victoria and experience the incredible Alpine scenery this region is famous for. The cycling tour is graded as easy and almost all of the riding uses off road, paved trails that are safe and fun to ride. There is a particular focus on the world class food and wine offerings this region of Australia is becoming famous for.

Exploring the north east region of Victoria, an easy drive, flight or train from Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney, this 7 day/6 night tour will leave you amazed at this incredible part of Australia. Cycling at the foot of the Australian Alps (yes there are big ski mountains in Australia), mountain scenery is never far away. Nor are some of the best cellar doors in Australia, or an award winning cheese farm. This region of Australia always surprises our guests with the quality and variety of the culinary offerings.

The cycling on this tour covers the length of the sealed Murray to Mountains Rail Trail, which is a delight to ride. Starting in Rutherglen, and riding the full length of the Rail Trail to Bright, plus the new extension to Harrietville (optional day in Bright).

Highlights

• Cycle the length of the iconic Murray to Mountains Rail Trail - a sealed, off road cycling trail
• Sample world class produce direct from the farmers gate (cheese tasting, olive oil, pumpkin seed & more)
• Experience stunning mountain scenery of the Alpine Valley.
• Learn the region's secrets and history with your informative local guide
• Enjoy the fun, social environment of a small group tour with like minded travellers.

Tour de Vines’ Cycling Tour Loire Valley takes you through some of the most beautiful countryside that France has to offer, and offers ideal off road cycling following the Rivers Loire and Cher. A stunning, relaxed 7 day cycling tour that has optional diversions for those seeking a little more of a cycling challenge, but easy enough for just about anyone to enjoy.

And if it’s French gastronomical experiences you’re after, this is the cycling tour for you. The Cycling Tour Loire Valley is our top tour in terms of food and wine, visiting some of the finest restaurants in the region, showcasing the amazing specialties of the Touraine, which are all included in your tour.

Tour de Vines’ Cycling Tour Loire Valley is a fully guided, small group based cycling tour, and includes a support vehicle if required. Just about all meals are included with wine and coffee, as well as charming accommodation, flexible transfers at the beginning and end of the tour, quality near new Trek bikes and helmet, new water bottles and of course luggage transfers each day.

No visit to the Loire Valley is complete without a visit to the chateaux. You will visit all the incredible and famous chateaux the Loire Valley is renowned for. Admire stunning Chenonceaux spanning the River Cher. Gaze over the magnificent UNESCO listed Chambord where we spend a special 2 nights at a hotel in the chateaux grounds. Or marvel at Amboise, the home of Kings for 4 centuries.

Highlights

• The beauty of the Chateau de Chenonceau spanning the river Cher
• Idyllic riverside cycling along the Indre
• Gourmet dining in elegant Amboise
• Magnificent Chambord and cycling tour in its forests
• Meeting new friends and socialising in the small group

The cycling days are easy, relaxed and fully guided, with a support vehicle never far away, but we doubt you will need that, with plenty of food and wine stops on route.

Not only do you get to sample some of the worlds best wines directly from the cellar door, and cycle amongst the gentle hills of Bordeaux in the warm glow of the European summer sun, but Bordeaux also offers unforgettable village of St Emillion, the relatively new and must visit Cite du Vin in Bordeaux itself, incredible food and the most delightful French countryside villages you can imagine. It really is a rolling postcard.

Your Tour de Vines cycling tour of Bordeaux includes some amazing Chateaux accommodation, and full restaurant meals with entrees, mains and desserts, with drinks included (Bordeaux wine of course!) in the evenings. The itinerary also has exclusive cellar door visits that get you behind the regular tastings, to learn about how the world famous Bordeaux wines are made.

This cycling tour of Bordeaux is graded as easy to intermediate (say 4 out of 10) with some limited rolling hills. But there is certainly no hurry and the support vehicle is never far away. Cycling distances average around 40kms over the course of a day. A dip in the pool at the end of a day's cycling is available in a number of our accommodation venues. Such a great way to finish a day!

Highlights

• Sweeping vistas across the Dordogne Valley
• Easy cycling through vineyards and charming villages
• Explore Ancient cobbles streets of St‑Emilion
• Traffic-free roads along the lower Dordogne and Garonne rivers
• Wine tasting in a chateau in St Emilion
• Meeting new friends and socialising in the small group

But this tour is also ideal for the French historians and cultural zealots. The Tour de Provence Roman, as the name suggests, is a cycling holiday in Provence France that traces the very early history of region, visiting famous historic towns including Arles, Uzes and Orange. And no visit to Provence is complete without a stop at the famous Pont du Gard in Avignon and we uncover some secrets at this amazing site on our guided visit.

A Cycling Holiday Provence is a lifelong memory. It’s no wonder that some of the greatest artists in history have based their work on the panoramas of Provence. You can discover why on this sweeping circular route through the best of southern France.

Tour dates are in May and October, and are timed to avoid the real heat of the Mediterranean summer (see more Provence weather information). Our cycling groups are limited to 16 and have 2 guides both fluent in French and English, together with a support van that’s never far away. This cycling tour is graded relaxed to moderate (2.5/5), with some hills and distances sometimes near 60kms in a day. You can request a detailed cycling tour Provence itinerary below (bottom right).

Provence offers quintessential French villages, stunning fields of lavender, distant snow capped mountain peaks, and famous star studded seaside towns of the Cote d’Azur.

Highlights

• The stunning Roman Theatre at Orange
• Pont du Gard - a World Heritage Site
• Wine tasting at Chateauneuf-du-Pape
• Breathtaking views from the citadel of Les Baux
• Follow in the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh at Arles and St-Remy
• Meeting new friends and socialising in the small group

This 5 day/4 night self guided cycling itinerary ‘Tour de Hawkes Bay’ will suit those looking for easy outdoor activity and to experience the best that the gorgeous Hawkes Bay region has to offer.

For wine lovers, the cycling on Day 2 is the highlight, as you will be picked up from the Gimblett Gravels Appellation at the end of the day so you can enjoy the many cellar doors (about 11) without having to cycle home to your accommodation! Ride the river trails in the morning then enjoy the afternoon at the wineries.

This is a self-guided tour, but support is never far away. A support vehicle is available on call and we arrange everything for you so you can cycle, relax and enjoy your holiday. There is a total of 4 days of cycling, with more than 80% using the off road, easy Hawkes Bay trails.

Highlights

• Visit New Zealand’s oldest winery - The Mission Estate winery, as well as Church Rd Winery and Moana Park, all gorgeous historic cellar doors.
• Stop into Elephant Hill and Clearview Estate for tastings of world class reds & whites
• Choose from motel or unique local lodges and B&B style accommodation.
• Experience the fantastic, safe, off road Hawkes Bay Cycling Trails, part of the greater network of cycling trails in New Zealand.

Ride the iconic Great Victorian Rail Trail at your own pace whilst Tour de Vines looks after all the logistics for you. Join either an exclusive guided tour over the Labor Day March 2024 long weekend or take the self-guided tour any time.

Victoria's longest Rail Trail starts in Mansfield, this stress free package includes 3 nights accommodation, breakfasts and a winery lunch, luggage moves, on call support with the option to BYO or hire bikes. Transfers back to Mansfield at the end of your ride can also be provided.

All you need to do is ride Victoria's longest rail trail, admire the views and soak in the relaxed country ambience on this wonderful getaway. Take all the stress out of your bike holiday and ride in the comfort of knowing you are fully supported throughout your trip.

The Great Victorian Rail Trail starts in Mansfield and runs all the way to Tallarook, with a side trip to Alexandra. The trail itself is a delight to ride with a packed gravel surface and gentle gradients. For many riders the highlights are the charming towns along the way, the rural scenery, the celebrated Cheviot Tunnel.

This 3 night/4 day Great Victorian Rail Trail cycling tour package is ideal if wanting the stress and logistics taken care of for you. The package includes accommodation, breakfasts, a winery lunch, meet and greet, luggage transfers, on call support with printed maps and detailed itinerary also supplied. Optional add ons are bike hire (quality Trek Dual Sport or E-bikes) and return transfers back to Mansfield at the end of your cycling.

The Great Victorian Rail Trail is the ideal long weekend getaway and can be enjoyed by even occasional cyclists.

Highlights

• Safe and stress free cycling on the dedicated cycle path the Great Victorian Rail Trail
• Gorgeous views across rolling hills, distant snow capped mountains, lakes and rivers
• Wonderful array of fantastic food and wine to sample along the way
• The historic towns, goldrush architecture and the charm of ski town Mansfield
• The fun of cycling through Cheviote Tunnel, Victoria’s longest rail trail tunnel
• Relax knowing that all logistics of your trip are taken care of

With our experienced guides on hand, we learn about the fascinating history as we cycle through quiet farmlands, riverside villages and rolling countryside. Graded as easy (2/10 difficulty), this fabulous and diverse tour is suitable for all levels of cycling experience.

Travel in classic French style as we stay in lovely chateau accommodations, soak up the sun in charming terraced cafes and cobbled streets and sample some of the region’s best gourmet offerings. Being largely coastal, think fresh fish and produce, local lamb and beef, goats cheese and of course the Cognac brandy the region is famous for.

Cycling along the Charente River, experience the quaint, old port city of La Rochelle (know as the White City) on the south west coast of France and as well as historic Rochefort. The region has a significant naval history and it is on display throughout. Taste the famous local brandy and local wine including a specialty called Pineau des Charentes (a fortified sweet wine) on this fully guided, small group tour. An experience you won’t want to miss!

Highlights

• Historic Rochefort
• Riding the bracing Atlantic Coast
• Guided visit and tasting at a famous distillery
• Cycling tour along the gently meandering Charente
• The beautiful old port of La Rochelle
• Roman ruins in Saintes