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Route Rating Level 1 to Level 3

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Premiere Inns
  • $4,298 pp dbl. occ.
  • (+$1,160 for sgl. occ.)

Reserve early for the best available price. More Info

6 DAYS, 5 NIGHTS
ROLLOVER DATES BELOW FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
2009 DATES
CLASSIC TRIPS
ROLLOVER DATES ABOVE FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
TRIP NOTES

All meals included except 3 lunches and 1 dinner

Cancellation Policy

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Meet / Depart

Arezzo, Italy/Chiusi, Italy

Special Interest

Cooking, Culture & History, Fine Wine & Cuisine, Romance &/or Honeymoon

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Contact Us

Call: 800-462-2848
or 510-527-1555
Fax: 510-527-1444
E-mail us

801 Cedar St.
Berkeley, CA 94710

Business Hours:
7 days a week
from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time

Or contact your travel agent

Early Booking Savings
$500 per Couple
Rollover the list of dates
for savings on
select departures.

Southern Tuscany Biking

Tuscany Easy Biking

South of Siena

Sweeping vistas and gently rolling hills of the Val di Chiana greet you south of Siena - the land of celebrated Sangiovese vineyards and villages rich with Renaissance architecture. On this biking trip, we’ve taken our cue from the pace of Italian country life and designed an itinerary that encourages you to stop and smell the cappuccino. Pedal past springtime poppies or autumn’s golden vineyards, then tackle the hills and be rewarded with gorgeous views. When you're ready to relax, let us shuttle you to such picture-perfect towns as Montepulciano, Pienza and Cortona for afternoons of leisurely exploration.

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Day 1 cortona

Meet in Arezzo Savor a picnic lunch of typical Tuscan fare at an 18th-century villa Pedal the level terrain of the Val di Chiana, then climb to Cortona Enjoy postcard-perfect views of the valley from this historic hill town, immortalized by Frances Mayes in her novel Under the Tuscan Sun.

Days 2-3 petrignano del lago

Marvel at Cortona’s majestic architecture during a walking tour with a local guide Let your wheels do the work on a downhill ride to the valley floor, followed by a leisurely spin through a classic southern Tuscan landscape of rolling fields, cypress-lined roads and quiet hamlets Bike to the atmospheric fortified town of Castiglione del Lago, set on a promontory on Lake Trasimeno in Umbria  Learn the secrets of Tuscan cooking from a local expert.

Days 4-6 montefollonico

No visit to southern Tuscany would be complete without seeing Montepulciano, the highest of the hill towns, filled with glorious Renaissance buildings A fourth-generation vintner invites us to his family’s cantina for a tasting of Vino Nobile Ride to historic Pienza with expansive views of the Val d’Orcia Sample locally made pecorino cheese, admire exquisite ceramics and wander down medieval streets Hike in forests of oak, broom and cypress above Montefollonico.

Route Rating What's this? Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. Each offers options for more or less activity, so you can decide exactly how much you want to do day by day.

Lodging What's this? Our lodgings are divided into three different categories.

Premiere Inns:These lodgings possess both elegance and authentic regional flair.

Casual Inns:These lodgings are comfortable and appropriate to the areawith such characteristics as authenticity, scenic settings and proximity to our activities.

Deluxe Camping:We set up the tents (and take them down), handle every camp chore and perform culinary magic.

Detailed Itinerary

Reserve This Trip!

Guest Trip Reviews

This trip was wonderful! Our leaders were fabulous, the cycling was just challenging enough. The hotels were very comfortable, and the service was excellent. And the countryside was so incredibly beautiful - the food, the people - something I will remember for a very long time.
Barbara Page - San Marcos, CA

More Reviews of this Trip

All Guest Reviews

For 30 years, Backroads has been perfecting the art of active travel. We are the Tuscany tour experts. For biking tours in Europe Italy, trust our in-depth connections. To see all our Europe Italy biking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe Italy walking and hiking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe Italy multisport tours click here.

Tuscany Easy Biking

TIMELESS BEAUTY: Premiere Inns*

Villa Marsili

Cortona (1 night): This elegant 14th-century palazzo rests within Cortona’s Etruscan walls and offers outstanding views of the Val di Chiana.  

Relais Alla Corte del Sole

Petrignano del Lago (2 nights): At this beautiful 16th-century estate, you’ll find uniquely decorated guest rooms graced with rich fabrics, antiques, wood-beamed ceilings and brick floors.

Relais La Chiusa

Montefollonico (2 nights): An old stone farmhouse converted into a charming country inn with an acclaimed restaurant featuring fresh homemade cuisine.

* With 2 Casual Inn nights

Tuscany Easy Biking Tuscany Easy Biking

Relais Alla Corte del Sole

Tuscany Easy Biking

Route Rating

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1
  • Level 1 2 Route Options Available
  • 16, 18 miles
  • 0 - 700 feet elevation gain
Day 2
  • Levels 1 to 2 2 Route Options Available
  • 12, 28 miles
  • 0 - 800 feet elevation gain
  • Walking Tour of Cortona 1.5 hours
Day 3
  • Levels 1 to 3 2 Route Options Available
  • 19, 34 miles
  • 500 - 1000 feet elevation gain
Day 4
  • Levels 1 to 2 3 Route Options Available
  • 9, 17, 20 miles
  • 500 - 2000 feet elevation gain
Day 5
  • Levels 1 to 2  2 Route Options Available
  • 11, 21 miles
  • 500 - 2000 feet elevation gain
Day 6
  • Level 1 2 Route Options Available
  • Biking 13 miles
  • 0 - 1000 feet elevation gain
  • Walking 2.4 miles
  • 500 feet elevation gain 
Tuscany Easy Biking Tuscany Easy Biking

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level Average Time Average Distance
    Biking Walking
& Hiking
1 2-3
hours		 10-20
miles		 2-5
miles
2 2-4
hours		 21-30
miles		 5-7
miles
3 3-5
hours		 31-40
miles		 7-9
miles
4 4-6
hours		 41-55
miles		 9-11
miles
5 5-7+
hours		 56-75+
miles		 11-13+
miles