Pedal from one unbelievable view to the next. Marvel at extraordinary Renaissance art and architecture. And savor delicious pecorino cheese, homemade pasta, fruity olive oils and celebrated Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino wines. Few things in this world live up to the hype. We're happy to report that everything you've heard about Tuscany is true.
Days
1-2 Journey with your family and explore some of the region's most celebrated towns, including Pienza, famous for pecorino cheese, exquisite ceramics and Renaissance architecture 
After savoring a spread of Tuscan specialties, pedal cypress-lined roads through southern Tuscany's open undulating terrain into the Val d'Orcia Montepulciano, with its winding streets and hidden squares, invites a stroll.
Day
3 Climb through a sea of vineyards to the wine village of Montalcino, where enoteche pour samples and remarkable views reach as far as Siena on a clear day Check out Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore, the region's most notable monastery, where monks still pray in Gregorian chant.
Day
4 Engaging Q&A session with Dario Castagno, author of Too Much Tuscan Sun Bike past the exposed chalk hills of the Crete Senesi, often depicted in 14th- and 15th-century Florentine and Sienese paintings Sun-baked pastures dotted with sheep and crumbling stone farmhouses make way for oak woodland and olive groves Take some time to explore Siena on your own.
Days
5-6 Pedal rolling hills alongside Chianti Classico and Sangiovese vineyards Get to know ridgetop Radda, the center of Chianti wine production, and Castellina, a medieval village with a unique arcaded passageway Looking for a gift? Family-owned Ceramiche Rampini offers ceramics hand-painted in the Renaissance tradition.
Tuscany feels like home away from home. The locals welcome you with open arms, eager to share the limitless beauty of their home and the warmth of Italian culture. To experience Tuscany with your family is truly exceptional! Biking cypress-lined roads, visiting ancient villages with incredible art and architecture, meeting friends we've known for decades at off-the-beaten path restaurants and charming hotels… It's a trip your famiglia will remember for years to come.- Italy
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This charming family-owned hotel overlooks the town's central piazza, whose ancient pool is fed by underground thermal springs. (pool, spa)
An agricultural estate standing on a high ridge between the Chiana Valley and the famed Crete Senesi. (pool)
A tranquil 16th-century villa with wooded grounds, an Italian-style garden and a small church with frescoes by Arcangelo Salimbeni. (pool)
There's no better way to find out about Backroads than by hearing it from the people who have traveled with us. For more about the Backroads Experience, read our Guest Testimonials.
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Comments about Tuscany Family Breakaway Bike Tour:
Tuscany feels like home away from home. The locals welcome you with open arms, eager to share the limitless beauty of their home and the warmth of Italian culture. To experience Tuscany with your family is truly exceptional! Biking cypress-lined roads, visiting ancient villages with incredible art and architecture, meeting friends we've known for decades at off-the-beaten path restaurants and charming hotels… It's a trip your famiglia will remember for years to come.
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The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind—you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due.
Please click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOKi GOING FASTi CONTACT USi PRIVATE TRIP - RESERVEDi
Interested in a Private Trip? Check out the Make It Private tab for private dates available, or call us at 800-462-2848.
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.
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| Daily Route Options | ||||||||||
| Day | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | ||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | |
| 1 | 23 | 1200 | ||||||||
| 2 | 25* | 2200 | 34 | 2500 | 44 | 3800 | 65 | 5700 | ||
| 3 | 27* | 2500 | 42 | 4000 | 51 | 5300 | ||||
| 37* | 3700 | |||||||||
| 4 | 18* | 2100 | 31 | 2200 | 40 | 3100 | 51 | 3900 | ||
| 5 | 18* | 1500 | 24* | 2500 | 38* | 3600 | 53 | 4700 | ||
| 65 | 6100 | |||||||||
| 6 | 13 | 1200 | ||||||||
Note:
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity levels and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
And that applies both on and off our bikes. Your Trip Leaders can preview every curve and climb of our routes through the Tuscan hills, offering great tips to ensure your ride is smooth and rewarding – or a lift in one of the vans if you redefine "reward" to mean a cappuccino in the next village or relaxing by the hotel pool. Every choice or diversion along the way reflects our long-standing passion for this beautiful region.
We design and support our Tuscany trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
On our Tuscany trips we have an extra leader supporting you along the road—for a total of three, compared to the industry standard two. So we can be in more places at once, giving personal attention to guests traveling at their own pace. Here's more on our Trip Leaders.
Only Backroads offers active trips in Tuscany designed for families with older teens and 20-somethings. Our Family Breakaway trips are aimed at you and the amazingly grownup members of your clan—whether they're almost high school grads, already in college or further along. Find out more in this blog post.
In Tuscany you head off each morning after choosing among several expertly designed routes—all with detailed directions, mileage and shuttle options. Unlike trips with one fixed daily route (or worse, one guide that everyone's obliged to follow), you're free to enjoy the best of the region at your pace, stopping wherever you want to explore further.
Choose a Backroads Custom Titanium or Custom Electric Assist bike—both are included in your trip price. Maybe a Specialized carbon-fiber pro model is more your speed or go for double fun on a tandem. Our fleet is the best in active travel, so you don't have to roll the dice on this vital trip component. Learn why our titanium bikes are ideal for most riders. See the bike options for this trip.
Your ride comes equipped with a Garmin Edge Explore 1000, the best bike-touring GPS device on the market. This is a Backroads exclusive, and it's included with your bike in Tuscany. If you prefer to bring your own device, we also have downloadable GPS files and of course, our good old paper directions are always available. Read more on why our navigation options are the best.
Under our Book with Confidence policy, your Backroads trip will run even for a single family of three or four people, subject to a nominal extra fee. Or transfer to another trip, and we'll give you a credit. It's all part of our trademark commitment to treating guests with integrity, transparency and total accountability. Read all the details.
In addition to the ideal balance of comfort and hospitality in our choice of lodgings, this Casual Inns trip includes nearly all of your meals, plus everything from cocktail receptions to the best snacks along the road. So there's rarely a need to reach for your wallet – we've got you covered.
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in Tuscany—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
Backroads has been welcoming active travelers to Europe since before the Berlin Wall came down. Today it's virtually our second home. We know the perfect roads and trails, the most scenic valleys and hilltop towns, the hidden churches and gem-like museums, the up-and-coming vintners and celebrated chefs—and, of course, all the best places to stay.
Our Trip Leaders in Tuscany live in the area and are deeply engaged in their communities, giving them unique inside knowledge they're happy to share in making your experience that much richer. They'll introduce you to people, customs and parts of town you'd likely never encounter on your own—and teach you a few local phrases to help break the ice.
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Gather your favorite people to share a Backroads adventure on a ready-to-book Private Trip - featuring all the legendary Backroads hallmarks from expert leaders to unforgettable activities. You can pick from a large selection of dates for your group of 8 or more. Call us for date availability. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or if your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you.
Click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
8 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 8 OR MORE GUESTS 16 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 16 OR MORE GUESTS RESERVED
Don't see your ideal travel date? Make a Date! i
Invite your family and friends on an adventure that's entirely your own - for your group of 8 or more. Find out more
I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.
— Tom Hale, Founder & President
