It doesn't take a genius to know that Tuscany scores top marks for family fun. Enjoy miles of smiles on kid-approved routes. Discover ancient hill towns and climb a medieval tower (fueled by gelato, of course!). Chianti tasting for the adults. Hands-on pizza making for the younger set. Your perfect family adventure... in Tuscany!
Day 1 Bike family-friendly routes past cypress trees, vineyards, grazing sheep and stone farmhouses | Savor the taste of Tuscany at an agriturismo (country retreat and working farm) | Spin through the picturesque countryside of the Val di Chiana.
Day 2 Visit the hilltop town of Montepulciano and wander the medieval streets | After lunch at a local café, kids take to a high ropes course, while adults spin their way through the picturesque Montepulciano countryside | In the evening, savor truffles, pasta and gelato
Day 3 Pedal your way through the Umbrian valleys to the crested town of Castiglione del Lago, with views of the countryside and Lake Trasimeno | Kids enjoy some time lakeside while the grown-ups spin along the rolling terrain to Cortona's Etruscan ruins.
Day 4 Spin along the Strada dei Castelli (Road of the Castles) to Radda in Chianti, known today as a major center for Chianti Classico wine production | Adults taste regional wines and dine at a trattoria, while the budding chefs put together a well-rounded meal—pizza and biscotti!
Days 5-6 Visit Badia a Coltibuono (Abbey of the Good Harvest), a private estate producing its own olive oil and honey | Wonderful vistas abound during a ride through the heart of Chianti | Explore ridgetop Castellina, an ancient village with a unique arcaded passageway and hit the shops and gelaterie in town.
I think the thing that really stood out was the amazing people you hire as guides. I feel like we must have gotten the 3 best ever. These 3 worked so well together, had great chemistry, were lots of fun and incredibly helpful. We all fell in love with them. My 12 year old son said to me after the trip - "can you imagine how great it would be if they were our cousins". He's right, it would be great. Thank you for a truly unforgettable trip.- Corte Madera, CA
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Accommodations may vary based on departure date. Any difference from what is listed below can be found by clicking on your desired date on the Dates & Prices tab.
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Originally a 12th-century residence, this hotel is depicted in a Leonardo da Vinci painting. (pool)
Once a country villa, this hotel offers spectacular views of Cortona's medieval skyline. (pool)
Travel back in time at this country hotel, housed in an antique mill dating from the 15th century. (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 Bike Tour � Teens & Younger Siblings:
I think the thing that really stood out was the amazing people you hire as guides. I feel like we must have gotten the 3 best ever. These 3 worked so well together, had great chemistry, were lots of fun and incredibly helpful. We all fell in love with them. My 12 year old son said to me after the trip - "can you imagine how great it would be if they were our cousins". He's right, it would be great. Thank you for a truly unforgettable trip.
Comments about Tuscany Family Bike Tour � Teens & Younger Siblings:
This was a fabulous trip for my daughter and I. We trained for it like we were going to the Olympics. All of our expectations were met -- actually, exceeded. Traveling with Backroads was a completely liberating experience. Now, several years later, we are hoping to book another great adventure. Perhaps, hiking the Amalfi Coast.
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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 | 11* | 400 | 19 | 1000 | ||||||
| 2 | 10* | 1200 | 25* | 1800 | 37 | 2300 | ||||
| Kids: High Ropes Course & Rock Climbing Activity (2 Hours) | ||||||||||
| 3 | 15* | 800 | 27* | 1300 | 44 | 2000 | ||||
| Kids: Activities at Lake Trasimeno (2 Hours) | ||||||||||
| 4 | 17* | 1600 | 30 | 2900 | 55 | 5400 | ||||
| Kids: Pizza & Biscotti Making | ||||||||||
| 5 | 19* | 1900 | 31* | 3000 | 45 | 3100 | ||||
| 24* | 2000 | |||||||||
| 6 | 6 | 700 | ||||||||
Note: This region is known for its rolling terrain and hilltop towns. We'll flatten some of the hills by incorporting liberal van shuttling into the itinerary, and the mileage is moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.
* 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.
After a quarter-century of biking in Italy, we've explored every corner of its rich culture, history and cuisine, selecting the best experiences to weave into our trips. We've also pioneered family biking in regions where finding the ideal balance of activities and interests is tricky. In Tuscany our family guests tell us we've got it right: you benefit from all that passionate research and planning – and can expect a warm welcome from our local friends everywhere you ride.
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Tuscany, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
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.
When everyone's together, there's lots going on; and when kids' and adults' priorities diverge, it can seem like two different trips. That's why our Family Adventures in Tuscany have three Trip Leaders—including a dedicated Kids Activity Expert who regularly takes younger travelers off to do their own thing. Other companies try to get by with two leaders; we step up and do it right. For more on our family focus, check this out.
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.
Guests rave about our picnic spreads. Enjoy a welcome break in a scenic spot, or a quick refuel stop if you don't want to lose momentum. And because we have two vans, one can host lunch while the other is out providing support along the route.
It may be hard to imagine being on a family trip with no other families on it—but it happens regularly with some companies. On a Backroads Family Adventure there are typically several families on each departure, creating more opportunities for your kids to make new friends as they try fun things together – which is a big part of the experience.
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.
In addition to the ideal balance of comfort and hospitality in our choice of lodgings, this trip featuring Casual Hotels 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.
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.
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.
The activities on Backroads Family Adventures are designed with all of you in mind. We've got easier routes designed for younger kids' abilities – and attention spans—and great longer options scaled to fit the tastes and energy levels of tweens, teens and adults. To narrow down the best choices for your family, take a look at our age guidelines.
At Backroads we've honed our expertise in active family travel over many years and a lot of trips. We host at least 20 times more family guests than any other active company, so we're constantly gaining new insights that make our trips even better. Detailed planning, behind-the scenes logistics, unrivaled support from three Trip Leaders—all backed by a team that proudly creates the kind of experiences we'd want to share with our own families.
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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 the selection of dates below for your group; some dates are only available for 16 or more guests while other dates are available for 8 or more guests. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you. Call or email us to reserve your date.
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
