EuroVelo, the European cycle route network, is a venture by European Cyclists’ Federation with a goal to develop 12 long-distance cycling routes through Europe.
Have you ever thought about crossing Europe by bicycle?
Total lenght is 60,000 km, of which about 45,000 km are already in place. These routs span thousands of kilometers, from Norway’s North Cape to Sicily, from Moscow to Galway in Ireland, from London to Rome… The best thing about it is that you are planning your stage, you decide where you want to go, how many kilometers you want to pass and adjust it you your desires and tastes. Being on the road brings people closer together; everyone decided to take a cycling trip for a different reason. And you can meet people along the way, on certain parts of routes you travel.
However, you might think that those routes are only for people that are very fit and in a terrific shape. Which 
is not true because they are not made in a way to be only a sports activity. You choose you rhythm, stages. And most importantly, EuroVelo doesn’t have a goal to build tracks for cyclists but for people who cycle. Tourism is already seriously developing itself around this concept. All of the towns along routes are opening special stores for cyclist and even hotels focus around these types of tourists. Austria is an example that stands out with 40 “Bike Hotels” that provide repair tools, bicycle storage, special meals and detailed weather information; as well as, very well known, Switzerland with over 100 velotels.
For a route to be part of EuroVelo must have:
- have no gradient above 6%
- be wide enough for 2 cyclists
- have an average of no more than 1,000 motorised vehicles a day
- be sealed for 80% of it’s lenght
- be open for 365 day a year, have provision points every 30 km, accommodation every 50 km, and public transport every 150 km
While travelling, a great thing is to keep a journal. You can stop at any point to take a photo or to record your adventures. Change direction, these trips are an expression of your personality; imagine all the scenery and places you would cross through. Both inhabited and uninhabited. You will continue to enjoy it all for a long, long time after your return home.
Bicycle travel is not a new trend, it started becoming popular at the end of the 90s in Europe. There are now hundreds of thousands of tourists travelling on bicycles every year. If you’re looking for new ways of travel, new experiencs, look into it…you never know, you just might be the next person riding your bike on the Mediterranean route…
Stella – European Travelling Advisor
How can I get this map, or details of a route that I am interested in?
Planning a trip in June starting in Austria or Germany, across France and ending in Spain.
thanks
Hi Matt,
you can go to their official site for more information ( http://www.eurovelo6.org/ )
and you can buy the map on amazon.co.uk ( here is a direct link…
http://www.amazon.co.uk/EuroVelo-european-cycle-route-networ/dp/3936990409/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233144690&sr=1-1 )
No problem!
Stella – European Travelling Advisor
What a good idea and what a pity they decided to hide the map so that access is barriered by £12 or so. I know it is not a lot of money but the point is that effectively it seals off the knowledge from part of the population (including those memebers of EU who funded it in the first place)
Hi Bill,
I agree in some part, countries that are included in Eurovelo should provide maps for people who are interested by sponsoring. In the end, if they are all trying to promote their country as a tourist destination, they are not too creative at this point. As far as I’m concerned, they should all more look up to bicycle tourism in Austria and Switzerland.
Thanks Bill for sharing your opinion, I appreciate it!
Stella – European Travelling Advisor
Hi.
I am thinking about cycling around europe for a year. Does anyone know how much it would roughly cost, or have any experience with this and give me any hints of places to go or avoid etc?
Regards Lauren
I now have the Euro Velo Map,and it gives me the general plan and direction for my trip.
Still, I will need more detailed maps that include such information as locations of Campgrounds, hostels etc. I currently have ADFC regional maps along the Danube that provide such details, but am unaware of any for France or Spain.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
I did the Euro Velo rivers route in May-Jun 2007. It was by far the best holiday I have ever had! I navigated by copies of car maps and bought a few maps along the way in France. It was not as well sign posted as the websites state. We did get lost a few times but its all part of the fun. In Switzerland, Germany and Austria the sign posts and trails are great. Solvakia part follows the river so its hard to get lost. We camped 38 out of 42 nights.. very cheap way to go and you get to mix with fellow travellers. We had a small camp stove and would have one meal in reserve in case the shops were all shut when we hit a town. You don’t need to plan your trip that closely and we never booked ahead, there is always somewhere to camp. Formulae 1 hotels we very cheap so we stayed in a few when it rained. They tend to be near big roads so away from the trails. The best days were when we would ride about 60-80ks, find a nice camp near a town, shower and then explore the town without the luggage. We would visit a supermarket in the morning and buy something for breakfast and lunch (shops shut about 12-2pm in smaller towns). We broke 3 spokes, 8 punctures and went through 2 tyers. We took some old bikes and left them in Hungry after we finished the trip rather than worry about packing them up. Next time I would bring spare spokes and a tool to get back cogs off.
Hi John,
wow, that’s sounds like you had quite and adventure on your trip. That’s great, I love it. Thanks for sharing valuable information and your story with us. I appreciate it very much!
Stella – European Travelling Advisor