Bicycle trips
Italy
On this trip, you cycle along the historic road Via Francigena, through Tuscany. The route visits several well-known historic towns such as San Gimignano and Monteriggioni, as well as lesser-known but even more charming villages like San Miniato and Colle val d’Elsa.
The route we have mapped out goes through a varied and beautiful landscape; from the plains of the medieval town of Lucca to the more hilly slopes of Val d’Elsa.
The trip itself starts in Lucca (UNESCO). From there, you cycle along hills and vineyards, past thousand-year-old parish churches, and visit several beautiful towns and places before ending your trip in Siena. A journey that takes you through local history, culture, and among picturesque surroundings along the ancient pilgrimage route Via Francigena in Tuscany.
You cycle the route on your own without a guide, navigating easily with the help of an app you download, which constantly shows you where you are and where you need to go.
The daily stages are approx. 47 – 51 km and go slightly off the beaten track. Both on asphalt and gravel roads, as well as on roads with limited traffic. The landscape is hilly, without any major uphill or downhill slopes.
Your luggage is transported from hotel to hotel, so you do not need to carry luggage on your bike.
There is no guide on this trip. You navigate yourself using an app that constantly shows where you are and where you are going. You will receive a thorough briefing from a local, English-speaking partner upon arrival at the hotel / on the morning of the first cycling day.
The bikes will be delivered to the hotel in Lucca and picked up from the last hotel in Siena.
When registering, you choose which type of bike you wish to rent (additional cost). You can choose between good hybrid bikes with straight handlebars and a luggage rack, or e-hybrid bikes. All bikes are of a high standard and a recent model.
This is "holiday cycling" at its very best. An adventure tour in a fantastically beautiful landscape, and through cozy towns. On this trip, the experiences along the way will be just as important as the cycling itself.
As mentioned, the daily stages are between 47 – 51 km per day, so you don't need extensive cycling preparation. Anyone in normal physical shape, and with good health, can enjoy this trip.
If you are unsure of your fitness level, an e-bike is a very good alternative. Nevertheless, it is always a good idea to prepare a little ahead of such trips, preferably with some slightly longer bike rides. The experience is usually a bit better if the body is used to several consecutive hours in the saddle.
Several of our clients often choose to extend their visit with a few extra days. Please contact us if this is something you would like.
Flight tickets are not included; you book these on your own, preferably to Pisa or Florence. Norwegian flies direct between Pisa and Oslo every Tuesday and Saturday. SAS flies to Florence with a layover in Copenhagen.
From Pisa airport, you can easily take the train further to Lucca (approx. 20 min).
The daily stages are approx. 47 – 51 km and go slightly off the beaten track. Both on asphalt and gravel roads, as well as on roads with limited traffic. The landscape is hilly, without any major uphill or downhill slopes.
Your luggage is transported from hotel to hotel, so you do not need to carry luggage on your bike.
There is no guide on this trip. You navigate yourself using an app that constantly shows where you are and where you are going. You will receive a thorough briefing from a local, English-speaking partner upon arrival at the hotel / on the morning of the first cycling day.
The bikes will be delivered to the hotel in Lucca and picked up from the last hotel in Siena.
When registering, you choose which type of bike you wish to rent (additional cost). You can choose between good hybrid bikes with straight handlebars and a luggage rack, or e-hybrid bikes. All bikes are of a high standard and a recent model.
This is "holiday cycling" at its very best. An adventure tour in a fantastically beautiful landscape, and through cozy towns. On this trip, the experiences along the way will be just as important as the cycling itself.
As mentioned, the daily stages are between 47 – 51 km per day, so you don't need extensive cycling preparation. Anyone in normal physical shape, and with good health, can enjoy this trip.
If you are unsure of your fitness level, an e-bike is a very good alternative. Nevertheless, it is always a good idea to prepare a little ahead of such trips, preferably with some slightly longer bike rides. The experience is usually a bit better if the body is used to several consecutive hours in the saddle.
Several of our clients often choose to extend their visit with a few extra days. Please contact us if this is something you would like.
Flight tickets are not included; you book these on your own, preferably to Pisa or Florence. Norwegian flies direct between Pisa and Oslo every Tuesday and Saturday. SAS flies to Florence with a layover in Copenhagen.
From Pisa airport, you can easily take the train further to Lucca (approx. 20 min).
The exciting and beautiful landscape of Tuscany
The Italian, local food & wine
The charming medieval towns you see along the way
The cozy stops along the route. Coffee and gelato are a must
The local history in the towns / areas you cycle in
Apr – Oct, optional date
The daily program is ongoing/tentative, changes may occur. Expa Travel AS reserves the right to make changes in the event of any typographical errors or price/currency changes.
The daily program is ongoing/tentative, changes may occur. Expa Travel AS reserves the right to make changes in the event of any typographical errors or price/currency changes.
The tour starts in beautiful Lucca, a great, small town with a charming old town center. Surrounded by a completely intact ring wall, nearly 2000 years old. We highly recommend taking a long walk on top of the wall!, which surrounds the entire city. Lucca has many cozy alleys, small shops, ice cream parlors, and piazzas with restaurants and cafes.
An easy and flat stage that leads you from beautiful Lucca to the old town of Altopascio, and further through Badia di Pozzeveri, where pilgrims often stopped to rest and pray. In Altopascio, do not miss the local bread. Enjoy it gladly at the foot of the Torre Campanaria, where the bell, together with a fire lit on the terrace, used to guide pilgrims towards the town when darkness fell.
When you leave Altopascio, you will cycle along a magnificent stretch of the original cobbled Via Francigena before crossing the Arno River and continuing towards today's final destination, San Miniato.
A slightly more demanding stage, an incredibly beautiful nature awaits you! From San Miniato it goes downhill through Val d’Elsa to later climb up again towards Gambassi Terme. In Pieve di Chianni you have the opportunity to enjoy a healthy bath in the hot springs.
From here you continue the trip through beautiful surroundings to San Gimignano, in our opinion one of the most beautiful towns along the Via Francigena. You will get a foretaste of the arrival as you see the famous towers that make up the town's well-known silhouette.
Don't miss the view of this medieval town and the surrounding countryside – it is best seen from the top of Torre Grossa. Or even better: climb the stairs to Rocca di Montestaffoli, where you get an EVEN MORE fantastic view.
From San Gimignano you will continue through a fantastic landscape, over the Tuscan hills, to Colle Val d’Elsa. A village that quickly gives you a feeling of the past with its charming, old center, with narrow alleys and old stone houses.
Perhaps this is the most beautiful part of the Via Francigena. The silence of Pieve di Strove where the magnificent Abbadia a Isola is located (impressive monastery).
It will be a mighty sight as you approach the castle of Monteriggioni, which, with its crown of towers, is built on a hill as a defense against the old republic of Siena. Don't miss the walk along the walls where you can admire the surrounding landscape before continuing towards Siena. You cycle on through Porta Camollia, the classic Francigena entrance to the old town right in the center. Siena is truly a great city. Many cozy restaurants for a pleasant farewell dinner.
The journey has come to an end, it is time for the return home.
Expa Travel AS reserves the right to content typographical errors and currency/price changes. The program is preliminary, changes may occur.
The tour starts in beautiful Lucca, a great, small town with a charming old town center. Surrounded by a completely intact ring wall, nearly 2000 years old. We highly recommend taking a long walk on top of the wall!, which surrounds the entire city. Lucca has many cozy alleys, small shops, ice cream parlors, and piazzas with restaurants and cafes.
An easy and flat stage that leads you from beautiful Lucca to the old town of Altopascio, and further through Badia di Pozzeveri, where pilgrims often stopped to rest and pray. In Altopascio, do not miss the local bread. Enjoy it gladly at the foot of the Torre Campanaria, where the bell, together with a fire lit on the terrace, used to guide pilgrims towards the town when darkness fell.
When you leave Altopascio, you will cycle along a magnificent stretch of the original cobbled Via Francigena before crossing the Arno River and continuing towards today's final destination, San Miniato.
A slightly more demanding stage, an incredibly beautiful nature awaits you! From San Miniato it goes downhill through Val d’Elsa to later climb up again towards Gambassi Terme. In Pieve di Chianni you have the opportunity to enjoy a healthy bath in the hot springs.
From here you continue the trip through beautiful surroundings to San Gimignano, in our opinion one of the most beautiful towns along the Via Francigena. You will get a foretaste of the arrival as you see the famous towers that make up the town's well-known silhouette.
Don't miss the view of this medieval town and the surrounding countryside – it is best seen from the top of Torre Grossa. Or even better: climb the stairs to Rocca di Montestaffoli, where you get an EVEN MORE fantastic view.
From San Gimignano you will continue through a fantastic landscape, over the Tuscan hills, to Colle Val d’Elsa. A village that quickly gives you a feeling of the past with its charming, old center, with narrow alleys and old stone houses.
Perhaps this is the most beautiful part of the Via Francigena. The silence of Pieve di Strove where the magnificent Abbadia a Isola is located (impressive monastery).
It will be a mighty sight as you approach the castle of Monteriggioni, which, with its crown of towers, is built on a hill as a defense against the old republic of Siena. Don't miss the walk along the walls where you can admire the surrounding landscape before continuing towards Siena. You cycle on through Porta Camollia, the classic Francigena entrance to the old town right in the center. Siena is truly a great city. Many cozy restaurants for a pleasant farewell dinner.
The journey has come to an end, it is time for the return home.
Expa Travel AS reserves the right to content typographical errors and currency/price changes. The program is preliminary, changes may occur.
The tour starts in beautiful Lucca, a great, small town with a charming old town center. Surrounded by a completely intact ring wall, nearly 2000 years old. We highly recommend taking a long walk on top of the wall!, which surrounds the entire city. Lucca has many cozy alleys, small shops, ice cream parlors, and piazzas with restaurants and cafes.
An easy and flat stage that leads you from beautiful Lucca to the old town of Altopascio, and further through Badia di Pozzeveri, where pilgrims often stopped to rest and pray. In Altopascio, do not miss the local bread. Enjoy it gladly at the foot of the Torre Campanaria, where the bell, together with a fire lit on the terrace, used to guide pilgrims towards the town when darkness fell.
When you leave Altopascio, you will cycle along a magnificent stretch of the original cobbled Via Francigena before crossing the Arno River and continuing towards today's final destination, San Miniato.
A slightly more demanding stage, an incredibly beautiful nature awaits you! From San Miniato it goes downhill through Val d’Elsa to later climb up again towards Gambassi Terme. In Pieve di Chianni you have the opportunity to enjoy a healthy bath in the hot springs.
From here you continue the trip through beautiful surroundings to San Gimignano, in our opinion one of the most beautiful towns along the Via Francigena. You will get a foretaste of the arrival as you see the famous towers that make up the town's well-known silhouette.
Don't miss the view of this medieval town and the surrounding countryside – it is best seen from the top of Torre Grossa. Or even better: climb the stairs to Rocca di Montestaffoli, where you get an EVEN MORE fantastic view.
From San Gimignano you will continue through a fantastic landscape, over the Tuscan hills, to Colle Val d’Elsa. A village that quickly gives you a feeling of the past with its charming, old center, with narrow alleys and old stone houses.
Perhaps this is the most beautiful part of the Via Francigena. The silence of Pieve di Strove where the magnificent Abbadia a Isola is located (impressive monastery).
It will be a mighty sight as you approach the castle of Monteriggioni, which, with its crown of towers, is built on a hill as a defense against the old republic of Siena. Don't miss the walk along the walls where you can admire the surrounding landscape before continuing towards Siena. You cycle on through Porta Camollia, the classic Francigena entrance to the old town right in the center. Siena is truly a great city. Many cozy restaurants for a pleasant farewell dinner.
The journey has come to an end, it is time for the return home.
Expa Travel AS reserves the right to content typographical errors and currency/price changes. The program is preliminary, changes may occur.
This is a self-guided tour. We at Expa Travel have planned the routes for you, and using GPS as a tool, you cycle / walk / drive the stages at your own pace.
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This is only a recommendation – feel free to borrow gear from friends or use what you already have. Look at the list as a starting point, and adapt it to your needs and what you feel you will need on the trip.
This is only a recommendation – feel free to borrow gear from friends or use what you already have. Look at the list as a starting point, and adapt it to your needs and what you feel you will need on the trip.
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