Tour Highlights:
- A week of perfect cycle touring beside the blissful Mediterranean
- Choose from guided or self-guided options to suit you best
- Flexible tour lengths from 5 to 12 days
- Explore the ancient city of Ephesus
- Cycle the Bozburun peninsula with it’s beautiful coves and villages
- Discovering little known beaches on the Dilek Peninsula
- Dalyan’s protected turtle beach and unique fresh water lagoon
- Lake Bafa National Park and it’s unique rock formations
- Get away from it all in the remote wilderness of Latmos Mountains
Tour Details:
This road cycling tour takes to a network of backroads that link mountainous olive groves with paradise beaches and rugged coastal peninsulas. It is a chance to experience the true beauty and character of Turkey’s less-developed seaside areas, far away from the hustle bustle of modern life. The tour follows a relatively hilly pathway through a patchwork of sights, sounds and tastes, and enjoy a relaxing yet challenging tour in a setting of natural wonder. We use small, boutique hotels in wonderful locations, and eat delicious food in authentic restaurants. Much more than a cycling holiday, this is a true experience of Aegean life and you will go home healthy and happy.
The guided tours and many of the supported self-guided programmes are led by a local professional cycling guide with excellent English and an encyclopedic knowledge of the area. Not only will you learn a great deal and enjoy his warm, calm and well humoured company, but he will ensure that dining experiences are perfectly tailored to your tastes and you will relish the fresh, healthy food that (when done properly) makes the Aegean kitchen so special. Food is definitely a highlight of this tour!
Self guided options tours let you explore Turkey by bike at your own speed, leaving plenty of time for sightseeing, time on the beach, or lazy mornings by the hotel pool… A full route map, tour itinerary and GPS files will be supplied, so navigation is easy too! Self-guided and private groups can request a longer or shorter itinerary if required!
Click here to view the Full Itinerary.
Tour Options:
You can choose from options that let you choose the tour format that suits you best:
1: Guided Group Departures
By riding with one of our professional guides you will not only learn so much about the places you ride through, but enjoy the company and companionship that social cycling provides. These tours run on fixed dates throughout the year and are open to single riders willing to share a twin room with no single supplement. All guides speak English fluently and have extensive cycling experience in the region. These tours include all meals at excellent and well-chosen restaurants. The group size is between 6 and 12 although smaller groups and bespoke guided tours are available on request.
2: Fully Supported Self-Guided
This new option puts one of our professional biking guides in the driving seat of your support vehicle. It’s the best way to enjoy the support and assistance that a fully guided tour provides but gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace and make your own choices. Not only will your baggage be transported from hotel to hotel but you will enjoy full technical support and route assistance at every stage- just like having a driver and a guide in one. This option includes evening meals but lunches are extra. Please ask for prices for groups larger than 2 Pax as the quoted rate is based on 2 people sharing a support car and driver / guide and larger parties will always cost less. Dates tailored to your preference and departures are available throughout the year.
3: Self-Guided
For those who prefer the freedom and value that self-guided tours offer, this is the best option. Your baggage will be transported from hotel to hotel, and you will still have a support car and driver following you (out of sight) along the route. But with this option your driver may not speak much English, and certainly won’t have the skills or knowledge of an expert guide. These tours are bed and breakfast only, leaving you free to make your own meal arrangements. We can add a half board supplement if you prefer, and all hotels are able to produce excellent meals. Please ask for prices larger than 2 Pax as the quoted rate is based on 2 people sharing a support car and driver.Dates tailored to your preference and departures are available throughout the year.
Click here to view the Full Itinerary.
Practical Details:
The Aegean coast is substantially less developed than the Mediterranean and is perhaps the best place to take a road biking holiday in Turkey. The absence of a major coastal highway, combined with a maritime geography of wooded peninsulas, inlets and islands and a blissful climate makes this a perfectly idyllic and intriguing area. Average daily distance is 80km but the route is quite hilly in places and this can represent a good challenge for any cyclist.
The weather is generally fine, beaches are superb, roads are good, and the quality of restaurants and accommodation excellent. The tour is possible at any time of the year but best between April and June, and September and November to avoid the summer heat.
Fly into Izmir and back from Dalaman international airports where a host of affordable flight options are available. Many people enjoy a stopover in Istanbul for 2-4 days either on the outward or return leg. It’s also possible to return to Izmir at the end of the tour or transfer from Dalaman at the beginning- we can arrange an extra one-way transfer.
Price (per person):
Prices are based on the standard tour length of 8 days, but shorter or longer itineraries are also possible. There are 3 options available:
Including all meals and snacks.
Minimum Group size: 6
Maximum Group size: 12
Includes 7 evening meals at top quality restaurants and English speaking professional guide / fixer / driver, at your disposal 24/7.
Price does not include:
Flights. Alcoholic and soft drinks available at camps or Restaurants, drinks and extras at optional cafe stops and entrance fees to historical sites and museums. Tips for guides and driver.
Options:
Single Supplement: 390 Euro.
Bike Rental (Trek FX hybrid road / sport bikes): 300 Euros
Road Bike Rental (High quality road bikes with alu or carbon frames. Price depending on availability): 250-500 Euros
eBike Rental (Trek Powerfly): 480 Euros
2023 Guided Dates:
10 – 17 April
21 – 28 October
Self-guided tours are available year round but best in spring and autumn
Tour Length:
8 days / 7 nights
Start / finish point:
Izmir / Dalaman
Grade:
3-4: Some hilly sections but nearby car support makes it suitable for most riders.
Features:
7 days multi centre road bike touring. Some sections with poor quality tarmac. Very little traffic. Easy version available. Our personal favourite road biking tour!
Equipment advice:
A road or lightweight touring bike plus proper cycling clothing, shoes and pedals is recommended for this tour although many people prefer a flat handlebar MTB / hybrid.
