| For people who like active holidays, bike tours | | | | welcome, real ale and hearty local food awaits |
| offer a great way to immerse yourself in an area. | | | | you after a long day in the saddle. |
| On a cycling tour, every day is different as you | | | | See Venice by bike |
| peddle through changing landscapes and stop at | | | | The enthusiastic modern art collector Peggy |
| points of interest along the way. They appeal to | | | | Guggenheim once wrote of Venice "Venice is not |
| many people as a way to explore a region, soak | | | | only a city of fantasy and freedom. It is also a |
| up the culture and sample the local cuisine. | | | | city of joy and pleasure" and you can experience |
| If you are thinking of taking a cycling holiday in | | | | this first-hand on a Venice cycling tour. |
| 2010, here are a few excellent suggestions for | | | | Cycling holidays in Venice and Venetia are ideal for |
| tours that will refresh and inspire you. | | | | couples that like active holidays. Surrounded by |
| Cycle around Suffolk's heritage coast | | | | historic architecture, a maze of canals, antique |
| There are few stretches of coastline in the UK | | | | markets and beautiful gardens Venice is the ideal |
| that are as unspoilt as those in Suffolk. Compared | | | | city for a romantic break that you will remember |
| to other parts of the country, Suffolk's shoreline | | | | forever. A great place to start is Mestre, just |
| is relatively undeveloped and home instead to | | | | outside of Venice, where you can take a short |
| stony beaches, crumbling cliffs, crashing waves | | | | cruise on the Grand Canal by "vaporetto" or |
| and wide-open skies. | | | | waterbus. Venice is then just a short cycle away |
| Bike tours in Suffolk are ideal for those looking | | | | across the Freedom Bridge. |
| for a gentle cycling holiday. With mostly flat | | | | Highlights of the city include San Marco, a square |
| terrain and plenty of off-road cycling paths it is a | | | | at the centre of the city, which attracts millions |
| good holiday choice for the occasional cyclist. | | | | of tourists every year and the Ponte di Rialto - a |
| Cycling holidays on the Suffolk coast will appeal to | | | | bridge in the commercial heart of the city. Around |
| those who appreciate a quiet pace of life, country | | | | this bridge you will find vendors selling souvenirs, a |
| pubs and the restorative effects of sea air. | | | | famous fruit and vegetable market, the city's |
| Highlights of the area include a visit to Southwold | | | | oldest church and the Gallery of Modern Art. |
| where the Adnams beer is brewed; the concert | | | | There is plenty to see in the wider area too. |
| hall at Snape, which is world famous for its | | | | Cycle to Abano Terme for a relaxing thermal |
| classical performances and art exhibitions and the | | | | bath or explore the ancient city of Padua by bike, |
| fish and chips at Dunwich - served up in a hut | | | | the setting for Shakespeare's The Taming Of The |
| next to the beach. | | | | Shrew. There is so much to see in this region and |
| Enjoy relatively flat biking in Norfolk | | | | combined with warm sunshine, gentle cycling and |
| Norfolk is famous for being flat, but this does not | | | | delicious Italian cuisine, it will provide the ideal |
| mean it is boring. Consisting primarily of arable | | | | break to recharge your batteries and spend some |
| land, cycling tours of Norfolk take in wonderfully | | | | time with loved ones. |
| peaceful countryside, quaint old villages and | | | | Cycle through breathtaking scenery in Austria |
| bustling market towns along the way. | | | | Any cycling trip in Austria would be incomplete |
| The Norfolk coastline is also a must-see. Offering | | | | without the inclusion of at least part of the River |
| some 90 miles of the most beautiful scenery and | | | | Danube. A route from Passau to Vienna (another |
| beaches to be found anywhere in the British Isles, | | | | of Shakespeare's favourites) will take in some of |
| it stretches right round from The Wash to the old | | | | the most beautiful scenery to be found in this |
| harbour town of Lowestoft. | | | | part of the world. Hotels in the area are varied in |
| The ancient Peddars Way from the Brecks to the | | | | quality, offering 2 to 4 star accommodation. |
| north Norfolk coast crosses heath lands that are | | | | A cycling tour of the Salzkammergut or Austrian |
| full of wild life. Much of the route passes through | | | | Lake District seems an unlikely destination for a |
| an area of outstanding natural beauty and thanks | | | | gentle and relaxing cycling holiday, since it is a |
| to the gentle gradients of the area the cycleway | | | | naturally mountainous region. However you can |
| is perfect for cyclists of all ages and abilities. | | | | take the strain out of cycling in the area, by |
| Follow quiet lanes just inland from the coast and | | | | including a number of journeys by boat or train. |
| around every corner you will see yet more | | | | This will enable you to relax and enjoy the |
| breathtaking scenery. | | | | breathtaking views, rather than have your breath |
| The north Norfolk coast plays host to an | | | | taken away through the demands of cycling |
| abundance of resident and migratory bird life and | | | | exertion. The historic and quite beautiful city of |
| the seal sanctuary at Blakeney Point is home to | | | | Salzberg, once home to the composer W A |
| one of the largest colonies on the east coast. Also | | | | Mozart, is well worth a visit and there is a wide |
| in this area, not far from Burnham Market is | | | | range of accommodation on offer here to cater |
| Burnham Thorpe, the birthplace of Lord Nelson. | | | | for all budgets. |
| Here you will the Lord Nelson pub, where a warm | | | | |