New for 2020, Freewheel Holidays Adds E-Bike Option on All Tours and 11 New Itineraries

Details

Released on Monday, 06 January 2020 10:01

MANCHESTER, UK, Jan. 6, 2020– The UK-based company that has put self-guided bicycle tours of Europe on the map offers for 2020 E-Bike options on all of its tours. Some trips now come with price point options on lodging for additional affordability. Plus, 11 new itineraries will be launching in the New Year.

By adding E-Bike options for all tours, Freewheel Holidays levels the playing field for clients less conversant with touring on two wheels and for those finding traditional bikes too strenuous for long hauls. For details on E-Bikes please see (https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/e-bike-cycling-holidays). Also new to many tours is the choice of renting a hybrid bike with a sporty riding position.

The optional price point program allows flexibility as regards how much an adventure will cost. Now clients can choose among several levels of lodging along a route. The guarantee: when a trip is booked, if clients find a similar trip for less money, Freewheel Holidays will match the lower price.

Freewheel Holidays’ itineraries focus on colorful histories and today’s newly energized and creative populations. These bespoke bicycle vacations involve leisure pedaling and immersive, on-own sightseeing. All include accommodations, breakfasts, briefings, route planning, applicable bus/train/boat and luggage transfers and more. Some but not all include bike rentals.

Freewheel Holidays over the years has evolved two-wheeled sightseeing options throughout Europe. The 11 new itineraries allow clients to imbibe additional cultural and scenic pleasantries with the advantages of having Freewheel Holidays behind the scenes making all the advance arrangements and on-trip behind-the-scene support. The new trips, priced in pounds per person, double, include:  

·        Around Flanders: 8 days from  £819  https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/belgian-beer-trail

·        Bike & Barge: Mainz to Strasbourg: 8 days from £1049  https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/mainz-to-strasbourg

·        Fjords around Bergen: 7 days from £1179  https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/fjords-around-bergen

·        Krakow and West Ukraine: 10 days from £919  https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/krakow-and-west-ukraine

·        Milan to Lake Como: 8 days from £949 https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/milan-to-lake-como

·        Nantes to La Rochelle: 8 days from £949 https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/nantes-to-la-rochelle

·        Nice and the Cote d’Azur: 8 days from £739 https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/nice%20and-cote-d-azur-cycling-holiday

·        Seville to Cadiz: 7 days from £1039 https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/seville-to-cadiz

·        Stockholm to Copenhagen: 8 days from £1049 https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/stockholm-to-copenhagen-cycling-holiday

·        Transylvania’s Heritage: 8 days from £799 https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/transylvanias-heritage-cycling-holiday

·        Land of the Conquistadors: 7 days from £969 https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-spain/cycling-the-land-of-conquistadors

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.

About Freewheel Holidays

A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 100 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover, bike and boat, kick scooter and solo traveler holidays.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freewheelholidays/

Twitter:       @FreewheelHols

Facebook: www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Google+:   https://plus.google.com/+FreewheelholidaysCoUk

Website:    www.freewheelholidays.com

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Multi-Week, Self-Guided Biking Through Europe: “The Ultimate Cycle Tour” by Freewheel Holidays

Details

Released on Tuesday, 18 June 2019 11:30

MANCHESTER, UK, June 18, 2019– Freewheeling has taken on whole new meaning. A company that lives and breathes for bicycles is tempting independent-minded travelers to the fun and challenges of its new “Ultimate Cycling Holiday.”

This tour is offered as three self-guided cycling adventures, each comprised of several linking itineraries. Each guarantees a hefty dose of Europe for a commitment of 72, 74 or 83 days overall.  

The company behind the tour logistics is Freewheel Holidays, the UK-based bicycle touring company that has put self-guided bicycle tours of Europe on the map.

Product Manager Steven Rittey was inspired by the BBC series, “Race across the World,” when creating the possibility for the ultimate bike ride around Europe.

“Each of the three adventures is made up of several individual, stand-alone cycle tours that Freewheel Holidays sells on its website. Any of the three or all three together constitute the ultimate European cycling holiday for someone looking to live the dream without all of the planning. It might just be the greatest cycling holiday of all time,” Rittey underscored. The company specializes 4, 6, 7 and 10-night self-guided cycling escapes to European destinations including Austria, France, Holland, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Germany and Portugal. 

The beauty of this program is that all of the advance route planning and hotel accommodations are secured before cyclists embark on any of the three epic routes. Each cycling stage includes daily luggage transfers, hybrid bike hire, route notes and support as well as pre-booked hotels and directions. The three routes are:

• Portugal to Poland at a per person double rate from £7,131 for 72 days covering 2674km;
• Norway to Italy at a per person double rate from £9,100 for 74 days covering 3218km;
• Estonia to Santiago de Compostela in Spain at a per person double rate from £8,130 for 83 days covering 2890km.

Also advised are how and where vacationers can secure public transport to get to the next starting point. Freewheel Holidays has combined as many as 10 tours in a row to achieve a comprehensive view of Europe’s back roads, small towns, historical sites, culinary gems and urban highlights.

“If you were to plan this tour independently, then you would spend months and months carrying out research into the journey and planning out the best possible cycle route. All you need to do is tell Freewheel Holidays which routes you would like to do from the list of options and they will piece together the overall itinerary,” advised Rittey.

For more information, route and itinerary descriptions, please see: https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/the-ultimate-european-cycling-holiday

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.

About Freewheel Holidays

A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 40 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France, Italy and Prague to Vienna. The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover, bike and boat, kick scooter and solo traveler holidays.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freewheelholidays/

Twitter:       @FreewheelHols

Facebook: www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Google+:   https://plus.google.com/+FreewheelholidaysCoUk

Website:    www.freewheelholidays.com

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Freewheel Holidays, Leader in Self-Guided Cycling Vacations in Europe, Pioneers Kick Scooter Adventures

Details

Released on Wednesday, 15 May 2019 13:37

MANCHESTER, UK, May 15, 2019– Vacationing on two wheels takes on a whole new meaning. The European specialists of self-guided bicycle getaways, Freewheel Holidays, is pioneering the use of self-powered kick scooters for multi-day, self-guided holidays.

A brand-new Swifty Holidays program debuts this season on a seven-day Swifty Scooting around Lake Constance itinerary on the Bodensee-Radweg cycle path bordering Lake Constance (Bodensee). See: https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-austria/swifty-scooting-around-lake-constance

“This tour marks the first time that SwiftyZERO, non-motorized kick scooters have been used as the backbone of an organized vacation tour,” said Steven Rittey, company spokesperson.“This is already a popular route with cyclists who enjoy the mostly easy, traffic-free, asphalt-paved paths.”

Rittey pointed out that transport by kick scooter is a growing phenomenon on the streets of many European cities. “Scootering accomplishes a good physical workout and can be more crowd-friendly than bicycles. And because our scooters are non-motorized, they fall into the category of sustainable, environmentally-safe transportation.”

Rhine-fed Lake Constance, flanked by Switzerland, Germany and Austria, is a classic favorite for Europeans who rain or shine, imbibe fresh air and nature between rounds of sipping aperitifs and lakeside al fresco dining.

The itinerary takes in the holiday towns on the eastern shore of the Upper Lake (Obersee) on a journey averaging between 10 to 25 scooter miles daily at a speed of up to 12 miles per hour. Guests are advised to wear trainers, running or skateboarding shoes. Helmets are a personal preference. Fitness benefits include low to high-intensity cardio and low impact on joints.

This getaway is available at a per person rate that varies from £569 to £729 depending on the season. The program launched in mid-April and runs into early October. The rate includes a non-motorized, lightweight, aluminum-frame SwiftyZERO adult kick scooter; daily transfer of luggage to the next hotel; local support as required; a seven-day Service Hotline; route description with maps; nightly hotel accommodation (breakfasts included); boat trips and some sightseeing fees. These include entrance fees to Rosgarten Museum (art and culture); Pfahlbauten (lake dwelling museum) on piles in the lake, depicting Neolithic Stone Age and Bronze Age cultures; and the Sea Life Centre.

The gateway city is Zurich. The itinerary begins and ends in Konstanz. On the several boat excursions included in this vacation, guests view the Alps and countless lakeside villages. Enroute to the Bavarian town of Landau guests may visit a Zeppelin Museum and the Moorish-style Montfort Castle. In Landau visitors discover that the entire old town lies on an island. Its harbor is guarded by a six-meter-high lion. Farther on, Bergenz, Austria, is home to annual festival on the world's largest lake-stage.

The human-powered SwiftyZERO is a unique way to sightsee. The elegantly formed aluminum frame is lightweight (8.2kg) and strong (max load 150kg), transferring energy into speed. The big wheels, high-pressure tires and front and rear V-brakes give a fantastically secure and smooth ride across mixed terrain, in any weather.

For more information please see https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-austria/swifty-scooting-around-lake-constance.

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.

About Freewheel Holidays

A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 40 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France, Italy and Prague to Vienna. The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover, bike and boat, kick scooter and solo traveler holidays.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Instagram:     https://www.instagram.com/freewheelholidays/

Twitter:           @FreewheelHols

Facebook:     www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Google+:        https://plus.google.com/+FreewheelholidaysCoUk

Website:         www.freewheelholidays.com

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Freewheel Holidays Offers Self-Guided Bicycle Tours In Four Former Soviet-Bloc Countries

Details

Released on Wednesday, 10 April 2019 10:39

MANCHESTER, UK, April 10, 2019– Freewheel Holidays, the UK specialist in European self-guided cycling holidays, offers itineraries in four former Soviet-bloc countries: Romania, The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

Freewheel Holidays’ itineraries focus on colorful histories and today’s newly energized and creative populations that emerged in the early 1990s. These multi-day, bespoke bicycle vacations involve leisure pedaling and immersive, on-own sightseeing. All include accommodations, breakfasts, bike rentals, briefings, route planning and sightseeing suggestions, applicable bus/train and luggage transfers and more.

Romania

Bucharest, Romania, is gateway to Transylvania's Heritage that moves into the countryside, steeped in legend with castles, picturesque villages and Saxon fortifications overlaying Roman remains. In Transylvania, the legendary home of Dracula, cyclists may share routes with a horse and cart on rough paths where the map says “major thoroughfare.” This itinerary explores, among others,

• Ancient flour and woollen mills,
• Shepherds in the fields
• Flora and fauna in high-altitude parks,
• One of Europe’s most beautiful and intact medieval villages (Sibiu) dating to 12th century Saxon settlers,
• Rupea Citadel built on a 5500 BC archaeological site.

The per person double rate is from £789. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-romania

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic (Czechia) is a young country as of 1993 when a bloodless revolution divided the former Communist Czechoslovakia into The Czech Republic and Slovakia. Elbe Cycle Path: Prague to Dresden begins in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Prague. Icons here include:

• Karlsbrücke(Charles Bridge) over the Vltava (Moldau) River;
• Hradschin, the castle district with the world’s largest royal palace (9th century); 
• Old Town Square remarkable for its seemingly never disturbed medieval buildings.

Visitors may visit the Jewish Museum in Pinkas Synagogue with walls covered with heartbreaking drawings made by children of the Terezin (Theresienstadt) concentration camp from 1942-1944.

Cycling along the Moldau, guests arrive in Mělník where an imposing castle marks the wine-growing Central Bohemian region. Next up are Theresienstadtand the Paleolithic roots of 10th century Litoměřice with colourful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque facades. Cycling continues along River Elbe with fairy tale castles and the fortress "Königsstein" enroute to magical Dresden. The per person double rate is from £619. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-czech-republic

Prague is the gateway for Bike and Barge: Prague and The Elbe, new for 2019. A barge accommodates guests who hop on and off adjacent bicycle paths to explore, among others,

• A sumptuous landscape park,
• A Bohemian Renaissance castle,
• Composer Antonin Dvořák`s birthplace,
• The royal town of Litoměřice,
• Woods, wetlands and villages.

The per person double rate is from £759. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-czech-republic

Hungary

Freewheel Holiday’s Hungarian Nature and Spas, new for 2019, blends nature with a handful of the more than 400 hot springs and spas of thermal waters rich in minerals and trace elements. The gateway city is Budapest before transferring into the country for cycling around Lake Tisza (named for one of central Europe’s main rivers). Guests discover active thermal waters and a bird sanctuary before visiting a stud farm in a region known for Nonius, a breed favored by the Hungarian royal court. Guests may tour in a “Puszta-Taxi” (covered horse carriage) to view cattle, spiral-horned sheep and typical draw well (buckets on ropes lowered into the well). Guests ride into the largest continuous natural grassland of Central and Western Europe before reaching a community favored by hunters and by fans of open-air-spas and thermal baths. Before returning to Budapest is a visit to Hungary’s largest open-air thermal spa with 17 pools, swimming- wave- spring- and thermal pools. The per person double rate is from £619. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-hungary

Poland

Krakow and the Danajec Path utilizes cycle paths paralleling foaming rivers flanked by mountains. One ride is along River Dunajec, from the foot of the High Tatras to one of Poland’s most beautiful towns, Stary Sacz, and the neighbouring Nowy Sacz, which still evokes the Habsburg Empire. Krakow, the gateway city, is a UNESCO World Heritage site whose historic architecture was unscathed in World War II. Among its architectural treasures are

• St. Mary's Church with the world-famous altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss, whose sculptures straddle late Gothic to Northern Renaissance;
• The medieval buildings of Poland’s oldest university;
• Wawel Cathedral, an 11th century castle;
• Europe's largest medieval town square;
• Kazimierz, the former Jewish quarter;
• The promenade along the Vistula at the foot of Wawel Castle.

In the country cyclists ascend and descend past farm carts laden with hay. They’re introduced to old-world traditions of Gorale (locals) and sample œoscypek, a cheese of ewes. A cable car assists a cycle to a village that is an open-air museum of timbered architecture. Crossing into Slovakia guests imbibe the beauty of Dunajec River Gorge followed by Slivovitz (plum Bračdy brandy). The per person double rate is from £619. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-poland

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.

About Freewheel Holidays

A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 40 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France, Italy and Prague to Vienna.  The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover, bike and boat, and solo traveler holidays.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Twitter:           @FreewheelHols

Facebook:     www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Google+:        https://plus.google.com/+FreewheelholidaysCoUk

Website:         www.freewheelholidays.com

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Freewheel Holidays Offers Self-Guided Bicycle Tours In Four Former Soviet-Bloc Countries

Details

Released on Wednesday, 10 April 2019 10:39

MANCHESTER, UK, April 10, 2019– Freewheel Holidays, the UK specialist in European self-guided cycling holidays, offers itineraries in four former Soviet-bloc countries: Romania, The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

Freewheel Holidays’ itineraries focus on colorful histories and today’s newly energized and creative populations that emerged in the early 1990s. These multi-day, bespoke bicycle vacations involve leisure pedaling and immersive, on-own sightseeing. All include accommodations, breakfasts, bike rentals, briefings, route planning and sightseeing suggestions, applicable bus/train and luggage transfers and more.

Romania

Bucharest, Romania, is gateway to Transylvania's Heritage that moves into the countryside, steeped in legend with castles, picturesque villages and Saxon fortifications overlaying Roman remains. In Transylvania, the legendary home of Dracula, cyclists may share routes with a horse and cart on rough paths where the map says “major thoroughfare.” This itinerary explores, among others,

• Ancient flour and woollen mills,
• Shepherds in the fields
• Flora and fauna in high-altitude parks,
• One of Europe’s most beautiful and intact medieval villages (Sibiu) dating to 12th century Saxon settlers,
• Rupea Citadel built on a 5500 BC archaeological site.

The per person double rate is from £789. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-romania

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic (Czechia) is a young country as of 1993 when a bloodless revolution divided the former Communist Czechoslovakia into The Czech Republic and Slovakia. Elbe Cycle Path: Prague to Dresden begins in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Prague. Icons here include:

• Karlsbrücke(Charles Bridge) over the Vltava (Moldau) River;
• Hradschin, the castle district with the world’s largest royal palace (9th century); 
• Old Town Square remarkable for its seemingly never disturbed medieval buildings.

Visitors may visit the Jewish Museum in Pinkas Synagogue with walls covered with heartbreaking drawings made by children of the Terezin (Theresienstadt) concentration camp from 1942-1944.

Cycling along the Moldau, guests arrive in Mělník where an imposing castle marks the wine-growing Central Bohemian region. Next up are Theresienstadtand the Paleolithic roots of 10th century Litoměřice with colourful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque facades. Cycling continues along River Elbe with fairy tale castles and the fortress "Königsstein" enroute to magical Dresden. The per person double rate is from £619. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-czech-republic

Prague is the gateway for Bike and Barge: Prague and The Elbe, new for 2019. A barge accommodates guests who hop on and off adjacent bicycle paths to explore, among others,

• A sumptuous landscape park,
• A Bohemian Renaissance castle,
• Composer Antonin Dvořák`s birthplace,
• The royal town of Litoměřice,
• Woods, wetlands and villages.

The per person double rate is from £759. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-czech-republic

Hungary

Freewheel Holiday’s Hungarian Nature and Spas, new for 2019, blends nature with a handful of the more than 400 hot springs and spas of thermal waters rich in minerals and trace elements. The gateway city is Budapest before transferring into the country for cycling around Lake Tisza (named for one of central Europe’s main rivers). Guests discover active thermal waters and a bird sanctuary before visiting a stud farm in a region known for Nonius, a breed favored by the Hungarian royal court. Guests may tour in a “Puszta-Taxi” (covered horse carriage) to view cattle, spiral-horned sheep and typical draw well (buckets on ropes lowered into the well). Guests ride into the largest continuous natural grassland of Central and Western Europe before reaching a community favored by hunters and by fans of open-air-spas and thermal baths. Before returning to Budapest is a visit to Hungary’s largest open-air thermal spa with 17 pools, swimming- wave- spring- and thermal pools. The per person double rate is from £619. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-hungary

Poland

Krakow and the Danajec Path utilizes cycle paths paralleling foaming rivers flanked by mountains. One ride is along River Dunajec, from the foot of the High Tatras to one of Poland’s most beautiful towns, Stary Sacz, and the neighbouring Nowy Sacz, which still evokes the Habsburg Empire. Krakow, the gateway city, is a UNESCO World Heritage site whose historic architecture was unscathed in World War II. Among its architectural treasures are

• St. Mary's Church with the world-famous altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss, whose sculptures straddle late Gothic to Northern Renaissance;
• The medieval buildings of Poland’s oldest university;
• Wawel Cathedral, an 11th century castle;
• Europe's largest medieval town square;
• Kazimierz, the former Jewish quarter;
• The promenade along the Vistula at the foot of Wawel Castle.

In the country cyclists ascend and descend past farm carts laden with hay. They’re introduced to old-world traditions of Gorale (locals) and sample œoscypek, a cheese of ewes. A cable car assists a cycle to a village that is an open-air museum of timbered architecture. Crossing into Slovakia guests imbibe the beauty of Dunajec River Gorge followed by Slivovitz (plum Bračdy brandy). The per person double rate is from £619. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-poland

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.

About Freewheel Holidays

A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 40 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France, Italy and Prague to Vienna.  The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover, bike and boat, and solo traveler holidays.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Twitter:           @FreewheelHols

Facebook:     www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Google+:        https://plus.google.com/+FreewheelholidaysCoUk

Website:         www.freewheelholidays.com

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Freewheel Holidays Augments Must-See Icons on European Vacations with 20th Century “Ugly Tours”

Details

Released on Wednesday, 27 March 2019 11:14

MANCHESTER, UK, March 27, 2019– Every city has its icons. Think London’s Big Ben, silenced for repairs until 2021 as Brexit tolls away. Think the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile in Paris, a visiting driver’s nightmare. Think exploring Rome’s Sistine Chapel over Easter. Don’t.

A bicycle touring company in the UK, Freewheel Holidays, has created throughout Europe alternatives or add-ons to traditional must-sees on its self-guided cycle tours.

Leaving judgements of beauty to the eyes of beholders, Freewheel Holidays teasingly calls these “Ugly Tours.” For example, an alternative to selfie-hordes around Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid might be a visit to the futuristic National Aquarium of Denmark. Or how about stopping at Antwerp’s uber-modern Port House on a Belgian Beer Tour -- instead of a 17th century house named after yet another old master, Reubens?

“We’re keen to show there’s a very different kind of sightseeing – one of fascinating history and eye-catching architecture,” says Steven Rittey, company spokesperson.“These run the gamut from concrete brutes to dazzling modern buildings that delight and perplex in equal measure. You can visit and stop off at these buildings on selected European cycling holidays.”

He added that the ‘Ugly’ Tours aren’t meant to substitute for the tried and true icons; but they are meant to embellish centuries-old histories with 20th century overlays.  Following are samples of Freewheel Holiday itineraries with newly embedded “Ugly Tours” that suggest 21st century alternatives or add-ons to tried-and-true haunts.

Elbe (River) Cycle Path: Prague to Dresden is an eight-day, self-guided bicycle tour through Czechoslovakia and Germany that blends ancient fiefdoms and castles with the iconography of Eastern Europe, the Cold War and the former East Germany (DDR). For example, Prague’s Bata Department Store embraces a visionary and benevolent shoe manufacturer, a flight to Canada in World War II and use of the old-country shoe factory for Allied-driven arms manufacturing. Today there are over 5,000 Bata stores in more than 50 countries and the company still produces shoes – some 150 million pair annually.

Still in Prague and after traveling five stories underground, Nuclear Bunker Museum reveals Soviet-style paranoia. Think gas masks and Cold War paraphernalia. Then it may be time for a drink in Hotel Družba (now Hotel International), a show piece of Cold War architecture. An evening river stroll reveals “The Drunk House,” a building with a lilt and tilt conceived by, among other architects, Frank Gehry. The per person double rate is from £619. For details see https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-czech-republic/prague-dresden-elbe-cycle-path

Florence to Rome is an eight-day, self-guided bicycle tour through La Bella Italia that wasn’t always so beautiful. Think Mussolini and the era of Fascism. Architecture was important to Italy’s fascist government and the surviving buildings from this time are often striking, despite their tragic past.

In 1932 Santa Maria Novella Railway Station in Florence became a prime example of Italian modernism while Foro Italico – a sports complex - was built to host the Olympic Games of 1940 in Rome. Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome’s EUR (Esposizione Universale Roma) Quarter is one of Italy's best examples of fascist architecture. Mussolini planned to celebrate 20 years of power here in 1942. Near Florence San Giovanni Battista Church in 1960 sprang up on a motorway rest stop. More recently, in 2002 Auditorium Parco della Musicawas inaugurated in Rome to serve the music-loving public. The per person double rate is from £939. For details see https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-italy/florence-rome-cycling-holiday

Brussels to Bruges via Ghent is a seven-day, self-guided bicycle tour of Belgium. “Ugly Tour’ must-sees are Antomium, a building designed for the 1958 World’s Fair of Brussels as an iron crystal with five spheres used for public spaces and exhibit halls. At the top is a restaurant overlooking Brussels. The seat of the European Council is Europa building, shaped as a lantern, with an Art Deco exterior from the 1920s. When in Mechelen, “Ugly Tour” may draw cyclists to a brand-new conference and heritage center near a WWII concentration camp. Close to Bruges’s historic center is Concertgebouw (concert building) that opened in 2002 with great acoustics but its architecture drew mixed acclaim. The per person double rate is from £519. For details see https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-belgium/brussels-bruges-ghent-cycling-holiday

Additional itineraries, among many others, with “Ugly Tour” concentrations include:

• Innsbruck to Munich “Ugly Tour”highlights: Olympics, skiing, transportation, cable cars and a supermarket. https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-austria/innsbruck-to-munich
• Basel to Strasbourg “Ugly Tour” concentrations are a design museum, the EU Parliament and transportation. https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-france/basel-strasbourg-cycling-holiday
• Geneva to Lyon “Ugly Tour” focuses on transportation, science and concrete. https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-france/geneva-to-lyon

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.

About Freewheel Holidays

A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 40 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France, Italy and Prague to Vienna.  The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover, bike and boat, and solo traveler holidays.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Twitter:           @FreewheelHols

Facebook:     www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Google+:        https://plus.google.com/+FreewheelholidaysCoUk

Website:         www.freewheelholidays.com

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Freewheel Holidays Introduces Cyclists to Europe’s Island Cultures

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Released on Friday, 08 March 2019 08:59

MANCHESTER, UK, March 8, 2019– Two of summer’s pleasures are water and bicycles. The UK specialists in self-guided bicycle vacations articulate ways to combine water and bikes on European island itineraries.

Freewheel Holidays points out the advantages of cycling on islands:

• Islands are self-contained with lots to see in a defined area.
• They often have a beautiful coastline and uncrowded beaches.
• The history, culture and geography of an island differ from the mainland.
• Oftentimes islands are cooler than the nearby mainland.

Guests can experience island life on a bicycle in two ways. The first is to book a bicycle vacation that includes on-island accommodations and meals. Another experience combines islands and water on Bike & Boat itineraries that match a river cruise along Europe’s famous waterways with daily opportunities to bring a bike ashore to islands and the mainland for exploring.

Rates for programs that offer opportunities to cycle on islands include, among others,

• Accommodations with breakfast on land or on a boat,
• Bike hire,
• Luggage transfers between hotels (when applicable),
• Welcome meeting/call,
• Detailed route notes & maps,
• Emergency telephone assistance.

Netherlands

One example of Bike & Boat on islands is the eight-day Bike & Boat: Dutch Island Hopping in the Netherlands. The per person rate is from £859. Aboard one of the most comfortable sailing ships, the Mare fan Fryslân, the Wapen fan Fryslân and the Leafde fan Fryslân, guests experience pure nature while enjoying water, sun and a stiff breeze on the big inland lake IJsselmeer and the so-called “Wadden Sea”, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage biosphere reserve. This tour also explores the Frisian Sea and some of its islands. Evenings guests are rocked to sleep along the shore.

Scandinavia

An itinerary with island lodgings is the six-day Stockholm Archipelago in Sweden. The per person rate is from £729. This tour begins and ends in Stockholm. Guests explore some of the country’s finest scenery -- a seemingly endless archipelago of 24,000 glorious islands lying right on Stockholm’s doorstep. The islands are linked by ferry service, bridges and a subway system.

The eight-day Funen Island and Odense (the birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson) is in Denmark. The per person rate is from £949. The island Funen, in the center of Denmark, is often referred to as the garden of Denmark. South of Funen lies the archipelago with small picturesque islands connected by ferries, offering both a break in the bike riding and also an experience of being off the beaten track where time and speed is really not that important.

Italy

The eight-day Easy Sardinia is from £659 per person. Guests cycle by beaches, cultural sites and vineyards on an itinerary that allows for plenty of beach time with shorter daily rides. Families appreciate this low-key pace.

Spain

An eight-day program on Lanzarote, a volcanic island with a strange, moon-like landscape, is from £879 per person. This is one of the Canary Islands that all are of volcanic origin. Lanzarote had a series of eruptions in the 18th century and as a result has some fascinating landscapes with volcanoes and lava flows. The architectural works of César Manrique complement the volcanic environment. The climate, neither hot in summer nor cold in winter, means that cycling is possible all year round..

The eight-day Majorca Coast to Coast is from £869 per person. This cycling tour is designed for people who want to enjoy the pleasures of Mallorca and its excellent hotels with swimming pools. The tour starts on the south of the island next to the Mediterranean Sea. After a day near the coast guests cycle inland along stunning, flat country roads where bicycles have priority. This tour is also suited to families with older children.

The eight-day Menorca is from £779 per person. The tour takes in all that the beautiful, low-key Balearic island of Menorca has to offer, from inland pine forests to picturesque coves and rocky cliffs. Awaiting guests are unspoilt countryside, pretty beachside towns with sweeping bays and fascinating architecture from lighthouses and fortresses to Bronze-Age caves. The trip ends in the beautiful medieval town of Ciutadella.

Portugal

The eight-day Madeira Flowers and Coast is from £819 per person. Guests ride through most of the island over roads offering panoramic views of bays and cliffs and intimate looks at flora and fauna in parks and gardens. Transfers help out where it’s too mountainous for biking.

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.

About Freewheel Holidays

A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 40 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France, Italy and Prague to Vienna.  The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover, bike and boat, and solo traveler holidays.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Twitter:           @FreewheelHols

Facebook:     www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Google+:        https://plus.google.com/+FreewheelholidaysCoUk

Website:         www.freewheelholidays.com

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Freewheel Holidays Combines Bikes and Boats on Self-Guided European Escapes

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Released on Tuesday, 22 January 2019 10:13

MANCHESTER, UK, Jan. 22, 2019– On Europe’s navigable canals and waterways vacationers can almost at will jump on and off a boat, unpack once and explore the countryside and villages on bicycles while enjoying the relaxation of a river cruise.

Freewheel Holidays (www.freewheelholidays.co.uk) specializes in Bike & Boat cycling holidays throughout Europe. Itineraries include all the features of a cycling holiday combined with a river cruise along the famous waterways of Europe. On a daily basis guests are encouraged to depart their boats and explore new regions, catching up with their floating home at the end of the day at designated points. Bike & Boat cycling holidays also include the option to stay on-board the ship and simply enjoy the waterside surroundings. This is ideal for those who prefer not to cycle every day. Average daily cycling distances tend to be less than 50 km (30 miles). Guests determine miles explored and pace. Seasonal rates (per person double) for most sailings include:

• Overnights in cabins with shower/toilet in the cabin category chosen
• Welcome drink (on many tours)
• Daily cabin cleaning
• Linen and change of towels as needed
• Full board: breakfast buffet, small lunch or picnic package for bike tours, coffee and tea in the afternoon, dinner
• All harbor fees, lock and bridge dues
• Printed travel guide
• Daily briefing of optional bike tours
• Tour guidance throughout
• All needed equipment and bike rental

Following are five examples of Freewheel Holidays’ self-guided Bike and Boat combos. For a full list of all the options available please see: www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/bike-and-barge.

Amsterdam-Bruges showcases Holland, the Netherlands and Flanders from Amsterdam into Belgium, exploring among others 17^th century silversmiths, paintings by Rubens, Ghent where wealth concentrated in the 13^th and 14^th centuries and Bruges’s still-intact city centerdating from the Middle Ages. In 2019 departures are April into September. Rates are from £899. See www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/best-selling-cycling-holidays/amsterdam-bruges-bike-and-barge

The Danube-Passau-Budapest itinerary explores castles, a national park, vineyards and forests along the Danube. In 2019 departures are from April into October. Rates are from £779. See: www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/best-selling-cycling-holidays/passau-budapest-passau

Venice to Mantova blends nature, culture and cuisine on a journey through the Italian Renaissance in northern Italy along the River Po and the Po Delta, famed for birdlife. In 2019 departures are April into October. Rates are from £1,049. See: www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/bike-and-barge/venice-to-mantova-bike-and-barge

Bordeaux Vineyard visits the wine region surrounding historic villages and UNESCO World Heritage Sites in southwest France, a region defined by rivers Gironde, Garonne and Dordogne. In 2019 departures are April into November. Rates are from £1.039. See: www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/bike-and-barge/bordeaux-vineyards-bike-and-barge

Prague and the Elbe embraces the river landscapes and romantic castles of the Czech Republic, departing Prague for Litomerice, acclaimed for its beauty, to then cycle through unspoiled countryside with bursts of Baroque and Renaissance architecture. In 2019 departures are July and August. Rates are from £759. See: www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/bike-and-barge/prague-the-elbe-cycling-holiday

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.

About Freewheel Holidays

A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 40 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France, Italy and Prague to Vienna.  The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover, bike and boat, and solo traveler holidays.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Twitter:           @FreewheelHols

Facebook:     www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Google+:        https://plus.google.com/+FreewheelholidaysCoUk

Website:         www.freewheelholidays.com

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Self-Guided Bike Vacation Specialist Outlines Choice European Cycle Routes for Newbies

Details

Released on Thursday, 06 December 2018 09:02

MANCHESTER, UK, Dec. 6, 2018– Knowing where to go in Europe for a leisurely cycling vacation can be tricky. It helps to have good advice from the experts. Freewheel Holidays, the international specialist in self-guided bicycle vacations in Europe, suggests three routes for those new to multi-day bicycle touring who may prefer routes without steep climbs or descents.

UK-based Freewheel Holidays arranges bicycle vacations along mainly traffic- and challenge-free routes. Because guests cycle across mostly flat terrain, the fatigue and frustration factors of challenging inclines are kept out of the equation.

Following are Freewheel Holidays’ suggested itineraries for newbies in Spain’s Catalonia, along the Danube in Austria and in the Loire Valley of France. As with all of its self-guided vacation programs, rates (per person, double) include lodging with breakfast, detailed route notes, point-to-point luggage transfers, 24-hour emergency support, complimentary bike rentals and suggested attractions along each route. E-bike options are available on all of these itineraries. For additional vacation-by-bicycle suggestions see: http://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/.

The 7-day Catalonia Greenways itinerary begins with an exploration of a preponderance of extinct volcanoes in Garrotxa Natural Park in the Girona Pyrenees. After wandering the streets of the 13th century market town, Olot, and sampling the local goat cheese, Garrotxa, it’s on to a disused rail line, the traffic-free Carrilet Olot cycle path, downhill through the wood countryside in the mountains, destination the medieval town of Girona. The beach on the Costa Brava awaits, with perhaps a dip in the sea on the northeastern tip of Spain. The per person double rate is from £789 with departures beginning in early January and continuing through end October 2019. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays/all-cycling-holidays/family-cycling-holidays/catalonia-greenways

The 8-day Danube Cycle Path – Passau to Vienna itinerary explores an ancient military and trading route on paths along the Danube River once traversed by Romans, the legendary Nibelungs (think Wagner) and even Europe’s powerful kings and emperors. The adventure begins in the baroque town of Schärding or in Passau, the town of three rivers, before moving on through Upper and Lower Austria and finally to Vienna. The per person double rate is from £549 with departures beginning in early April and continuing through mid October 2019. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-austria/passau-vienna-danube

A 7-day Loire Valley Castles itinerary guides guests through the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage region, that is also known as “garden of France.” Here is a display of one-time wealth and imminence as reflected in the more than 200 castles. Among these is the Clos-Luce manor in Amboise where Leonardo lived for three years (and died) and where some of his remarkable inventions are on display. Cycling through this luxuriant countryside rife with fields of wheat and barley, poppies and centennial oaks is joy in and of itself, with opportunities aplenty to sample the wines of this renowned food and wine region. Concluding the tour is one of the most famous and majestic of all Loire castles, Château de Chambord,that lends its name to a liqueur and that after 288 years in construction, served as a royal hunting lodge. The per person double rate is from £609 with departures beginning late April and continuing into mid September 2019. See https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-france/loire-valley-castles

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.freewheelholidays.co.uk.

About Freewheel Holidays - A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy to moderate cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 50 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France, Italy and Prague to Vienna.  The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover and solo traveler holidays plus the option of adding E-Bikes.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Twitter:           @FreewheelHols

Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Website:         www.freewheelholidays.co.uk

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Freewheel Holidays Designs Week-long Cycling Itinerary through WWI Battlefields With Departures June-September 2019

Details

Released on Monday, 05 November 2018 09:32

Tour Honors the 100^th Year Anniversary of the End of World War I   

MANCHESTER, UK, Nov. 5, 2018– Moss-draped bunkers, extinct villages, undulations in a copse or meadow signifying artillery fire or soldiers’ trenches… These are vestiges of the War to End All Wars that devoured much of Western Europe a century ago.

And yes, “In Flanders fields the poppies (still) blow between the crosses row on row…” as portrayed in the 1915 poem. Annually on Nov. 11 poppies are distributed (to wear in lapels and buttonholes) to mark Armistice Day when World War I ended -- on Nov. 11, 1918, 100 years ago this month.

In summer 2019, the European leader in self-guided cycle tours, Freewheel Holidays, has arranged a brand-new vacation itinerary through a battleground in war time known as the Western Front. Western-Flanders to Bruges, the coast and ‘Flanders Fields’over eight days commemorates this history that becomes particularly poignant toward the end of the tour within the Bruges-Panne-Ypres triangle, rife with WWI battlefields, museums, cemeteries and memorials. 

Freewheel Holidays is the UK-based company that takes care of all the start-to-finish vacation details so guests only have to show up, cycle, sightsee, dine and sleep. This company guides guests through the region on a route (signposted according to a cycling-by-numbers system) down country lanes and through forests, on tow and cycling paths, past meandering brooks and dead-straight canals, behind dunes and along the sea, through rolling meadows and endless crop fields. 

Discovering Bruges is a highlight of this adventure. Preserved and renovated, this fairy tale setting complete with a swan lake recreates a medieval world atop its cobblestone streets. After the devastation of WWI, Bruges was restored to its former 13th-14th century glory as a one-time proud commercial center for quality woollen fabrics.  However, neighbor Ypres boasts one of the largest buildings of the medieval (circa 1304) world, Lakenhalle (Cloth Hall) where every evening at 20:00 hours buglers play in honour of soldiers who lost their lives in the trenches and whose graves are unnamed. From 1933 to 1967 the war-destroyed building was restored, today housing the Flanders Fields’ Museum.

Guests cycle on average 47km daily. This itinerary’s gateway town is Veurne (Fumes) whose market square is considered among the most beautiful in Belgium. The North Sea coast sheds light on a 1600 AD battle involving the Spanish and English that sets the stage for the war-torn history of 1914-1918.  Enroute to Bruges is a nature reserve comprised of a low-lying, open wetland where wild flowers grow in the meadows and where black poplars are being reintroduced to provide shelter to bats and birds.

One route through the wooded Houtland region reveals castles and country estates, with a reforestation near Roeselaere that’s transforming farmland into woods. Poplar and willow were planted and paved the way for slow-growing oak, ash, cherry and beech. In the shoe town of Izegem is the Eperon d’Or museum showcasing everything to do with shoe production.

Passing through Menen (Menin) enroute to Ypres is a museum that presents the military history of this border town. Think 48,000 German soldiers buried in Menen War Cemetery. Then comes the Passchendaele 1917 Memorial Museum dedicated to the madness of the Battle of Passchendaele. From here, there is a 3km walk to Tyne Cot Cemetery, with nearly 112,000 Commonwealth graves and a wall with the names of another 35,000 soldiers with no known grave. Polygon Wood was the scene of fighting in the First, Second and the Third Battles of Ypres. The pinewoods harbour two British war cemeteries as well as memorials for soldiers from Australia and New Zealand. (A free app, 'Ypres Salient 1914-1918,' helps in exploring this region).

On the last full day, cyclists may visit Lijssenthoek where the Allied wounded in the Ypres Salient were taken. From 1915 this was the scene of four large British field hospitals with a total of 4,000 beds. Ninety-seven percent of the wounded were patched up and moved on. But 11,000 soldiers of 30 different nationalities are buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. Because most of them were alive upon arrival at the field hospital, their names were known and appear on the gravestones. Today the excellent visitors’ center is a work in progress as more and more photographs and stories are linked to a specific gravestone.

After Lijssenthoek, the route delivers riders to the fascinating region of Poperinge, home of Gothic-style churches and the Hop Museum where visitors can sample some of Belgium’s internationally renowned beers. The monks of the nearby St. Sixtus Abbey pray, read and do manual work in the brewery. This is one of six Belgian abbeys that brew Trappist beer.

This trip departs every Saturday in 2019 from June 4 to Sept 21. The per person double rate is from £789 inclusive of hotel overnights and breakfast, bike hire, route description and maps, luggage transfers and tourist tax.  See: https://www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-belgium/bruges-flanders-fields-cycling-holiday.

To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.

About Freewheel Holidays

A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy to moderate cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of nearly 50 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4- to 11-night itineraries to 18 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France and Italy. The company also offers family-focused, bike & barge, coastal, wine lover and solo traveler holidays plus the option of adding E-Bikes.

# # #

Follow Freewheel Holidays on Social Media

Twitter:           @FreewheelHols

Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/FWHolidays

Website:         www.freewheelholidays.com

Media Contact:

For inquiries, interviews and photos please contact Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness: 802.234.6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dave Wiggins: 720.301.3822 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.