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Cycling in Europe

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You can write a whole website about cycling in Europe . So it will be pointless to go into many details of the where's and why's. Instead I will try to give you an idea what to expect when on the road. What can happen? This will go in the form of short stories I wrote when I cycled in Europe over the years.

So the stories may not give you the detailed information about the countries but give instead a flavour of the road. Contrary to what some people may think, Europe is not a flat area. In fact, apart of Holland, north Germany and west Belgium most of Europe is filled with hills, valleys and mountains. Along the sea it's usually flat though when you cycle south from Rome, you would be surprised how steep some roads go along the cliffs.

Europe is big, you can spend easy a year in Europe to see what there is to see. Here's some general thoughts about cycling in Europe.

Hotels, youth hostels, lodging, camping

Europe is for sure not cheap. You can reduce costs by cooking yourself and stay in Youth Hostels and camp a lot. Beware, camping can only be done on official camping grounds. In many west European countries, wild camping is not allowed and can give you a heavy fine.

Camping can be cheap for a few dollars a night though in some countries camping can be as expensive as staying in a hotel in other countries, depending where you are. Around Genoa n Italy the camping grounds were very expensive with very little available. But a bit north on the way to Milan I could camp in the wild even with the help of the local authorities.

Camping is fun, but in winter it can be really cold. During my cycling years in Europe I have used plenty of good and not so good youth hostels. Youth Hostels, contrary to the original ideas are no longer for young people. Many people use them these days and many of the more modern styled youth hostels even have special family rooms.

Hotels under 50 Euros will be hard to find, especially in the main tourist cities like Madrid, Amsterdam, Paris or Rome.

So, camping is probably the cheapest way to get an overnight place. Many cyclist when going out bring their own camping gear, lightweight tents, lightweight cooking facilities and sleeping bag. I loved to do it this way.

For good bicycle friendly hotels, please check out the contribution by Hostelbookers.com.

Bicycle facilities

One of the pleasant things in Europe is the availability of bicycle shops in almost every town or city. Maybe in the small villages you will not be able to find the very best material you need for that moment but in general the bike shops will be able to help you out. There's no need to carry a lot of spare material unless you can buy it cheap in your own country.

Many shops have also good bicycle clothing available. Especially when it is getting colder it's advised to use cycling shirts and trousers to keep warm. Read more about my ideas about cycling clothes here.

In many countries, like Holland and the UK bicyclist find bike lanes. They make traveling by bicycle a lot safer. In Holland and in the UK the bikelanes are very well designed. While I lived in Manchester UK I was frequent out of the city and expaloring the are around Manchester, cycling to towns like Macclesfield and Buston. Cycling in the UK can be pleasant though in the cities you find every 50 meters (it seemed) a traffic light. Sometimes cars were parked on the bikelanes and it wasn't always easy to figure out where a bikelane ended. That said, the UK too is great for cycling thought the hills can be killing, never high, though sometimes quite steep.

Stories about cycling in Europe

Here's a selection of stories about cycling in Europe. This section will be extended in the coming up weeks and months.

• 5 weeks in Greece, from Meteora to Olypmya, Athens to Rhodes
• Hungary, my first cycling journey outside west Europe
• Italy, cycling in an open air museum
• The apostle Paul in ancient Corinth
• Bicycling to Paris from Holland and Belgium
• Bicycling around Manchester England
• Cycling from Genoa to Florence and Rome (NEW)

Click here to add your bicycle story

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