Tuscany Cycling Tour from Florence to Pisa

Price for one tour per person

1,425.00

tour features

Length

7 Days/8 Nights approx. 350 km

Itinerary

dalmatia-e-bike

The best way to explore one of Italy’s most famous regions, Tuscany, is to cycle through it while enjoying the perfect blend of culture, cuisine, history, and rolling scenery. Tuscany is known for its earthy wines, rich art history, architecture, and its welcoming people. Walk through living history in the vibrant cities of Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa. From Piazza della Signoria in Florence to Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, through Siena, San Gimignano and Lucca. This bicycle tour starts at the heart of Tuscany, along the “wine route”, where you’ll see the production of Chianti and other wines. Enjoy a wine tasting in one the numerous wine cellars of this area. After Siena our bicycle tour continues to San Gimignano, famous for its adorning towers, and Lucca, known for the well-preserved Renaissance walls encircling its historic city center. Lastly, you’ll visit Pisa and its leaning tower. Join us and experience Tuscany by bicycle.

Arrive in Florence and take in the city’s rich history and its beauty: climb up Giotto’s tower for a stunning view of the city below and the Duomo in the skyline; visit the Uffizi Gallery, or walk the Ponte Vecchio bridge for a striking angle. We will meet in the afternoon for a tour briefing and bike fitting, and give you suggestions for dinner.

As you leave Florence you will climb some of Chianti’s famous hills, on your way to Radda in Chianti, your home for the night. Stop in Greve for a visit of the main square and the famous Macelleria Falorni, producer of local salumi (cold cuts). Radda is a delightful a small town and was historically an important junction for traveler’s heading to north and south.

Cycle the south part of the Chianti Region, then take the afternoon to explore Siena. Italy’s best-preserved medieval city rivaled Florence for dominance in Tuscany during the 1300s. You’ll be transported back in time as soon as you enter the city walls.

Your bike ride today takes you into the heart of Tuscany. You will pedal past vineyards, 17th century villas, and small towns on your way to San Gimignano, one of the best-preserved medieval villages in Italy and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. San Gimignano is famous for its many towers, remnants from the 13th and 14th centuries.

Our ride takes you through rolling hills peppered with small towns along the way. Your final destination is Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. Here you’ll have a chance to visit the house where da Vinci was born and a museum with scale models of his inventions.

Climb the stairway to the Medici villa in Cerreto Guidi today for a great view as you continue west to Lucca, where you’ll stay the next two nights. Lucca was a Roman town and one of medieval Italy’s most prosperous city-states. Today, Lucca retains its medieval charm with its small shops and sidewalk cafes, as well as the beautiful 17th-century wall surrounding the town.

Your last day of cycling takes you to Pisa where you can visit the Leaning Tower and the Piazza of Miracles (arriving there by bike is a great experience). Our route to Pisa takes you by Lake Massaciuccoli, where Puccini wrote many of his operas. After a stroll through Pisa, head back to Lucca to enjoy an evening “passeggiata” along the main pedestrian way, or explore its countless amazing alleys and piazzas.

Two options for your ride today – cycle to Pisa and return by train (with bike aboard). Or a longer loop ride, through lovely Tuscan hills, vineyards and stately villas.

After a breakfast buffet in your hotel, you’re ready to continue your adventure wherever it may lead. Thanks for joining us and “buon viaggio”!

Reviews

What better way to experience Africa and wildlife than on a bicycle. This nine day bicycle tour exceeded my expectations. Lizelle, the owner of Panorama Pedals, obviously truly enjoys sharing “her South Africa” with her clients. She made us feel like family and she made every effort to accommodate everyone’s needs on the tour. The cycling was fun, the scenery and the wildlife spectacular and the food and accommodations excellent.
Elizabeth S
Yesterday we did a mounatainbike trail around 28km. We wanted to see a lot of nature while doing something sporty and Lizelle made a plan for us. The experience was amazing!
Carola K
We had a great day with Lizelle. We are a family with two kids (age 9-12) and we cycled all day around the organge and lemon plantations. Highlights of the day were: orange pack house, hippos on the dam, lunch at Karros Embroiderie.
Liselle was a fantastic guide and we loved how she interacted with our kids.
thumbs up for Panorama Pedals.
Matthias, Sofie, Bregje and Lars
Matthias D
My partner and I took a tour with Lizelle of Panorama Pedals on her South Africa tour in July 2017. We cannot stress enough how fantastic this was – I still talk about it and think about it and it was one of the best holidays I have ever had. Fantastic company with Lizelke and our knowable and loveable guide Pietre who took great photos of us all. Lizelle has an amazing route planned for us which showcased her amazing country. Everything including accommodation, bikes, food, hospitality, company, was brilliant AND to see all the animals right there with us was just incredible. I loved it and will always be a very happy memory for me. Thank you live michelle from Australia xx
michmartine
This is by far the best cycling holiday I have experienced to date. An African Safari was always on my bucket list, but to have it combined with a 9 day cycling tour was the ultimate.
Lizelle & Wendell took care of our every need and organised each day so that we experienced something special and different day to day. Riding with giraffes crossing the road and hippos in the dams were highlights. Their home cooking was delicious, the bikes were perfect for the road conditions and the sights were amazing. There was enough riding mixed with non riding so that we felt energized, challenged and could still take in all that South Africa has to offer. We were given the freedom to ride our own ride with directions to the next best meeting point; so we could ride on our own, ride with the others or take the van and meet everyone if the going was tough. I have no hesitations in recommending Panorama Pedals and would suggested if you were contemplating this trip to just book it. You won’t be disappointed. A huge thank you to Lizelle and Wendell for their hospitality and allowing us to share this experience.
lhussey2018
We would not hesitate to recommend Panorama Pedals to anyone considering a trip to South Africa. Our experience could not have been better. Lizelle was the perfect guide– friendly, attentive, and extremely competent and organized. The entire trip was well-paced, with such varied experiences. We saw many beautiful rural spots and out-of-the-way places. Early May was a wonderful time of year to be there. Food and accommodations along the way were fabulous. Personal touches really made this trip memorable. And the biking! What a beautiful country to see by bike. This was truly a five-star trip.
Deb R
Panarama Pedals is a bike tour company we used as part of a visit to South Africa. We have since recommended them to friends, some of which recently toured. Without exception, we all had wonderful experiences. The bike routes, safaris, accommodations, food, equipment, and cultural experience were all fabulous. Lizélle is an excellent guide who attends to every detail of the itinerary. Her support guides, drivers, and local resources are all professional and fun! Absolutely a great value for the experience!
jbsbiker

So glad Panorama Pedals finally made it to TripAdvisor!
I had the privilege to be on the very first tour in 2017. Lizelle and her team are the perfect hosts, with a very professional yet personal service and attention to every need of their guests. The tour is very well organized, the equipment such as bikes and transportation are fantastic and the group size perfect for a very personal South Africa expedition with your very own guide. It’s a great experience to see the landscape and animals (safely) from up close and while moving by bike, and the tour caters to all levels of fitness. Go at your own pace and have the car pick you up if you are too tired – it is always very close to the group for refreshments or support.
Great views, good food, companionable company, nice events such as BBQs and picknicks make for a variety of experiences.
I have already recommended this tour to my friends and now to you. It’s fantastic from beginning to end and I don’t give that rating easily ;)

Alex R

This trip had everything, beautiful varied scenery, comfortable accomodation, culture discoveries, amazing home made food, fab cycling under African skies and wonderful, knowledgeable, super competent guides.

Mark A

From first pick up to last drop off this was a well put together spectacular trip! Lizelle is a master in logistics and planning and smoothly adapted to changing circumstances and kept the tour alive, interesting and on track. Wendel, who met every situation with a engaging demeanour and smile is a walking encyclopaedia of South Africas flora and fauna, culture and history, and runs a mean Braai! Both Lizelle and Wendel meshed together superbly for a unforgettable experience for us. The scenery was magnificent, the biking was a good range of challenging and relaxing. We saw a lot of wildlife and had some magical up close experiences! The food was amazing- nutritious, tasty and plentiful and the accomodations captured the spirit of Safari. One of us had a mountain bike and the other a e-bike and we both were happy with our choices and the quality of the bikes.

Tracey Jago

I have done a number of European cycle tours. This was different. No other tour combines great cycling and sightseeing with seeing the Big 5 ( We saw 4- couldnt find that lepord) . Cycling was varied, tar, hard sand and some rough stuff. Accommodation was brilliant again varied Game Lodges and a 3 star hotel that should be 5 star.
I’m hopefully going back next year.
I took an E Bike and at 68 years of age it meant I enjoyed it.

Philip M

Meeting Lizelle was such a pleasure and she was very helpful in suggesting my cycling routes through avocado farms and elsewhere.
Hospitality from her and her family was unbelievable. Would definitely recommend Panorama Pedals to anyone for a lengthy tour

brian w

The cycling was amazing as well as the food and accommodation. The guide was also amazing and very professional

Petro Botha

How easy to relax and recharge on a bicycle on a game farm! Lizélle & team, thanks for a great experience, loads of fun and wonderful meals around the fire in the lapa! Already looking forward to another trip!

Louise

Thanks Lizelle for an unforgettable time!!
Quality family time, beautiful scenery and great memories!

Peet B

Cycling with the well organised and considerate (chef even) Lizelle, and “South Africa’s very own living wikipedia” Wendel as a guide, exceeded our expectations. Our Family of two teens and two adults got to experience a broad gamut of South Africa’s more remote and rural ecology and culture on two wheels. A rare gem of a tour.

ellen t

Panorama Pedals in South Africa was extremely well organized – Lizelle and.Wendel are fantastic trip leaders. They organized great accommodations (private bush camps to the Coach House to Kruger Park Bush camps), provided great meals and were a wealth of information on South African history,tribes and animals. I would highly recommend the South African bicycle tour it was excellent.

Meagan S

If your are looking for an adventure this is the trip for you. It is visually, mentally and physically stimulating. Probably the most organized tour I have been on, the day starts early and ends with a fire around the boma with nothing but smiles on everyone’s face. The guides are a wealth of knowledge on the history of South Africa and wildlife. The bike rides through the country side, amongst the wildlife and climbing the mountains are a once in a lifetime opportunity. The interface with the wild life is up close and personal. We saw all the big 5 and much much more. Food and accommodations are all top notch. can’t say enough good things about this tour.

bigpapaBoston

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