Tuscany and Elba Island Bike Trip

8 days

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Tuscany and Elba Island Bike Trip
  • About
  • Gallery
  • Itinerary
  • Location
  • Things to keep in mind

Tuscany is one of those places in the world where you are a part of perfection and harmony. This trip will let you bike through picturesque landscapes and romantic villages and is an opportunity to enjoy the amazing flavors of this region. Tuscany and Elba Island's Ride Your Life Tour puts you in touch with inland Tuscany and the main island of its archipelago. The bike tour offers a beautiful balance of biking through the UNESCO hills in the Siena and Chianti area and the refreshing
feeling of biking overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Biking through the Tuscany hills and the picturesque medieval villages included in the routes is a unique experience, where history and the beauty of the landscape are linked together while moving on the island gives you the sense of a different pace of time.

Elba Island is known as "Napoleon's Island" due to his exile between May 1814 and February 1815. Napoleon was nominally sovereign of Elba, although the French and British navies patrolled the nearby sea. During his exile, he carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life.

A guided walking tour will give you a deeper connection with the place, and visiting the Napoleon house is an opportunity to learn more about his personality. The island has a strong identity thanks to its lush nature and beautiful west-facing corners from which you can enjoy beautiful sunsets! It has a unique history, and the rides offer breathtaking views. The two parts of the trip are connected and are the perfect ingredients to make this tour memorable.

HIGHLIGHTS

Enjoy the beauty of the UNESCO Siena's hills

Discover Tuscan ancient villages

Pedal through narrow and quiet country roads

Sample local recipes and famous great wines

Visit Siena, one of the most famous Italian towns, with Fernanda our local guide

Pedal costal and inland panoramic roads in Elba island

Enjoy the renovated Tuscan olive oil

About

Orientation and bike fitting

7 nights in a 5-star boutique accommodation;

7 breakfast;

4 dinners;

1 wine tastings

1 cooking class

2 lunches

Guided walking tour in Siena

Guided walking tour at Elba Island

Private transfer from Arezzo train station to Gargonza Castle

Private transfer from Piombino port to the train station

Ferry tickets GO/BACK

GPS with preloaded routes ready to use

Tour Agenda with day per day program;

Van support along all of the week, it includes transfer luggage and support on tour

Flights and public transportation

Travel insurance

Admissions and entrance fees (when not agreed with tour operator)

Transport of bike case (for guests who bring their own bike)

Gratuity to Tour Leader/s

Expense of personal nature such as drinks, phone calls, etc.

Any items that has not been mentioned in the price inclusions above

Arrival Airport:.Rome, Pisa or Florence

Departure Airport: Rome, Pisa or Florence

7 nights in a 5-star boutique accommodation; 7 breakfast; 4 dinners; 1 wine tastings, 1 cooking class and 2 lunches.

Gallery
About The Host

We believe that cycling has several interpretations, everyone has his/her way of riding. Every bike ride is a story; every climb has something to say to you. Cycling during a climb makes you feel pain and at the same time, it makes you stronger and allows you a better knowledge of your soul.  It is not a matter of how fast you are to get to the peak or if you’ll be the first or the last one in the group. It’s the climb itself; it’s like going into a sort of mystic dimension where you are with and inside yourself.

Itinerary

DAY 1

Welcome to Tuscany and warm-up.  - Miles/kilometers: 26 / 43 - Elevation gain feet/meters: 2381 / 726 

Private transfer from the close Arezzo train station to our accommodation in a thirteen-century fortified medieval village in the heart of Tuscan hills.

In the afternoon, we'll have a brief introduction to the trip and a warm-up ride to get confidence with our bikes.

Meals: Dinner is included at the accommodation

DAY2

Miles/kilometers: 37/61 Elevation gain feet/meters: 3172/967

Today's ride takes you to a small village that has managed to preserve the look and atmosphere of times gone. We are in the Crete Senesi, where you recognize the peak of the imposing shape of the ancient volcano Monte Amiata, the source of the thermal waters that flow in many places in the nearby areas.

Meals: Breakfast is included

DAY 3

Miles/kilometers: 43/72 Elevation gain feet/meters: 4352 / 1327

We'll ride to Siena this morning through the UNESCO landscape of its province and quiet secondary roads. Along the way, we'll stop at Brolio Castle winery for lunch; this is perfectly located after the majority of the hills of the day and just 25km from Siena.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch are included

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DAY 4

Miles/kilometers: 42/70 Elevation gain feet/meters: 3280 / 1000

​The clockwise loop ride in the Chianti lets us ride through some of the most representative villages of the area. This is the province of Tuscany where is produced the famous Chianti wine; along the way, we'll pass through some charming villages interesting to explore for their history and atmosphere and maybe stop to enjoy a good expresso.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner are included

DAY 5

Miles/kilometers: 40/66 Total elevation gain feet/meters: 4579 /1396

Today we'll have a combination of bike ride and transfer to move to Elba Island, the largest of the Tuscany archipelago and part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park.
Elba island is a glorious paradise of beach, coastal road to bike, vineyards, sky-blue waters, and outstanding views. On top of this, the island offers delicious cuisine and lovely island wines.

Meals: Breakfast, light lunch, and dinner are included

DAY 6

Miles/kilometers: 43/72 - Elevation gain feet/meters: 5002/1525

Our route today will move along the island's west side's coastline and give us spectacular views of the inland and the sea with sea villages and beaches.

Meals: Breakfast is included


DAY 7

Miles/kilometers: 50/83 - Elevation gain feet/meters: 5035/1535

The East side loop includes the Medieval Capoliveri and the seaside Porto Azzurro, two of the most representative villages of the island. The ride offers beautiful views of the sea and inland with several options of stopping to refill your energy with a good cappuccino or to enjoy the visit of the villages you pass through.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner are included


DAY 8

Breakfast and private transfer to the port to take the ferry back to the mainland.

End of our services.

Meals: Breakfast is included 

Arrivederci!

Location
Things to keep in mind

We understand that you may need to change your travel plans. If you are unable to take your tour with us after making a deposit or full payment, we will apply the following cancellation fee:

60 days or more before the tour departure date, there will be a $165 administrative fee per person

60 to 45 days before the tour departure date: cancellation fee of 30% of the tour cost per person

44 to 30 days before the tour departure date: cancellation fee of 50% of the tour cost per person

29 to 15 days before the tour departure date: cancellation fee of 75% of the tour cost per person

14 to 0 days before the tour departure date: cancellation fee of 100% of the tour cost per person

No refunds are possible after the tour begins. Please note that any refund from Activ Retreats will be done within 30 days after the scheduled trip ends.

You can also apply your deposit or payment to another tour during the same season or next. Each time is priced differently. Your deposit or payment will be applied to the new tour of your choice, and the balance will be adjusted accordingly. In the unusual situation that Ride Your Life must cancel a tour, you have the following options:

Activ Retreats will refund the entire deposit.

You can use the deposit for another tour confirmed during the same season.

Keep in mind that each tour is priced differently. Your deposit or payment will be applied to the new time of your choice, and the balance will be adjusted accordingly.

You can run the trip as a self-guided option if the tour offers that option.

If a tour is canceled, ride Your Life is not responsible for other expenses, such as non-refundable plane tickets.

We are pleased to have you on a tour. These Terms and Conditions outline the agreement between you, the client, and Activ Retreats doing business as Activ Retreats.

The completed reservation form indicates your acceptance of our Policies/Terms and Conditions.

We require a deposit of 30% of the total trip cost per person to confirm your space. The balance of the tour cost is due no later than 60 days before the tour departure. Once your full payment is received, we will send you the invoice and the Tour Agenda, which is the complete program of your trip, with some helpful info so you can prepare for your tour.

When you have filled out the reservation form, and we have contacted you about the deposit amount, you have two payment options:

1) Credit card – You will receive our email with instructions to pay the deposit or to pay the total tour price by credit card through our secure online server.

We do not store credit card details or share customer details with any 3rd parties except otherwise provided under our Privacy Policy.

2) Wire transfer — If you choose this payment option, we will provide instructions for the transaction.

RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY RELEASE

Guests are responsible for choosing a tour that meets their physical and medical abilities. Your reservation is accepted based on the understanding that you realize and accept the risks of bicycle and hiking travel. You acknowledge that you are healthy and can undertake an active tour.

Please be aware that a Liability Release Form will be required along the booking process to reserve a Activ Retreats tour. The release shall be an integral part of these terms and conditions. Reservations are only valid when we receive a completed and signed Release of Liability form. If we do not receive this by the time of final payment, your reservation will be canceled, and we will maintain the deposit amount as per our cancellation policy.

ITINERARY CHANGES

We may change the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances. This includes biking/hiking routes that may be affected by weather or other accessibility issues. We do more than our best to maintain a safe and enjoyable itinerary, keeping our high quality and safety standards in mind. We appreciate your understanding.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Guests grant Activ Retreats permission to take photographs or video during our tours for media use and for promotional and marketing purposes such as internet and printed materials and will not expect payment from Activ Retreats for use.

Regarding difficulty, the trip includes uphill and some more gentle rolling rides, so we suggest the trip is for intermediate or above-level riders. 

For every ride, you'll find the service of the van support to let you have the comfort of snacks, water, and energy drinks along with the rides. The vehicle follows you in case any group participant needs to or prefers to skip any section of the ride.