Bicycle Across Italy - Venice to Pisa
Bike - Self-Guided Tour
Overview
This is it - the classic bicycle tour we started guiding back in 1972 is also available for independent travelers! Begin in romantic Venice, making stops fabulous art cities like Ravenna, Florence, and Lucca, and end on the Mediterranean coast in Pisa. Along the way, you'll enjoy gourmet meals from two of Italy's best culinary regions (Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany), take in local markets, and discover a side of Italy seldom seen by tourists.The perfect Italian cycling tour, since 1972, recently updated with a second night in Florence!
Highlights
- Chioggia and the Venetian Lagoon
- Ravenna's Byzantine mosaics
- Faenza and its ceramics
- Cycling quiet country roads through orchards and olive groves
- Crossing the Apennines
- Florence, the Rennaissance capital
- Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo
- Sleep in an agriturismo farm estate
- Lucca, ride on Europe's best preserved medieval walls
- Loop ride to Pisa and the Thyrrenian Sea
Daily itinerary
Day 1 Day 1 - Tour begins in Chioggia, Italy
Highlights: "Little Venice" and the Venetian Lagoon
Welcome to Chioggia and the Venetian Lagoon! We meet this afternoon at our hotel in the center of Chioggia. We'll fit bicycles and go over route details. Take a walk around the center of Chioggia and admire the canals, bridges and main pedestrian walking street. If you arrive early we can suggest a ride along one of the islands in the lagoon.
Daily distance: optional ride of 17 km (11 miles), or cycle as much as you desire today.
Accomodation: Hotel Grand Italia, or similar. Upgrades available - please inquire for details
Day 2 Day 2 - Pedal the Po River Delta
Highlights: Chioggia, bicycle quiet roads, sleep in a country farm estate
We leave the Venetian lagoon today towards the Po River Delta. Enjoy cycling on levee roads and birdwatching. Grab some picnic supplies from the local grocery store or stop at a cafe for lunch today. Those who want extra mileage can enjoy a great ride into the delta this afternoon. Our destination tonight is a lovely country farm bed and breakfast.
Daily distance: 58 km (36 miles)
Elevation gain: + 208 m (682 ft)
Terrain type: mostly flat
Po Delta extra loop ride: 43 km (27 miles), with + 157 m (515 ft) elevation gain.
Accommodation: Agriturismo Forzello, or similar. Upgrades not available
Day 3 Day 3 - Comacchio
Highlights: Comacchio and its "Trepponti" bridge
Our destination today is a small lagoon town that at one point was more powerful than Venice in the 700 and 800s. The lagoon town of Comacchio, has a fabulous museum that showcases a Roman boat and its cargo that was excavated from one of the canals. Built on 13 islands this town is now landlocked but surrounded by the Po River and fresh water wetlands.
Distance: 74 km (46 miles)
Elevation gain: +156 m (511 ft)
Terrain type: mostly flat
Accommodation: B&B Al Ponticello, or similar. Upgrades available - please inquire for details
Day 4 Day 4 - Ravenna
Highlights: Wetlands, bird viewing and beautiful mosaics, bustling town
We pedal along the Valley of Comacchio wetlands towards Ravenna. Ravenna was the last capital of the Western Roman Empire and home to more early Christian mosaics than any other city in Western Europe. You can walk to Dante's Tomb and the mosaics of San Vitale, Sant'Apollinare Nuovo and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia this afternoon, as our hotel is near all the city sights.
Daily distance: 63 km (39 miles)
Elevation gain: + 202 m (662 ft)
Terrain type: mostly flat
Accommodation: Hotel Palazzo Bezzi, or similar. Upgrades available - please inquire for details
Day 5 Day 5 - Ravenna to Faenza
Highlights: Faenza International Ceramics Museum and Renaissance Town Square
Exiting Ravenna you have the choice to visit another very important Byzantine masterpiece: Sant'Apollinare in Classe. Cross the plains through fruit plantations and arrive to Faenza. Your hotel is a restored convent near the central square of this regional market center and famous ceramics town. Enjoy the bustle in the market square and the main "piazza" which is always full of bicycle riders of all ages. Faenza is world-renowned for its hand decorated ceramics; we recommend a visit to the International Ceramics Museum as well as several of the local artists' studios specialized in this colorful pottery.
Daily mileage: 53 km (33 miles)
Elevation gain: 163 m (534 ft)
Terrain type: mostly flat
Accommodation: Hotel Vittoria, or similar. Upgrades available - please inquire for details
Day 6 Day 6 - Over the Apennines
Highlights: Bicycle the Apennines and the Mugello.
You will head into the Apennine mountains today, passing first through the colorful medieval village of Brisighella. Take a break and pick up some snacks for the climb. If you decide you prefer to take the train up and over the mountains, feel free to do so! For those who decide to bicycle, begin the climb over the Apennines - remember to look around as you pedal since the scenery changes dramatically as you leave the plains and enter the mountains. Just before you reach the toughest part of the climb there is a very conveniently located train station, from where you could choose to hop on for the last and toughest part of the climb. You'll spend the night in Ronta, a small mountain town where you'll enjoy the clean and crisp mountain air. Dinner is included tonight.
Daily distance: 64 km (35 miles)
Elevation gain: + 1286 m (4219 ft)
Terrain type: very hilly
Accomodation: Albergo La Rosa, or similar. Upgrades not available
Day 7 Day 7 - Florence
Highlights: Fiesole and its Etruscan ruins, Renaissance Florence, Uffizi Gallery
There's a small climb this morning to Vetta le Croci, then it's downhill to the old Etruscan city of Fiesole, where you'll enjoy a great view of Florence rising from the valley floor. Glide down into Florence on your bike. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore this capital of Renaissance Italy.
Daily distance: 42 km (26 miles)
Elevation gain: + 510 m (1673 ft)
Terrain type: hilly
Accommodation: Hotel Silla, or similar. Upgrades available - please inquire for details
Day 8 Day 8 - Florence rest day
Highlights: Renaissance Florence, Uffizi Gallery, Accademia
Spend the day exploring marvelous Florence and its countless jewels: climb up Giotto's tower for a stunning view of the city and the Duomo; visit the Uffizi Gallery or the Accademia; or walk the Ponte Vecchio bridge across the Arno for a different striking view of the city.
Accommodation: Hotel Silla, or similar. Upgrades available - please inquire for details
Day 9 Day 9 - Vinci
Highlights: Olive groves and vineyards, Leonardo da Vinci's birthplace and museum
After breakfast, you'll head out of Florence and down the Arno River valley for a beautiful day of riding in the Italian countryside. There is a bit of a climb as you'll cross Mount Albano, but worth it for the spectacular view. You destination is Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, where you'll have a chance to visit the house where he was born and a museum with scale models of his inventions.
Distance: 42 km (26 miles)
Elevation gain: + +601 m (1971 ft)
Terrain type: hilly
Accommodation: Agriturismo il Piastrino, or similar. Upgrades available - please inquire for details
Day 10 Day 10 - Lucca
Highlights: Medici villa, bicycle countryside of Tuscany, 17th century wall
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 that surrounds the town.
Daily distance: 60 km (37 miles).
Elevation gain: + 466 m (1528 ft)
Terrain type: rolling hills
Accomodation: Hotel La Luna, or similar. Upgrades available - please inquire for details
Day 11 Day 11 - Loop ride to Pisa
Highlights: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Piazza of Miracles, Lake Massaciuccoli
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 grand 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.
Three 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. If you are up for the challenge, add an out and back ride all the way to the Tuscan coast and dip your toes in the Tyrrhenian Sea!
Short option (cycle to Pisa, return to Lucca by train): 31 km (19 miles), with + 143m (470ft) Elevation gain - Terrain type mostly flat.
Long option 1: 61 km (37 miles), with + 367m (1205ft) Elevation gain - Terrain type mostly flat.
Long option 2: 77 km (48 miles), with + 527m (1729ft) Elevation gain - Terrain type rolling hills.
Extra ride to the coast: additional 29 km (18 miles), with 108m (350ft) Elevation gain.
Accomodation: Hotel La Luna, or similar. Upgrades available - please inquire for details.
Day 12 Day 12 - Tour ends
Highlights: Arrivederci!
After a buffet breakfast in the hotel, you're ready to become a tourist again. We hope you have enjoyed cycling with us! Thanks for joining us and "buon viaggio"!
PLEASE NOTE : The final itinerary, including hotels and/or activities described here, are subject to changes according to availability.
Difficulty description
Gentle terrain down the Adriatic Coast with more challenging rides as we enter the Apennines. First 5 days are flat, second half of the tour includes climbs (with option to take a train over the mountain pass). The topography changes from the flat Po River country into beautiful rolling hills through Tuscany.
Visit our Tour difficulty level page to learn more about terrain levels and how we determine day and tour levels.
Map
What's included
- 11 nights in 3- and 4-star lodging
- All breakfasts
- 1 dinner
- Luggage transfers
- All Classic self-guided tour inclusions
Optional activities
- Cooking classes available in various tour locations! Organized by Le Cesarine, experts in Italian culinary experiences. You will be hosted by a local at their home - your "Cesarina" - in a class that lasts about three hours, during which you will help the Cesarina prepare three courses. In the fourth and final hour, you will enjoy the meal (lunch or dinner) which you prepared during the class. Water and one bottle of house wine for every 3 people are included.
- Guided visit of Ravenna (approx. 3 hours)
- Dinner in Ravenna
- Dinner in Faenza
- Coooking class in Faenza
- Olive Oil Tasting in Brisighella
- Guided visit of Florence
- Dinner in Vinci
Dates and availability
This tour is available between March 1 and October 31
Starts every Sunday. Other start days available by request (extra fee applies). Please note that starting on certain days of the week will make some visits impossible (such as museums or tastings).
2025 confirmed departures
April 2, 11,
May 15, 21,30
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Don’t have 12 days but still interested in crossing Italy from Venice to Tuscany on a tour that’s still accessible even to beginning cyclists? Our tour of Italy’s Art Cities from Venice to Florence (8-day) could be right for you!
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Tour Code: itbs3029
Prices
Low season: €2005
2025 dates: Mar 1 - Apr 31; Jun 16 - Aug 31; Oct 15-31
High season: €2105
2025 dates: May 1 – Jun 15; Sep 1 - Oct 15
Prices per person, based on double occupancy; minimum 2 participants per departure.
Single supplement: €510 (in double room for single use).
Solo traveler departures: €1175 (only one person on the departure). Includes the single/double room supplement and a GPS unit with the pre-loaded routes.
Lodging upgrades & extra nights are available: please inquire.
City hotel tax not included in tour package (2 to 5 euro per night per person, to be paid locally by traveler).
* due to the 2025 Rome Jubilee, some cities may charge a higher per night tax
GPS device rental, as well as a printed roadbook, are available at an optional extra fee:
- GPS device rental: €95
- Printed roadbook: €45 (second copy of printed roadbook €15)
See the What's Included section for details on included navigation tools
Group Discounts are available for participants booking together on the same departure! Please inquire!
For more ways to save, see our discounts and promotions page.
Bike rental
We offer quality bikes in different styles, all great options for this bike tour. Our bikes are maintained and delivered in optimal working condition.
The prices below are per bike for the duration of the tour, including delivery to starting point in Chioggia and collection from ending point in Lucca.
Bike rental rates
Aluminum hybrid: €220
Premium Titanium road or hybrid: €275
Touring E-bike (hybrid with straight handlebar): €385
Tandem: €445(priced per bike, for 2 cyclists)
Tag-along or kid trailer: €120
Bike rental insurance is available for purchase with all our rental bikes – see details in the Bike Rental Insurance section of our Terms and Conditions page.
For detailed specs and photos of our bikes, see our website - Bike Rentals Italy.
Trip planning
Starting point
Starting point: Hotel Grande Italia - Rione S. Andrea, 597, Chioggia
- We recommend flying into Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) .
- Take a shuttle bus to Venice P.le Roma, then a bus to Chioggia or ask for a private transfer from Venice airport to your hotel in Chioggia.
The meeting time for our self-guided tours is typically set between 2pm and 4pm. We recommend travelers plan accordingly allowing plenty of time to arrive at the determined meeting place. Please note a late fee may be applied for late arrivals - please see our terms page for details
Ending point
Ending point: Hotel La Luna - Via Fillungo, Corte Compagni 12, Lucca
You can fly out from Pisa "Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA)" or from Florence Airport "Amerigo Vespucci", which is connected to Pisa by train or ask for a private transfer from Lucca to Florence Airport.
Private airport transfers available if you prefer to be driven from airport to hotel in a private vehicle transfer, please inquire for cost - we will be happy to include this service in your tour package
Final arrival and departure instructions along with other detailed pre-travel documents, will be e-mailed prior to your travel, with information specific to your departure (including the actual hotels used on your tour dates, which may vary from the hotels listed above.)
Photo gallery
Customer reviews
Click to read past traveler reviews
Extremely well organised, with detailed information and maps available though an app which ran on your phone. You do need a power bank though! Phone/power bank holders, carrier packs, locks and spare tube/tools also provided. The bikes were good quality and well maintained.
- Anonymous traveller (2024)
We enjoyed a lot of different experiences and are having trouble picking just one. Enjoyed that we were able to ride and exercise in the mornings and enjoy the towns in the afternoons. Personal tours were a nice feature. Sara was great to work with and it was an extra treat to run into her and have dinner! Excellent employee and representative of your company!
- Chelsea C. (USA, 2023)
We rode from Venice to Pisa for our 25th anniversary. We enjoyed the routes and the ease of following Ride GPS. The hotels were good and the luggage delivered on time. We added on guided tours in Ravenna and Florence which we thoroughly enjoyed. We appreciated having all logistics taken care of and even though we cycled each day we felt relaxed and rested after the vacation. Cycle Europe was easy to work with, competent, and offered great support. The staff is friendly and responsive. We'd definitely book another trip with them.
- Eliot C. (USA, 2023)
A lovely journey across Italy. Going through some great places, on varying terrain. Our favorite experience? Meeting friendly local people and chatting with them, with our limited Italian. Overall we feel that cycleeurope us a friendly, professional company with high standards.
- Stuart G. (UK, 2023)
Very well thought out, well supported, good cycling. Having so much of the riding on bike paths was really enjoyable. What was my least favorite experience on this trip? Having to go home at the end!
- Sandy Z. (USA, 2023)
10 out of 10: Loved it! Already thinking about a new tour for next year
- Stephen C. (USA, 2022)
Route starts off easy and then gets harder for second part of the tour. Lots of great towns and good food. My favorite was the ride from Ronta to Florence. Sara (in customer service) did an awesome job meeting all of our requests
- Kathleen K. (USA, 2022)
The self-guided tour was extremely easy to follow. The Garmin and map with directions combination provided the information we needed to easily get around Italy on our first trip there. The selected roads were typically very good with fewer cars where possible. The tour was easy riding with mostly flat roads. The destinations were very bike friendly. The description of each days ride and touring suggestions were extremely helpful. The hotel and B&B staff were excellent and prepared to store our bikes and luggage. The Lucca staff went above and beyond their regular service to assist us when we had to schedule an early departure due to a family emergency. We highly recommend this tour for a first time bike tour or for anyone wanting a moderately easy bike experience.
- Ken H. (USA, 2019)
The quality of the bikes was very good, they were a real highlight and something that makes CycleEurope stand out form their competitors in our opinion. Also, we were impressed with the choice of hotels.
- Hugh C. (Switzerland, 2019)
We cannot wait to come to Italy again. We are in love with the country. We received very professional service, in all aspects. The team helped me plan the perfect self-guided custom made tour. Certainly a holiday we will never forget ! Thank you !
- Anonymous traveller (2018)
We were so amazingly happy with everything you provided for us. You were so responsive to my every question and change in itinerary - I am so grateful for your hard work! The hotels and rooms were clean, a PERFECT location - every one of them, our bags were always there on time, the bikes and maps were just lovely. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour to anyone - please don't hesitate to have someone contact me if they have questions. Our briefing was so helpful. Sara was so knowledgeable and actually shared in our excitement. We really liked our bikes and we really liked all the recommendations of sights and restaurants. You were always right about your suggestions! It was an adventure and a wonderful way to experience so many different cities in Italy without the cost of a group tour. There were a couple of mistakes on the maps - some kilometer miscalculations. I would have to figure out where those were. Generally the maps were sometimes a bit confusing but 97% perfect! The value and the absolutely beautiful hotels, and their locations, on this tour, plus the half board in Ronta (an incredible meal - we loved it! And the La Rosa Hotel - he was so nice!) made us feel like we were on a very expensive vacation. We would give this company and this tour 5 stars. It was just wonderful!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!
- Leslie S. (USA, 2015)
It''s been great just enjoying the scenery and being able to hang out with my family. Italy by bike was totally great fun, gruelling at times due to the heat wave, but definitely full of wonderful adventures.
- Fiona S. (Australia, 2015)
Our favorite experience on this trip? Too many to name! It was a great trip!
- Heidi R. (USA, 2015)
Our favorite experience on this trip was freewheeling down the road from Fiesole to Florence, after some previous climbing - with the incredible panorama landscape. Several times we followed the advice of the trip notes when selecting a restaurant and were always very satisfied (i.e. we loved the food). Twice when we stopped for coffee and a brief rest, the restaurant owners made us a present of cakes and/or cookies - which was unbelievably friendly and hospitable. That has never happened to me when biking in France or Germany or Switzerland!
Our least favorite experience was two days of cold and rain - but there's not much a tour organiser can do about that!
- Keneva K. (Iceland, 2015)
The hotels were excellent. I liked how they were right in the centre of everything. I liked how our luggage was always waiting for us when we arrived at the hotel. Hotels were great. Great tour and the company was willing to change start date and make changes in the tour to accommodate us. Great bikes.
- Margaret L. (Canada, 2014)
The route notes were very detailed and easy to follow. I appreciated that the hotels were in the centres of the towns or cities which made it easy for us to enjoy where we were. They were all clean and comfortable.
- Anonymous traveller (2014)
