Cycling

Cycling is a lovely way to explore areas as part of a touring holiday. You get to see more and feel more in touch with the countryside around you, and you can be fully justified in stopping for a delicious traditional lunch or dessert, or a glass of the locally produced wine. What’s more, you will be helping to protect this wonderful area by moving around in a sustainable way.

The whole area provides fabulous cycling opportunities from gentle routes in the valleys to some challenging climbs over the hills that separate them. From the wild and hilly terrain of the Tatras in the north to the Danube River in the south, there is the opportunity for countless memorable experiences.

Explore medieval towns and beautiful villages, admire caves, castles and chateaus, or splendid outdoor museums, taste the delicious Slovak cheeses the produce of both sheep and cows milk at family run farms, sample tasty wines with a local wine-dresser in old wine cellars or why not relax in outdoor thermal pools after a whole day of cycling. It’s all here in Slovakia.

The season for cycling in Slovakia is relatively long, which starts in May and ends usually in the first two weeks in October. To choose the best time that would work for you, you should consider several facts when booking a bike tour in Slovakia. The most important fact is the weather and climate in different seasons that you are likely to experience during your holiday.

MAY

Winter is behind us and we can now enjoy the beauty of Slovakia´s spring. The snow has melted even in higher parts of the Slovakia´s mountains, the fauna and flora has fully awakened. You can see countless flowers everywhere around you, trees such as cherry, almond, apricot, peach and apple are in bloom and even the alpine meadows in the mountains turn into colourful carpets. Mornings might be a bit cooler, but daily temperature can go up to 20 C, sometimes even higher. So if you prefer cooler weather, this might be a good time for your cycling adventure in Slovakia.

JUN

Summer is just around the corner and nature starts to offer various fruits in the south-west of the country. Stopping en-route, picking cherries is particularly enjoyable and great opportunity for a break. Mornings and evenings are warmer and the daily temperatures can go up to 30 C.

JULY - AUGUST

These are the hottest months in the year and often the most popular months for a holiday in general. Mornings and evenings are often warm and the daily temperature can get easily above 30 celcius with more frequent storms. The temperature of water in natural dams, reservoirs and rivers can be very pleasant, which gives us a great opportunity for a nice swim or just to relax a bit.

SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER

In terms of rainfall and storms September is the most stable month of the year. The temperatures are similar what you would experience at the turn of May and Jun, but some warmer weather might occur, this is the time of the year what we Slovaks call an Indian summer. September is also the time of grape harvesting! Yes, there are several areas in Slovakia where you can find fertile vineyards, where locals make excellent wine, so why not to enjoy wine sampling with a local wine dresser in 500 years old wine cellars?

To help you to decide which tour is suitable for you in terms of fitness we have divided our cycling holidays in 5 different grades.

Leisurely

Suitable for cyclists who enjoy easy and shorter rides on flat terrain, and for exploring a region at a relaxed pace. Some days may involve few gentle climbs.

Is a combination of shorter and longer rides with flat and occasional undulating terrain.

Intermediate
Suitable for regular and fit cyclists who are used to longer rides, undulating terrain, and occasional energetic climbs.

Advanced
Rides involve some challenging and long days and are suitable for cyclists with good level of fitness who want to challenge themselves.

Challenging
Long and physically demanding rides with hilly terrain. Rides may involve adventurous off-road cycling following mountain ridges with amazing views.

Our self-guided bike tours are a perfect option for cyclists who prefer cycling at their own pace, but still want to have the support of a local experienced tour operator.

Self-guided bike tours organized and run by Slovakia Explorer meet the highest standard even of the most demanding cyclists. We book all of your accommodation and meals, organize your luggage transfer, you get a professionally prepared detailed routing for each day as well as bike maps, maps of the towns where you stay and of course emergency numbers should you need any assistance during your stay. Simply we take care of everything so you can fully enjoy your cycling holiday.

Enjoy the full support from the beginning to end, take the advantage of our superb bike trailers and support vehicles, while enjoying the company of our professional English speaking guides, whom will lead you safely throughout your tour. Our experienced leaders belong to the best ones in Slovakia.

Your guide will organize all of your activities on each day and book restaurants for your lunch and evening meals. He or she will recommend places that are worth visiting which you should not miss. Your guide will tell you interesting stories and legends about places that you will visit and will be simply there for you to give any assistance or advice you might need from the beginning until the end.

On our bike trips you have the option to either bring your own bike or take the advantage of our quality bikes that you can hire locally. This is either a hybrid bike or a mountain bike depending on the nature of the trip. If you would like to hire a bike from us please tell us at the time of booking.

Bikes used: AUTHOR, quality Czech bike
Price: on average 10-15 EUR per day. Each bike comes with a pannier bag, locker, spare inner tubes and tools.

Our vehicle support belongs to the best ones in Slovakia. Bike trailers provided by Slovakia Explorer can safely carry bikes and luggage for groups consisting of up to 20 passengers.
Your caring driver will be always near you should you need to change a bike or simply to hop-on if you want to relax a bit. As an added value our vehicle support provides water and snacks for the whole duration of your cycling adventure for no extra cost.