Greece (local)

This tour includes scenic detours around Greek islands, the Peloponnese, and proceeds through Italy, Austria, and Germany."

Lake Kerkini is a wetlands wildfowl reserve in Northern Greece, with a large variety of bird and other animal life, as well as a virtually traffic-free dirt road for most of its circumference. Ideal for a day's cycletour and some birdwatching. This is a description of the area, with photos, and some hints on making the most of a trip there.

As the winner of an article-writing competition in the Hungarian Bringa magazine, I could spend 11 days together with the Hungarian MTB squad in a training camp 80 kms from Athens, between 12 and 26 march 2002. We were in the friendly Hotel Bakos, in Loutraki, situated 3kms from the Korinthos channel and the Peloponnesus peninsula and at the foot of a 1300m high mountain. Although on ascents I prefer cycling looking around, taking pictures and making videofilms than cycling in a hurried style. So I was the odd one out from 24-26 head team. My goal was not to spend a good 11 days training, but to make nice cycle tours, enjoy the nature of Greece and to discover the north-east Peloponnesos.

Greece is not the kind of place with which one would normally associate enjoyable cycling in Europe. It has high mountains, it can be very hot in Summer, it has drivers whose road sense can leave much to be desired and there is not very much written about cycling in Greece. Nonetheless, I have just come back from a 7 and a half month stay in that country, accompanied by my two bikes and I am pleased to say that cycling is alive and well in Greece - though not necessarily by the Greeks themselves.

Three superb reports of cycling in Corfu, Rhodes and Kefalonia. Maps, and many beautiful pictures!

The bike-experience describes our experiences on our bicycle holidays. This way we want to promote short foreign bicycle holidays for the sporty biker. Using the routes, travel reports and practical information that you can find here, we lead you along the most beautiful places without losing sight of the relaxing aspect of a holiday.

You don't have to be an experienced road maniac and you don't even have to possess the necessary equipment to get to the finish of these trips, a sportive mind is sufficient. Bike-xp is constantly under development and over the next years we will expand our site with new discoveries.

Feel the wind, see the roadside flowers - no windshield betweeen you and the world, don't go too fast, don't go too slow. On this site, you find factual descriptions of week-long tours on [these] three Greek Islands.