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Getting Bikes to Northern Italy?
Chaps,
Anyone got good ideas for getting one's road bike to the Italian lakes?
Got a BIke Box Alan, but would rather leave that behind if possible. Also, want to train rather than plane.
Cheers.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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14 comments
The other option would be to leave your bikes behind, and hire them when you are there. That will open up the travel options, and you may save enough to almost pay for the bike hire.
That's what the missus wants to do, but I'm really attached to my bikes.
By the way - since when does road.cc 'top post' comments? It's pretty pants, if you ask me.
Helicopter
When I was a lad we used to cycle to Italy to have to have cycle holiday in Italy. People don't know they're born these days.
Lake as in Como or Garda?
Anyway, I take the train from London to Milan every year for the Italian GP, changing in Paris, which involves getting from Gare du Nord to Gare du Lyon. It's great, barely any slower than flying, much more comfortable, has no luggage limits and is often cheaper. Do it!
Cycle provision from Paris onwards is great, however the Eurostar leg of your journey is, predictably, a shitshow. You have to trust your bike to the care of EuroDespatch; they might have it in Paris when you arrive, or you might have to wait several hours. Iff your bike turns up on time, you can have a little bimble around the city; if it doesn't, you'll have a few hours to kill near Gare du Nord. I suppose you could walk up to Sacre Coeur or have a long lunch.
Como. I think. Basically a ten-day bimble, not too hilly (as my wife will probably be with me), and with inexpensive places to stay the night. Advice on this?
Ah yes. EuroDespatch. I'd forgotten about that. Last time I wanted to take my bike to Paris was in 2016, and I contacted them six months beforehand, only to be told that there were no spaces.
Getting across Paris, c'est bien facile. I lived there for fifteen years in my misspent youth.
I'm off to research EuroDespatch again... thank you.
Have a look at Airbnb for places to stay. Last year we stayed on the slopes above Como, we had an apartment in an old mansion with the lake below, absolutely stunning! It was £116 for two people for two nights. The balcony was enormous.
I did a ride from the apartment along to Bellagio then up the Madonna del Grazie (which is a must do ride! The church is a shrine to cycling, and has a museum next to it) and then alng past the foot of the Muro di Sormanno and back to the apartment. I should have done the Muro, but the Mrs had told me not to be out too long
The road around the lake is very narrow and I wasn't happy with some of the driving, so take care. August is a busy time anywhere in Italy, a lot of the country is on holiday.
Oh, forgot to ask. You didn't mention having to partially or completely dismantle your bike from Paris to Milan. Can this be done?
I don't know; I don't take my bike to the grand prix, but if it's like all other continental European rail services I've used, you won't need to.
Thanks for the responses.
Train is definitely my first choice, but not sure if it'll be doable as I don't want to dismantle the bike.
Driving there might not be the most planet-friendly option, but it might be what I end up doing.
Have you had a look at seat61.com ?
I travel a fair bit around Europe by train and that website has a fantastic depth of information.
I wouldn't take the box, I'd have a look on ebay/gumtree for a bike bag (or see about borrowing one I guess). It'll be a lot lot easier to move about the train.
Good on you for getting the train, its a far more civilised way of travelling. Last time I flew with the bike, Alitalia gave my boxed bike a right going over and next time I take it anywhere in Europe it'll be by train.
It depends where abouts in N Italy you are heading.
There are trains from Paris Gare de Lyon to Milan. You can also get from Paris or Brussels to Turin by train. I suspect you will need to box up your steed for the Eurostar (if that is how you intend to get to continental Europe rather than the ferry) and probably for the French/Belgian/Swiss/Italian bit too.
It is cheaper and quicker by plane, which is a shame.
The Lakes.
I think there's a service that takes them from London to places in France, could you use that and then ride from there or catch a train?
Check SNCF too, the French railway company.
We drive to the east coast of Italy every summer, takes about 20 hours driving, so Milan would be be around 13. If there were two drivers you could just about do it without an overnight stop, but it can be knackering and it can take a lot longer if you are unlucky with accidents and or traffic.