Italian Cycling Tours FAQs
Our philosophy is that with challenge, you find reward. All of our Italian cycling tours are designed for cyclists and are physically challenging, but some more so than others. We have tours in a range of destinations which vary in terms of their distance and elevation levels, with our Puglia cycling tour being our least challenging and our Stelvio & Dolomites tour our most challenging tour. Each individual trip is rated for difficulty and to help you decide if it’s right for you. On all of our trips, our guides encourage and support riders to step up to their own challenge and go slightly beyond their usual level of riding, and on many of the days, there are ways you can extend or reduce the ride you do. Please talk to us anytime.
When you’re riding with A’QTO, you’ll always have at least one ride guide on the road with the group, and most often, there will be two guides as our ratios are generally one guide for every 4-5 riders. To manage varying levels of fitness, we often break into two groups with a guide leading each small group. There is also a support vehicle, complete with a tool kit and spare parts not far away – usually closely behind the group and sometimes in a very nearby town. Your tour hosts, guides and support staff will be able to help you out with ride food and drink, as well as local knowledge, and first aid if you need it. They’ll do everything they can to keep you and your bike on the road but, if for any reason you need it, there is always a seat in the support vehicle.
Yes, you can rent a bike through us for all of our Italian cycling and adventure tours. We have access to a range of quality carbon hire bikes and for L’Eroica, we can also arrange very good quality steel vintage bikes for rent. If you would like to rent a bike, please let us know when you book into your tour so we can guarantee the right size is available for you. As part of our process, we will also request your bike fit measurements, so our bike suppliers and support staff can set up the bike for you, ready for the start of your trip. If you’re renting a bike, you need to remember to bring your helmet, pedals and saddle to start your trip.
We believe accommodation is a very important element of your overall enjoyment of a trip so we always ensure high quality accommodation is included on all of our tours. Depending on the locations, we stay in a range of authentic accommodation including family run villas, chalets and masserie, through to small boutique hotels and also a range of luxury hotels.
When booking, you can choose twin-share or couple-share rooms, and on all tours, a select number of rooms can be made available as single occupancy rooms for solo travellers. Talk to us when booking about the additional cost for single occupancy rooms.
All of our tours include optional cultural activities as we believe a big part of the enjoyment of a trip is to experience and appreciate the local areas we stay in, and to connect with the local people and cultural traditions. From wine tasting experiences to visits to local artisans, producers and must-see sights, and to exploring the villages and towns we stay in, we include optional experiences for you to engage in, should you choose to. On all tours, you will often have free time post-ride and your choice of activity can often also include massages and visiting wellness centres, thermal baths, and pools and saunas in and around our accommodation.
Absolutely. A trip to Italy can be made all the more special by having your non-riding partner join you – whether as part of our non-riding programs on most of our Italian cycling tours, our hiking program on our Stelvio & Dolomites tour, or on our Multi-Adventure Tours. During the booking process, we encourage non-riding guests to speak to us about their interests and what’s on offer for each tour program as we devise a program for the non-riding group that is active, diverse and reflective of the places we visit. Whilst we aim to include varying and/or specific interests, this is not always possible. Non-riding guests generally enjoy a range of organized activities which can include spectacular walks and hikes, kayaking and water based activities, cooking classes and producer visits & tastings, exploring towns, sightseeing (guided and unguided) and enjoying being part of a group with other non-riding guests.
For our Italy bike tours, we require all customers to pay a deposit of $1,995 AUD when they book, which confirms their reservation. The balance is then due 120 days before departure. If you book less than 120 days before departure, we will ask you to pay the full price upfront.
Bike hire and optional experiences are charged separately from the tour booking.
Yes, insurance is required for all of our Italian cycling tours. We strongly advise that you take out your Travel Insurance Policy at the time of booking as this will mean you will be covered immediately, should anything occur between your time of booking and departure / return to your home country.
Yes, it is a requirement of A’QTO that you provide a medical certificate to be eligible to participate in our Italy trips. We will provide you with the appropriate documentation and medical certificates when you book. We believe this is mostly for your protection and is very good practice to undertake prior to any trip where you may be pushing your physical limits.
Yes – we partner with a trusted travel agent in Melbourne, Australia.
From flights to accommodation, and ideas for pre and post travel, they can help with any aspect of your trip. They are committed to making your travel as enjoyable as we are.
Booking through a travel agent is no more expensive than the internet and can offer a personally tailored service – always ensuring the best value and travel experience. We’ll provide you with further details when booking.
If your pre and post tour travel is within Italy, talk to us anytime post booking as we have a range of suggestions and itineraries which we can help you with.
Absolutely. We create unique trips for groups of friends, business/corporate clients, and families, both in Australia and in Italy. We can tailor the tour to accommodate the amount of riding you want to do, to the amount of non-riding activity you’re interested in, locations, tour types and accommodation styles – whatever your timing and interests, please talk to us. We’ll create a personalised and memorable experience for you and your group.
