The Giro d’Italia is the first three week ‘Gran Tour’ each year, and is regarded as the most beautiful. In 2026, the race will celebrate its 109th edition, with the Giro d’Italia route starting in Bulgaria, however the real action will really only begin once it arrives onto Italian shores in Catanzaro, located on the sole of Italy’s boot, in the region of Calabria. It will then keep heading north to take in more of Calabria, pass through Basilicata and then onto Campania and Abruzzo – all in its first week – and what a week it will be.
Our Giro d’Italia 2026 Cycling Tour has been designed to provide an experience that perfectly balances the action and atmosphere of celebrating the race, while also having time away from the Gran Tour to immerse into the regions we’ll travel – allowing us to enjoy it all at a calmer, ‘more Italian’ pace. It’s the perfect balance.
Our Giro d’Italia 2026 tour at a glance.
Dates: 10 – 17th May 2026
Number of Giro d’Italia route stages you will see: 5
Stage starts you will see: Stages 5 & 7
Stage finishes you will see: Stage 4 (with VIP option) & 6
Stage you have the option to see: Stage 8
Number of km’s riding the Giro d’Italia route on the days of the stages: 260km across 5 days.
Ride Highlight 1: Seeing the race enter the magical Amalfi coast road on stage 5, and then riding on further along this spectacular road ourselves .
Ride Highlight 2: Witnessing the first mountain top finish of the race at the mythical Blockhaus on stage 6, after having climbed this epic mountain ourselves earlier in the day
Off Bike Highlights: Our signature food and wine experience, Private guided tour of Pompeii Market tour and dinner with a family in Abruzzo
Tour total ride distance: 564km
Tour total ride elevation: 10,983m
Tour start location: Paola, Calabria
Tour finish location: Pescara, Abruzzo
Cycling Giro d’Italia 2026 - The First Week
After many years of cycling Giro d’Italia and hosting our tour in the mountains during the final week of the race, we have chosen to run our Giro d’Italia 2026 tour during the first week of the race. From the race perspective, this is where the classification will start to take shape and from our tour perspective, this first week allows us to explore and share some of Italy’s lesser known roads and climbs in the beautifully rustic southern regions of Calabria, Campania and Abruzzo, while also enjoying some warmer spring weather, closer to the coast.
Below is a day-by-day breakdown of how our Giro d’Italia 2026 Cycling Tour prepares you and has you following the Giro d’Italia Route in its first week across southern Italy.
Day 1
Where the Giro will be
Giro d’Italia Route Stage: 3
Start and end points: Bulgaria
Stage highlights: A day for the breakaway specialists
Where we’ll be
What to expect for your ride: You will start with an easy ride around Cosenza to commence the tour, stretching your legs and blowing out the cobwebs from your flight and a few days off the bike.
Why you will love riding here: Exploring a few of the nearby villages and meandering through the quiet old town of Cosenza in its stunning setting.
Scenic/cultural attractions: Staying in a beautiful historic hotel in the centro storico and enjoying the authentic and mouth-watering southern Italian tastes of Calabria
This is the day to ease into the pace of Italy and tour life.
Day 2
Where the Giro will be
Giro d’Italia Route Stage: Rest Day
Where we’ll be
What to expect for your ride today: A day riding with the group into one of Calabria’s most beautiful national parks, often described by locals as the ‘Dolomites of the South’
Why you will love riding here: Our group ride will take us further into the Sila National Park with its beautiful climbs and descents amongst a pine forest laden Calabrian landscape, where we’ll also enjoy lunch at one of the traditional “home” osteria serving very typical and hearty cuisine, perfect for a mid ride lunch.
Scenic/cultural attractions: Further immersion into the quiet, natural beauty around Cosenza, all while the Giro party atmosphere starts to build in town.
This is your last ‘calm’ day to set your on-tour rhythm, before the magic of the Giro is woven into every day ahead.
Day 3
Where the Giro will be
Giro d’Italia Route Stage: 4
Start and end points: Catanzaro to Cosenza
Stage highlights: Most likely a sprint finish.
Best viewing points: VIP enclosure on the finish line
Where we’ll be
What to expect for your ride today: Ride the final 50km of the day’s stage before the pro’s, and then watch the action on the finish line in beautiful Cosenza.
Why you will love riding here: Riding through the rugged landscape as the mountains fall away to meet the sea, and then being on the Giro race route.
Scenic/cultural attractions: The Giro action and party atmosphere, followed by a delicious and memorable final dinner in Calabria
Excitement will be high with our first interaction with the Giro out on the road, and at the finish line, as well as joining in the party in the first Italian finish town
Day 4
Where the Giro will be
Giro d’Italia Route Stage: 5
Start and end points: Praia a Mare to Potenza
Stage highlights: A hard day for the race in the hills.
Best viewing points: As the peloton rolls out along the beautiful esplanade of this Calabrian seaside town,, we’ll be amongst the atmosphere, before rolling out ourselves hot on their wheels
Where we’ll be
What to expect for your ride today: Join the fanfare at the stage start to see the riders all sign on, buy a few souvenirs and watch the race roll out, before our own roll out of town behind the pro’s
Why you will love riding here: Our ride will leave the race route after the official race start and hug the mesmerising coast, as we ride through Basilicata and into Campania
Scenic/cultural attractions: Staying in a beautiful and authentic family run villa with views across to Capri and the Amalfi Coast, and enjoying dinner with a renowned chef who is a master at “La Cucina del Cilento”, in the home of the Mediterranean diet
Stage starts are always full of energy and excitement, and being at the start line today will be a great way to start the day, before you ride along one of the most beautiful roads you will ever ride.
Day 5
Where the Giro will be
Giro d’Italia Route Stage: 6
Start and end points: Paestum to Napoli
Stage highlights: Another day for the sprinters.
Best viewing points: On a hairpin corner as the peloton leaves the amazing Amalfi Coast road.
Where we’ll be
What to expect for your ride today: Feel the excitement as we roll through the stage start by Paestum’s ancient Greek temples and jump onto the race route, taking in the first 55km of the stage, before stopping to see the Pro’s tear up the road. We’ll be poised on a hill for the best view imaginable and then we’ll roll on further up the Amalfi Coast road, on partially closed roads, before finishing in the centre of Pompeii.
Why you will love riding here: The seascape and stunning vistas along the Amalfi Coast road needs to be seen to be believed and to ride this stretch of Italian coastline with the Giro in town, is a riding experience that will be forever etched in your memory.
Scenic/cultural attractions: After rolling past the Greek temples of Paestum, we’ll arrive to the majestic ancient city of Pompeii and enjoy a private guided experience of the ruins, followed by a food experience of Campania at a ristorante run by two brothers, that will leave you agreeing with us that this probably is the region with the best food in Italy.
This is a day that has it all; Ancient greek temples and ancient roman ruins, the stunning Amalfi Coast, the Giro and then the food of Campania (Nancy’s home region), also home to Italy’s best food.
Day 6
Where the Giro will be
Giro d’Italia Route Stage: 7
Start and end points: Formia to Blockhaus
Stage highlights: The first mountain top finish of the tour.
Best viewing points: On one of the steepest ramps in the final km’s, surrounded by the Italian tifosi.
Where we’ll be
What to expect for your ride today: After a short transfer to our ride start point, you will ride the last 65km of the day’s race route, before joining fellow riders and race fans to await the arrival of the select GC group.
Why you will love riding here: You’ll be riding a piece of Giro history today and in the bike track of Eddy Merckx, who was the first to the summit in 1967, you will climb through an open and desolate landscape with little herds of goats and vistas that stretch for miles.
Scenic/cultural attractions: A new day and a new region of Abruzzo, famed for its stunning open landscapes and its authentic cuisine, including arrosticini lamb skewers and meats cooked over charcoal
To be up close and part of the action on a mountain top finish,, supporting and cheering-on the pro riders, is something very special; an experience you’ll savour forever.
Day 7
Where the Giro will be
Giro d’Italia Route Stage: 8
Start and end points: Chieti to Fermo
Stage highlights: An uphill sprint finish.
Best viewing points: As the peloton departs through the tiny streets of the stunning old hilltop town of Chieti, you’ll have the option to be in position for another exciting start and rollout following the pro’s
Where we’ll be
What to expect for your ride today: There are two options for your ride today. The first is one more interaction with the Giro as it departs Chieti and then a roll through the small and stunning rolling hills of Abruzzo, hot on the wheels of the pro’s. The second option is to ride up to Campo Imperatore in the Gran Sasso national park
Why you will love riding here: Whichever ride you choose today, you’ll love the quiet roads of Abruzzo, surrounded by quaint villages and landscapes of jaw dropping beauty.
Scenic/cultural attractions: The warm and friendly hospitality of the Abruzzese people is something special and you’ll be sharing the table this evening with a local family who will prepare a very traditional meal just for our group. For our non-riding partners, today is a highlight with the chance to partake in an artisan food tasting tour and cooking class during the day with our chef.
The opportunity to ride into the ‘off the beaten path’ Gran Sasso national park is not to be missed, as this is going to be the next big place to ride in Italy, and to be able to do it at the end of Spring amongst a carpet of wildflowers, will be very special.
Where the Giro d'Italia Route will go next…
On the final day of our tour, as we all say arrivederci after an amazing riding experience of cycling Giro d’Italia together over 7 days, the race will finish with a tough mountain summit at Corno alle Scale, near Bologna. If you’d like to experience this stage 9 finish, we’ll make sure you get there as part of our transfer.
Giro d’Italia Route – Week 2
The pro’s start week two of the Giro d’Italia route with an individual time trial in Tuscany, and then resume their pilgrimage north, along Liguria, into Piemonte, the Aosta Valley and a sprint finish in Milano. It’s a week of power, mountains and fast finishes.
Giro d’Italia Route – Week 3
Week three is always mountainous and the route for the Giro d’Italia 2026 is no exception, with a stage that takes the race into Switzerland, followed by stages across to the Dolomites, Friuli and a race finish once again in Rome. More than one third of the total elevation of the race is concentrated into the last 6 stages of the Giro d’Italia route in 2026 and it’s going to be a tough final week.
Why Join Us for Week 1 at the Giro d’Italia 2026?
Cycling Giro d’Italia with us is guaranteed to be a week that is packed full of amazing riding, post ride activities, food experiences, diverse southern Italian cultures and interesting locations, that are not often experienced together on any cycling tour calendar.
For us, we believe these regions of Calabria, Campania and Abruzzo offer something special to cyclists that the north of Italy doesn’t offer, and we are excited to be able to bring together a 7 day experience of these less discovered regions, and to share them with you at the Giro d’Italia 2026.
You can expect:
1. A seamless experience of the Giro, with front row access to the race at starts, finishes, on the road and mountain tops, and all rides, transfers and travel logistics through southern Italy taken care of;
2. Expert guides on the road with more than 10 years experience running Giro d’Italia cycling tours, together with full van support for supreme comfort;
3. A curated accommodation, food, wine and cultural experience of southern Italy that you won’t get elsewhere on a Giro d’Italia cycling tour.
You can also read more about the benefits of joining our small group cycling tours of Italy or hear what some of our previous guests have said about their experience of the Giro d’Italia with us, by clicking either of the links below.
If you would like any further information on our Giro d’Italia 2026 Cycling Tour, click the link here or click here to join us on a live chat
