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Top seven bike tours for families with tweens

Tweens are at that funny in-between age, where they might be a little too old for the magic of the mouse ears but a little too young for independent activities. Bike tours are the perfect solution to entertain the kids and make lifelong memories for the whole family.

We look at a variety of factors when recommending tours for families traveling with pre-teens:

  • Does the tour take place on dedicated bike paths? Or possibly quiet side roads?
  • Is the route grade flat or mostly flat?
  • Are the daily distances shorter (easier for shorter legs)?
  • Does the tour operator provide appropriate bikes and rental equipment for a variety of ages?
  • Does the tour possibly have educational value, enjoyable sites or attractions, non-cycling activities, or built-in rest days?

Traveling with kids that are a little older? Check out the best family-friendly trips for teens!

Younger kids? Check out top tours for families with toddlers.

Younger and older? Check out top tours for families with teens AND toddlers.

Is this your first family bike your? Read the 10 reasons your next family vacation should be by bike and our post on tips to get you ready.

Check out all family-friendly bike tours.


1. Lake Constance Bicycle Path

With one lake, three countries, and four islands included in this trip, the family will have plenty to see. Most of the route is level, and runs near the lake, making it an ideal tour to for the youngins’ to make some memories by bike, including local aquariums, castles, and a step back in time to the nearly completely preserved medieval town of Stein am Rhein.

2. Danube Family Tour 7 Nights

A bike tour of the beautiful Danube, and the chance to feed some live farm animals during one of your overnights? It’s the perfect combo for pre-teens. This tour definitely has them in mind, with shorter daily rides and multiple overnights at a hotel with a pool. Add to it the famous Prater Ferris Wheel and a tour around lovely Vienna, and you’ve got yourself a pretty memorable family-vacay.

3. Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz

This tour is dreamy, indeed. With most of the routes running on paved roads and bike trails, you and your pre-teens can easily and safely bike the region’s historic cities and charming villages, making stops at the colorful Bernkastel-Kues, the Porta Nigra amphitheater, Cochem Castle, and An added bonus? A boat ride along the Rhine River!

4. Ionian Islands Multi-sport Family Cruise

Tons of activity options and an opportunity to take a break from biking to relax onboard make this the ideal trip for families traveling with pre-teens. Bike, hike, canoe, and swim through the west coast of Greece, and then take a load off on the beautiful two-masted wooden motor yacht. The kids will love the adventures through olive groves, the enchanting Melissani Cave, and the easy daily rides through the islands.

5. Best of Holland Family Tour

Mostly flat, paved routes and cycle paths line the way for this family trip through beautiful Holland. Spend your time falling in love with the Zaanse Schans in Zaandam: a chocolate and cookie museum, a cheese factory, a clog-making factory and all the quintessential Holland windmills you could want.  

6. Royal Zealand and Copenhagen

This tour showcases the best of Northeast Zealand. You will bike along lovely beaches, pass charming marinas, and visit important royal cities like Hillerød and Roskilde. Sand, sea, culture, and history combined with a lively, charming modern capital-–this tour has it all.

7. Connemara Lazy Days Cycling

Channel the luck of the Irish on this leisurely stroll through Connemara. This trip jam-packed with cultural and natural attractions and gives you the added-time to explore them all. Kylemore Abbey and Gardens, Killary Fjord, and the Twelve Ben Mountain range are just a few of the splendors you’ll witness during the tour, which offers shorter daily rides on low traffic back-roads.


Still trying to decide? Check out our post on how to choose the best family bike vacation, and then take a look at our top 10 family-friendly bike tours for 2018.

Tags from the story:

Family friendly, Top tours, Mosel, Lake Constance, Germany, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Danube


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