8 Ideal Bike Tours For Food Lovers

More and more people are planning getaways around food — whether it's street food or a Michelin-starred tasting extravaganza. So operators, guides, and bespoke travel agents are offering much more in the way of food- and wine-focused travel than ever before, and that includes bicycle tours. Companies like Butterfield and Robinson, Abercrombie &  Kent, and other luxury outfitters have long offered bike tours throughout Europe and various parts of the States, but not only are those horizons expanding, but the culinary and wine-soaked itineraries are, as well.

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If the thought of biking from one country to another (or even just going out to buy all the necessary spandex) seems ambitious, don't worry. These tour operators cater to everyone, from the inexperienced to the expert and, of course, the family member dragged along solely because of the promise of good food and wine. And when Butterfield and Robinson offers trips like their Burgundy Biking trip with tastings at private vineyards, tours of medieval villages, and Michelin-starred dinners, it's hard to see the bike riding bit as anything more than working off one meal before getting to the next.

Stateside, there is one bike trip offered by Trek Travel that takes gastronomes from San Francisco to Santa Barbara with all the food- and wine-soaked promises of the California central coast at each stop. And there are bike tour operators from Tuscany to Maine and from Chile to South Africa that will not only offer a destination's most scenic routes but showcase the best in food and drink along the way. Because who wouldn't want to indulge in all things wine and food while cycling through the Andes or exploring the back roads of the Italian countryside?