Pick your ride: 7 scenic cycling routes in Europe for every level

Some rides stay with you for the numbers, others for what you saw on the way up. On the Ponale, the old road is cut into the cliff above Lake Garda. On Rallarvegen, the Hardangerjøkulen glacier watches you roll out of Finse. On the Albula, the Rhaetian Railway keeps you company on the climb, and on Rocacorba the reward for the last ramp is a view of the Pyrenees, if you can still lift your head. These seven routes are spread across Europe, and each one is worth building a trip around.

Seven of Europe's most scenic cycling routes line up neatly by level. Beginners and families start on the Isle of Wight's Red Squirrel Trail, 32 miles of mostly flat, traffic-free former railway line that splits into four sections. The Val d'Orcia in Tuscany suits couples and mixed groups: San Quirico d'Orcia marks a 185 km network for road, gravel, mountain and e-bikes. Intermediate riders on a gravel bike can take the Ponale road from Riva del Garda to Pregasina and back: 14.4 km with 858 m of climbing. Norway's Rallarvegen runs 82 km from Haugastøl to Flåm. It is mostly downhill after its high point, but steep, exposed sections earn it a demanding grade. The three road climbs ask the most of your legs. Sa Calobra in Mallorca is 10 km at 7 per cent. Rocacorba near Girona is about 10 km with 750 m of climbing. The Albula pass in Graubünden is 22.5 km, with 1,360 m of climbing to a summit at 2,311 m.

The Red Squirrel Trail is 32 miles long. Visit Isle of Wight, the island's tourism website, splits it into four sections: East Cowes to Merstone via Newport, Merstone to Sandown, Sandown back to Merstone, then Merstone back to East Cowes. Most of it follows disused railway lines, now smooth, traffic-free cycle paths. That is why families and first-timers start here. A couple of bridleway passages add rougher ground and a few short gradients.

The seawall path from Sandown to Shanklin is the stretch to save for an ice cream. Alverstone Mead Nature Reserve is the best place to spot the red squirrels the trail is named after.

You start where the ferries land. The Red Funnel car ferry arrives in East Cowes, across the floating bridge from Cowes. The Red Jet brings foot passengers straight into Cowes, where free, covered bike storage sits beside the terminal. Take two days for the whole loop at an easy pace, with a night in Sandown or Shanklin. The island rides best from March to May and September to November. Plan the rest of your stay with our page on cycling on the Isle of Wight.

Base yourself in San Quirico d'Orcia, in the UNESCO-listed Val d'Orcia: the town has marked a 185 km network of routes for road bikes, mountain bikes, gravel bikes and e-bikes. The shortest way in is the 7.3 km route from San Quirico to Pienza. Other marked routes run to the Chapel of Vitaleta, Bagno Vignoni and the Abbey of Sant'Antimo. The Municipality of San Quirico built the Valdorcia app to follow them. It filters routes by difficulty and climbing, and gives each one as a GPX or KML track. Download it free for Android or Apple phones, as San Quirico's cycling page explains.

The valley's rolling terrain is manageable for novice riders, and the white gravel roads, the strade bianche, add an off-road option when you want one. That mix makes it the pick for a couple or a group of mixed ability, where an e-bike lets everyone ride together. Go in April and May or September and October for the mildest weather. L'Eroica, the vintage-bike ride on Tuscany's gravel roads, brings busier roads in October. For Monte Amiata, Tuscany's highest mountain, and the hills around Siena, see our page on cycling in Tuscany. For Chianti, the strade bianche and where to base yourself, read our guide to cycling in Tuscany.

Yes, and you share it only with walkers: the Ponale road closed to vehicles in 1995 and reopened as a trail in 2004. Garda Trentino, the area's tourist board, maps the Ponale Gravel Tour from Piazza III Novembre in Riva del Garda up to Pregasina and back: 14.4 km with 858 m of climbing, graded intermediate. Until 1992 it was the only link between Riva and the Ledro Valley.

The first stretch is a dirt trail along the cliff above the lake, so bring a gravel bike rather than a road bike. Look through the gates in the third tunnel for the Tagliata, an Austrian fort cut into the mountain. After the bridge over the Ponale gorge, the climb to Pregasina is paved up to the Madonna statue. You come back down the way you went up. The route is hard to pick out, so Garda Trentino advises following its GPX track, which you can download from the tour's page.

The Ponale suits intermediate riders, or a pair who want one big-view morning before a swim in the lake. Lake Garda rides best from April to October, and bikes are easy to hire in Riva del Garda and Torbole. See cycling at Lake Garda for the Monte Baldo climbs and the flat lakeside paths. For the climbs and the lake path around it, read our guide to cycling Lake Garda.

Hard enough that fjords.com, a guide to western Norway's fjords, grades it demanding. It has steep, narrow and exposed sections where you are advised to get off and push, and it is not suitable for children. Rallarvegen runs 82 km from Haugastøl via Finse to Flåm on the Sognefjord, between stations on the Bergen Railway. It climbs to its high point at Lake Fagervatnet, 1,343 m, and from there it is more or less downhill to the fjord.

The most popular stretch starts at Finse, the highest point on the Bergen Railway, and drops to the fjord. The season runs from mid-July to mid-September, depending on snow. Take the train from Oslo or Bergen to Haugastøl, Finse or Myrdal, hire a bike there and leave it in Flåm. Your luggage can travel between the stations without you. Pack a helmet and a repair kit for the rougher parts. Bring a map and compass for fog, too: mobile coverage is often patchy. It suits fit, confident riders who like a point-to-point day.

Hard but short. Climbfinder, the climb database, measures Sa Calobra at 10 km and an average 7 per cent from the port: 701 m of climbing to the top at 723 m, with its steepest 100 m at 11.1 per cent. You ride down to the sea first, so the climb is your way out. One Climbfinder rider rode it from Port de Sóller over Puig Major and the Coll dels Reis, and back the same way: 80 km with 2,000 m of climbing. Hotel Esplendido in Port de Sóller sits at the start of that day. The narrow Serra de Tramuntana roads are shared with tour buses, so set off early.

Mallorca rides best from March to May and September to November. The table shows the island's average daily high and low and its wet days (1 mm or more) for each month, from Open-Meteo's records for 2016 to 2025.

For Formentor, Puig Major and the rest of the island, read our guide to the best cycling routes in Mallorca, and see cycling in Mallorca for where to base your week.

From the low stone bridge at its foot, Rocacorba is about 10 km with 750 m of climbing, according to Epic Road Rides, a cycling route guide. Climbfinder measures the longer climb from Banyoles at 12.3 km and 794 m, topping out at 970 m. The warm-up is about 25 km of flattish roads from Girona to the bridge. The gradient never settles. After 3 km at 5.7 per cent and a breather beyond Pujarnol come 4 km at 9.5 per cent, then a last 1.5 km near 8 per cent with ramps of around 15 per cent.

Since the road was fully paved around 2000, professionals have used Rocacorba to test their form. They chase a time under 30 minutes; under 50 is a good time for everyone else. There is no food or water on the way up and nothing at the top but a telecoms mast, a hang gliding platform and, on a clear day, the Pyrenees. The road is a narrow dead end with little traffic. Its surface is rough on the descent, so leave it for a dry day. Refuel at the cafes around Lake Banyoles afterwards.

Rocacorba is for climbers who like a benchmark. Girona rides best from March to May and September to November. See cycling in Girona for the other climbs and the Vies Verdes, flat greenways on old railway lines to the coast. For the gravel side of Girona, where The Traka is raced, read The Inside Line with Marta Torà Milà.

Ride the Albula when you want a long, steady day of climbing. Climbfinder rates it HC, hors catégorie, the hardest grade. It measures 22.5 km from just before Filisur, with 1,360 m of climbing at an average 6.1 per cent. The steepest 100 m reach 11.7 per cent, and the top sits at 2,311 m. The first hairpins lift you onto a steep balcony road through a river gorge, then the going eases to Bergün, where you ride straight through the village.

The Rhaetian Railway runs beside you on its UNESCO-listed viaducts, and the Tour de Suisse has raced over the pass. Traffic on the Albula is low, though the roads are narrow with little hard shoulder. Graubünden's high passes open only from June to October because of snow, so check the pass is open before you go. Fit a compact chainset, with smaller front chainrings that make long climbs easier. This is a climb for strong, experienced riders. Our page on cycling in Graubünden has the Flüela pass and the gentler Engadin valley roads.

Each of these routes asks for a different kind of day: a slow family loop with an ice cream on the seawall, a morning on the Ponale before a swim, or Rocacorba with the clock running. Choose the one that fits your legs and your group. See cycling holidays with theKlub for the places we know best. Start with the season: check your route's best months in the FAQ above, then book your train, ferry or flight around them. For bigger Swiss passes, read our guide to cycling in Valais.