COUNTRIES
The quick guide (subjects in no particular order): Terrain & weather, Maps & info, Roads and traffic, Public transport & taxis, Food, Security, Health, Money, Opening hours, Language, Telephones, Accomodation, Bike repairs and spares.
Links to other tourist/cycling info
THE QUICK GUIDE
By clicking on the country name you can read
the looong guide!)
| SPAIN | FRANCE | GERMANY | DENMARK | |
| Terrain & weather | Hilly, rarely flat, very hilly. Little roadside chade.Very chilly mornings, very hot afternoons. | Very varied, temperatures sometimes height dependant | Mainly rolling, hot, thundery weather | More varied than one would imagine. Prevailing wind noticeable |
| Maps and info | Michelin 1/400 000. Local maps hard to find.
Tourist information for Spain |
Michelin 'Yellow' maps 1/ 200 000
French tourist information |
ARAL automobile maps1/400 000. German national
cycling organisation
ADFC |
'Cykelferiekortet' - Denmark by bicycle 1/ 500
000.
The Danish Cycle Federation |
| Roads & traffic | Quality from excellent to very poor. Courteous if rather brisk traffic | A maze of small'white roads' makes traffic-free cycling easy to find. Courteous if rather brisk traffic | Variable quality of cycle paths and their signposting. Use of cycle paths required by law. Car users sometimes aggressive | Good quality, well signposted cycle paths. Courteous traffic.Use of cycle paths required by law |
| Public transport & taxis | Extensive and cheap | Didn't use | Didn't use | Didn't use |
| Food | Cheap, little between towns | Plenty of shops to buy food, restauarnts varied and reasonably priced | Difficult to find shops as roads bypass villages. Camp sites often have restaurant - good but sometimes limited. | Not cheap, often pizza. Camping sites often sell food to cook. |
| Security | Tourist 'hot spots' attract unwanted sellers | Sensible care needed but no problems | Sensible care needed but no problems | Sensible care needed but no problems |
| Health | Tap water OK to drink but not always tasty!
Insects in summer? |
Insects in summer? | Insects in summer? | Insects in summer? |
| Money | EUROS now.
Cash machines in towns, credit cards not accepted everywhere |
EUROS now. Cash machines in towns, credit cards accepted almost everywhere | EUROS now. Cash machines in towns, credit cards accepted almost everywhere | Danish kroner. Cash machines in towns, credit cards accepted almost everywhere |
| Opening hours | Typically 8- 12 & 5-9pm | Typically 8-1 & 3-7pm | 9-6pm | 9-6pm |
| Language | Spanish, little English spoken | French, some English spoken | German, a lot of English spoken | Danish, English widely spoken |
| Telephones | Many pay phones, GSM coverage near roads but not everywhere | Few pay phones. Good GSM coverage | Few pay phones. Good GSM coverage | Few pay phones. Good GSM coverage |
| Accomodation | Camp sites usually big and expensive, many cheaper alternatives, Hostals or Pensiones being the most common. YH in bigger towns/centres | Camp sites frequent and reasonable, several cheap hotel chains. YH in bigger towns/centres | Camp sites fairly frequent and reasonable, small family run hotel common. YH in bigger towns/centres and countryside | Denmark has a system of 'NatureCamp sites' - very basic and cheap as well as better equipped campsites. YH in tourist areas/countryside |
| Bikes repairs & spares | In big towns | In larger towns | In larger towns | In larger towns |
Other links to sites with tourist and/or cycling information
CTC, England
http://www.ctc.org.uk/links.html
http://www.adventurecycling.org/
http://www.in-berlin.de/User/bitrot/index.html
http://www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/#Countries
http://WWW.GFOnline.org/BikeAccess/touring.htm
Sheldon
Brown - about bikes, touring and more
Our route across Spain took us from Gibraltar
via Malaga to Granada, Cuenca, Zaragoza and Jaca to the Pyrenees and the
Col de Somport in 3 weeks. We flew to Malaga and took a large taxi to Gibraltar.
For tourist information we had with us the Rough Guide to Spain in addition
to information we had already gathered. As we were interested in crossing
the country and not sticking to one area we used Michelin 1/400 000 maps.
These seemed up to date and accurate and agreed with road signs too! They
lack contour lines but careful reading of river flow, spot heights etc
made it fairly easy to predict the terrain, which was generally hilly!
However I only found roads too steep twice. Although we didn’t look very
hard we saw few other maps and those we saw were often only town maps
Crossing from Gibraltar to Spain can take hours
with a car but on foot/by bike you can jump the queue. Speak to the friendly
police on the border!
The taxis we used were cheap, helpful but a little
cramped with us, 2 bikes and all our gear inside the car! Trains and buses
run between towns but in the countryside it often required asking locally
to find out about the buses, as stops are not marked. British passport
holders don’t need visas but passports are required on the Gibraltar/Spanish
border as well as at many hotels etc. Credit cards are accepted fairly
widely especially in larger towns, but obviously the local corner shops
in the small villages only accept cash (pesetas or Euros after Jan 2002).
Cash was drawn from cash dispensers in larger towns.
The weather on the whole was temperate – two
cold days (0-5 C due to altitude) two wet days, several showery days, one
very hot day (30+). The wind was often quite strong but thankfully almost
never against us.
English is not widely spoken. Anyone visiting
Spain should at least learn a few ‘politeness’ words and preferably a few
phrases to find daily requirements. Spaniards were, on the other hand,
extremely patient and helpful, using sign language, drawings in the roadside
mud, on table napkins etc. Local knowledge of terrain, roads etc seemed
very good and it was always worth asking when in doubt about a road, direction
etc.
Eating out was easy. Almost every village has
a bar and every bar has food where sandwiches and tapas (small portions
of various delicacies) can be had. The local bar is the gathering point
for the local men who come to watch the bullfighting every evening. Eating
to this accompaniment is not everyone’s cup of tea, but you get a good
grounding in the rules and regulations of bullfighting! Problems start
if you want to eat in a restaurant as many do not open until 9pm or later.
Loaves of white bread are a staple, served with everything. Rice, pasta
& potatoes were not very common. If you like wholemeal bread, Spanish
bread will be a big disappointment, but it was always fresh and suited
to the food served. Though not a vegetarian myself I can imagine
Spain could be a problem because even so-called vegetable soup had small
bits of ham in it! Fish (tuna, anchovies, squid, shellfish etc) was
however readily available. Food for picnic lunches – bread, tinned fish,
cheese or ham, tomatoes, fruit, biscuits, chocolate was available in all
but the smallest of villages but well stocked supermarkets do not exist
in smaller towns and the local shop often looks like a normal house. Look
out for elderly ladies carrying shopping. They always know where the nearest
shop is! Keep an ear open too for the touring bread van in the when in
rural areas! Between towns/villages there is rarely any chance of buying
food so if you’re going far, carry at least emergency snacks. Breakfasts
were a simple affair – often milky coffee or hot chocolate and a sweet
sponge cake in the local bar.
As accommodation was so cheap we never camped
in Spain. Any campsites we did see were closed. I believe wild camping
is permitted but to be honest we seldom saw anywhere suitable in southern
Spain. Land is either cultivated or too rocky for all but the truly desperate.
Camping stove gas is available from sports shops in the large towns. Paraffin/meths
can be bought but only from certain outlets that seemed to serve farmers.
Petrol stations were usually very simple affairs selling only petrol. Most
villages have a room or two above the bar. We found accommodation without
any great problems, although sometimes we paid a bit more than we bargained
on. (Including a family room in Granada and a whole, newly built, luxurious
flat in Ojen) On average we paid 3000 – 5000 pts for a twin room with bathroom
and TV but no breakfast. YH took about 2200 per person including breakfast.
Opening hours -the Siesta is still kept very
rigidly outside of the big towns. Waiting to buy lunch things after 12
o’clock meant going hungry unless you wanted to sit down in a bar and eat
there. Finding anything open before 5 pm was very rare. Villages roll down
the shutters and turn into ghost towns! This was actually great for us
as it meant everything was open in the evenings, bike shops, book shops
etc until 8 or 9 pm. Towns came to life and were pleasant to stroll about
in. Although so much further south it was not dark in Spain until 9 p.m.
or so. Sunrise on the other hand was comparatively late – 7a.m or so.
The roads we used in southern Spain were almost
always in good condition, newly surfaced and signposted in accordance with
the maps we had. However some very poor surfaces were encountered without
warning often in proximity to a village and north of Cuenca the roads
were so bad they are even marked as such on the map! Naturally attention
had to be paid at all times. Traffic was sometimes dense and brisk on and
near the south coast but driver behaviour was always excellent. Lorry drivers
especially were courteous and careful at all times. A friendly toot of
the horn and a wave was very common from both sides of the road! Some roads
have tunnels but these are usually marked on maps. Not all are permitted
for cyclists but sometimes there seems to be little choice. Spain has recently
(1999) been the centre of what others have called ‘anti-cyclist’ regulations.
These are under review and we experienced no problems. I certainly experienced
cycling in Spain as relatively safe and very pleasurable.
Bike shops are few and far between but in the
big towns they were good and helpful with a reasonable choice of spares
- both road and MTB. There seems to be no ‘cycling to work’ culture – something
we Swedish based riders remarked on. Small motor scooters are very popular.
Spaniards are rarely scruffy or dirty. Even the
poorest turn out in their Sunday best to stroll about town. Away from beaches,
scanty dressing is considered inappropriate – even on a hot sunny evening
people will be dressed in several layers of clothing. Common sense and
a certain decorum when it comes to dressing makes sense in rural areas.
Cycling in bra & pants (or bikini) is not recommended! People were
very interested in us as travellers and cyclists but not pushy in any way.
Bars are very much a male domain but we were
never met with ‘looks’ or any kind of trouble whatsoever. Even when travelling
alone I never felt threatened or even in an ‘awkward’ situation. We encountered
no problems with photography though I gather this used to be a problem
in some areas (military etc.) I always asked before taking pictures of
people and was always met with ‘Si! Si!’ and a proud pose.
One major downside in some parts of Spain is
the piles of domestic rubbish on the roadside. Everything from tins of
paint to sofas, TVs, building rubble etc dumped unceremoniously on the
edge of town. No dead dogs or cow carcasses but unpleasant nevertheless.
Another minor irritation was the old ladies who ‘sell’ twigs of rosemary
or other herbs in many of the bigger towns , often near tourist attractions.
They were very persistent and once an unsuspecting tourist had taken hold
of the said twig it had to be purchased for 200-500 psts. Though we quickly
learnt to avoid contact with these women, in big crowds an ugly scene might
quickly develop. Tourists were often incensed at being almost forced to
pay and of course there was always the risk that it was a ploy to assist
pickpocketing or bag snatching, though I never saw this myself.
Probably due to the time of year we encountered
no problems with creepy-crawlies of any kind. I bought drinking water but
brushed my teeth in the local tap water, ate salads etc without any tummy
trouble. I took a E-TEC drink (Gives 80% protection against commonest ‘holiday
tummy’ bacteria ) problems before leaving from Sweden as this was recommended
by the local health centre. Otherwise no vaccinations are needed. Use common
sense in choice of food – eat at popular places with a brisk turnover,
peel or wash fruit etc. We took a small ‘scrapes & bumps’ first aid
kit with us (as well as the usual headache tablets of choice etc), but
well stocked ‘farmacias’ are almost as common as bars! We needed and used
sunscreen (factor 15-18) to protect our legs, arms and faces.
We were quite security conscious, locking our
bikes whenever we left them (even when you can see your bike some idiot
might jump on and ride off - just for a larf, like) and taking our barbags
(& important possessions) with us. Our overnight stops always had a
place for the bikes – bar, orange warehouse, backyard, laundry room, beer
store etc.
Public telephones are still very common in Spain,
and though most seemed to run on cards, cash ones were always available.
Mobile phone (GSM) coverage was generally good, especially in the south,
though mine was turned off during the day to save batteries. Rural areas
or away from larger roads have less reliable GSM coverage. We took chargers
with us to top up batteries when in hotels. (Swedish plugs fit Spanish
ones. UK visitors would need an adaptor).
FRANCE
Our route across France took us from Oloron
Ste Marie via Pau, Agen, Tulle, Nevers, Auxerre, south of Troyes,
Bar-le Duc to Verdun. As we were interested in crossing the country and
not sticking to one area we used a 1/1 000 000 Blay Foldex water resistant
map bought in a French bookshop for planning and the yellow Michelin 1/200
000 maps bought locally as required. The terrain varied greatly from flat
to repetitive, steep ups and downs.
British passport holders don’t need visas but
passports are required at many hotels etc. Credit cards are accepted
widely. Cash was drawn from cash dispensers in towns.
The weather on the whole was temperate –
but often wet, especially in the evenings when thundery rain made itself
known. The wind was very strong in the north at times but thankfully never
totally against us.
English is spoken but with some reticence. Being
able to speak French makes contact with people much easier. (Especially
when they thought I was Swedish!) Eating is usually easy and good food
is available in most villages. We catered for ourselves a lot in France
and when we did eat out it was often at simpler cafe type places. Even
small supermarkets have a good selection of food, wines and beers. Bread
is not restricted to long baguettes either! For accomodation we camped
almost every night, often at municipal sites. However several campsites
were not quite open – some owners allowed us to camp, other sites were
quite simply closed until the following weekend – the last in May. There
are several chains of cheapish hotels operating in France. Camping stove
gas with a screw on fitting was not available. Paraffin/meths can be obtained
at ironmongers. Opening hours – many shops close for a long lunch break
and stay open longer in the evening though this was not as marked as in
Spain.
The roads we used were all tarmaced but sometimes
poorly maintained. Traffic was sometimes dense and brisk on main roads
but the excellent road network in France allowed us to miss trunk roads
to a great extent. Bike shops in the bigger towns were good and helpful
with a reasonable choice of spares - both road and MTB. As in Spain there
seems to be little‘cycling to work’ culture.
Perhaps due to the time of year we encountered
no problems with creepy-crawlies of any kind. I used the tap water for
drinking, cooking etc. without any problems.
Mobile phone (GSM) coverage was generally good
except in the most rural parts of France (Swedish plugs fit French ones.
UK visitors would need an adaptor)
GERMANY / LUXEMBOURG
My route across Germany took me along the
Moselle valley to Koblenz, Limburg, Herborn, Battenburg, the Eder valley,
Korbach, east of Paderborn over Weser at Rinteln, west of Hannover, Verden,
Rotenburg, across Elbe at Gluckstadt, Itzehoe, and north to Danish border
at Flensburg.I used a Michelin 1/300 000 map initially then a 1/400 000
map bought at a Aral petrol station, which proved quite adequate
The terrain was not as varied as in France. In
fact although the river valleys are pretty and present easy cycling I found
them rather monotonous. .British passport holders don’t need visas but
passports are required at many hotels etc. Credit cards are accepted
widely. Cash was drawn from cash dispensers in towns.
The weather on the whole was the hottest of the
journey, with many thundery showers.
English is spoken fairly widely by younger people
and knowing Swedish meant I could always make myself understood. Eating
was varied. Usually roadside cafes or pub restauarnts with the inevitable
schnitzel or pizza. For accommodation I used Youth hostels, small
hotels and campsites. They were all well run and the campsites always had
a simple restaurant on site. As finding little shops without going out
of my way proved rather difficult I didn’t really cater for myself at all.
The roads used were all tarmaced but sometimes poorly maintained. Traffic
was sometimes dense and brisk on main roads but there is usually a signposted
cycle path to use. However using these ‘scenic routes’ could often add
many kilometres to a seemingly short journey between towns. The cycle paths
were sometimes very poorly maintained and often seemed dangerous, swapping
from one side of the road to the other, or running against the flow of
traffic with no more than a white line to separate you from a head on collision
with a Mercedes. In towns they are often run on widened pavements putting
one very close to cars leaving premises etc. Signposting always ran out
in town centres and I was forced to use roads just to find a signpost!
Worst of all not using a cycle path (because it is in a very poor sate
of repair etc) repeatedly led to me being angrily hooted at, fists waved
and aggressive sounding language being used. Once I was asked by the police
to cross a busy main road to use the cycle path on the other side. My obedience
was rewarded by the path ending after 100m and I had to recross the road
to continue on my journey.
Mobile phone (GSM) coverage was excellent (Swedish
plugs fit German ones. UK visitors would need an adaptor).
DENMARK
My route across Denmark took me as
directly north as I could manage. I used a Danish Cycling Federation map,
bought at a bookshop, which, despite its compactness, was very detailed
and excellent for bicycle tourists.
The terrain was more varied than I’d expected
but fairly easy. British passport holders don’t need visas and passports
were never requested. Credit cards are accepted widely. Cash was drawn
from cash dispensers in towns.
The weather began warm, with some thundery showers
and changed to a strong (and wet!) south westerly, which blew the last
two days.
English is spoken widely. Eating was varied.
Sometimes I ate out at a pizzeria, sometimes I cooked my own food.
For accommodation I used Youth hostels, small hotels and campsites. They
were all well run. The roads used were all tarmaced but sometimes side
roads in forest areas are of hard packed gravel which are fine when dry
but heavy going when wet. Traffic was sometimes dense and brisk on main
roads but there was always a nearby, signposted cycle path to use. These
paths often ran beside the road, were usually fairly direct and always
well maintained. Signposting was usually adequate even in town centres.
If a cycle path exists you are obliged by law to use it but this was never
a problem. At junctions with roads drivers seemed very aware and courteous
but never take things for granted!
Mobile phone (GSM) coverage was excellent (Swedish
plugs fit Danish ones. UK visitors would need an adaptor).