Self-guided: Italy Coast to Coast – Ravenna to Pisa

  • Length 9 days
  • From USD$2375
  • Style/Level Self-Guided 1.0
  • Countries Italy
  • Begin/End Ravenna / Lucca

A perfect blend of Italian art, culture, and cuisine awaits you on this unforgettable bike tour from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Starting in Ravenna, the last capital of the Western Roman Empire and renowned for its stunning mosaics, you’ll cycle through picturesque landscapes and charming villages, cross the verdant Apennines, and discover local culinary delights like olive oil, wine, and pecorino cheese along the way. In Florence, you’ll marvel at world-class masterpieces. The tour culminates in Lucca, a charming medieval city known for its well-preserved defensive walls that still encircle the historic center. Before the journey ends, enjoy a final loop ride to Pisa, where you can strike a pose in front of the world-famous Leaning Tower and cycle all the way to the nearby Tuscan coast, completing an unforgettable Italian adventure!

Highlights

  • Ravenna’s Byzantine mosaics

  • Faenza ceramics

  • Crossing the Apennines

  • Renaissance Florence

  • Vinci

  • Lucca

  • Tuscany countryside cycling

  • Pisa

    Extra meals & activities (separate fees apply)

  • Cooking classes available in various tour locations! Organized by Le Cesarine where you will be hosted by a local at their home and will help the Cesarina (the host) prepare three courses. In the fourth and final hour, you will enjoy the meal (lunch or dinner) which you prepared during the class. Water and one bottle of house wine for every 3 people are included.

  • More available options:
  • Guided visit of Ravenna (approx. 3 hours)
    Dinner in Ravenna
    Dinner in Faenza
    Cooking class in Faenza
    Olive Oil Tasting in Brisighella
    Guided visit of Florence
    Dinner in Vinci

Includes

  • 8 nights in 3- and 4-star lodgings

  • All breakfasts

  • 1 Dinner with drinks on day 3

  • Bike fitting and briefing in English by our professional staff at tour start

  • Access to smartphone app with tracks and digital roadbook

  • Luggage transfers.

  • All Self-Guided tour inclusions

Keep in mind

We work hard to maintain consistency across all of our tours, but some trips have unique differences. Here are some things to keep in mind about this tour.

  • The final itinerary, including hotels and/or activities described here, are subject to change according to availability.
  • City hotel taxes are not included.

The first day cycling the flat Po Valley prepares you for more challenging rides upon reaching the Apennines. Gentle, continuous climbing cycling over the mountain pass (with option to take a train over the pass). The following days in Tuscany are mostly hilly, with a relatively flat final ride to Pisa. E-bikes also make this tour accessible to everyone!


From USD $2,375

  • PRICING: Based on double occupancy. $500 per-person deposit. Departures for one person only will require supplemental fees.
  • HIGH SEASON PRICING May 1 – June 15 and September 1 – October 15: USD $2,495 per person.
  • START DAYS: This tour departs any Tuesday between March 1 and October 31. Other start days of the weeks may be available on request, for USD $300. Please note that changing the start day could make some cultural visits and activities impossible.
  • REQUEST YOUR DATE: Click the blue “Request a date” button to submit a tour inquiry.
If dates appear below, they reflect already requested departures. Multiple parties may join listed dates.

Download Itinerary

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  • Total distance 287-328 km (178 – 204 miles)
  • Average daily distance 31-64 km (19-45 miles)
  • Tour style Self-Guided
  • Tour level 1.0

Highlights: Byzantine mosaics, 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Arrive in Ravenna today, once the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Your centrally located hotel allows you to walk to Dante’s Tomb and the UNESCO World Heritage mosaics of San Vitale, Sant’Apollinare Nuovo and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia this afternoon. Don’t miss these early Byzantine churches with their colorful mosaics that draw travelers from around the world, as well as the beautiful Renaissance historical center of Ravenna.

Accommodation: Hotel Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi, or similar. Upgrades available – please inquire for details.

Highlights: Faenza International Ceramics Museum and Renaissance Town Square

Meet our staff in the early morning to fit bikes and get ready for your tour ahead. Exiting Ravenna you have the choice to visit another very important Byzantine masterpiece: Sant’Apollinare in Classe. Cross the plains through fruit orchards and arrive at Faenza. Your hotel is a restored convent near the central square of this regional market center and famous ceramics town. Enjoy the bustle in the market square and the main “piazza” which is always full of bicycle riders of all ages. Faenza is world-renowned for its hand-decorated ceramics; we recommend a visit to the International Ceramics Museum as well as several of the local artists’ studios specialized in this colorful pottery.

Daily distance: 53 km (33 miles)
Elevation gain: +167 m (548 ft)

Accommodation: Hotel Vittoria, or similar. Upgrades available – please inquire for details.

Meals : Breakfast

Highlights: Bicycle the Apennines and the Mugello.

You will head into the Apennine mountains today, passing first through the colorful medieval village of Brisighella. Take a break and pick up some snacks for the climb. If you decide you prefer to take the train up and over the mountains, feel free to do so! For those who decide to bicycle, begin the climb over the Apennines – remember to look around as you pedal since the scenery changes dramatically as you leave the plains and enter the mountains. Just before you reach the toughest part of the climb there is a very conveniently located train station, from where you could choose to hop on for the last and toughest part of the climb. You’ll spend the night in Ronta, a small mountain town where you’ll enjoy the clean and crisp mountain air. Dinner is included tonight.

Daily distance: 64 km (35 miles)
Elevation gain: + 1286 m (4219 ft)

Accommodation: Albergo La Rosa, or similar. Upgrades not available

Meals : Breakfast

Highlights: Fiesole and its Etruscan ruins, Renaissance Florence, Uffizi Gallery

There’s a small climb this morning to Vetta le Croci, then it’s downhill to the old Etruscan city of Fiesole, where you’ll enjoy a great view of Florence rising from the valley floor. Glide down into Florence on your bike. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore this capital of Renaissance Italy.

Daily distance: 41 km (26 miles)
Elevation gain: + 444 m (1456 ft)

Accommodation: Hotel Silla, or similar. Upgrades available – please inquire for details

Meals : Breakfast

Highlights: Renaissance Florence, Uffizi Gallery, Accademia

Spend the day exploring marvelous Florence and its countless jewels: climb up Giotto’s tower for a stunning view of the city and the Duomo; visit the Uffizi Gallery or the Accademia; or walk the Ponte Vecchio bridge across the Arno for a different striking view of the city.

Accommodation: Hotel Silla, or similar. Upgrades available – please inquire for details.

Highlights: Olive groves and vineyards, Leonardo da Vinci’s birthplace and museum

After breakfast, you’ll head out of Florence and down the Arno River valley for a beautiful day of riding in the Italian countryside. There is a bit of a climb as you’ll cross Mount Albano, but worth it for the spectacular view. You destination is Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, where you’ll have a chance to visit the house where he was born and a museum with scale models of his inventions.

Distance: 40 km (25 miles)
Elevation gain: + 568 m (1863 ft)

Accommodation: Agriturismo il Piastrino, or similar. Upgrades available – please inquire for details

Meals : Breakfast

Highlights: Medici villa, bicycle countryside of Tuscany, 17th century wall

Climb the stairway to the Medici villa in Cerreto Guidi today for a great view as you continue west to Lucca, where you’ll stay the next two nights. Lucca was a Roman town and one of medieval Italy’s most prosperous city-states. Today, Lucca retains its medieval charm with its small shops and sidewalk cafes, as well as the beautiful 17th-century wall that surrounds the town.

Daily distance: 58 km (36 miles).
Elevation gain: + 424 m (1391 ft)

Accommodation: Hotel La Luna, or similar. Upgrades available – please inquire for details

Meals : Breakfast

Highlights: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Piazza of Miracles, Lake Massaciuccoli

Your last day of cycling takes you to Pisa where you can visit the Leaning Tower and the Piazza of Miracles (arriving there by bike is a grand experience!). Our route to Pisa takes you by Lake Massaciuccoli, where Puccini wrote many of his operas. After a stroll through Pisa, head back to Lucca to enjoy an evening “passeggiata” along the main pedestrian way, or explore its countless amazing alleys and piazzas.

Three options for your ride today – cycle to Pisa and return by train (with bike aboard). Or a longer loop ride, through lovely Tuscan hills, vineyards and stately villas. If you are up for the challenge, add an out and back ride all the way to the Tuscan coast and dip your toes in the Tyrrhenian Sea!

Short option (cycle to Pisa, return to Lucca by train): 31 km (19 miles), with + 143m (470ft) elevation gain.
Long option 1: 61 km (37 miles), with + 367m (1205ft) elevation gain.
Long option 2: 77 km (48 miles), with + 527m (1729ft) elevation gain.
Extra ride to the coast: additional 29 km (18 miles), with 108m (350ft) elevation gain.

Accommodation: Hotel La Luna, or similar. Upgrades available – please inquire for details.

Meals : Breakfast

After breakfast, our journey across Italy comes to an end. Hopefully you are off to explore Rome and its many museums or the stunning Lakes District to the north. Buon viaggio!

PLEASE NOTE : The final itinerary, including hotels and/or activities described here, are subject to changes according to availability. City hotel taxes are not included.

Meals : Breakfast

Visit our Tour Level page to learn more about terrain levels and how we determine day and tour levels.


  • 2025 premium gravel bike

    Premium road bike

    Frame : Titanium with Carbon Fork built by Van Nicholas, or similar532
    Type : Premium Road

  • Titanium hybrid road bike with flat handle bars and rear rack

    Premium hybrid bike

    Frame : Titanium with Carbon Fork
    Type : Premium Hybrid

  • Titanium hybrid with step-through frame

    Premium mixte step-through hybrid

    Frame : Titanium with Carbon Fork
    Type : Premium Hybrid Mixte

  • Co-Motion or Cannondale tandem

    Frame : Steel / Aluminum
    Type : Tandem

  • E-hybrid bike

    Surcharge: $250 for 6-8 days; $300 for 9-15 days; $500 16+ days
    Frame : Aluminum frame with front suspension
    Type : E-Hybrid

  • e-gravel bike

    E-road bike

    Surcharge: $300 for 6-8 days; $375 for 9-15 days; $600 for 16+ days
    Frame : Carbon frame with carbon fork
    Type : E-Road


Pre-trip planning checklist

Italy travel planning page



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