2027 Cycle & Bike Tours in Vermont
Read down on this page for all the details — inns, days of the week, length of tours, pricing, and day-by-day brochures including distances and elevations.
The lower Champlain Valley provides the best cycling in Vermont. While much of the rest of Vermont is mountainous, ours is a rolling terrain of open “bocage” farmland dotted with truly picturesque villages. Our 2027 self-guided Vermont tours, designed for cyclists who want luggage transported between inns but have no need for a guide, provide 3, 4, or 5 days of leisurely paved-backroad biking with accurate maps, augmented by an orientation talk at the first inn and daily turn-by-turn cue sheets. Our guests have been thrilled that we have a license to provide our cyclists with a RideWithGPS app for their phones displaying turn-by-turn directions, spoken-aloud if desired. Well-vetted routes provide 20 to 40 miles of safe, scenic, moderate biking per day, or more if you prefer. Benefit from our … can it be? … 52 years of experience in searching out and curating rewarding, safe, and scenic cycling routes and fine Vermont country inns. The video below is of our actual cycling routes that you’ll be biking, not generic stock footage.
Explore the charming villages of Brandon, Middlebury, Vergennes, Bristol, Shoreham, Addison, and Proctor. Perhaps pop across Lake Champlain to check out the historic fort and village of Ticonderoga, NY, or climb the stone lighthouse and clamber over the pre-Revolutionary War fortresses at Crown Point, NY. Enjoy a refreshing swim at a state park along several of our routes. Visit museums and exhibits which present Vermont’s fascinating history. Cruise through a covered bridge. Pause while a farmer drives his (or her!) herd from field to field across your route. And, enjoy the magnificent scenery all along the way.
The cycling season runs from about the beginning of May through mid-October. In 2027, we again offer our popular Vermont biking program as a three-, four-, or five-night itinerary checking in Sunday afternoon and departing Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday midday.
Comfortable accommodations at unique Vermont country inns, including farm-to-table dinners and hearty breakfasts, round out the package. Occasionally, accommodations may be at charming bed-and-breakfasts (B&Bs), giving you the opportunity to dine at whim at fine local restaurants. Trips start and end in “the Art and Soul of Vermont,” the village of Brandon, where you will receive a personal overview of your trip. Hosting our cyclists in 2027 (our 52nd year) are Lilac Inn, The Inn on Park Street, Shoreham Inn, Strong House Inn, and Swift House Inn. Bring your own bike, or rent from our well-equipped shop. We do not plan biking for your arrival day. Biking starts after your first overnight on Sunday; the bike shop delivers rentals before breakfast on Monday. We do generally plan to bike on departure day, but if your travel schedule does not allow, please advise early in the tour planning process so we can design or modify your tour with that in mind.
Rental bikes are customized to your height and inseam measurements and your preferences for pedals. Rental bikes come equipped with helmet, water bottle, and small trunk over rear wheel for sundries. Each pair of bikes comes with spare tube(s), mini-pump, adjustment kit, and lock. Additional comfort and safety items that come with your bike are a mirror and a handlebar-mounted phone holder to avail yourself of the RideWithGPS cues. (Non-electric or electric-assist) hybrids are the longstanding recommendation. These are not knobby-tired, heavy mountain bikes with shocks; they do have a bit beefier tire than a thin-tire road bike. All the routes you ride will be paved, but more than half the road distance in Vermont is unpaved, and hybrids will give you more freedom to choose a quiet lane, take an extension that looks promising, or shortcut off the cued route using your large-format map.
Our 2027 independent Vermont cycling packages feature
- high-quality rental non-electric hybrid or non-electric road bike for one day of cycling for each overnight stay booked (or add $25 per rental day for an electric-assist eBike; deduct $25 per rental day if bringing your own bike)
- relaxed Old World dinner service at your inn each evening (except one dine-out off-package if in Middlebury on a Tuesday night)
- comfortable country inn accommodations (private baths; non-smoking inns)
- full country breakfast at your inn each morning
- daily luggage transfer while you cycle
- an in-person orientation talk with one or both of the principals, in our 22nd year of working with these tours
- cue sheets and daily tour highlights in advance through a fun and informative “Vamoos” app
- detailed maps and turn-by-turn cue sheets for cycling well-vetted, paved back roads that have been enjoyed by our clients for safety and scenery for more than forty years
- RideWithGPS app for on-bike directions on your phone sitting in a holder on the handlebars (audible cues spoken aloud if you desire)
- housekeeping and waitstaff gratuities
- Vermont meals and rooms taxes (9% or 10%, depending on the town)
Out-of-pocket expenses: lunch daily along the way (or gather a picnic before setting out from the village this morning — we’ll let you know what the best approach is for each day); dinner one night (if in Middlebury on a Tuesday evening); and any alcohol. “PPDO” pricing is “per person, double occupancy” and is the amount one person pays when there are two to a room.
2027 Summer Five-Night Tour (May 9th through September 10th)
The Full Vermonter: arrive at Lilac Inn Sunday afternoon; finish at Lilac Inn Friday lunchtime
The Full Vermonter includes five nights at four unique inns in four different villages; biking on Friday is optional
(Friday’s optional biking is a figure-eight loop riding through three covered bridges of the Marble Valley)
Sunday Lilac; Monday Shoreham; Tuesday Strong House; Wednesday Swift House; Thursday Lilac
$1945 ppdo / $3890 per couple or $2545 ppso (solo guest / private room); includes bikes for 5 days
Bring-your-own-bikes rate: $1820 ppdo / $3640 per couple or $2420 ppso
Rent electric-assist eBikes instead of regular bikes: $2070 ppdo / $4140 per couple or $2670 ppso
Preview this trip in an interactive day-by-day online brochure
View the day-by-day brochure in a printable PDF
2027 Summer Four-Night Tour (May 9th through September 10th)
Champlain Valley Days: arrive at Lilac Inn Sunday afternoon; finish at Lilac Inn Thursday lunchtime
Champlain Valley Days includes four nights at four unique inns in four different villages and *requires* biking on Thursday
Sunday Lilac; Monday Shoreham; Tuesday Strong House; Wednesday Swift House
$1745 ppdo / $3490 per couple or $2195 ppso (solo guest / private room); includes bikes for 4 days
Bring-your-own-bikes rate: $1645 ppdo / $3290 per couple or $2095 ppso
Rent electric-assist eBikes instead of regular bikes: $1845 ppdo / $3690 per couple or $2295 ppso
Preview this trip in an interactive day-by-day online brochure
View the day-by-day brochure in a printable PDF
The Land of Milk & Honey: arrive at Lilac Inn Sunday afternoon; finish at Lilac Inn Thursday lunchtime
The Land of Milk & Honey includes four nights at three unique inns in three different villages; biking on Thursday is optional
(Thursday’s optional biking is a figure-eight loop riding through three covered bridges of the Marble Valley)
Sunday Lilac; Monday Shoreham; Tuesday (dine out, off-package) Swift House; Wednesday Lilac
$1745 ppdo / $3490 per couple or $2195 ppso (solo guest / private room); includes bikes for 4 days
Bring-your-own-bikes rate: $1645 ppdo / $3290 per couple or $2095 ppso
Rent electric-assist eBikes instead of regular bikes: $1845 ppdo / $3690 per couple or $2295 ppso
Preview this trip in an interactive day-by-day online brochure
View the day-by-day brochure in a printable PDF
2027 Summer Three-Night Tour (May 9th through September 10th)
The Vermont Sampler: arrive at Lilac Inn Sunday afternoon; finish at Lilac Inn Wednesday lunchtime
The Vermont Sampler includes three nights at three unique inns in three different villages and *requires* biking on Wednesday
Sunday Lilac; Monday Shoreham; Tuesday (dine out, off-package) Swift House
$1345 ppdo / $2690 per couple or $1795 ppso (solo guest / private room); includes bikes for 3 days
Bring-your-own-bikes rate: $1270 ppdo / $2540 per couple or $1720 ppso
Rent electric-assist eBikes instead of regular bikes: $1420 ppdo / $2840 per couple or $1870 ppso
Preview this trip in an interactive day-by-day online brochure
View the day-by-day brochure in a printable PDF
2027 Fall Season Five-Night Tour (Sept 12th – October 15th)
The Full Vermonter: arrive at Lilac Inn Sunday afternoon; finish at Lilac Inn Friday lunchtime
The Full Vermonter includes five nights at four unique inns in four different villages; biking on Friday is optional
(Friday’s optional biking is a figure-eight loop riding through three covered bridges of the Marble Valley)
Sunday Lilac; Monday Shoreham; Tuesday Strong House; Wednesday Swift House; Thursday Lilac
$2095 ppdo / $4190 per couple or $2695 ppso (solo guest / private room); includes bikes for 5 days
Bring-your-own-bikes rate: $1970 ppdo / $3940 per couple or $2570 ppso
Rent electric-assist eBikes instead of regular bikes: $2220 ppdo / $4440 per couple or $2820 ppso
Preview this trip in an interactive day-by-day online brochure
View the day-by-day brochure in a printable PDF
2027 Fall Season Four-Night Tour (Sept 12th – October 15th)
Champlain Valley Days: arrive at Lilac Inn Sunday afternoon; finish at Lilac Inn Thursday lunchtime
Champlain Valley Days includes four nights at four unique inns in four different villages and *requires* biking on Thursday
Sunday Lilac; Monday Shoreham; Tuesday Strong House; Wednesday Swift House
$1845 ppdo / $3690 per couple or $2295 ppso (solo guest / private room); includes bikes for 4 days
Bring-your-own-bikes rate: $1745 ppdo / $3490 per couple or $2195 ppso
Rent electric-assist eBikes instead of regular bikes: $1945 ppdo / $3890 per couple or $2395 ppso
Preview this trip in an interactive day-by-day online brochure
View the day-by-day brochure in a printable PDF
The Land of Milk & Honey: arrive at Lilac Inn Sunday afternoon; finish at Lilac Inn Thursday lunchtime
The Land of Milk & Honey includes four nights at three unique inns in three different villages; biking on Thursday is optional
(Thursday’s optional biking is a figure-eight loop riding through three covered bridges of the Marble Valley)
Sunday Lilac; Monday Shoreham; Tuesday (dine out, off-package) Swift House; Wednesday Lilac
$1845 ppdo / $3690 per couple or $2295 ppso (solo guest / private room); includes bikes for 4 days
Bring-your-own-bikes rate: $1745 ppdo / $3490 per couple or $2195 ppso
Rent electric-assist eBikes instead of regular bikes: $1945 ppdo / $3890 per couple or $2395 ppso
Preview this trip in an interactive day-by-day online brochure
View the day-by-day brochure in a printable PDF
2027 Fall Season Three-Night Tour (Sept 12th – October 15th)
The Vermont Sampler: arrive at Lilac Inn Sunday afternoon; finish at Lilac Inn Wednesday lunchtime
The Vermont Sampler includes three nights at three unique inns in three different villages and *requires* biking on Wednesday
Sunday Lilac; Monday Shoreham; Tuesday (dine out, off-package) Swift House
$1420 ppdo / $2840 per couple or $1870 ppso (solo guest / private room); includes bikes for 3 days
Bring-your-own-bikes rate: $1345 ppdo / $2690 per couple or $1795 ppso
Rent electric-assist eBikes instead of regular bikes: $1495 ppdo / $2990 per couple or $1945 ppso
Preview this trip in an interactive day-by-day online brochure
View the day-by-day brochure in a printable PDF
Electric-assist bikes are available for rent! “eBikes” are purpose-designed/built hybrid bikes factory-outfitted with small electric motors to help give you that little push you might appreciate on the hills. Many, many of our guests have reported that their eBike made the trip just that much more enjoyable because it was just that much less work. eBikes do require pedaling: when you are pedaling, they boost your power. When you are not pedaling, they do nothing to move you along (you just have a very heavy bike).
If bringing your own bikes: A “beach cruiser” is not appropriate for distance touring, nor is your old ten-speed from high school. Have your bike inspected by a reputable mechanic, and consider equipping your own bike similarly to how the bike shop equips the rentals (read above), including a handlebar-mounted holder for your cue sheets / map and phone to avail yourselves of the RideWithGPS app assistance.