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Cycling Tours With Kids

Cycling Tours With Kids

Your bicycle life doesn’t need to come to an end when kids suddenly join the game. Quite the opposite. It will become more colorful, wilder, and a lot less predictable—as long as you do the prerequisite planning. But honestly, cycling with kids is not that much different from staying at home, especially when you ride the right routes. If you dare to step out of the environment you are used to, you will be rewarded with lighthearted shouts of joy and big, wide, youthful eyes. They will marvel upon blades of grass, dandelions and all the things we have long stopped noticing. If you show children how the world looks like from a bicycle, you will also instill in them the feeling that'll they'll too be able to conquer it soon. And what, if not this, do we want to pass on to our kids?

If you show children, how the world looks like from a bicycle, you will also give them the feeling to be able to conquer it soon. And what, if not this, do we want to pass on to our children?

Family Cycling Routes For You

Choose from our ready-to-go Collections with handpicked Tours and lots of handy information, created by passionate people like you.

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Natural campsites around Berlin

Bike Touring Collection by komoot

The most beautiful rail trails – cycle paths in the Ruhr area

Bike Touring Collection by Martin Donat

Sun, mountains, bathing fun – an active vacation on Austria's Farms

Bike Touring Collection by Urlaub am Bauernhof

From Marseille to Montpellier — France's south coast by bike

Bike Touring Collection by Hannah

The most beautiful bike routes in Husum Bay

Bike Touring Collection by Husum

The Traisental cycle path – on a pilgrimage through the Mostviertler Alps

Bike Touring Collection by Tobias

From Bremen to the Baltic Sea - The Monks' Trail

Bike Touring Collection by Hannah

Vast lochs, quaint canals, forest glades — Cycling the Great Glen Way

Bike Touring Collection by Katherine Moore

Full steam ahead – cycling through railway history around Dresden

Bike Touring Collection by Kristof

Culinary cycling Tours in the heart of the Franconian Alb mountains

Bike Touring Collection by Nürnberger Land

Length Of The Tours

At the end of the day, falling into bed tired but happy is the goal. No matter where that is. The kids’ ages and abilities will be essential for route planning. Every child is different, of course, but there are some rules of thumb which we would like to point out here.

Kindergarten Age

Kids who cycle their way through every day life already will be able to ride about 20k a day. But there should be an alternative mode of transportation available (such as a trailer or a tow bar), in case the strength is drained from the muscles all of a sudden.

Elementary School

Up to 50km is what a child up to 10 years old can put up with if they are used to cycling regularly. But it’s a good idea to bring along a tow bar, just to keep the pressure low.

10 Years And Up

Kids who have left elementary school, exercise regularly and can navigate through traffic confidently, will be able to do 50k and over on one day. The challenge with this is to find the thin line in between “too boring” and “too challenging”. Hill climbs can add to the fun factor, but should alternate with flat passages. Just to be safe, it’s a good idea to start with shorter stages and prolong them if all works well.

Rule Of Thumb

No matter how old the two-wheeled captains of your Tour are, their well-being always comes first. The magic mixture of common sense and offensive serenity will let you handle any situation, even if it doesn’t seem so at first.

laterjay

Transport Of Small Children

As long as they are still little, adults can cycle almost as many kilometers as they would without their toddlers. How exactly they will be transported is a matter of taste, size and number of kids.

Bicycle Seat

The classic, when it comes to child transportation on a bike. It makes any bicycle a family friendly vehicle. A seat in the front is allowed for children of up to 15kg, makes communication easy lets the kid see what’s going on in front. A seat in the back will give the child more freedom to move around, it’s easier to handle while riding and in case you fall, you are less likely to fall onto the child. Both alternatives can make sense, before you make a decision it’s a good idea to test both.

Bicycle Trailers

For children up to seven years a trailer is ideal for longer Tours. If they have their own bikes already, it makes sense to get a trailer with room to stow that, too. Inside the trailer, the kid can sleep comfortably or just watch the landscape pass by. However, this also means that they need to get all the exercise they don’t get while cycling during breaks, so make sure to stop at a good spot to play and explore. You can easily ride a good distance with the trailer, but don’t underestimate its weight, especially when climbing hills, as well as its performance in wind.

Tow Bar

Even the most courageous little adventurers will become tired at one point. When strength and attention are dwindling, a kid’s bike can easily be attached to an adult’s bike with the help of a tow bar. This also helps during segments with more traffic. Just keep in mind that there’s someone attached to the back while riding, and on you go.

Adult-Child-Tandem

They are a bit more pricey, but come with an unmatched riding experience: tandems, on which a small guest can ride along. They are a great way to include children into the cycling experience from the beginning and teach them how to operate a bike and navigate through traffic.

Tips

  • Choose a route with little traffic, ideally cycling paths only. Makes the trip safer and more enjoyable.
  • Stay cool at all times. Serenity is essential for a great cycling adventure.
  • More than for yourself, it’s important to protect kids from sun and heat, as well as cold and moisture. When in doubt, it doesn’t hurt to make a short break in the shade or a warm café. Makes it all easier afterwards.
  • Drink water! Every child should have their own drinking bottle on their bike, ideally filled with water at all times.
  • For children, there is no legal requirement to wear a helmet in Germany. Cycling itself might not be very dangerous, but traffic is. Behaving responsibly can not be taught early enough. So put on that helmet.
  • Special tip for small children: You’ll make the most distance after lunch, when the little ones are asleep. Once they wake up, it’s time for cake.

Where to sleep?

Classic Accommodation

Bike-friendly accomodation in Germany: www.cycling-friendly.com

Pro

Less luggage, showers and toilets, plan from home

Con

Costs money, inflexible destination, less wilderness

Cycling Community

Cyclists house cyclists: www.dachgeber.de and www.warmshowers.org

Pro

Make new friends, less luggage, showers and toilets, plan from home

Con

Inflexible destination, you need to be a people person

Campground

Pro

#Campvibes but still showers and toilets, plan from home

Con

Costs money, inflexible destination, often doubtful aesthetics, you are not alone