Chianti Bike Tour with Wine Tasting and Lunch

Stop by Stop

You meet at the Tuscany Bike Tours office on Via Ghibellina 34/r at 8:30am, and the group leaves by 9:00am. A van carries everyone and the bikes to the starting point in the countryside, where the guide runs a bike orientation and safety briefing before anyone sets off.

The ride covers about 24 km (13 miles) on tree-lined avenues and winding country roads dotted with olive groves, villas, vineyards and old castles, with picture stops along the way. The day closes with a light lunch at a Tuscan villa, served with the wine and olive oil tasting, and the option to buy wines and oils. A van then transfers the group back to Florence.

Included and Excluded

The van transfer from Florence to the countryside start and back is in the price, as are the bike, the helmet, the guide and the safety briefing. The light lunch at the Tuscan villa comes with the wine and extra virgin olive oil tasting, and you can buy the wines and oils you taste. Not in the price are gratuities and, if you want one, an e-bike, which costs extra and must be requested in advance. There is no hotel pickup on this tour.

Anyone who prefers no pedals at all can compare this listing with the half-day Chianti wineries tour by coach or the small-group Chianti tasting, both of which cover two wineries without any riding.

Ages, Fitness and Riding Skill

Riders must be 10 or older, and the booking platform lists adult ages as 10 to 90. You need to ride a bike confidently, be competent on main roads and have at least a moderate level of fitness. The listing also advises against it for pregnant travelers, travelers with spinal injuries and travelers with poor cardiovascular health.

Children of 10 and up can join, which makes this the only ride among the wine tours from Florence that takes younger children. Riders who would rather not pedal at all should book the half-day Chianti wineries tour, a coach day with two wineries and no bike.

• Riders aged 18 and over with an original driving licence: the Vespa tour with Chianti wine and lunch
• Anyone with knee or heart concerns: the small-group Chianti wine tasting tour sees the hills from a minibus instead
• Families with children under 10: the Brunello and Montepulciano wine day lists infant and child rates, with infant seats and strollers allowed

No Hotel Pickup, No Licence Needed

There is no hotel pickup: you make your own way to Via Ghibellina 34/r for 8:30am. On the plus side, no driving licence is needed, unlike the Vespa tour, which requires the original licence, or the vintage Fiat 500 wine tour, which needs a licence and a manual gearshift.

The Chianti Colli Fiorentini Wine in Your Glass

Colli Fiorentini is one of the eight subzones of Chianti DOCG, the denomination whose consortium was founded in 1927. Chianti is the hill country between Florence and Siena, and the vineyards you ride past sit inside it. Chianti Classico, the neighbouring denomination, needs at least 80% Sangiovese, and its Annata ages at least 12 months, Riserva 24 months and Gran Selezione at least 30 months from at least 90% Sangiovese.

The Gallo Nero, or Black Rooster, has marked Chianti Classico bottles since the consortium adopted it in 1924. If the villa pours a Chianti Classico, check for the rooster on the label.

Timing Your Ride with the Harvest

In Chianti Classico the harvest runs from the first half of September to the second half of October, depending on location and altitude. Riding in those weeks means busy cellar doors and tractors on the roads, but also the sight of the pickers at work. The site's best time of year and the harvest section sets out the seasonal trade-offs for every tour.

Bringing a Bottle Home

The villa offers the option to purchase the wines and oils you taste. US CBP allows returning residents one liter of alcohol duty-free in the personal exemption if you are at least 21 and it is for personal use, and amounts above that are dutiable. TSA allows liquids in hand luggage only in containers of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less, so any bottle goes in checked baggage.

More on this in the site's bringing wine home section.

Getting to the Start Without a Car

The meeting point is in central Florence, so no car is needed. If you do drive into the city on another day, the Florence ZTL runs Monday to Friday 7:30-20:00 and Saturday 7:30-16:00, and cameras fine drivers who pass a ZTL gate without a pass. See the site's driving yourself and the Florence ZTL section before you consider renting a car.