Cycling holiday Sicily, Aeolian archipelago

Included

• 7 overnights (6 nights in harbour and 1 night in roadstead on day 4)
• Full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner; picnic or on board) - except one dinner in Salina and one in Milazzo
• 1/2 l bottle of water for lunch and water in jug for dinner
• Sheets and towels (one change per week)
• Digital tour information
• English speaking tour leader
• Bus transfer from and to Catania airport on day 1 and day 8
• Harbour charges

Not included

• Reservation costs € 20,- per party
• Bicycle rent
• Cancellation insurance (optional)
• Beverages on board
• 1 dinner in Salina (day 5) and 1 dinner in Milazzo (day 7)
• Additional harbour charges only if the caique cannot anchor in roadstead on day 4
• Headlight for the Stromboli volcano trip (day 5)
• Museums, fees and extras in general
• Tips
• Everything not mentioned in the section “Included”

Special details

• This tour will be operated by our local partner.
• Please take good notice of our Terms & Conditions.
• The program is subject to change without notice.
• If the minimum number of participants required for a trip is not met (4 participants), we reserve the right to cancel it. The decision about whether the trip will take place or not will be made as early as possible, 21 days before the beginning of the trip at the latest. In case of trip cancellation, the payments you have made for the only tour will be fully refunded. There can be no additional claims made against us.
• We strongly recommend you to bring an headlight with you for the Stromboli volcano day trip. If you don’t have one, you can rent it on site for € 2,-.
• Vegetarian meals are available, but please indicate this at the reservation. An additional charge of € 50,- per person will be applied to provide lactose or gluten-free meals.
  In all other allergy or intolerance cases we will check the possibility of catering for it. In some cases an additional charge may apply.
• The captain and the guide reserve the right to make alterations to the itinerary, depending on wind, sea and weather conditions or organizational requirements.
• We wish to specify that this is not a sailing trip. The ship is a motor vessel, it has sails but the navigation is powered by engines.
• During the nights of the tour the boat will be docked in the port during 6 nights. The remaining night the ship will stay anchored in road stead. The road stead is a place outside the harbor where the ship can lie at anchor. It is an enclosed area with an opening to the sea. Natural road steads offer shelter from storms, winds and currents, and are frequently used for naval bases.
  Exclusively in exceptional cases (unfavorable meteorological and/or sea conditions), for safety reasons, the ship must return in the port also during the night that is scheduled in road stead.
  Only and exclusively in this case, the clients will be asked to pay the relative price for the stay in the port. This amount, variable from port to port, will be divided among all the participants of the tour and will be paid directly on site (approximately from € 20,- to € 50,- per person per night, subject to changes).

Info

Boarding is at 6 PM in Milazzo. Accommodation on board, welcome drink, dinner and presentation of the programme. Overnight in the harbour of Milazzo.

The mooring place of the barge in Milazzo at the Marina di Nettunoin Milazzo.

Airport

Catania airport; several flights from different countries with Easyjet, Vueling, Ryanair or Air One and Alitalia.

After arrival in Catania airport, transfer to the embarkation point (included in the tour price).

Train

Car

End of the tour

The tour ends one week later on Saturday morning after breakfast at 9 AM. Collective transfer to Catania airport. Arrival at Catania airport at around 12.

On this tour the following barges are scheduled

All rented adult bikes are equipped with:

1 one-sided saddlebag
1 handlebar bag
1 bike lock per cabin

At the moment of booking you can also rent helmets.

A Caique as your hotel

Imagine a floating hotel sailing to the next stage, while you are calmly pedalling along. No lugging of luggage: that is exactly what Bike & Barge is all about! In the pleasant atmosphere on board you can have a chat, go through the day with the others, and enjoy the meals prepared specially for cyclists. In the evenings you can enjoy a drink in the salon or admire the setting sun on deck. Do not expect a cruise ship with its passive luxury. The Bike & Barge Holidays are for people who really enjoy the physical activity of cycling and who value sociability more than wholesale luxury.
Free WiFi is (limited) available in lounge and on deck.

The team

The captain/skipper, the chef and your tour guide all welcome you warmly. They are prepared specifically for these trips and will provide good and safe passage, good meals, and a friendly, pleasant atmosphere. They will, of course, also give you a great deal of interesting information during and after the cycling and sailing. The skipper is responsible for the smooth running of things on board; the cook is in charge of the catering. A tour leader accompanies you during the bike ride and can assist in case of breakdowns. He/She will be your guide to point out the things of interest along the way and speaks English/Italian. The tour leaders are carefully selected. They are experienced enthusiastic travelers who have a true passion for sharing their love of the outdoors, peoples, cultures and local food. Thanks to their knowledge of the territory, they can give you useful hints and help you appreciate the place you are visiting. 

Tour programme variations

Due to organisational reasons, weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during the holiday.
The captain and the guide reserve the right to make alterations to the itinerary, depending on wind, sea and weather conditions or organizational requirements.
This is not a sailing trip. The ship is a motor vessel, it has sails but the navigation is powered by engines.

During the tour the boat will be docked in a harbour during 6 nights, while on one night it will anchor in roadstead. The roadstead is a sheltered anchorage in a bay, which is an enclosed area with an opening to the sea. Natural roadsteads offer shelter from storms, winds and currents. In exceptional cases (bad meteorological and/or sea conditions), for safety reasons, the ship might have to return to the harbour also during the night that is scheduled in roadstead.
Only and exclusively in this case, the clients will be asked to pay a supplement for the overnight in the harbour. This amount, variable from port to port, will be divided among all participants and will be paid directly on site (approximately 20-50 € per person per night, subject to changes).

Route profile

This tour foresees 4 cycling days and 2 walking days.
The terrain is from plain to hilly, with a daily positive difference in height from 0 to 600 mt. The caique is moored at night and typically sets sail after breakfast, meeting up with the guests in the afternoon. Some parts of the itinerary are undertaken by caique.

Activity level

Leisure to Moderate: some days the itinerary will be flat, others it will present some hills. Suitable for everyone in good physical condition and with some cycling experience.