Sailing on board a tall ship is like taking a journey back in time to the era of great voyages and world discovery. A holiday of this kind allows you to rediscover a slower pace in a world that seems to be spinning ever faster. Take the time to travel, simply for the sake of traveling! Experience the unique atmosphere of being on board a historical sailing ship and enjoy excursions to shore with plenty of cycling tours on our Islandhopping Sail & Bike tours.

Enjoy the fresh sea breeze as the ship cuts through the blue-green sea. Allow experienced sailors to introduce you to the art of sailing and see if you have the courage to take the helm of the impressive vessel. The shared experience of setting the sails and working together as a team creates a special bond and a unique group feeling among our guests. The atmosphere on board is quite extraordinary and bringing such a large ship under full sail is truly thrilling. Anyone who has the chance to sail the seas on board a sailing ship never forgets the experience!

On our sail and bike tours you will be able to call one of our extraordinary ships your home for the week. All our tall ships have their own, interesting histories, from former lightships to old herring loggers. Every ship has been lovingly converted into a passenger vessel, each preserving its traditional character, retaining echoes of its former life. The captains are very proud of their vessels and are always happy to answer questions about the ship’s history and navigation.

The motto of our Sail & Bike tours is “cyclist in the morning, sailor in the afternoon!”. Adventure, diverse days at sea and fantastic cycling tours on land is what awaits you on this extraordinary active holiday by sailing ship!

We offer our sailing adventures in Italy, Scotland, Denmark, Holland and Norway.

Requirements for our Sail & Bike tours

All our cycling tours require a basic level of fitness as well as safe bike handling. However, there is something very important to us at Islandhopping regarding all our bike tours: it is a vacation and it is your time to have fun and relax. Therefore, we don’t want you to feel pressured at any point during the cycling tours. We ensure that there is always plenty of time to complete the tours at a comfortable pace. There is always time to stop for a drink, to take photos or simply to enjoy the view! The cycling stages of our Sail & Bike tours were designed to be guided cycling tours. However, as long as it is discussed with the guides in advance and a suitable route is chosen, nothing should stand in the way of individual cycling, should this be your wish.

Difficulty Levels of our Sail & Bike Tours:

It is impossible to predict whether a cycling tour will be easy or difficult for a guest. Several factors play a major role such as individual physical fitness, general well-being, and how each individual copes with cycling in different temperatures.

Nevertheless, to give an idea of the requirements for our Sail & Bike tours, we have categorised them into different levels of difficulty:

• Level 1 Easy cycling tours for Islandhoppers who are confident on their bike but prefer less hilly terrain (15-30km and 200 meters of elevation per day).
• Level 1 - 2 Easy to medium tours through hilly terrain for Islandhoppers with a good basic level of fitness (20-35km and 200-400 meters of elevation per day).
• Level 2 Intermediate cycling tours through hilly terrain for Islandhoppers who ride regularly and can cope with longer climbs (25-40km and 300-500 meters of elevation per day).
• Level 2 - 3 Intermediate to demanding cycling tours through hilly to mountainous terrain for Islandhoppers who are not afraid of putting in some effort (30-50km and 400-700 meters of elevation per day).
• Level 3 Demanding cycling tours through hilly and mountainous terrain for Islandhoppers who can manage steeper climbs (30-60km and 400-800 meters of elevation per day).

Guided Group Pace:

On most of our Sail & Bike tours you can choose between a hybrid bike and an e-bike. However, the guided group pace is based on the speed of the hybrid bike cyclists. Those who rent an e-bike on a hybrid bike tour are asked to show consideration for those who ride without electronic assistance. Hybrid cyclists need more breaks and more time to cycle the hills. We thank you for your understanding.

Special features of Tall Ships

As our sailing ships are too big for small fishing ports, most nights are spent on anchor. This means that the cycling day often begins with a short crossing to shore in a dinghy. Sure-footedness and a certain degree of mobility are required when getting on and off a tall ship. The tour guides and crew are always happy to give assistance if necessary. In Great Britain, the tidal range (high and low tide) results in the ship only being able to be reached by ladder or dinghy in some ports. In general, wind, swell (groundswell) and tides have a great influence on the timing and course of the tour.