European Bike Express

[PaulSB]

Myself and two buddies are planning a 2-3 week European tour, probably France, for May 2023. Exactly what we do will be determined by the possibilities for getting home:

• One way and fly home. Nice or the Pyrennes are possible as I have friends in both areas
• Broadly circular route which finishes at a ferry port
• Bike Express

It's a long time since I heard mention of Bike Express but it used to be popular. Does anyone have experience of the service, is it the one linked below, are there alternatives?

Bike Express

Thanks

 

[mjr]

No experience, I believe that is the one I've seen before and I don't know anything like it. Only the scheduled things like flixbus and eurolines, some of which take covered bikes.

Another option would be to use a regional train back to the ferry port. Most useful looks to me to be the daily(?) TER from Tours on the Loire à Vélo to Caen (a short ride from the ferry).

Another option could be using the Newcastle-Amsterdam ferry and Berlin-Amsterdam train but that is much more central Europe than you indicate.

If Thalys ever get enough of their long-awaited refurbished trains in service, it will be possible to wheel a bike on in Marseille and off in Rotterdam, 20 miles from the Harwich-Hook ferry... but for now, you would have to dismantle and pack the bike like on some TGVs (none of which go to ferries not already served by TER or IC AIUI)

 

[Ridgeback Roller]

it is the one in your link.

I've used it several times, as a one way return from Montpelier after a 'Manche to the Med' tour with a group and also both ways to get to and from Orange, a good starting point for touring Provence, last time in 2019.
I would say plus points are:
Easier than ferries and trains if you are carrying luggage, just one load and unload
Overall cost is competitive, especially if you are travelling from the north of England to southern France
Just one booking/ticket to worry about
I find it more relaxing than train travel

Downsides:
It's a long time on the coach. It stops every few hours and there is some basic hot food available on the coach
Limited dates if you are planning to use it both ways
Some drop off and pick up times are fairly anti-social. Most are just off the motorway, near to budget hotels.

I would have no qualms about using it again, especially if heading to southern France and the drop off and pick up dates suited.
Hopefully the Dover issues at peak travel time will be resolved before next year.

 

[PaulSB]

@Ridgeback Roller - thank you, that's very useful.

 

[RobinS]

We used it a few years ago. We had planned to cycle all the way round France, but after the Atlantic coast, across to the Med, and up through Provence the weather turned really bad, floods all over France. From a campsite near Valence I booked the Bike Express home from Perpignan for five weeks in the future. We then rode to Spain, came back across the Pyrenees and got the bus as scheduled from Perpignan. Pickup was fine, big trailer to store all the bikes, food and drinks on board. Did stop for several more pickups so it took a while, but overall far less hassle than trying to fly home with bikes.

 

[Fram]

I used them pre-pandemic. The service has been much more limited this year so no good for us I'm afraid. Perhaps they will offer more next year.

 

[classic33]

No experience, I believe that is the one I've seen before and I don't know anything like it. Only the scheduled things like flixbus and eurolines, some of which take covered bikes.

Another option would be to use a regional train back to the ferry port. Most useful looks to me to be the daily(?) TER from Tours on the Loire à Vélo to Caen (a short ride from the ferry).

Another option could be using the Newcastle-Amsterdam ferry and Berlin-Amsterdam train but that is much more central Europe than you indicate.

If Thalys ever get enough of their long-awaited refurbished trains in service, it will be possible to wheel a bike on in Marseille and off in Rotterdam, 20 miles from the Harwich-Hook ferry... but for now, you would have to dismantle and pack the bike like on some TGVs (none of which go to ferries not already served by TER or IC AIUI)

No longer in operation in the UK.

Sold off by NX Group, and ceased UK operations in 2020/

 

[mike chadwick]

I am hoping they will be going to the Sermain fedral in 2023 by
They I mean Bike express

 

[Sallar55]

Semaine Federale, better find out if its running and book. That one was always popular, always avoided that week for using the bike bus when going to the south of France with the tandem

 

[iluvmybike]

We used it all the way down to Rosas in Spain. Depending on where you get on (for us it was Wakefield). It was a very long time on a coach but there were regular stops all the way down. We slept on the bus (they didn't tell us to take a sleeping bag so we were a bit chilly). Going down it was pretty empty as it was very late season. Coming back was the last run of the season and it was heaving which I found very unpleasant - the loo soon became unusable! Plus points are that it is relatively cheap (mind was a few years back) and you don't have to worry about your bike which goes in a special trailer. Food on board is just things like bacon rolls but you could take yuor own stuff. They put movies on to watch too. Drop offs/collection points were all at motorway services so even if it was late at night there were places to stay. Another plus is that you don't have to get on at the same place you start so yuo can do a linear route