Cycle Tourism: Who Rents a Bike on Holiday and How to Win Them Over

Most people who rent a bike on holiday are not long-distance cyclists: they are holidaymakers who want to explore their destination, increasingly on an e-bike, and who decide online. This guide uses the latest surveys from Germany, Italy and France, with 2025 data, to describe who these customers are, what they expect from a bike rental and how to reach them.

The cycle tourism market in figures

There is no recent figure for cycle tourism across Europe. The last EU-wide estimate, a 2012 study for the European Parliament, counted 2.3 billion cycle tourism trips a year worth around EUR 44 billion, and the European Cyclists' Federation regretted in October 2026 that Europe still lacks up-to-date data. National surveys are therefore the best guide:

• Germany, Europe's largest source market: according to the ADFC Radreiseanalyse 2025 (published in March 2026), 12.7 million people used a bike on holiday in 2025, 3.3 million went on cycling trips of three nights or more and 34 million took cycling day trips.
• Italy: almost 49 million cycle tourism overnight stays in 2025, with an economic impact of EUR 6.4 billion (Isnart and Legambiente, March 2026).
• France: 22 million French people cycle on holiday and the country records 9 million cycling trips a year, with average spending of EUR 68 a day per cycle tourist (French government, page updated in July 2026).

For a rental business, the most interesting group is the first one: people who cycle during a holiday whose main purpose is something else. For them, cycling is a side activity, so convenience matters more than performance. For the wider market picture, see our overview of the bike rental market in Europe.

Four types of bike rental customers among tourists

The holiday cyclist

Cycling is not the reason for the trip, but it is part of it. In the ADFC survey, 79.7% of German holiday cyclists made excursions by bike in 2025, 69.7% explored their holiday destination by bike and 51.8% visited sights. They were mostly on relaxation holidays (24.4%), family holidays (21.2%) or beach holidays (13.1%), and spent EUR 128 per person per day including travel. This is the core customer of a rental shop in a tourist area.

The cycle traveller

Cycling is the main purpose of a trip of three nights or more, which lasts 7.6 nights on average. More than half of these travellers rode an e-bike in 2025, and they spent EUR 133 per person per day. While 59.3% chose a destination in Germany, the ADFC notes that trips abroad have picked up again since the pandemic, with strong demand for Mediterranean destinations. Those who do not bring their own bike need a reliable touring bike or e-bike with panniers for a whole week.

The short-break rider

One or two nights, often decided at the last minute: 22.8% of German short-break cyclists chose their destination only a week before leaving. They spent EUR 144 per person per day, and their first source of inspiration is friends and family, ahead of research on the internet. Being bookable at short notice matters for them.

The local day tripper

Not a tourist, but a valuable customer: 34 million Germans took 361 million cycling day trips in 2025, spending EUR 34 per person per day. Locals ride all year round and can fill your quieter months.

Who are these customers? In Italy, women made up 47.1% of cycle tourists in 2025, most travel as couples and 17.3% are under 30 (Isnart and Legambiente). In Germany, the ADFC observes that cycling on holiday and day trips attract more women and younger people than classic cycling trips, and that families are still under-served.

KEY FIGURESGerman cycle tourists in 2025

Europe’s largest source market for cycle tourism.

1. 12.7m
   People who cycled on holiday

   The core customers of a rental shop in a tourist area.

2. 7.6
   Nights per cycling trip

   Average length of trips of three nights or more.

3. €133
   Spending per person per day

   On cycling trips of three nights or more, travel included.

4. 22.8%
   Decide a week before

   Share of short-break cyclists who chose their destination at the last minute.

Source: ADFC Radreiseanalyse 2025, March 2026

Why holidaymakers rent instead of bringing a bike

The ADFC asked Germans who had not made a cycling trip in the last three years what held them back. Three quarters had made one before or could imagine making one. The main reasons given were:

• Dependence on the weather: 31.4%.
• Missing equipment: 27.2%.
• Complicated travel there and back: 26.3%.
• The physical effort: 26.3%.
• Family situation: 24.8%.

Several of these barriers are exactly what a rental business removes: the equipment, the hassle of transporting a bike and, with an e-bike, the effort. Among those worried about effort, 57.8% fear they will not keep up with their companions and 41.5% find it too hot to cycle in summer.

The e-bike answers both. The ADFC found that cycle travellers choose an e-bike to ride longer distances (70.5%), to visit hilly regions (58.3%) and for easier riding and more time to enjoy the surroundings (56.1%). Revealingly, e-bike riders covered shorter daily distances (60.3 km) than riders of conventional bikes (66.9 km): the e-bike is chosen for comfort, not for performance.

What cycle tourists expect from a bike rental

• Information and booking online: in Italy, 6 out of 10 cycle tourists make their decision on the web, mainly looking for itineraries and special offers (Isnart and Legambiente, 2026).
• A good choice of e-bikes in several frame sizes, plus child seats or trailers for families.
• Luggage and equipment: more than one German cycle traveller in four bought equipment or services for the trip, most often bike bags and panniers (55.3% of them).
• Suggested routes, ideally on signposted cycle routes, with distances adapted to the rider rather than to an athlete.
• Good places to stop: only 66.2% of German cycle travellers were satisfied with the number of restaurants open along their route, so a list of recommended stops is a cheap and useful extra.
• Fewer steps: since getting there is already a barrier, delivery to the accommodation or a pick-up point at the station saves the customer a trip, as long as the price is clear.

Routes are a strong selling point. In 2025 the most used long-distance route by German cycle travellers was the Elbe Cycle Route (8.3% of them), which carries EuroVelo 7 through Dresden towards the Czech border. Across Europe, the 17 EuroVelo routes covered 91,812 km in 2025, and EuroVelo estimates that 166 million people live within five kilometres of one. If a route passes near your shop, say so on your website.

The Elbe Cycle Route in Dresden

When and for how long they rent

Rental lengths follow the profiles: a few hours or a day for holiday cyclists and day trippers, a weekend for short-break riders, a full week for cycle travellers. A clear price grid with discounts for longer rentals helps each group find its option quickly.

Timing follows tourism in general. According to Eurostat, July and August accounted for 31% of all nights spent in EU tourist accommodation in 2025. But the ADFC figures suggest an opportunity outside the peak: 41.5% of reluctant cyclists find summer too hot, and the weather is the first barrier. Spring and autumn offers, with e-bikes and flexible cancellation, can win customers that summer puts off. Our article on bike rental seasonality develops this.

Channels: how to reach tourists who want to rent a bike

• Your own website with online booking, in the languages of your visitors, so that the 6 in 10 who decide online can book straight away.
• Accommodation partners: cycle-friendly labels list hosts who are used to welcoming cyclists, such as Bett+Bike, present in around 5,800 accommodations in Germany and Europe, or Accueil Vélo, with more than 8,000 certified providers in France.
• Tourist offices and the bodies that manage cycle routes, which often publish lists of services along the way.
• Word of mouth and social media: friends and family are the first source of inspiration for short cycling breaks in Germany, and one Italian cycle tourist in two shares the experience on social networks. Ask happy customers for a review and a photo.
• Marketplaces and booking platforms, which add visibility in exchange for a commission.

The mechanics of taking bookings, payments and deposits online are covered in our guide to online booking for bike rentals, written for Malta and Gozo but valid anywhere.

A checklist to win cycle tourism customers

• Show prices, availability and the booking button on your home page, on mobile.
• Offer e-bikes in several sizes, and accessories for families.
• Publish two or three ready-made routes from your shop, with distances and stops.
• Make the first and last mile easy: delivery, pick-up points or meeting places near stations and hotels.
• Build partnerships with nearby accommodation and the tourist office.
• Collect reviews after each rental, and answer them.
• Plan spring and autumn offers to spread demand beyond the summer peak.

Frequently asked questions

Who rents bikes on holiday?

Mostly holidaymakers for whom cycling is a side activity: in Germany, 12.7 million people used a bike on holiday in 2025, against 3.3 million who went on dedicated cycling trips of three nights or more (ADFC). Couples, families and, increasingly, women and younger riders make up a large share.

Do cycle tourists prefer e-bikes?

Increasingly. More than half of German cycle travellers on trips of three nights or more rode an e-bike in 2025, mainly to ride further, to tackle hills and for comfort (ADFC).

How much do cycle tourists spend per day?

In Germany, EUR 128 per person per day for holiday cyclists and EUR 133 for cycle travellers in 2025, travel included (ADFC). In France, the government gives an average of EUR 68 a day per cycle tourist.

How do tourists choose a bike rental?

Largely online: in Italy, 6 out of 10 cycle tourists decide on the web, looking first for itineraries and offers (Isnart and Legambiente, 2026). Recommendations from friends and family also weigh heavily.

Which partners bring cycle tourists to a rental shop?

Nearby accommodation, tourist offices and cycle route bodies are natural partners. Labels such as Bett+Bike (around 5,800 accommodations) and Accueil Vélo in France (more than 8,000 providers) help you identify cycle-friendly businesses.