The Real Deal: Seven nights' accommodations, dinner each night, bike routes and maps, and all taxes, from $616 per person.
When: June 7, 14, 2008; add $28 for May 24, 31, June 21, 28, July 5; $109 for Aug. 30, Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 18; $203 for July 12, 19, 26, Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23.
The fine print: All taxes are included. Note that the starting price is €398 per person, which was $616 at press time. Based on double occupancy; single supplement is $152. Bike rental is an additional $77 per person (€50) and includes locks, saddlebags, a basic repair kit, a pump, and a spare inner tube. Rental does not include helmet. Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal.
Book by: No deadline; based on availability.
Contact: Bike Tours Direct, 877/462-2423, biketoursdirect.com.
Why it's a deal: If you were to book the hotel independently, it would cost you about $392 per room per night; in this package, it costs you far less—$176 per room per night. Plus, you get the included dinners, a welcome orientation, and the maps and route books you'll need for your self-guided tour.
Trip details: The Inn and Ziller Valley self-guided bike tour calls for an average of 33 miles of biking a day, with the beautiful mountains of the Tirol region as your backdrop.
You'll be based in Fügen, where you'll stay at the Hotel Crystal for seven nights. The hotel has wellness on its mind—there are plenty of opportunities for massages and other spa services, and an indoor pool and saunas await. Most rooms have a balcony, and there's a huge garden, where you can unwind or enjoy a glass of wine before your included dinner each night. One evening will feature Tirolean specialties, and there's a special gala evening with dancing before you depart.
On your first day out, head into the Ziller Valley, marked by traditional farms and alpine trails, and make a stop in the town of Mayrhofen. You can take a cable car ride to one of the peaks or simply take in vistas of the Alps. You'll bike about 28 miles round trip.
The next bike excursion is a 33-mile (round-trip) lake loop, during which you'll pass two lakes, Krummsee and Reintalersee. Make a stop in the oldest and smallest town in Austria, Rattenberg, where you can see glassblowers and rest in a quaint café.
Another beautiful trip will be to Innsbruck, 35 miles away in the Inn Valley between two snowcapped mountains. You'll pass the Swarovsky Crystal Worlds in Wattens before arriving in Innsbruck, the host of two Winter Olympics. Although the area is famous for winter sports, the summer affords views of the lush valley from the bike paths. You'll return to Fügen by train.
Take a day off to relax and regroup—you can get a 45-minute full massage or a foot-reflexology massage for about $70 (perfect to get those tired feet back on the pedals for more touring).
The next morning, you'll set off for a 35-mile ride to the town of Schwaz. You'll see the Wolfsklamm, said to be one of the prettiest gorges in the Alps, and the beautiful 16th-century Castle Tratzberg, where you can take an audio tour.
Your last day of riding will take you on another 35-mile journey—this time to Kufstein, a city with an imposing fortress on the River Inn near the German border. You'll return by train to Jenbach and bike a few miles back to your hotel in Fügen for a final night's stay.
Austrian summers are mild, with an average temperature of 75 degrees. But in the mountains, weather can be unpredictable (cold and rain can follow warm and dry days), so pack accordingly—and don't forget that bike helmet.
For more tips on what to do, visit the country's official tourism Web site and see the U.S. State Department's travel fact sheet.
Getting there: The Inn and Ziller Valley Tour does not include airfare. Your base for the trip is Fügen, which is 45 minutes by train from the Innsbruck airport. A recent Kayak search for round-trip fares between New York City and Innsbruck produced a $1,117 flight on Lufthansa; the train trip will cost you about €18 ($28). Munich and Salzburg are each about two and a half hours away by train; flights between New York City and Munich ran a little cheaper on Kayak ($945 on Air Berlin). Of course, you'll have a longer and slightly more expensive train trip if you fly into those airports.