February 22 – The Orient Express Bicycle Tour , a two-month cross-continental bike adventure covering 4,000 kilometers from Paris to Istanbul, is the second long distance tour to have been developed by the organizers of the epic 12,000-kilometer race/expedition across Africa – the Tour d’Afrique.

It was in 1883 that the first Orient Express rail lines connecting Paris to Istanbul revolutionized transport and brought adventure and delight to tens of thousands of passengers. Crossing the many frontiers of a still-divided Europe, the train journey of nearly 4,000 kilometers was a genuine adventure and the subject of legend and fantasy.

In the same spirit of adventure, the Orient Express Bicycle Tour sets off from Paris, the City of Lights, on July 30 th 2006 alongside the famous “Gare de l’Est”, from where the legendary Orient Express trains departed on their eastward-bound odyssey. From there the tour travels through France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and finishes two months later on September 24 th in Istanbul, Turkey.

The tour is arranged into 42 days of cycling and 15 days of rest in cities such as Vienna, Bratislava, and Bucharest; along with lesser-known pearls such as the Bulgarian town of Veliko Tarnovo and is the perfect choice for the cyclist who wants an initiation into the world of transcontinental cycling journeys.

From the French vineyards to the spas of Budapest and the spices of Turkish bazaars, the Orient Express Bicycle Tour is a sensory and cultural adventure of a lifetime, as it moves steadily eastward through old gothic and medieval cathedral towns to remote and traditional farming villages.

Of the many highlights of the Tour, traveling along The Danube Cycleway is pure cycling heaven. Completely separated from the noise and distraction of cars and trucks, this magnificent stretch of almost 1400km from the French-German border to Budapest boasts an elaborate range of tourism facilities.

The full Adventure Tour offers camping and basic accommodations the entire way while the full Comfort Tour offers 3 to 4 star hotels on rest days and elegant accommodations in Paris and Istanbul.

Sectional participants can also choose either option and select the part of the route best suited to their abilities, interests, and busy schedules. Cyclist are free to start and end anywhere along the route.

The Orient Express Bicycle Tour will delight and challenge cyclists, physically, mentally and spiritual ly. Due to the nature of the tour, a limited number of participants can be accommodated. Places are filled on a first-come first-serve basis.

To register, visit <http://www.paristoistanbul.com/>
www.paristoistanbul.com or call Shanny Hill, Toronto, Canada

on +1 416 364 8255

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Shanny Hill – Toronto, Canada

Tel: +1 416 364 8255
Fax: +1 416 364 0058
E-mail: info@paristoistanbul.com

www.paristoistanbul.com

Orient Express Bicycle Tour
192 Spadina Avenue, Suite 217
Toronto, Ontario
M5T 2C2 CANADA