Pick your pace with a lakeside Austrian village or cycling in Croatia

Travel deals this week include a tour of South Africa, a trip through Europe and a b&b getaway in Austria.

Hallstadt, Austria. AP Photo / Kerstin Joensson

South Africa

Travel from Cape Town along the stunning Garden Route to the whale-rich coastline around Hermanus on this 10-day trip by Bales Worldwide. Highlights include visits to Montagu, a historic spa town; Oudtshoom, the "ostrich feather capital"; and the limestone Cango Caves. You'll also drive through the Swartberg Mountains; and a trip over the Outeniqua Pass to George and Knysna, the oyster box of South Africa. There's also a lagoon cruise to the Featherbed Nature Reserve and an expedition through the Tsitsikamma Forests.

From £2,145 (Dh12,440) per person, including accommodation, based on two sharing, sightseeing, transfers, local transport, entrance fees to sites, and the services of a guide. Departure in March. Visit www.balesworldwide.com to book.

Austria

Hallstadt, a lakeside village in Obertrau, in Austria's Salzkammergut region, is the setting for this b&b getaway. Surrounded by the stunning Dachstein mountains, about an hour's drive from Salzburg, Onertrauner guesthouse has 12 spacious ensuite rooms, some with balconies with views over the mountains and Hallstattersee Lake. There's a lot to do in the area; activities include lake cruises, fishing, boating, rafting and kayaking, biking, forest walks - there are more than 40 marked trails in the mountains - and paragliding. Day trips into the surrounding region can be organised.

Double rooms cost from €66 (Dh320) per night, based on two sharing, including breakfast, Wi-Fi, parking and taxes. To book, visit www.obertraunerhof.com.

Croatia

This week-long cycling trip takes you along along the 1,778km-long Dalmatian Coast. The trip starts in Split and ends in Dubrovnik, with most of the journey centred on the islands of Hvar, famous for its exquisite Venetian architecture, and forest-covered Korcula. The scenery alternates between seaside villages and medieval walled towns, set against a backdrop of pine forests and mountains. Highlights include riding around the picturesque Peljesac Peninsula, and two days exploring the uniquely preserved city of Dubrovnik.

The eight-day trip costs from Dh4,500 per person, including accommodation, based on two sharing, some meals, five days of cycling and local transport (45km per day; with vehicle support). Visit www.exodus.co.uk for details.

Europe

Cox & Kings has a two-week "Super Saver Classical Europe" tour in June through the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France. Highlights include tours of London, Paris and Brussels; a canal cruise in Amsterdam in a glass-topped boat; a drive through the Black Forest in Germany; a visit to Swarovski Crystal World in Innsbruck; and a walking tour in Venice and the Vatican City. From Dh8,570 per person, including accommodation in a double room, based on two sharing, return airfare, some meals, local transport and transfers, sightseeing as per the itinerary, entrance fees to sites and the services of a tour leader. Visit www.coxandkings.ae or call 8000 3570 2470 (toll free).