If you speak a little of the language of the country where you plan to cycle, a quick Google will turn up dozens of useful websites. For the purposes of this column, however, I've stuck to sites with a section in English. CTC (ctc.org.uk), the UK's national cycling organisation, has a 600-page library of travel and route information, including a dictionary of cycle parts in a variety of languages, but you will need to join first (£32 per year for adults).

The Trento Bike Pages (www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/) offer a decent overview of what you can expect of roads and cars in different parts of Europe, as well as a selection of the blow-by-blow illustrated trip diaries that were so popular around five years ago. Mountain bikers will probably prefer Mountain Biking in Europe (mtb.live.com/mtb-europe.html) and the guide to Alpine routes at grenoblecycling.free.fr. Those travelling with a tent in northern Europe will appreciate Cycletourer.co.uk. Mayq.com is aimed at Americans but has useful advice on cycling into and out of Paris, recommending six routes where you are unlikely to encounter much traffic.

BicycleGermany.com is an unofficial but occasionally entertaining guide to 'self-guided bicycle tours': the tourist board's version, which is also very good, is at Germany-tourism.de/biking. Austrian Cycling Tours (homes.tiscover.com/project/radtouren/) and Austria.info (hcms.austria.info/) describe some of the major routes. Pragueviennagreenways.org is a 250-mile historical route between the two cities.

Cities for Bicycles Poland (rowery.org.pl/mission.htm) is a rather dour and worthy enterprise, but it does give an indication of what you can expect from the Polish road network ('Trust no one.'). Visit Estonia (visitestonia.com) is also intriguing. In Scandinavia, Cycle Tourism in Finland (pyorailyuutiset.net), Vilda Vastergotland in Sweden (vildavastergotland.com/) and Bike Norway (bike-norway.com) suggest some interesting routes.

Ireland's Corkkerry.ie/cycling/ and Cycling in Switzerland (cycling-in-switzerland.ch) are both useful.

For Belgium and Luxembourg, try the excellent Ravel (ravel.wallonie.be), Gamber.net/cyclebel/ and the Grand-Duchy by Bicycle (ont.lu/bicycle.htm). tourspain.co.uk Spain's 'Greenways', or Vias Verdes, are outlined attourspain.co.uk. The Greenways Programme (ffe.es/viasverdes/programme.htm) goes into more detail.

· Next week: the rest of the world.