Company History

The two company founders Herbert Würtinger and Walter Schmid got to know each other early in life. Not as business partners from the very beginning, but rather as teacher and student. Herbert Würtinger was a teacher before his career as a successful businessman and taught Walter Schmid and his brothers in Schärding. After a few years their paths crossed again: they worked for a well-known cycle tour operator in Upper Austria, where they got to know and love cycle tourism – the basis for a promising future.

Walter Schmid and Herbert Würtinger thought about getting involved in the field of cycle tours at the beginning of 1991. After numerous discussions, at the end of the year the branch of the company "Radwandern" was founded and with that the foundation stone for today's company was laid.

Only one year later the first Eurobike catalogue was created and the "Ten Lakes Tour" in the Salzkammergut was developed as the first tour. In 1993 Eurofun Touristik was launched with the brand name "Eurobike" for the cycle tourism sector.

In 1995, the company relocated to Obertrum am See: an abandoned farm became the new location, as a lot of space was needed for the rental bikes in addition to the offices.

Great effort was put into expanding the travel programme. Over the years, Eurobike designed and established further cycling routes such as Bolzano - Venice, the Majorca loop tour and Tuscany roundtrip and the Munich Lakes Tour - cycle tours that are still considered absolute classics today.

The great potential that Italy has as an attractive cycling destination was recognised, and Eurobike became a pioneer in cycling holidays in Italy.

In 2002 the farm in Obertrum am See was extended. In addition to a spacious bike storage area, the addition of a new part of the building provided more space and office areas. The existing offices were renovated. The move to the newly designed premises took place in August 2003, and by the end of the year the existing building had also been completely renovated.

In 2004, hiking tours were offered for the first time in a separate catalogue under the brand name "Eurohike", thus laying the foundation for another, very successful branch of the company. The destinations around the Königssee, around the Zugspitze and the Salzkammergut are still considered hiking classics among Eurohike guests.

Under the brand name "Euroaktiv", selected active tours were offered for the first time in 2006 in a separate catalogue. These included family-oriented adventure holidays, horse riding holidays and family holidays in the hiking and cycling travel sector.

Another trend that emerged in the cycle travel industry: tours with bike & boat became more and more popular and so in 2010 a separate Bike & Boat catalogue was designed for the first time.

In late autumn, ground was broken for the next expansion at the company location: more office space and additional storage areas were built. In addition, the management of the Eurohike Walking Holidays division was taken over by Verena Sonnenberg.

"Germany is so beautiful" - under this title a catalogue with exclusively German cycle tours was published. During the 2011 season, staff moved into the new office premises.

In 2012, Eurobike celebrated its 20th company anniversary. Employees and long-time partners celebrated this special day with a big party. The start of the hiking season 2014 brought a relaunch of the Eurohike website. In addition, the new hiking catalogue included over 100 pages for the first time! The popularity of active travel continued to grow. In the same year, the management of Eurofun Touristik was expanded: Thomas Schmid, the nephew of Walter Schmid, came in to support the company founders Herbert Würtinger and Walter Schmid in management.

In 2016, the organisational structure of the Eurofun Group was adjusted and operations were clearly separated. The aim was to set clear structures and to focus even more on service and personal care for our guests. The management of Eurofun Touristik was taken over by Thomas Schmid and Verena Sonnenberg.

After the Eurobike and Eurohike website relaunch in 2017, the web presences shone in a new light and even more users were attracted to the pages. Just two years later, the company's own catalogue appeared for the first time, featuring charm tours that were becoming increasingly popular among cycling and hiking guests.

The years 2020 and 2021 were exceptionally challenging years. COVID-19 turned the entire international travel industry upside down. Nevertheless, despite the trying circumstances, we were able to close a safe biking and hiking season, although with a much lower number of guests and a limited travel offer. At the same time, the family-oriented offers of the Euroaktiv brand were incorporated into the two brands Eurohike and Eurobike.

In 2022 we celebrated a special highlight, the 30th anniversary of Eurobike – 30 years of cycling holidays throughout Europe!

We are delighted to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of our hiking holiday brand Eurohike in 2024. An anniversary that makes us very proud. The journey through Europe can continue!