Austria Bike Tour Reviews (page 31)
-
★★★★★ Mary October 10, 201660th Birthday Ride!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Just returned from our ride around the Lake and it was the best way to celebrate my 60th birthday! The ride as outlined is pretty accurate with regards to level of difficulty, with the first two days of the ride the most challenging - only because of the two "hills" as we approached our hotel - we ended up having to walk the bike. The bikes were great and in top notch shape and there was more than enough storage for our 'stuff'. Each day, we started off with a healthy breakfast buffet which included options for everyone (even gluten free). Hotels were wonderful (however, if you like having a washcloth or hair conditioner; I'd suggest you bring your own as these are a little on the rare side). The trip book given to you at the start gives some wonderful 'to see' sights and is very much worth taking the time to read and review before each day's journey. Terrain was varied, as was the ride, itself. We went through villages, farm lands, the lake, campgrounds and monasteries. I felt very safe on the ride with both my personal safety and property. Very bike friendly countries and tour. Pictures show some of the sights we rode past. Enjoy the ride!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September/October 2106
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Robo October 1, 2016Fantastic ride
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
This was our second self guided tour with Bike Tours, and once again they provided a well organised tour, hotels were very good value, and our luggage always arrived on time. The bikes were in very good condition, but slightly on the heavy side, the route was easy to navigate and depending how adventuress you are it can be adjusted to see some of the inland towns, and farming area, we added an extra day in Krems to our itinerary to enjoy the Wachau valley.
-
★★★★★ roadrider56 September 28, 2016
Alittle bit of heaven
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We had an amazing time. This is our third tour with BTD and will definitely plan another tour in the future . The hotels were wonderful with amazing breakfast and some hotels had pools and offered spa packages. The routes were great although rated a level 2. I found a couple days a bit challenging considering I live in the low country yet I appreciated the challenge. The bikes were excellent considering their weight.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September8, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- four
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Halle96 September 26, 2016One of Top 5 trips in 30 years travelling
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- Just this one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
-
★★★★★ Ron1 September 26, 2016
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9-8 to 9-16
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Marko September 23, 2016
Good experience overall
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We enjoyed the tour from Passau to Vienna very much, it was very scenic and overall a great experience. I would have rated the experience higher except some of the hotels were not really 4 star or better and the directions need to be improved.
In particular the Römerhof Hotel in Tulln (regardless of assigned rating) is just not very nice. The property is needs updating and painting. Our room was small, had ineffective air conditioning, needed painting and was really a 2 or 3 star experience. The Römerhof Hotel was by far the least desirable overnight stay on the trip, and we would not want to stay there again. I suggest the tour company reconsider this location for the "upscale lodging" tour.
For the most part the directions and maps were outstanding, except for the last day. The final day directions could really be improved for the area around Korneuburg and into Vienna. This is the most difficult section of the journey but the directions are the least descriptive. It was very hard to stay on track with the directions here. We met several other travelers that got off course in this section.
All in all we liked the tour and would recommend it. Thanks for the opportunity to provide feedback, we appreciate it! Marko and Janet
-
★★★★★ tyrrell2016 September 20, 2016
best trip ever!!
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
-flat great condition bike dedicated pavement path -90 percent of the time
-the places you are on the road, the roads are not too busy and there are so many cyclist and there are signs for drivers to be aware of cyclists
-we got the electric bikes...they were a lot of fun!
-trails marked well
-bike and equipment very nice. saddlebags are waterproof
-excellent staff, great support and guidance
-lots of bike shops along the path in case you break down. the company will reimburse you. you also have a small repair kit on board and the option to call them for assistance.
-this was our first bike tour.
-maps were good
-the bike path was not too crowded...but we did go after labor day.
-very scenic
-very safe
-we did the upscale hotels. they were solid-but considering we were going through small villages they were the best of the village. fyi...air conditioning is not like in the USA. I can't imagine doing the tour in July ugh
The hotels are very friendly and are very aware of the bike arrangement.
-we did self guided and felt very comfortable with this particular itinerarytips
-be prepared for rain...it can happen. we got water proof socks, pants, jacket, shoes and gloves. it came in very handy one day. Eddie Bauer waterproof shoes were great for us. Lightweight and comfortable. my husband wants to buy another pair for backup.
-hat for sun and bug protection. We did not wear helmets because we were on bike paths.
-sunscreen for face, body and lips
-lightweight sunglasses
-consider bike gloves....the last day i got sun poison on my hands
-bring baby wipes. my husband got oily adjusting his chain
-bring washcloths (disposable)-we got dusty on the trail and none of the hotels provided wash cloths. also...bring shampoo and conditioner. many of the hotels only offered a liquid body wash.
-bring a little pharmacy antibiotics, miralax, monistat, tylenol, allergy meds,
-plan on layers for clothing and packing
-get good socks from a running store...my feet got hot- What was the date of your tour?
- September 3rd thru 11th 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- our first
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
-
★★★★★ paula12 September 19, 2016I Would Go Back Tomorrow...
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
I've been to Europe a dozen times, but seeing the Salzburg
area by bike was the best trip yet. Such beautiful scenery.
Loved the e-bike!- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 12-19
- How many tours have you completed?
- no others
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ diane g September 18, 2016
Salzburg to Salzburg has fantastic scenery but directions provided are unbelievably poorly developed
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
Salzburg to Salzburg over 6 days is higher than a level 2. The terrain is hilly. I do not recommend this self guided tour because the german-speaking outfits they contract with provide totally inadequate self-guiding instructions. They do not know what a cue sheet is. They do not provide any directions as to north, south, east, west; they do not provide any street names. AND, the directions in English are very obviously translated very poorly from the German. In addition, there is no way to find your hotel once off the bike path. You have to depend upon good route finding skills for this hotel finding as well as the entire trip. We had this same experience with bike tours.com 7 years ago and thought they might have gotten better at directions. We gave bike tours feedback at that time, and our friends gave feedback on their german-speaking directions on their self-guided tour, and nothing changed. Hence I am writing this review without making a customer complaint becaue I do not believe bike tours will fix this problem. AND, THIS TOUR REQUIRES ONE TO CONSULT 3 SETS OF INSTRUCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE TRIP. 2 sets of friends had exactly the same experience. 2 stars are for getting our luggage to each hotel before we arrived; and the hotels were gracious and accommodating.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson September 19, 2016
This is a tour with one of our most popular operators—we send hundreds of clients with them each year—and they get routinely positive reviews. The Tauern Bike Path is also one of our more popular and long-standing tours.However, this is a new routing of a long-standing tour (that had also received good reviews), and it’s obvious they cut some corners on the directions and tour materials. We apologize for this.
I’ve actually ridden the Tauern Bike Path three times since its opening about 20 years ago. In fact, my first tour on it was before I started BikeTours.com, and it was part of my inspiration for starting the company. So it saddens me when anyone has a negative experience on it.
We also apologize for the level of difficulty, which should have been a level 3. In its previous form (the tour actually went mostly in the opposite direction), the tour was a level 2.
-
★★★★★ Donte September 18, 2016Vienna to Budapest
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
Beautiful trails. Exceptions were about 7 K in muddy conditions, 10-12 K on poorly packed gravel. Touring bicycle handled trails well and we're quite stable plowing through mud. Biking guide was inadequate with confusing written guidance separated from related maps. Need detailed cue sheets with clear details on turns, distance etc. Hotels mostly above my expectations although those with no elevators were burdensome.
-
★★★★★ Cramaz September 11, 2016
The Great Tour of Salzburg
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
This ride took us through some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. While there were a couple of difficult hills, the majority of the ride was quite manageable and structured so that there was plenty of time to sightsee on the way and at each destination. The towns we stayed in all had something a little different to offer and all had plenty of good places to eat and relax. As a self-guided tour, this would be hard to beat. The Tauern bike path is a great way to see this part of Austria.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 28th August to 5th September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Marta72 August 23, 2016
Perfect family trip
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Very recommended trip for families with kids that can bike. Km per day were not demanding (around 30km). You can stop to visit, to have a bath in the lake, to take a boat...very nice environment, very safe and relax way to travel. All roates are well indicated.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 6-12 August
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Frequent Traveller August 22, 2016
Great tour and helpful staff
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
The tour was well organised although there was an initial communication problem at the first hotel. We were told by the tour company to meet at 7 am on the day of the trip and it should have been 7 pm. With a bit of luck and good timing it worked out fine. The local company was amazing. One of our party had an illness in the middle of the trip and the local company took care of us and drove him to the next destination along with his bike and baggage which gave him the time to recover and continue the trip. Amazing service. Will definitely do another tour.
-
★★★★★ Ron USA August 22, 2016
Perfect week
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
This was a perfect European week for us. We rode 5 days self-guided, and, speaking for myself, I would have loved to do another 5. I was in the groove.
The biketours and their contractors are a well-oiled machine. They do this well. Our 3 Bikes were perfectly designed for this trip and had no problems. The luggage were there waiting at our hotel like clockwork.
The route, Vienna to Budapest, has its spectacular moments especially coming into Esztergom (Hungary) and Budapest. and it has many tranquil lovely phases of riding right beside the Danube. There were a few duller stages early on-- riding for long stretches on the river levies-- but I didn't expect every moment to be picture-postcard. -
★★★★★ kater August 19, 2016
Great trip were almost everything offered was delivered
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
The Danube valley and all the town along the way were beautiful. The Austrians were almost always friendly and helpful. The tandem bike was exceptionally well equipped being in good condition and plenty of detachable bags. The directions for the most part worked and the bike path was fantastic
-
★★★★★ Bernard D August 19, 2016Danube from Linz to Vienna with some Extra
· Danube Family Tour 7 Nights
As a family of four (kids aged 10 and 11) we took six days to cover the 230 kilometers needed to pedal from Linz to Vienna. It was a fantastic way to discover beautiful country along one of the most picturesque stretches of European riverfront. 99.9% of the way is paved, and 80% is on dedicated bike paths (the remainder is biking on quiet country roads). With one rest day in the middle, the days represented between 35 and 55 kilometers of biking. Considering our younger one, our daughter, doesn't have the big leg muscles, our average speed was 14 km/h. We would set off between 9 and 10 am, and reach our accommodations in the early afternoon. The 55 kilometer day was a bit hard towards the end, but still very feasible. All hotels were very clean, quiet, with friendly staff and with delicious breakfast spreads included. We would highly recommend this trip, especially if you tag on a few days for culture in Vienna, at the end, as we did. It gave our kids and us the opportunity to have an active family trip in which we all felt a sense of accomplishment. And you don't have to do more than bring your suitcase up to your room and back down! The rest is taken care of. We are extremely happy with this trip. Thanks to BikeTours, and their Austrian associates (Rad Reiss Freunde) for making it all happen at a reasonable price and without a single hiccup! We could not have planned it better ourselves.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
-
★★★★★ RP8082 August 17, 2016
Danube Ride
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
A great ride. The hotels were wonderful. The scenery was beautiful. The directions for the route were good. A little more detail for directions to the hotel each day could be improved slightly. But the trip was awesome. Bikes were new and well tuned, and luggage was delivered flawlessly each day.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 8/1/16
- How many tours have you completed?
- This one only.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
-
★★★★★ chuck August 16, 2016
Excellent bike tour of the Danube and surrounding Austria countryside!
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
This was our first bike tour and it was a wonderful experience! The hotels and luggage transport were all top notch. The bicycles were in excellent condition and performed flawlessly throughout the trip, but they were a bit heavy compared to our privately owned bikes. The saddle bags were invaluable and easily detached so you could carry them into the hotel room at the end of the day. The directions to get from city to city was great, but occasionally a little vague on getting to the hotel at the end of the day. Also, it should be noted that crossing the river by ferry was always easier than crossing at the bridges and dams.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug. 1st - 6th, 2015
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
-
★★★★★ bienchen August 11, 2016
fantastic trip
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Very relaxing and fun way to experience three countries, stay at bed & breakfasts, cycle at your own pace during the day, stop at tourist sites, and check into your next hotel in the afternoon/evening and grab dinner at a local restaurant. Hotels varied from simple to four-star. We liked the ones close to town best because we were able to explore different places in the evenings.
Will definitely go with that company again in the future.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- none
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
