Traveler photos

• ★★★★★ bridget Harron 3 months ago

  Self-guided Northern Italy

  Great ride, E Bikes, 3 adults in their 70's and 80's.
  We had a wonderful self-guided ride about 220 miles on mostly- paved wide bike paths using the GPS tracks which we had previously downloaded and riding on our Girolibero bikes (which were in perfect shape). The travel guide emailed to us by Bike Tours was excellent, giving cultural information as well as the daily mileage requirement and tips on how to shorten our day using the local trains which we never found to be desired or necessary. The guide also included all the necessary vouchers for our hotels, ferry ride and free ice cream as well as travel info on getting to Bolzano. The ride itself was spectacularly beautiful, especially starting near the Dolomites and following the River Adige with mountains on the other side all the way down to Lake Garda.
  There was a detour programmed into our GPS tracks and also a surprise one which was not. We navigated that short detour pretty well for not speaking Italian thanks to the very helpful/understandable signage. We had selected three star hotels which we might change to four star for our next ride. The first three days the hotels and the breakfasts were top notch but after that got progressively more like 2 star hotels ending in Venice/Mestre where we were escorted to a refurbished garage behind the main hotel, not what we had hoped for on our last and only night in Italy. In terms of the bike route itself we found the 4 hour ferry ride on Lake Garda unfortunate as there is a bike path around the lake which we would have preferred. The ferry ride was totally fogged in so we could not enjoy the beautiful sights and there was no food or drink available on board -a long 4 hours to think about a glass of wine. On the whole, we loved the trip and would do it again- the mountains, the exercise, the cuisine, the history, the people. Getting to Bolzano when our flights landed in Venice was our biggest problem - we had trouble trying to decipher the train system. But then the Bolzano funicula ride and the adventure on the ridge line overlooking the city and the Dolomites in the distance made up for getting bogged down catching trains. Looking forward to our next self-guided E-bike adventure.

  What was the date of your tour?

  October 5-12, 2024

  How many tours have you completed?

  me two, my family10+

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Much easier

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 2/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ William Loewe 5 months ago

  Italian jaunt

  Great way to see northern Italy. Accommodations were fine, except for the last, where the room was difficult to access and the bathroom downright dangerous. Disappointing end to an otherwise lovely ride.

  What was the date of your tour?

  October 2024

  How many tours have you completed?

  6

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac October 17, 2024

    Hi William, thank you for your feedback! We're glad you enjoyed the trip overall and apologize for the issues with the final accommodation. Your safety and comfort are our top priorities, and we'll be addressing the issue with the room and bathroom access to ensure future guests have a better experience.

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Larry Warshawski 6 months ago

  Great trip Bolzano to Venice

  We enjoyed the bike trip. The GPS courses were very good as were the tour descriptions in Ride with GPS. Unfortunately there was not enough time to see many of the sites. The hotels overall were average with some below average and a couple that were above average. They were all outside of the main old town vicinity and we missed out on the wonderful ambiance of the historical towns.
  The 5 hour ferry ride on Lake Garda was too long and we arrived after sunset in late August. It was dark when we arrived at the hotel, which again was away from the downtown area and we had difficulty finding it.

  What was the date of your tour?

  August 21

  How many tours have you completed?

  30

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Dean Ross 6 months ago

  Good ride Bolzano to Venice.

  Good routing along mostly paved paths through vineyards and orchards away from busy roads. Some of the 70km days were long in the near 40 degree heat, maybe a better tour for Sept. We paid for upgraded hotels some were but not all. Hotel Clarinet in Garda has very small rooms, they also don’t staff the front desk at night and there was no emergency contact given. This all became a reality when we went to leave the room in the morning and the deadbolt on the door just kept spinning. Called the front desk but there was no answer, luckily we had a bike repair tool that we were able to use to break out. Also worth noting that the ferry ride down the lake is a 4-5 hour trip.

  What was the date of your tour?

  August2024

  How many tours have you completed?

  3 with this company

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 3/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Lauren Hickman 7 months ago

  Incredible trip!

  This route exceeded our expectations! Each day had so much to see and experience. We so much enjoyed these smaller Italian cities with amazing vibes and hardly any crowds. And the ability to ride up and down the streets and take it in on a bike was a real gift. We were able to see so much more than on foot and go to places we never would’ve seen on a train or taxi. We loved this tour so much! So much architecture, so much history! I especially loved the transition from mountains to Mediterranean. The bikes we got on this trip had less comfortable seats than our last bike tour. Wish we brought our padded shorts! Also, highly recommend the e-bikes. Made the trip so enjoyable. Might have had some difficulty on regular bike. Do-able but quite tiring for a casual cyclist.

  What was the date of your tour?

  August 2024

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Catherine Hicks 9 months ago

  Italian cycling

  the trip was very well organised and the hotel were very good. and meat lots of nice people doing the same trip. The routs were good but only having the on GPS I think we should have had a map as well as when the road was closed and no diversion in place it was difficult to get back on track. The transfer back to Bolzano was very good and again well organised. The 1st night our luggage did not turn up until 18.35 and that was after a phone call from me .The only part of the trip that we did not like was the 5 hour boat trip backwards and forwards across Lake Garda this was very long and we did not get to the hotel until 20.45. you could do a bike transfer along Garda or miss it out all together and go direct to Verona.

  What was the date of your tour?

  june 24

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Much easier

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 1/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Laura Peck September 7, 2023

  One of the best vacations I have ever taken

  We did the self-guided, and loved it, the maps were fantastic, only got a little lost a few times, someone has done a lot of work on getting the logistics of this week nailed down very well, including luggage being moved. Great way to see parts of Italy no one else sees. Some of the hotels were AMAZING, a couple were a little run-down and needed to be crossed off the list, got locked out of one and ended up having to get another hotel (at our own expense, and without all of our luggage as it was in the original) that night because the front desk clerk went home at 10 pm (this was also one of the run-down places). Breakfasts were perfect at all locations. Route was gorgeous, Italy is absolutely beautiful. Overall, this was great and we are already talking about our next one.

  What was the date of your tour?

  August 20 - 27, 2023

  How many tours have you completed?

  1

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Kathleen Ball September 5, 2023

  Wonderful way to experience Italy!

  Some days were harder than others but the views were grand. Hotels were charming and will choose to upgrade the hotels for our next trip. Looking forward to scheduling our next bike trip!

  What was the date of your tour?

  August 2023

  How many tours have you completed?

  1

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Michel July 12, 2023

  Six days of great cycling!

  Beautifull scenery. Well organized despite my last minute booking. Most helpfull staff.

  What was the date of your tour?

  June 2023

  How many tours have you completed?

  Six

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Vijay DSouza September 19, 2022

  Very fun

  Trip was well organized and very scenic. Would recommend. Lodging was generally very nice. First couple days were most scenic. A lot of gravel and dirt surfaces which I’m not used to but was fine on hybrid bikes.

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 2022

  How many tours have you completed?

  6

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Kari Abrahamson August 7, 2022

  Amazing trip for the whole family.

  Excellent route. Family friendly. Good accomodations. Very happy we went with BikeTours again for yet another amazing family vacation.

  What was the date of your tour?

  July 2022

  How many tours have you completed?

  Three

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ MelT October 17, 2019

  25th Anniversary Trip

  A great way to see the beautiful smaller towns of Italy that you would normally drive right by!

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 9, 2019

  How many tours have you completed?

  1

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Much harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Rach October 15, 2019

  Beautiful Italian countryside

  What a wonderful way to travel and see a country! This trip was wonderful! The weather was amazing (cool mornings and nice breezes mostly) we had one day of light rain, which some of the group opted to ride in it and some took the train to the next stop. Our group of 20 had two guides, Alain and Diego. These guys were so friendly, helpful, fun-loving, and personable. The riding each day was a little harder than I was prepared for, but it was worth all the effort. I would give it a higher difficulty level than 2- I would rate it a 3 as there are a couple of days with some longer hill climbs. Make sure you train on some hills...or get an e-bike to make it easier and enjoyable. Our group had fun together! My travel buddy and I loved meeting everyone in our group. I would love to do this kind of travel more often. I highly recommend this tour!

  What was the date of your tour?

  Sept-Oct

  How many tours have you completed?

  First one

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Jackie21 October 13, 2019

  Very Memorable

  Amazing way to see parts of Italy you couldn’t see any other way. I loved our guides and the fun places we stopped along the way, however, the biking was much harder and faster than expected. I was expecting to be able to stop and take pictures any time I saw something picture worthy, but that was not the case. I realized the first day that I was not as prepared as I should’ve been. We had a very large group and people of all skill levels and even though I bike regularly I was not prepared for all peddling and no coasting. I also found the bike trails to be very crowded and nerve wracking with racing cyclist both coming and going. I expected a relaxing daily 40miles and it was in fact rather stressful biking. We had an amazing group from all over the world and that really made the experience fun. Our guides, Alain and Diego, were very personable and fun. I would do it again, but I would get an E-bike for the hills.

  What was the date of your tour?

  Sept 2019

  How many tours have you completed?

  This was my first

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Much harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ US cyclist July 31, 2019

  Difficult to navigate

  I chose this tour because I was finishing up a week of hiking in the Dolomites in Balzano, and though that riding a bike back to Venice to catch my plane would be more interesting than taking the train. I saw that there were several reviewers who noted that they had difficulty navigating but thought, "I can just check Google Maps if I have a problem. How bad could it be?"
  Well, it was bad. I found the step by step directions to be indecipherable. The maps made it look easy, but there was not enough detail to actually use them to follow the route. Google maps did not pick up the bike paths, so could not provide a cycling route. I spent a significant part of each day lost and frustrated, in addition to inadvertently ending up on roads with heavy traffic and adding extra miles to the trip. Towards the end of the week I discovered that there were several people from Belgium who were riding the same route I was, but had booked directly with the tour company rather than going through a third party. They were emailed the routes in digital format, and were able to download them to their Garmin. This was not offered to me.
  The area is beautiful, bike paths nice, and local folks very friendly and helpful.

  What was the date of your tour?

  Ended July 28, 2019

  How many tours have you completed?

  20+

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  No

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe August 1, 2019

    Many thanks for taking the time to write this review. We'll pass the feedback onto the tour operator regarding their directions and will consider this in our yearly review of our tour portfolio. I'm sorry that you were not made aware GPS tracks are available for this tour. As a note for future clients, many tours do offer GPS tracks upon request. We're glad to hear that, regardless of your troubles, you enjoyed the area, bike paths, and locals.

  • 3/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 1/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ MacS July 24, 2019

  Wonderful vistas

  What was the date of your tour?

  7/6- 7/13

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Much harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 4/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ None99 July 20, 2019

  Great tour of Northern Italy

  Unfortunately the guide had never done the tour before!!! Why wouldn’t he be an assistant guide once then lead the tour???

  What was the date of your tour?

  July 6-13

  How many tours have you completed?

  8

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe July 21, 2019

    So glad you enjoyed the Bolzano - Verona - Venice tour. Thanks for letting us know about the novice guide experience. We'll pass that feedback onto the tour operator so that they may improve their operations.

  • 4/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 1/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 1/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 2/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ nippy1 July 8, 2019

  One of our favorit family trips!

  This ws one of our favorite trips ever! It was our first really active trip with our kids (11 and 13). Up to this point our travel has been mostly cities, museums, tours, and short hikes. It was more difficult than we thought it would be mainly because the kids go slower than if it were just adults so each day had around two additional hours due to more frequent breaks. That said, we felt so accomplished at the end of each day, it was a wonderful confidence boosts for our kids. And it was very bike friendly -- only one day was on heavily traveled roads otherwise it was quite a few bike trails and backroads. And the scenery is stunning. We got a little lost in some of the cities, but it was part of the adventure. Instructions and equipment were top notch and we always felt well cared for. Fabulous adventure -- we highly recommend it!

  What was the date of your tour?

  June 15, 2019

  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 young kids, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Biabattistella October 1, 2018

  Great view, food, biking

  The view was fantastic, especially Dolomitas. The tour was easy, but very nice.

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 9th

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  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

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Dan1 September 19, 2018

  With the Dolomites as your splendid background, ride through ancient towns until you reach the unique watery world of Venice.

  Highly recommend getting to Bolzano early so you have time to spend a day visiting the Italian Alps. The Dolomite Highway is awe-inspiring.

  The bike trails were great. Mostly paved, and when they weren't, the majority were well packed. The tour route goes through picturesque countryside. The daily destinations are beautiful and historical.

  The tour includes a 5+ hour ferry ride on Lake Garda. It is a gorgeous ride with the ferry zigzagging down the 35 mile length of the lake. Feels like you are in a National Geographic special. A couple of other recommended "must do's" - visit the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova and take in an opera at the Roman Arena in Verona.

  Girolibero was our tour company. They provide great tour book of entire area and towns on route. However, they give it to you (along with bikes) the morning that the tour starts which allows little or no time to really utilize the great information. It would be much better if they provided a month earlier so you have time to research in advance. Should also provide bikes the prior evening so you can get up and leave earlier in the morning.

  Some of the directions along the route could have been marked better. We followed other tour companies' markers more often because Girolibero's were fewer and far between. The bikes were excellent. In great shape and mechanically solid with smooth shifting.

  We paid for the upgraded hotels. However, a few of them were in sketchy areas; like near train stations.

  I don't mean to sound negative. Overall, it was a great trip and very glad we did it. Only offering suggestions to make the tour even better for future riders.

  What was the date of your tour?

  August 26-31

  How many tours have you completed?

  Two

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Cousin September 5, 2018

  Loved it

  This was such a great way to see the country. We loved the whole experience.

  What was the date of your tour?

  July 11 to July 18

  How many tours have you completed?

  This was my first

  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

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 2/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Raff September 29, 2017

  Wonderful itinerary, average biking

  Great towns, but not enough time to see them. The biking scenery was ok. Really poor cue sheets in English.

  What was the date of your tour?

  9-16-17-8-22-17

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  No

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany September 30, 2017

    Thank you for your review. We'll work with our partner operator on better translated daily directions. We appreciate your time and hope to help you in the future!

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 3/5 Scenery
  • 1/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 2/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ raystrach July 31, 2017

  Interesting Culture Great Scenery

  We decided to do two week long bike tours in succession with this trip coming immediately after the previous tour finish in Lecce.

  We caught an overnight train from Lecce to Bolzano which worked out quite well initially. The only problem was that our last couple of days were were getting a bit sick of moving in and out every day. We probably should have given ourselves a little more time in between trips.

  The tour itself was fantastic, with the main surprise being the cultural differences between the south and north. The germanic influences were much stronger that i had expected. Also, being in the foothills of the dolomites, obviously means different architecture and traditions. This was all good.

  The cycling itself was generally very easy and for the first few days followed a dedicated cycle way. There is plenty of time to take detours into the villages off the main track and still arrive at the next destination in plenty of time.

  Although the tour was very well organised, the tour directions were quite poor in comparison to other tours we had taken, however because the trail itself is quite well marked, it is probably better to follow your nose and the o site directions rather than using the detailed guide book. (there have obviously been recent changes to the tour route itself)

  if your are wanting a taste of the high italian mountains without having to climb any, this would be an ideal trip. there is a lot of spectacular scenery along the valley road and across lake garda before changing to a more typical italian countryside for the final couple of days towards venice.

  just a note on the approach into vincenza, my wife decided that she did not want to take the hillier route (there is a choice) but then when she discovered we were staying at the hotel at the top of a big hill, she regretted it. Take the hillier route into vincenza.

  for us, the apuglia tour was probably slightly better tour, but we have absolutely no regrets in doing this one as well.

  What was the date of your tour?

  late april 2016

  How many tours have you completed?

  6

  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

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ pkbiking July 24, 2017

  The Best Way to Get to Venice!

  Each town we visited was unique. Bolzano had a very Austrian feel and Venice was magical. Glad that we chose the 4-star hotels because they were beautiful and roomy and worth the extra money! The self-guided tour allowed us the flexibility to seek out really cool local restaurants and go at our own pace. It was the trip of a lifetime and the recommendations and help from Matt and the staff at BikeTours was excellent.

  What was the date of your tour?

  May 2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  several

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 2/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Ken1126 June 8, 2017

  Bolzano to Venice

  Overall the trip was very nice and I plan to use Bike Tours again soon. We arrived Bolzano via train from Munich and the scenery through the Austrian Alps was fantastic. Our first hotel is Bolzano, Hotel Scala, was very nice and we enjoyed the extra night we had booked, including a tram ride. We were a little surprised to have almost 30 people in our tour orientation. With so many people, there was little time for one on one instruction on the equipment and it was a struggle to get questions answered. The bikes, one e bike and one hybrid, were in great condition and were pleasant to ride. We were fortunate to have the tool kit which included a spare tube because on our last day the e bike had a flat in the back. The e bike had an extra (gear??) cable in the back we were not familiar with but managed to figure it out. It would be nice if the bikes had shocks to absorb the rough surfaces but I'm sure there is a reason they don't.
  Our second hotel, in Trento, was not as nice as Bolzano and had no air conditioning. Since it was hot and humid the entire trip, ac turned out to be a big issue for us. Some hotels had it but it was not very effective or efficient. The next trip we book will include the upgraded hotel package.
  Navigation into and out of the cities proved to be our biggest challenge. Following the arrows was great until you missed one and it required constant vigilance. Trying to follow the road book instructions was difficult, the mileage references never seemed to matched and street names were hard to find. I also found that often it would have been easier to join the route directly from our hotel rather than getting to a central starting point indicated in the road book.
  We booked an extra night in Mestre and were glad we did. The Hotel Venezia Mestre had great ac, several English language tv stations, and great location to catch the bus to Venice and airport (VCE-Marco Polo).
  Overall a great trip and looking forward to our next one.

  What was the date of your tour?

  May 27, 2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  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

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 2/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Marc October 30, 2016

  Very pleasant trip in Italy

  I had a very great time in this tour, done in solo, in october. The scenery is fabulous, the mountains are wonderful, the roads and paths quiet and well paved. This is an almost always flat itinerary and the two days with an uphill section, there is an alternate route. I'm not used to slope, but I choose the hilly route and there were my favorite days of the trip. The effort was very worth it. Verye great trip.

  What was the date of your tour?

  october 8, 2016

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  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

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Yeenie September 27, 2016

  Bolzano to Mestre, Italy bike trip

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 11th -- 17th, 2016

  How many tours have you completed?

  Nine

  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

  • 3/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 1/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 3/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Boris August 10, 2016

  Great trip

  It was a part of my overall trip to Italy and definitely was a highlight. The only thing I would have done differently is to do a little more research in advance myself. There are so many things to see along the way one simply cannot get them all. So I could have been more selective and that would have give me more time at the sights that more interesting to me. For example, I was interested in a little wine testing and there were opportunities along the way, but because I found out about them just a bit too late, I had no time to stop.

  What was the date of your tour?

  July 25 - Aug 2

  How many tours have you completed?

  First with this company

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Frankie April 26, 2016

  Great trip

  The trip was a lot of fun and our guide was the best

  How many tours have you completed?

  5

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)