Italy Primarily Bike Paths Tours

“We chose this trip partially due to the high star rating (and quantity) of the reviews, and I'm happy to report it lived up to the hype.

We began in the picturesque, mountainous town of Dobbiaco in the Dolomites and booked an extra night at the beginning of the trip in order to take a bus to do the Tre Cime Hike before starting the bike tour. Once the biking began, we rode our way through beautiful valleys (2 almost entirely flat days in Austria!) with stunning views all around. Getting into Slovenia was hillier, but rewarding. us with some of the most beautiful water in Slovenia. We did the 1-night Bled stay, and maximized our activities by booking a 3:20pm entry into the Vintgar Gorge, which was easy to get to directly from our bike route. After we left Slovenia, we were in Italy for the remainder of the trip and enjoyed more great variety of scenery (farmlands) with moderate elevation gain and took the coastal route into Trieste, enjoying the views of the Adriatic as we concluded the trip.

Main positive notes:

1) Overall, the FunActive App worked very well for navigation and the FunActive support phone number came in very handy when 2 people in my group got flat tires. I called and they immediately sent Google Map pins to the closest bike shops on our route, and offered reimbursement up to 35 euros for the repairs.

2) The hotels varied in quality and character, but were all very comfortable/hospitable with kind staff and provided excellent breakfasts.

3) Most people in my group requested (in advance) to rent gravel bikes and we found it to be well worth the extra charge, as the route does have some gravel sections. The bikes handled very well on the road and off. This tour is well-suited for intermediate cyclists to do on non-e-bikes, and seemed great for less-experienced cyclists to do on e-bikes.

4) The scenery was rarely less than stunning, even when the weather was cloudy!

A few cautionary points:

1) The amount of information (documents, info in the app, personal itinerary) sent to us prior to the tour was a little overwhelming and had some conflicting information (e.g. # of bags allowed per person for the daily luggage transfer, day/time for transfer points). Be sure to read everything carefully and ask questions to your BikeTours.com representative to clarify any discrepancies.

2) The FunActive staff was satisfactory when we picked up the bikes to help us get set up, but they did not go above and beyond with additional requests (e.g. to install SPD pedals that we brought; swap out saddles more comfortable ones).

3) This was my first time doing a tour which included transfers over mountain passes (Oberdrauberg Pass on Day 1, and from Bled to Most na Soci on Day 4). These were much appreciated to save energy and prevent some potentially dangerous riding, but it did require extra attention to our timing and schedule to make sure we were not late for the shuttles.” Less

“This a dream place, if mountains are your pleasure! The paths are well marked and take you through some glorious scenery! We stayed at Hotel Laurin, which is a family owned hotel that works to accommodate its guests. Returning to the same hotel after a day of riding and then enjoying the sauna, pool, and lounging areas adds to the rejuvenating aspect of the vacation. But one of the best things about Hotel Laurin is the fantastic 5 course dinners and the wonderful breakfasts. I would also like to praise the USA’s BikeTours staff who are very responsive and work to answer all your concerns. Can’t say enough good about this choice for a great vacation!” Less

“What a perfect way to travel through the beautiful countryside of Italy, Austria and Slovenia's followed with the alps on the side.
Every part of the journey was without any troubles at all. The navigation app was flawless and very easy to use.
We are very satisfied with BikeTours and Fun active Tours, simply because everything was after the plan.
We would 100% recommend them and are already begin to plan the next tour.” Less