Albania Bike Tour Reviews
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★★★★★ Paul Banken 1 week agoAwesome trip
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
I rarely post reviews but wanted to share my experience with a recent cycling tour; the 10 day UNESCO tour of Albania. The tour was led by Armand and Mario. It was a fantastic experience. The tour was well organized, really well run, fun, the country beautiful, the local people friendly, the food incredible and quite varied. Our group of 19 were from many countries but really bonded well. The last days ride was unnerving for some due to strong winds and large vehicles; but the sag van was usually close behind if someone wanted to take a break. Not everything went perfectly, but Armand’s upbeat, energetic, and positive attitude in quickly handling the issues made things go quite smoothly. All in all; one of the very best, most enjoyable tours I have taken out of the 20+ to date.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Mary Lynn Griff 3 weeks agoOur Balkan Adventure
· Balkan Treasures
We really enjoyed our bike tour of Croatia, Montegreno and Albania. The hotels were great as were the transfers. My notes of caution; first I suggest bringing mirrors and/or suggest they be provided. This tour was entirely on narrow roads with little or no shoulder so being able to see what is coming behind you is better for your safety. Drivers were very patient for the most part but a few of our patty were not used to riding on roads with traffic however after a few days they adapted well. The first day was the most difficult in my opinion but none of the days were as difficult as I had myself mentally (and physically) prepared for but for the casual rider I suggest the e-bike option. Otherwise, prepare for long climbs of 8-10%. I am 6'4" and my road bike was a bit too small but workable however the tires were not worn but had very little trend and were very slippery on some surfaces especially the decent into Kotor. If it had been raining it would have been very unsafe. I suggest tires with a bit more tread to provide better footing. Lastly, a couple of our hotels had live music that normally would have been great however it was very hot during our tour (100 degrees) so we were up and out early before the heat set in making the live music at 11:00 pm not as fun. The navigation was spotty on my android but others had better connections on their phones. All in all, a great trip. We loved finding our own way and being in control of our time and pace. We look forward to doing another trip sometime soon.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Albania, Montenegro
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★★★★★ Tina Nef 2 months ago
Fantastic trip
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
This was a wonderful tour. Everything was perfect. The biking and scenery were top notch - a few days in the high mountains of Albania and then a few days biking along the coast with swimming in the Ionian Sea after a day in the saddle. The guide was super knowledgeable and organized. He ran a great tour. The food, bikes, hotels etc were all top notch. There is one very long climb on the last day (over 5,000 ft). That would have been a good day for an e-bike!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Kathleen Rush 2 months ago
Excellent trip
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
The tour was very well organized by our local guide and his family. Our hotel and food stops were planned ahead of time and everything was ready as soon as we arrived; we didn't have to wait to eat or to get a shower! Food was plentiful and varied and our accommodations were very comfortable. The cycling part was a bit more challenging than expected but our group worked well together as half were on regular hybrid bikes and half on ebikes. Temperatures were perfect, if not a bit warm, for mid May. I definitely recommend the guided over self-guided for this trip as parts were remote and not a lot of services during the day.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5 or 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Stephanie H 2 months ago
Such a beautiful country!
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
We had wonderful support from our guide and our driver. The food was delicious and it was a treat to experience the amazing terrain and sights. The hills could be strenuous at times and the diesel fumes unpleasant.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Julane Anderson 2 months ago
Amazing tour!
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
An excellent introduction to the beauty and charms of Albania. Our guide, Arjan, and driver, Enes, went above and beyond to keep our group of 17 cyclists safe and comfortable. Family-style meals were delicious with a variety of foods chosen for us.
I recommend arriving in Tirana one to two days before the start of the tour to experience the offerings of the capital and to learn about the country's history with communism. I also recommend that cyclists be familiar with riding with traffic and riding on different road surfaces. My husband and I were glad to have rented e-bikes as the promised climbs were challenging!- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10+
- 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?
- Albania
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★★★★★ John Koester 2 months ago
Great Tour of Albania!
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
The guided tour of Albania was awesome. The cycling was really good, maybe a little harder than expected in the mountains. But well worth it. We climbed Llogara Pass which was an epic ride, followed by a 20 mile downhill.
The food and accommodations were really super good. No complaints at all there.
But what made the tour standout was our guide Arjan, and the van driver Enis. Those guys were great and we were all family right off the bat. They took good care of us every day we were with them. We can’t recommend this tour highly enough. Albania is a beautiful country with super cool people.- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Susan Cleary 3 months ago
Amazing!
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
My friend and I did the UNESCO Albania tour (self guided)and it exceeded all our expectations.
The routes were breathtaking. Riding through the mountains, even in the rain,
I felt like we were in a virtual reality ride.Our tour guide, Aldo was fantastic.
Every morning he checked our bikes and made sure we had everything we needed. He would also be seen in the hotels mornings and evenings helping serve meals and drinks.The sag driver, Fitim, was wonderful too.
He would wash bikes after rainy days, make sure we had water and occasionally give a whistle if we happened to take a wrong turn and he was in the vicinity.The hotels were great with one exception, however, the others certainly made up for it especially the first and last night.
Thank you for such a wonderful experience!
Thank you Aldo and Fitim!- What was the date of your tour?
- April 19
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Lisa Luyckx 3 months ago
A Don’t Miss Tour
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
We just completed the ten day Albania UNESCO self-guided tour and I can’t say enough good things about it. Our tour guide Aldo made our experience in Albania all the more richer. He was available always for any help we needed, from servicing our bikes, to serving food, to making sure we were all set with our hotels to answering any questions we had. He did all of the above with a smile on his face. Our sag driver Fitim, who also helped keep the bikes clean and serviced, was always at the ready with water and a smile. We were in awe of the beautiful countryside and the friendliness of the hard working people of Albania. We truly felt like we saw the real
Albania on this beautiful route. I would recommend this tour whole heartedly.- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Jermey Hoffman 3 months agoWhat a way to see Tirana!
· Tirana to Mount Dajti Downhill MTB Tour
Thank you so much to Ermal for showing me around on two wheels - the views on this ride are spectacular, the riding is fast and flowy, and you never know what you’re going to see in the mountains! The whole day was easy thanks to Ermal and his team. Highly recommend this tour for people wanting a special way to see and experience Tirana.
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BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac April 22, 2024
Thank you for sharing your experience! It sounds like you had an amazing time exploring Tirana with our guide. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more adventures in the future!
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★★★★★ Bridgit Evans 9 months ago
Well organised experience with amazing scenery
· Balkan Treasures
This was my first biking tour and I hope I am not spoilt now because this one was so fantastic. The hotels were quaint, the scenery breathtaking, and everything ran without a hitch. I loved the variety of mountains, ocean, lakes , forests and farms. My only comment is that it would be better to only spend one night in Skodar because of all the places we went, this was my least favorite. While the city is on a lake, there is a lot of litter which is not great. Two days in the national park would have been better. Other than that, I highly recommend this tour!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9 September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- My first bike tour
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Albania, Montenegro
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★★★★★ Richard Radonis 9 months ago
Albania unleashed
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
From sea level to 7000 feet, Ionian Sea to hairpin mountaintop switchbacks, beautiful countryside abound.
Lodging was so different from the day before with local cuisine 3x a day. Vineyards, olive orchards, apple orchards, etc, fruit trees everywhere. Ebikes made it all possible for the average biker, but doable for the hard-core pedal pusher. Arjan, our guide, was awesome. He made it so much more enjoyable and seamless- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Richard Radonis 9 months ago
Majestic Albania
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
Wow, we biked 300 miles in so many different terrains, saw how the rural Albanians live. They were very friendly. Seeing castles, monasteries, historic homes and beautiful countryside. One particular day we coasted downhill for about 20 miles
What a rush. Tour guide Arjan was awesome, fun, personable and knowledgeable.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Sharon Charpentier 9 months ago
Only One Road - biking in Albania
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
Great 10 day cycling vacation in Albania. Our Guide, Arjan was amazing. He thoroughly reviewed each days bike route the night before and morning of to be sure we understood the plan for the day. He would tell us “only one road”. That was pretty accurate in the country side. I loved seeing the locals living a simple life with their mules or donkey with a hand made saddle, or the Shepard with his flock of sheep and sheep dogs to corral them in. The Mountain Views were incredible as well as the lake and sea views. The food was plentiful and served family style. Wine and beer for purchase was very reasonably priced. Most accommodations were nice and comfortable. One night we stayed in cabins on a farm! We saw so much- toured ruins from 400 BC, toured a castle and homestead as well as a monastery. The ride was well supported. Our van driver was always close by should we need assistance with our bikes or a fill up of water. I chose to rent an e-bike and glad I did as many roads had a steep incline. The e-bike allowed me to enjoy my vacation and not struggle to make it through the day. I’m glad I chose this tour!
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ David Hodgson 9 months ago
Challenging cycling
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
Physically challenging; 14 of 18 folks on our tour used an e-bike and were glad they made that choice. The guide was excellent and I would recommend the guided package rather than self guided, especially as the meals were included. Excellent scenery. We traveled in mid-September and the weather was comfortable, not too hot. The bikes were of good quality compared to those provided on other European bike tours.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Julia Bouchard 10 months ago
Beautiful countryside
· Balkan Treasures
The countries we visited were awesome. The local tour operator left a lot to be desired. Before leaving the US we tried multiple times to download the gps routes onto our phones. Biketours.com stated they do not support the app we were supposed to use…..when we arrived in Trebinje our first day, none of us were able to see the routes…after phone calls with local operator, he walked us through using an app with his username and password-less than ideal. We eventually had the routes on our phones,but no way to mount phone on handlebars. Eventually we got one phone holder that immediately dropped the phone while spinning around!
Initially I was given a bike that was way too small. Tour operator wanted me to use it for the first day which had the longest climb of the week. Eventually he did supply a proper fitting bike that night. We never had anyone to check the bikes with us….
Many of the hotels were quite nice but when we were transferred to Stari Bar, the hotel owner said we did not have reservations. He gave us awful rooms, over the kitchen noisey, sink that didn’t drain…..husband got food poisoning from the restaurant. Albania was disappointing because the lake was so dirty and riding in the city was dangerous The Balkans are awesome but the local tour operator was not up to the standard I expected and received on previous bike tours.com trips- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Albania, Montenegro
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★★★★★ Betsy Alles 10 months ago
Way Beyond Our Expectations
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
From start to finish this Albania tour was excellent in every way. The guides. The support van. The itinerary. The details. The hotels. The food. I could go on an on! What made it great were the guides first and foremost. Dimitri, Mateo and our van driver VC...all were friendly, professional and made sure every special request was granted. Even the coffee stops were at magical places -- all selected for their views, their historic significance and the culture. I just can't even describe what a wonderful time we had...and the group we traveled with were wonderful too! No whiners!! I had suffered a compression fracture in my back a few weeks prior to the trip so had to occasionally ride in the support van and Dimitri let me know if there were any rough roads that day. There were very few gravel sections, btw. The e-bikes we rented were top quality too! I say GO...before Albania is crowded with tourists!! We have traveled around the world and Albania was among the most gorgeous countries we have experienced! And you cannot beat the price of a guided trip!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Mark Mering 10 months ago
Nice trip through the Balkans
· Balkan Treasures
Very beautiful country. Nice people in all of the countries we visited. Hotels were nice. Too many transfers . Some of the roads had no shoulders and a lot of traffic and were not fun to ride on .
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Albania, Montenegro
