Apulia  Bike Tour Reviews (page 2)

  • Apulia and Basilicata
    (4/5) Louise October 1, 2016

    Excellent trip

    · Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce

    We had a great time . Hotels were great and charming . Self guide tour was enjoyable . Arrows showing pretty well except the last day. It was not only cycling it was a cultural trip at the same time . Your documentation was excellent . Very satisfied

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 17-24
    How many tours have you completed?
    At least 12
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Italy
    • 5/5 Value
    • 2/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Randa September 12, 2019
    · Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce

    Great cycling route. Some hills, but not as bad as I had figured. Disappointed that they did not have the meet and great on the day, as stated. It was on our day 2...when we had 70k to go. Otherwise the arrows showed that we had taken the right turn, and with them and the odometers it made for smooth sailing......never got lost!!! First time ever, in 6 tours that we have never been lost!! Great scenery, great accommodations. Some breakfast needed more protein on their tables to get us going until lunch time! All in all, we would recommend this trip!!

    What was the date of your tour?
    Aug. 24-31, 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    6
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Italy
    • 5/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 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
  • (4/5) Dickiev01 July 18, 2019

    Interesting Scenery

    · Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce

    A scenic and pretty tour displaying the unique attributes of the region. The roads were generally rural and low volume thoroughfares with a few busy areas, but all in all a wonderful and decently designed tour. We upgrade our bikes so we will rate them higher than normal

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 8th, 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    4
    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?
    Italy
    • 3/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 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
  • Apulia - Heel of Italy
    (4/5) Suelikestobike May 25, 2017

    Delicious, warm and quiet

    · Apulia - Heel of Italy

    We were looking for a tour that would get us off the beaten track in Italy. This fit the bill. Nice accommodations, low traffic and of course it's Italy, so good food. We also hoped for warm sunny weather in May and it delivered! Matera was outstanding. Book an extra day and a tour. Not a flashy tour but enjoyed it. Service provided by the bike tour operator was great.

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 13-20
    How many tours have you completed?
    5 tours with Bike Tours .com
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Italy
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Bubbles November 11, 2018

    Good bike tour, great scenery, with caveats and NOT a level 2 difficulty

    · Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce

    This tour benefits from some spectacularly gorgeous scenery, two unique and fascinating cities, and the excellent bike support staff (they were prompt in communicating and resolving equipment problems). Cyclists need to be aware of some of the drawbacks, too. The difficulty rating for this trip is misleading. It is NOT a level 2; it is definitely at least a level 3. I did a level 2 ride the week before, and a level 4 ride the week after, and this ride was closer to the 4 than the 2. The elevation maps provided appear to be inaccurate (day 2 was at least as hilly as day 1). Cycling expectations, and therefore preparations, matter. The on-route directional sign postings are usually present (kudos), but quite small and easy to overlook. Then, unfortunately, there were some things that detracted from the experience that cannot be fixed by the tour operator: inconsiderate auto drivers, very rough pavement in many places (patches upon patches and big, deep potholes), and a truly remarkable amount of litter (garbage, discarded washing machines and refrigerators, cans, bottles) that mars large swaths of the route in otherwise very scenic countryside. We cycled in the shoulder season, and some coastal in the far south towns were nearly closed down, but the traffic was also nearly absent. All things considered, it was a positive experience and worthwhile, but it doesn’t compare favorably to other equally beautiful trips.

    What was the date of your tour?
    October 6, 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    9
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Italy
    • 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
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Apulia and Basilicata
    (4/5) John 327 September 15, 2018

    Fun Trip

    · Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce

    We were on a self guided trip but wound up meeting several fun people we wound up riding with. Scenery was great, the bikes were excellent and well suited to the ride. The accommodations ranged from good to excellent and we found the locals to be engaging and often very helpful. It seemed as though they were happy we were there. One of the bigger surprises was the quality of the local wines. They were excellent and very reasonably priced. The written directions were sometimes a bit confusing, but frankly that added to the fun and adventure. On some of the longer stretches in the countryside it was difficult to find water so it is a good idea to carry an extra bottle in your pannier.

    What was the date of your tour?
    9/2
    How many tours have you completed?
    4
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Italy
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • Apulia - Heel of Italy
    (3/5) JackieDog September 26, 2017

    Confusing directions

    · Apulia - Heel of Italy

    Wonderful way to see the countryside but frustrating as the directions were often vague or inadequate.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 16-23
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    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?
    Italy
    • 4/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 1/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • Apulia and Basilicata
    (2/5) Collette February 12, 2022

    Lecce Loop of the Trip is Beautiful

    · Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce

    The segment of this trip within the Puglia region provided stunning views almost all day long of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. We took frequent advantage of public beaches, stopping for a swim along the way, and the towns were charming, making it easy to linger over an espresso and seaside lunch, or tour on foot once we were settled into our hotel for the night. Our E-bikes made us happy as this Puglia section of the route is quite hilly. The hotels were excellent to good, and the GPS mapping on our phones made it super easy to stay on track or find the route after we had chosen to deviate from it. This portion of the trip was a delight.
    The first third of this bike trip includes the the route from Matera to Alberobello and Ostuni. A previous reviewer had mentioned, "an inordinate amount of garbage," on this section. I cannot stress enough how the garbage surpasses the word "inordinate." Hundreds of thousands of water bottles, household trash, appliances, used diapers and debris of all sorts litters the first three days of this trip, like riding through an open landfill.
    This section of the Basilicata route has long been abandoned for repair. We had to turn off the "emergency SOS" app on our phones - the one that calls your emergency contact using severe shaking of your phone - due to the broken concrete and tar on these roads as our phones kept sending SOS pings out to family members in the US. Where I live, I often have to ride on gravel roads and those seemed like a dream compared to these first 3 days of road conditions. The Lecce portion of this trip was great but I cannot recommend this trip if it includes the first section. Bike Tours is wonderful, this was our second trip with them and we plan more, but I will heed reviews, which is why I'm offering this one.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 26 - Oct 1, 2021
    How many tours have you completed?
    two
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Italy
    • At the beautiful Ionian Sea! (photo by Collette)
    • Magical public swimming beach. (photo by Collette)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 1/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 1/5 Route selection