Austria Bike Tour Reviews (page 6)
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★★★★★ Al Coop 11 months agoWonderful Experience
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
My wife and I went on a self guided tour and had a wonderful experience. We feel so fortunate to have found biketours.com. Overall I would rate the tour company good to excellent. The only suggestions I have are that my wife’s e-bike frame was not fit properly for her smaller body size. Secondly, we initially used Google Maps which guided us on more main roads than we expected. Not until a couple of days in to our tour did other cyclist suggest downloading a cycling app which their tour company suggested. Their app guided us on more scenic off-road trails. I now understand why when the booklet says 30 km to 40 km the shorter distance is on more main roads and not off roads. As a first timer I think biketours.com could be clearer in their correspondences or booklet and possibly suggest such apps. Overall everything was first class and we had a fantastic and memorable experience. Thank you and hopefully we will use biketour.com for future trips.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Don Ference 11 months agoFantastic experience! Loved it!
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Great way to see Austria, the scenery was spectacular. The local partner was very well organized and accommodating, they went above and beyond expectations. We were really impressed with the hotels selected and the food was delicious!
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★★★★★ Mary Schmidt 11 months agoUnable to review as the Vivienne never left port in Vienna - Please contact me. I would have loved to have been able to review.
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Dear Team at BikeTours.com,
I hope you all are doing well. I am writing regarding my recent river cruise, Danube Delights aboard the Vivienne on September 15, which unfortunately was impacted by flooding, causing the cancellation of several key ports of call and remained docked in Vienna for 7 nights. While I understand that weather conditions are beyond anyone’s control, missing out on many destinations left me disappointed, as I had been looking forward to the full experience. My husband and I had been planning this for over a year and celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary.
Our cruise director did his best to keep the passengers entertained and informed but was getting very mixed messages from someone. It started the first day in Passau with the hired transportation did not have a concrete deportation location. It was 2:30pm before we were even contacted to tell us to go to the bus station and we would be transported to Vienna. After boarding the Vivienne we were told that we would be docked in Vienna for a couple of days and for those interested we could take the bus to Budapest and Bratislava on the next two days. It was a very long bus ride but a nice trip to both.
Starting on Wednesday, day 3, we were then told we MAY leave every evening, so we needed to be back on boat at 5 or maybe a different time and were not able to take any extended excursions due to the possibility of debarking. Thursday we were led to believe we may leave later in the night. Then Friday, we were instructed to be back on the boat at 11:00 am because we might leave. It was determined after we came back that we were not going to be able to leave. We would have loved to have taken the train to visit another location Wednesday - Friday. The last day, Saturday, was the worst, we had to sit on the boat because there would be announcements at 9:00 am, then stay on because we might leave at 11:00am, then wait again until after 1:00pm and then there was a decision to let us off. It was obvious the boat wasn’t going anywhere due to the 24 hours it would have taken to cruise back to Passau and there was another cruise scheduled. Also, we were extremely far back in the line of boats that would have moved before us.
Given these unforeseen circumstances, I am inquiring about a future cruise credit (FCC) toward another cruise or a refund. We were so excited to do our first River cruise as a way to travel and have the ability to bicycle and I would love the opportunity to schedule another boat/bike cruise and fully experience the journey.
I appreciate your understanding and consideration of this request, and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Mary Schmidt- What was the date of your tour?
- September 15, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This would have been our first but can't count due to not leaving port.
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Elizabeth Hinz 11 months agoGreat adventure!
· Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
Given the conditions of Danube flood and its aftermath, this was a bigger adventure than expected in problem solving logistics. People along the way were welcoming and helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Brenda Brown Wright 11 months ago
Biking across the Danube
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
It was a great experience, Leslie and Barbara plus the guides did an outstanding job. We were
Lucky to be able to explore some
Of the area, during flooding. Or near flooding .- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 22
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1st one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Diana Ortiz 11 months ago
First Bike trip to Europe
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
What a great way to visit 4 countries! Leslie was amazing making sure everyone was taken care of and making necessary changes to make our trip memorable! The crew was friendly and accommodating as well. Rooms were clean and beds made early!
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★★★★★ Bob Sterndale 11 months agoBeautiful trip but problems
· Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
The scenery was breathtaking, the bike paths mostly fine but with seriously difficult and dangerous exceptions, the hotels very pleasant and the e-bikes fine with one exception.
The trip started on the wrong foot at the first hotel: Hotel Krimml Fälle. We were assigned a room with no heat (as were others) on a cold day. After two hours of lame diversions and excuses, while we sat in the lobby to keep warm, we were given a heated room. In all other respects the hotel and restaurant were fine.
Getting to Krimml is a bit confusing. OBB will sell you a train ticket (from Salzburg for us) all the way to Krimml. The trip involves a narrow-gauge train from Sell am See to Mittersill hbf (end of line) and a bus trip from Mittersill to Krimml. There is a bus stop in the middle of Krimml village, steps from our hotel.
The first day of biking were delightful. The hotel in Sell am See was beyond our expectations.
The second day of biking started well but we encountered a long section of closed trail. We were in a narrow valley with little development. The only parallel path was a shoulder-less two-lane highway with plenty of high-speed traffic, not an acceptable bike route. Trees and brush had been trimmed along the nice paved bike path recently. All the slash had been left on the path, for 2 or 3 days from its appearance. We picked our way through the mess for maybe a couple kilometers. Then we came to a section with blown down trees obstructing the path, another ½ to 1 Km. Getting through this required some bushwhacking with the heavy e-bikes. Not fun.
Day three of biking was fine until we came to a flooded underpass on the outskirts of Salzburg. We needed to cross the A1 highway to get to Salzburg. A bad storm a few days before had caused numerous problems across Austria. We did find an alternate route but advance knowledge would have saved us a few Km of pedaling.
Day 4, however, brought us to highway biking. As we approached the village of St. Radegund we were directed onto a busy, shoulder-less two-lane road for a steep ascent of a kilometer or more. It was a strenuous ride even with the e-bikes. Your web sites offers this description of the tour:
“The tour route is mainly on dedicated bicycle paths (about 80% of the time). The remainder of the tour is on quiet roads and dirt or gravel roads. This tour is suitable for families with children.”
This stretch alone disqualifies the tour as a family-safe route. The experience continues:
A short distance beyond the scary hill climb is a 5.2 Km stretch of riding on the same road. The tour map shows this section as a bike path on the side of the road pavement. The “bike path” in this area is about 18” wide, separated from the high-speed traffic by a 4” wide white stripe. Narrative direction for this day’s route were not helpful, signage was poor, the “pink” house referred to is now yellow.
The unpleasant day was capped by a steep climb to the hotel in Burghausen. Pushing a heavy e-bike up a hill doesn’t work! You need to pedal it up so that it assists with its own heavy weight.
Day 5 brought us to Bad Fussing. This day was mostly uneventful. Directions to the hotel in Bad Fussing were vague, calling for riding 4 Km on a busy road with no shoulder. Instead, we found a bike path at the German side of the bridge that led right in to downtown Bad Fussing. The directions should include this route. Plan your day to allow an hour or two at one of the baths, you will be glad you did!
Day 6 was uneventful, mainly along the Inn River to Passau.
One e-bike problem: the rear disc brake on one of the 4 bikes was useless, apparently the brake pads were worn away (bikes had coaster brakes too). In all other respects bikes were fine. Battery capacity was generous. I think the lowest reserve at the end of any day for any of us was 50%.
An otherwise delightful trip was marred by surprise bike path closures and stretches of unsafe highway biking. This is not for children. The scenery was awe inspiring. Hotels were good to excellent. E-bikes were good except for one problem that didn’t spoil the trip.
We would have wished for more current information on bike path conditions from the local partner. We provided reports to them of closed paths as we encountered them.
Your tour description misrepresents the conditions of the route. We would not have booked the trip if had been accurately described. SHOW MORE- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 16, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- about ten
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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BikeTours.com staff reply from jan October 3, 2024
Thank you for your business and detailed feedback. Unfortunately the storm that hit your area during your vacation impacted 1000s of folks which resulted in the on the ground teams being totally overwhelmed. Unfortunately we cannot control mother nature. That said, thank you for traveling with us and we hope to see you again!
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★★★★★ Marcie Bushnelll 11 months agoSo many amazing places, so little time . . .
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Equipped with e-bikes, two panniers, one handlebar bag, a bike lock and a repair kit, we were ready to leave Toblach and head east. We had previously biked from Toblach to Lienz, so decided to take the train from San Candido to Lienz to save some mileage. The train in San Candido had steep narrow steps which we had to muscle the heavy e-bikes over, but in Lienz, the entry/departure is flat with the quais. From there is was a very pleasant ride to Oberdrauburg. Dinner at the Hotel Post was good (we were no longer on the dinner included plan) and bike storage was always in a covered area with outlets to charge the e-bikes (we carried the chargers in our panniers). The next morning we took a local bus (at the Oberdrauburg train/bus station) to the summit of the Gailberg Pass. From the bus window, I was glad we avoided the 7 km (4.2 miles) steep hairpin turn highway as it snaked it way to the summit. Arrived at Feistritz an der Gail at another Post Hotel where we enjoyed dinner and a good rest.
The next day we entered Slovenia and were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the bike paths, signage and bike refreshment places along the path. Again we opted to take the train from Jesenice to Bled to avoid some steep ascents, BUT the Slovenian regional trains are a sight to behold. Heavily graffitied and "vintage," we were thankful a young German exchange student helped us muscle the two e-bikes into an empty compartment at the back of the three wagon train. We purchased tickets for the ebikes on board (believe me when I say the trains may be old, but the ticket collectors are there for every single kilometer to collect bike fees, etc). Easier to get the bikes off than on, so when we arrived at Bled Jezero, we were relieved.
Cannot say enough good things about the Hotel Park and Bled. We opted for TWO nights and I would highly recommend consideration of same. Bled is just too beautiful to spend one short night. We reserved a wine tasting at a local restaurant (a ten minute walk from Hotel Park) and had reserved spots for the Vintgar Gorge the next morning. Easy to take the bikes to the entrance of Vintgar Gorge (again free parking). The 1 ½ hour hike in the Gorge is breath taking, but the 2 hour steep hike out (we didn't take a shuttle this time), was challenging.
Plans change and the train transfer turned into local partner taking the bikes/panniers/handlebar bag on a bike trailer and giving us tickets to a regional bus with instructions to get off at another train station 1+ hours away. Fortunately the train conductor was on the bus and assured us which station it was (everybody got off). Another couple got off two stops before us and a local rep made sure we gave him our luggage at that point. We got off at Kanal ob Soci for our ride into Gradisca d'Isonzo. We were high above the canal and it's a very industrialized zone. Perhaps the least scenic of all the days so far. At one point there was a ! sign with steps!! What? Yes, just around the corner was a series of steps and ramps to ascend a steep part of the trail. Figured out walk assist and managed to get the bikes up and over. That was a surprise.
There was some kind of HUGE market/celebration in progress with street blockages, tents, supply vans, etc. choking the streets of Gorizia. We counted ourselves lucky to have found our way out of this rather large metro area. Spent the night at Hotel Franz in Gradisca d'Isonzo and enjoyed a lovely meal at the hotel (seemed to be a local favorite).
Last day from Gradisca d'Isonzo was along the Coast highway. Had read reviews about traffic and such, but the bike lane was wide and the drivers respectful of cyclists. As we neared Trieste, more cars would be parked in the bike lanes, but we managed without incident. Upon arrival at the Trieste Centrale train station, we returned our bikes to a nearby partner location, emptied our panniers/handlebar bag into our backpacks and walked to our hotel near Trieste's pedestrian zone. Such a lively place come 7 p.m. Dined in a terrace cafe, had gelato, did some shopping and called it a successful tour. Thank you, Biketours.com for a great experience. SHOW MORE- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10+
- 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?
- Italy, Slovenia, Austria
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★★★★★ Karen Canon 11 months ago
Continuing our Danube Journey
· Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
The route took us through four countries and four capital cities. We planned in several rest days which were well needed as the first part of the trio through Czech Republic and Austria were challenging! The route along the Danube would have been fantastic but unfortunately Storm Boris flooded the whole region, making biking the path impassable. The tour company did a good job of keeping us informed of route conditions (we were on a self-guided tour) and helping to arrange alternate transportation when biking was impossible due to heavy rain and flooding.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Anne Temple 11 months agoBeautiful but given bike with defective wheel and inadequate spares/pump
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
The ride is beautiful, hotels very comfortable with pleasant employees and great breakfast. Our rating would be higher except for our experience with one bike and the repair kit provided by the operator in Innsbruck. Also, if you are not familiar with Garmin, be sure you have a good alternative.
We had two flats in the same place on the inner seam of the back tire. We understand that tire changes were our responsibility and were prepared to handle them. We were provided with only one spare, no co2 cartridge because the operator was out of the attachment needed to use them, and a small inefficient pump. The advice given to us if we were to get a flat was to change the tire, pump it up as best we could with the inefficient pump and then go to a service station where we could then fill the tire up to its required PSI. This is a rural route with few service stations and much time was wasted.
The morning after the first flat we spent a couple of hours locating a bike shop that was open (tried 3) that had the right size spares. In addition we purchased a better pump which we were very glad to have with the second flat. That second flat occurred on the ride to Lofer. A biker who helped us noted that we didn’t have enough tread (profile) on the tires and we were lucky we hadn’t had rain.
Helmut was unable to provide a different bike for the last leg into Salzburg. Rather than spending the time finding a new back tire to buy and thus getting a much later start that we were comfortable with, we elected to take transport to Salzburg.
A special thanks to Helmut for his responsiveness and assistance.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Mary Eaman 11 months ago
Everything was Perfect!
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The itinerary was varied and beautiful, the hotels were charming and clean, the bikes were great, the support both pre trip and during the trip was fabulous. One of the best vacations ever. Thank you!
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★★★★★ Pierre C. 11 months agonice trip but some advance planning is required
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Hotels and views were excellent for the most part. A couple of things to note: 1. Bikes are heavy duty and therefore very heavy, we upgraded to e-bikes 3 days into the trip, that was a big help. 2. Trails are not well marked, we met a few different groups during our tour of the lake and everyone was complaining about the written directions and even the gps tracking. Be prepared to have to stop, take an assessment and even back track a few times a day.
Crucial items if you want to use GPS tracking; buy a phone holder that can attach your phone to the bike before leaving on the trip, otherwise you will have major issues setting up your phone so you can see it properly (I tucked mine into the front basket which had a protective transparent cover, however with the glare, it was hard to read). Also, make sure that you bring a backup battery pack as 2 -3 hours of tracking and your phone will be dead.
Be prepared to bike some busy roads and gravel roads. One hotel (Bergenz) was located in a residential neighbourhood, there was ooe other restaurants within 600 meters, the rest were in town, 1.5 km away. Although the hotel restaurant was very nice, we spent more on dinner than we anticipated. Note that in St. Gallen almost all businesses and restaurants are closed on Sunday and many are also closed on Monday. Choices for meals and things to do become scarce if you are there during that time.
Finally, be prepared to spend lots of money in Switzerland $50CAD hamburgers in a sit down restaurant seems to be the norm, not for the faint of heart. If you want to save some money I suggest flying into Germany before and after, accommodations and meals will be a lot cheaper (we spent 3 days inSwitzerland before and three days after, we figure that those 6 days cost us at least an extra $1K compared to what Germany prices would have been).
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2024
- 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, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Ann Abeles 11 months ago
A beautiful and mind expanding tour around Lake constance
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
This tour brought one through beautiful scenery and past interesting sites around Lake Constance. The distances for each day's travel were short enough to allow one to visits sites along the way as well as churches and museums in the destination towns.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 12-24, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- More than 20
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Anne Wood 11 months agoFour years in the making
· Prague to Vienna via Cesky Krumlov
Our group planned a self guided tour from Prague to Budapest for April, 2020. It was cancelled due to Covid. In September, 2024, we did an abbreviated Prague to Vienna self guided tour. It was well worth the wait even though Boris shut down several days of biking. The Czech Republic is a biking wonderland.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic
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★★★★★ Ann Darby 11 months agoAn adventure
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
Great trip, well planned, great accommodations and support, can't beat the location! Only a challenge was on day it rained!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- 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?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Eric Cole 11 months agoGreat time
· Classic Vienna Bike Tour
Very pleasant and casual way to see the city. The pace was slow with many stops to discuss sights and history. The guide was great - tolerant and enthusiastic.
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★★★★★ JP and Shannon 11 months ago
First Bike Trip for us. Was wonderful.
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We loved Austria and biking on this route was great. The route is very well designed. We took traditional bikes and it was no problem at all. We wished it could have lasted longer with another segment. We were very lucky with the weather in September as it was sunny our entire journey but had rain when we arrived and on the day we departed.
Bike rental shop, equipment and all hotels were top notch!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
