Austria Bike Tour Reviews (page 6)

★★★★★ (4/5) Glen Field 8 months ago

Very scenic biking tour

· Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps

The trip was very good, excellent bike paths, great scenery, very good hotels, excellent breakfast at all the hotels. A few communication problems stop me from giving this a 5 star review.

What was the date of your tour?: Sept 9-16, 2023
How many tours have you completed?: 5
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?: Austria, Italy

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
3/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Paula Zoccano 7 months ago

Beautiful trail

· Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps

Pros:The hotels were very good. Wonderful cycle routes. Lovely towns.
Cons: In Riva I would have preferred to be in the old town beside the water. We had 2 hotels who did not have all our group booked. Unfortunately one couple had to stay by the airport a taxi ride to join us in Innsbruck (still trying to get reimbursed for hotel and cabs) and in Riva another couple were not booked but the hotel was able to give them a room. We also learned in one town we were not booked in the same hotel, our group of 5 couples were split up. I found that strange.
The meet and greet at the beginning was not at the hotel the company booked us to stay. We were expected to go to another location to get our briefing and bikes. I’ve never had that when booking with other cycle companies. We missed that in our notes and not until 7:00pm when the hotel gave us our booklets did we realize we should have been somewhere else. As a result we never had a meet and greet and bikes fitted to us. My husbands bike had a brake dragging and he needed a torque head screw driver to make adjustments and no torque head screw driver was supplied. He had to find one. The bikes should have been tested,
No water bottle cages on the bikes.

Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Italy

★★★★★ (4/5) Jane Fletcher 7 months ago

Good trip - lots of orchards and vineyards

· Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps

I enjoyed this trip through the Dolomites but didn’t see as much of the craggy Dolomites as I expected. We were almost always in the flat valley with the mountains along the side of the valley. As we went south the mountains seemed to shrink. I enjoyed the Germanic nature of northern Italy and was very interested to learn more about its history and how Austrian the residents still feel. It didn’t feel like we were in Italy until we arrived in Trento on market day. And then it was almost like a switch flipped and we were in Italy. The architecture as well as the countryside changed and became more Mediterranean influenced. Our ride was generally on bike paths that were very busy with cyclists. Weekends were especially busy but even during the week the paths were busy but it was great to see so many people out riding their bikes. Along the paths we found several bike bars that served drinks and snacks to cyclists and they were perfect places to find a WC. We enjoyed the scenery and marveled at the thousands of acres of apple orchards that we rode through. The hotels were generally fine but the hotel in Riva del Garda was a disappointment. I paid extra for single rooms after a friend had to cancel her trip and this room was a real disappointment, it was more like a cell.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2023
How many tours have you completed?: 20+
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
Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Italy

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
3/5 Hotels or boat
4/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) 1961flyer November 11, 2015

Great ride through Austria.

· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails

We had a wonderful time on this ride. The hotels mostly had nice saunas to relax and enjoy. The markings on the trail were very good and it was easy to navigate. We enjoyed the day in Zell am See to recharge and see the sights, (we also got a nice massage in Zell am See). We would recommend an extra day in both Innsbruck and Salzburg as both cities have numerous things to see.

In preparation for the trip we reviewed Rick Steves books on Bavaria/Austria which offered insights and hints to our vacation.

The riding was easily done each day and was very comfortable with numerous options to stop and eat and drink along the way. The country side was delightful as we rode.

How many tours have you completed?: 2
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
Countries included in this tour?: Austria

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 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) Nada September 11, 2019

Austria alps

· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails

What was the date of your tour?: Aug 30-sept 5 2019
How many tours have you completed?: 10
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
Countries included in this tour?: Austria

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
2/5 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

★★★★★ (4/5) Bikedad October 7, 2019

Beautiful scenery through some stunning valleys.

· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails

Beautiful scenery through some stunning valleys. The quaint villages and accommodations were perfect. Day one passes through urban and industrial areas but the pathways are fine.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2019
How many tours have you completed?: Dozens
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?: Austria

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
2/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
3/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Barbara Owens August 9, 2022

The scenery was great. The maps and tour company were not.

· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails

This was our second tour with Biketours.com and we discovered that there is a huge difference between the tour companies they contract with in Austria. Our first tour was great. This one, not so. The map book and directions provided were just terrible. Rather than say "follow the well marked trail named xx, it was "go to the end of the hamlet and turn right" No street names. No named landmarks or areas. The ENTIRE book was that way. One day we had to be transported by van over a mountain but it did not explain that. It said to be at a train station in a certain town at 2 pm. We got there, thinking we were taking a train but could not figure it out. I called the company and they said a van was coming to get us. Other people on the same route also did not understand and they literally rode over the mountain. Communication from the company was terrible -- and I speak German!

What was the date of your tour?: May 2022
How many tours have you completed?: 2
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Do you recommend this tour?: No
Countries included in this tour?: Austria

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

★★★★★ (4/5) Earl Naue August 9, 2022

Innsbruck to Salzburg Ride

· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails

This was our first of two bike tours in Austria this year and both were handled by two different tour providers and the services and directions provided by each were significantly different. The lodging choices were excellent for both, but riding directions were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Advise that you go with a tour company that provides an application with directions utilizing GPS.

What was the date of your tour?: May 2022
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?: Austria

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
3/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
4/5 Scenery
1/5 Ease of navigation
1/5 Tour documents
1/5 Local tour company services
1/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Sara Ching September 12, 2022

Beautiful scenario in the Bavarian alps

· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails

The route is breathtaking. From Innsbruck to salzburg, we opted for the rest day in zell am see (100% recommmended) where we got a day off to take the gondolas up to see the mountains, go to the glacier lakes in kaprun and swim in zell am see lake. The hotels and breakfasts were great! The bike company they use to source the bike was a bit disorganized, the bikes were ok though seats were the hard racer types. Bike company also an out of bags and locks. They didn’t give us enough baggage tags and when they split our groups across two hotels, the baggages were often at the wrong hotel. There weren’t a lot of recommendations on optional things to do and places to eat so you definitely have to do a lot of your own research. Overall I would recommend the tour because the itinerary and accommodations were very nice but the agency that ran the tour itself could be better organized.

Also note the second day of biking (day 3) has a lot more uphills and downhills than it seems. And it rained really hard the last three days of our tours so definitely make sure you have good rain gear if you go in September.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2022
How many tours have you completed?: 2
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Austria

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Jessica Phelan September 12, 2022

Beautiful Scenery!

· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails

This trip was absolutely stunning. The views were beyond beautiful form everywhere. For the most part you are riding along the river and the ride is very relaxing. Most days are fairly flat with a few small hills and many downhills. The trails are well marked and the map by the guide company is pretty easy to follow. Our group did the trip with hybrid bikes, but if I were to do it again, I would definitely get an e-bike. There is one day with some really big climbs and an e-bike would have made the whole a thing a bit more leisurely. We also did not pack helmets since they wouldn't fit in our suitcases and the bike shop ran out of rentals. I would advise bringing one with you.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2022
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

5/5 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

★★★★★ (4/5) Megan Lunde October 4, 2022

Lovely Ride through the Alps

· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails

Overall, this was a very good trip. The itinerary is top-notch along well-marked trails, through a variety of landscapes - farmland, ski towns, narrow gorges, along a lake. I recommend the route with the rest day in Zell am See - we had a great day there!

We did have a few concerns with the local tour company. The quality of the bikes rented from the bike shop was not great - my bike was too small for my body but they had run out of bikes, so I was stuck with it for the week. Some of our group had arranged for bikes to be delivered to the starting hotel. It's a good thing others went to pick up in person, because the bike shop had no record of delivery and half our group would have been stuck without bikes for 2 days.

As others have mentioned, the guidebook is hard to follow. However, the general routes are along bike trails that are well marked. We did pretty well by following the path signs to our destination each day.

Our biggest mishaps were with the hotel and luggage transfer. We were a group of 4. About half the time, we had two adjacent rooms in the same hotel - no problem. Other nights, we were split across two different hotels. One night, we had a really strange configuration - 3 of us had a triple in one hotel, while 1 person was assigned to a different hotel across town. Every time we got split up, some luggage went to the wrong hotel. It didn't help that the tour company only provided 1 luggage tag per room. Seems like an easy fix to include an adequate number of luggage tags per traveler. Our final night in Salzburg, our hotel had no record of our reservation. It took awhile to figure out the issue - our reservations had been made against the wrong name.

On the whole, this is a lovely trip. Unbeatable scenery and value for the price.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2022
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?: Austria

5/5 Value
2/5 Bikes + equipment
3/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
2/5 Tour documents
2/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Sandy Anderson November 8, 2022

Lake Constance Upscale

· Lake Constance Bicycle Path (Upscale Lodging)

This trip was good overall, yet we made a mistake by choosing Upscale Lodging because most of the hotels were not in the old towns, and we had to go through the city at rush hour with unclear directions. We would have preferred staying along the river in the old towns. Upscale lodging was not necessary.
Secondly, the KaMOOT app that we bought and tried to use was a disaster. It lead you along any trail that came up...whether it was for hikers, or a dog path, so we were constantly rerouting on the first day, until we gave up on it and used the written guide.
The bikepaths were wonderful and scenic and we loved that part of the ride.

What was the date of your tour?: Sept 2022
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, Families with young kids
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Germany, Switzerland

4/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 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
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Erik Coats 9 months ago

Great place to cycle

· Lake Constance Bicycle Path (Upscale Lodging)

Lake Constance is beautiful and the cycling is great. 80% of the trip is on paved hike/bike paths, with about 10% on unpaved paths and 10% on regular roads (shared with cars). You should pay for the GPS aps on your phone to navigate as the maps and written directions are often insufficient. Most of the hotels were in lovely cities, but the spacing out was inconsistent, leading to some very short days of cycling and some very long days. Most days were short enough to give you time to explore the cities you're passing through and staying in. We had a couple issue and were able to reach the tour company for support, which is appreciated.

What was the date of your tour?: August 2023
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Germany, Switzerland

4/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Richard 69 June 8, 2016