Austrian Alps  Bike Tour Reviews (page 9)

  • Innsbruck to Salzburg
    (5/5) Dennis June 15, 2017

    Austrian Springtime

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

    Everything went very well. The tour operator met all the schedules for baggage transfer and mountain shuttle with no difficulty. We particularly enjoyed the half-board meal arrangements which provided some contact with other travelers.

    The trails are paved, in good condition, easy to follow, and provide an abundance of local scenery. However, if you do not speak German, be sure to bring your phrase book! Most of the people speak at least some English but the road and warning signs are not often translated.

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 28 - Jun 03, 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    4
    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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Salzburg Lakes Tour
    (5/5) David vL October 18, 2016

    3-Day Tour of The Lakes Region Around Salzburg, Austria

    · Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps

    We were grateful to have EuroBike put together a customized, 3-day self-guided tour of the Lake Region as we had limited time in the Salzburg area. The hotels selected for the tour were very familiar with handling bicyclists and very helpful in solving minor problems such as laundering wet clothes and helping us with ferry transportation and pickup on Lake Wolfgangsee. It took us awhile to get the hang of the directions as there are multiple standard tour routes and ours was customized. Once we got the hang of it, there were no problems following the routes and Eurobike signs. We began to love the minor uncertainties of figuring out our routes and being free to stop for lunch and refreshments at places of our own choice

    What was the date of your tour?
    October 4-6, 2016
    How many tours have you completed?
    Just this one
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    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
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) DougBa October 12, 2016

    Beautiful Bike Ride

    · Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps

    The overall experience of this bike tour around the lakes was terrific. If I had it to do over I would do two things differently. 1.) I would rent a lighter bike, not necessarily a road bike but one that was lighter that the 21 speed comfort bike I rented from the tour company. 2.) I would not prepay for my dinner. The meals each night were very similar, and all but one night was from a very limited menu, and not off the restaurants main menu. Also only about 14€ per person per meal was allocated, no where near what was actually paid for the meals. The individuals that we interfaced with from the tour company were excellent, from the young man that met us for our orientation to the van driver that moved our gear each day.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 11, 2016
    How many tours have you completed?
    Several
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria
    • 3/5 Value
    • 2/5 Included meals
    • 1/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Tauern Bike Path
    (5/5) paula12 September 19, 2016

    I Would Go Back Tomorrow...

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    I've been to Europe a dozen times, but seeing the Salzburg
    area by bike was the best trip yet. Such beautiful scenery.
    Loved the e-bike!

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 12-19
    How many tours have you completed?
    no others
    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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (2/5) diane g September 18, 2016

    Salzburg to Salzburg has fantastic scenery but directions provided are unbelievably poorly developed

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    Salzburg to Salzburg over 6 days is higher than a level 2. The terrain is hilly. I do not recommend this self guided tour because the german-speaking outfits they contract with provide totally inadequate self-guiding instructions. They do not know what a cue sheet is. They do not provide any directions as to north, south, east, west; they do not provide any street names. AND, the directions in English are very obviously translated very poorly from the German. In addition, there is no way to find your hotel once off the bike path. You have to depend upon good route finding skills for this hotel finding as well as the entire trip. We had this same experience with bike tours.com 7 years ago and thought they might have gotten better at directions. We gave bike tours feedback at that time, and our friends gave feedback on their german-speaking directions on their self-guided tour, and nothing changed. Hence I am writing this review without making a customer complaint becaue I do not believe bike tours will fix this problem. AND, THIS TOUR REQUIRES ONE TO CONSULT 3 SETS OF INSTRUCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE TRIP. 2 sets of friends had exactly the same experience. 2 stars are for getting our luggage to each hotel before we arrived; and the hotels were gracious and accommodating.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2016
    How many tours have you completed?
    6
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson September 19, 2016

      This is a tour with one of our most popular operators—we send hundreds of clients with them each year—and they get routinely positive reviews. The Tauern Bike Path is also one of our more popular and long-standing tours.However, this is a new routing of a long-standing tour (that had also received good reviews), and it’s obvious they cut some corners on the directions and tour materials. We apologize for this.

      I’ve actually ridden the Tauern Bike Path three times since its opening about 20 years ago. In fact, my first tour on it was before I started BikeTours.com, and it was part of my inspiration for starting the company. So it saddens me when anyone has a negative experience on it.

      We also apologize for the level of difficulty, which should have been a level 3. In its previous form (the tour actually went mostly in the opposite direction), the tour was a level 2.

    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 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
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Cramaz September 11, 2016

    The Great Tour of Salzburg

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    This ride took us through some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. While there were a couple of difficult hills, the majority of the ride was quite manageable and structured so that there was plenty of time to sightsee on the way and at each destination. The towns we stayed in all had something a little different to offer and all had plenty of good places to eat and relax. As a self-guided tour, this would be hard to beat. The Tauern bike path is a great way to see this part of Austria.

    What was the date of your tour?
    28th August to 5th September 2016
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    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?
    Austria
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Salzburg Lakes Tour
    (5/5) Whereisrick July 26, 2016

    Absolutely Fantastic time!

    · Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps

    We just finished the ten lakes tour in June, 2016 and had the time of our life. Bike Tours Direct set us up with a local tour provider and delivered everything we hoped for. We opted for the eBikes and those are way too cool. These guys took our luggage from Gasthaus to Gasthaus (okay - inn to inn) and it was sure nice to arrive the next location and find our luggage waiting for us. Our tour took us through some amazing countryside, farms and especially the lakes. We would get to small villages in mid afternoon (i.e. - no tourists!), enjoy a local meal and head off to our next location in the morning. All the lodgings were fantastic with very friendly inn keepers. We will do this again and we will use Bike Tours Direct.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June, 2016
    How many tours have you completed?
    This was our first.
    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?
    Austria
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Salzburg to Vienna
    (5/5) Mully July 14, 2016

    Great way to experience Europe

    · Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option

    A wonderful experience. I have traveled to Europe many times, but this was the best way to see it in my opinion. I would recommend taking an extra day here and there along the ride to spend some additional time in areas that you have interest in so the focus isn't always.getting to the next destination. I think what makes this type of trip unique is that you are better immersed in the local sights and culture...you are on a bike, not in a bus or car. The countryside trickles by at a comfortable rate that encourages exploration. The lake portion of this particular trip involved considerable road travel which was a bit unexpected, but drivers were courteous and we quickly became used to it.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 25
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Innsbruck to Lake Garda
    (5/5) Fodones June 8, 2016
    · Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps

    What was the date of your tour?
    26/may/2016 --04/june/2016
    How many tours have you completed?
    14
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Italy
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Innsbruck to Salzburg
    (5/5) Lgoeller May 19, 2016

    First Bike Tour

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

    My husband really prepared for this trip, and I was glad he did. Biking is the only way to go if you want to experience every second of your adventure. We both like to participate, so we thought touring in a car was not a good option. The things you see, people you meet, and experiences you have are great! Be prepared for rain and thankful when it does not. The directions were good, but the English version was not always correct. If you are worried that you won't be able to make it on a bicycle, rent an e-bike!

    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Jannykae May 19, 2016

    Unbelievably fabulous!

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

    We were surprised at how lovely the week long trip was for us a first time bike vacationers. It had just the right amount of challenge and comfort combined. The weather was lovely and the landscape perfect for this kind of biking.

    How many tours have you completed?
    This was our first.
    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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Salzburg to Vienna
    (4/5) John Parsons December 7, 2015

    Really great trip.

    · Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option

    To start off with the Sound of Music Tours and then fairly leisurely riverside roads and fantastic food and culture - we just loved it. One of the towns was not as good as the rest but for the most part just great

    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
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • Tauern Bike Path
    (4/5) Brittany at BikeTours December 3, 2015

    Beautiful scenery and quaint villages!

    · Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)

    I went on this tour as a BikeTours.com staff member. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking! The tour is 80% downhill. This made for cycling near the Austrian Alps fantastic. This tour is mostly on dedicated bike paths and quiet back roads, except for brief moments of cycling near the main road. The route maps are more basic which allow for more adventure. I would recommend this tour for a first-time traveler and casual cyclist.

    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany
    • Photo 1 (photo by Brittany at BikeTours)
    • Krimml waterfalls (photo by Brittany at BikeTours)
    • The Schmittenhöhe (photo by Brittany at BikeTours)
    • Cow crossing (photo by Brittany at BikeTours)
    • Zell am See Lake (photo by Brittany at BikeTours)
    • Austrian Alps (photo by Brittany at BikeTours)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 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
  • Innsbruck to Salzburg
    (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
    • Good ride (photo by 1961flyer)
    • Photo 2 (photo by 1961flyer)
    • Beautiful scenery along the way. (photo by 1961flyer)
    • 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