Austrian Alps Bike Tour Reviews page 2
- Albania
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and H…
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- England
- Estonia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Holland
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Scotland
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United States
- Vietnam
-
★★★★★ Smedley
This is the reason that we bike!
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
Wonderful trip, but that doesn't tell you what you really want to know. So here goes a day-by-day review and a few overall impressions.
Innsbruck - arrive a day or two early to experience the city and mountains. Purchase the 'Innsbruck Card' and save on many of the city's attractions and transportation. Hotel Cafe Central - nice facility close to the 'Old Town'. Ask for the recently renovated rooms.
Zillertal - good first day ride. Take time to stop at the Swarovski museum complex. Gasthof Hotel Post - nice facility, great menu. Ask for a room away from the dairy farm next door.
Krimml - short ride, no hurry to arrive at the pickup point for the van ride across the pass. The falls at Krimml are amazing. Prepare yourself for a good hike to see them up close. The Gastehaus Waltl was comfortable. Plenty of dining options in the town.
Zell am See - Scenic ride. Use the extra rest day to explore the mountains. Weather permitting go to the glacier, ride around the lake and hike the hills. Great dining options. Lebzelter Hotel - in the heart of town, comfortable inn.
Lofer - best riding day, mountains close on both sides of the narrow valley. Gorges and cave are must visits. Nice lunch at the golf course at the midway point. St Hubertus Hotel was inviting.
Salzburg - last day of riding was the most challenging. Hills and gravel paths dominated the day. Navigating through Salzburg requires a good map and/or GPS. The Goldenes Theater Hotel was the only accommodation below the standard set by all of the other hotels. Spend an extra day or two in the city.
General impressions: one of the most scenic rides in Austria with great stops along the way to explore. The booked hotels were excellent with the exception of Salzburg. The route map/directions need to be updated. GPS really helped out especially in the larger towns. Bikes were in great shape but they should be equipped with odometers since the route map is based on distance traveled turn points. You won't be disappointed boking this trip!- What was the date of your tour?
- August/September 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- 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
-
★★★★★ Wendy Kercher
Alpine cycle paths in Austria
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We had a great week cycling through Austria. The bikes were in great condition. The bike shop was very accommodating and switched out the handlebar stem to make the bike more comfortable. We found the self-guided navigation easier than on past trips because we downloaded the routes provided to a cycling app on our phones. Family-run hotels in the overnight villages were all nice, however the breakfast at the second hotel in Strasse was disappointing.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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
-
★★★★★ Om Apte
Perfect way to enjoy Italian Alps
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
The tour experience was great. All the stays were perfect. The mobile app was very helpful to navigate from point A to B. All instructions in the docket were easy to understand and follow. This was my 2 tour with bike tours and I found the quality of services was as good as it was on our last tour.
-
★★★★★ AJM - Indy
This was the best of my Four European Bike Tours
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We traveled in late-August to early-September of 2025. The scenery was more stunning than I imagined it would be and the weather was perfect nearly every day; sunny skies, mild temperatures, and cool nights. (Most European hotels do not have AC so cool nights were a real blessing.)
Our e-bikes were in excellent condition and all of them worked flawlessly during the entire trip.
The breakfast's were hearty meals including meats, cheeses, eggs, yogurt, fruit, juice, coffee, and some pastries.
Some thoughts about the cycling. Using a GPS app to map your day's ride is critically important if you do not want to get lost. Austria is full of biking and hiking trails so it is very easy to take the wrong trail at trail intersections. We used Garmin's Explore app to navigate the biking trails and it worked really well. (A link with the GPS coordinates will be provided by the touring company.) On a related note, Google Maps worked much better in Europe than Apple's Maps app when walking around towns and villages.
The paper maps provided by the touring company are nearly impossible to follow while riding but they do have a benefit. The night before each day's ride--after studying the map--we would make notes indicating the distance to select villages, bridges, lakes, and intersections, etc. (The maps provide these distances.) Our notes then served as our sign posts ensuring that were were on the correct road or trail during the next day's ride, and also plan our lunch stops.
Though this was not explained in any of the literature I read, at every hotel we stayed we were given a two day "summer card" ("Sommerkarte") free of charge. (We did have to ask for it at one hotel.) These cards are incredible deals. They allow for FREE transportation on local and regional buses and trains, and also provide free admission to select museums, free rides on the Schmittenhohe Cable Cars in Zell am See, and free access to the water falls in Krimml. Not sure why an explanation of this tremendous benefit was not provided.
Just for clarification, the "taxi" that you catch at the train station in Zell am Ziller is a large passenger van pulling a trailer. Your bikes are loaded into the trailer and then everyone piles into the van for a breathtaking 45-minute ride to Krimml. (Your luggage will be in the van as well.) By the way, the bike ride to Zell am Ziller is less than 15 miles and the village is beautiful so I would recommend getting there before noon and then having lunch at one of the restaurants along the river before catching your "taxi" to Krimml that afternoon.
Our favorite activities:
Schmittenhohe Cable Cars in Zell am See- Use your summer card to catch the bus to the cable car facility and then ride to the top of the mountains where you can hike trails and have lunch. The views from the mountain tops are stunning.
Water Fall at Krimml- Again, use your summer card to access that water fall. You can walk up to the base of the waterfall and/or walk up the trail that leads to the top of the falls. There are lookouts about every 200 feet of elevation gain.
The Schloss Tratzberg Castle in Jenbach- It's probably a 10-mile detour on your first day, and somewhat expensive (summer cards do not work there), but well worth it. I believe this is one of the best preserved castles in the world. The current owner of the castle accompanied our tour (we were the last tour of the day) and he embellished much of the narrative provided by our guide.
The Family Gundolf Dinner Show in Innsbruck- A quirky Austrian variety show that includes dinner and a beer. It's kind of a Lawrence Welk meets Hee-Haw fusion for those old enough to remember those programs.
Salzburg- I only mention it because the reviews I read of Salzburg before our trip suggested it was kind of a one-dimensional city. ("Sound of Music.") It was much nicer than I anticipated with many shops, delicious restaurants, and one fascinating "speak easy" bar called Burdoch's Punch and Cocktails. At Burdoch's, you tell the bartender the name of a drink you like and then she creates a similar alternative using all sorts of random ingredients. I like "French 75's"; she made me something that was even better. The bartender and waiters were also excellent conversationalists. SHOW MORE- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat 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
-
★★★★★ Olafur Olafsson
Six days of pleasure
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Wonderful way of experiencing the beauty of Tirol. The trip was coordinated in a perfect way with a very nice cycle paths and the hotels was fine. We will definately go again. Highly recommended
-
-
★★★★★ Matthew Waterbury
Perfect way to experience the Alps and the Tyrol Region!
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Fantastic experience. Great scenery with great back paths throughout the trip. Every day was unique enough that you felt it was a new experience. All our hotels were fine. A little noisy in IMST from road traffic. A great view from our Hotel room in St. Valentin. Great location in Riva del Garda. Each breakfast provided by the hotels were outstanding (sliced meat, cheese, eggs, etc.). Assistance from Stefano when required was readily available. We had not issues with bikes (better than mine).
-
-
★★★★★ Margaret Ann MacGregor
All great—although the weather did not cooperate, but we had rain gear!
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Navigation worked well. Some hotels had great saunas! Breakfasts were all good!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- 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, Italy
-
★★★★★ Llewellyn F.
Fabulous Views and Vistas
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
It was a great trip! Just amazing views of the mountains through Austria and then Italy. Was generally flat or downhill so not difficult. Allowed us to enjoy the cycling and then enjoy the towns we stayed in.
Mainly separate bike paths that were perfectly maintained. Best I've seen. Signage for our route was very good. Easy to find coffee/strudel/beer stops along the way. Only issue was that instead of a GPS we were given an app. While the app explained the route, it just had a picture map with a purple line that sort of followed the route. We had to use Google Maps to figure out exactly where we were related to the map. Not very easy to do. I've been on tours with a GPS and it was perfect. Note that when approaching Lake Garda on the last day, the map showed us going off the bike route to a road that looked dangerous along the mountain. We stayed on the bike path that led us to amazing views down to Lake Garda and the route that all other cyclists were going.
There was a little issue with the timing of the shuttle on the way back to Innsbruck. Very thankful for Stephano (the local tour operator) who stepped in and personally picked up another client, so that we could leave earlier and reach Innsbruck by noon to catch a bus to the Munich airport. Next time will try not to have immediate plans after the tour. Can't say enough about Stephano and his team. One thing to consider, is for the local tour operators to be accessible via WhatsApp. Not all of us had voice access on our phones, only data.
Hotels were very nice except one in Mals...more like a two-star. Elevator had no light. Shower had little water pressure. Breakfast very limited. The one in Lake Garda was perfectly located with amazing views. All were easy to get to from the main bike path.
Some sights worth doing: just past the Italy border at Lago di Resia Reschensee stay on the right side of the lake on a beautiful bike path with picnic tables to stop and take in the view (brings snacks and drinks), Mendel Cable Car/Funicular (cool on top, there's a little town there), Wiengut Waldthaler wine tasting in Ora (Clemens was amazing and joined us for pizza where we ordered his wine), most towns have nice parks and areas to walk before/after dinner.
I've done several bike tours and this one was one of the best in terms of route, paths and scenery.
-
-
★★★★★ David Geelong Australia
Perfect 7 Days Easy Alpine Cycling
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
A fantastic way to ride through the Austrian and Italian Alps without the hill climbs. Perfect length of 7 nights, awesome accommodation in beautiful villages and larger cities, nestled right in amongst the activities of the town centres.
Two brothers in retirement rode normal touring bicycles without any training and covered the tracks with relative ease.
The scenery along the route was breathtaking.
The food delicious and easy to search out local cuisine as accommodation was right in amongst it all.
Accomodation was first class (twin share), with large rooms, breakfasts were full buffet and catered for everyone’s tastes.
The touring bikes were in the excellent condition, comfortable seats, pannier and handle bar removable basket.
Routes were 99% cycle only roads fully sealed with a few hundred meters of gravel.
Eurobike staff were also excellent and assisted us as first priority after an incident.
Thank you we would not hesitate to this TO again.
Thank you -
-
★★★★★ Patti
Bike trip
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Self guided bike trip. Beautiful scenery, smooth biking surface. Great weather and nice e-bikes!
-
★★★★★ Richard H
Superb cycling through the beautiful Tyrolean mountains and valleys of Austria and northern Italy
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Two days up (Austria) and four days down apart from the uphill bits (Italy) with the Reschen Pass in between - pretty much sums up the highly scenic cycling tour from Innsbruck to Lake Garda.
The supplied navigation app downloaded onto your mobile phone works very well - and although the largely paved route is generally very well marked - knowing exactly where you are at all times is both comforting and essential. But your mobile phone battery needs to be in a good state - and it's highly recommended to carry a back-up battery pack.
Overall, the hotels are good (3* & 4*) as are the breakfasts, with the best (Mirage at Lago del Garda) saved for last! But the navigation app does not lead you to your hotel. Upon reaching the day's destination (usually the town or village centre) it's necessary to do a bit of research (eg Google maps) to learn where you need to be that night. Which can be anything from a couple of hundred metres to several kilometres away. Also, deviating off the route (planned or otherwise!) can be a challenge, particularly in the larger villages or towns. This applies in particular to Rovereto as the cycle route skirts the town, but detouring to the historic centre is neither obvious nor easy.
The baggage shuttle service works well, and only once did I reach my destination first - but only had to wait ~20 minutes.
The supplied e-bike ran well and has an excellent battery capacity. The (non-derailleur) gear change system took a bit of getting used to as you need to stop pedalling when changing up or down. Not at all intuitive when used to a derailleur! But an e-bike is not essential for this tour - especially if opting for the shuttle from Landeck to Nauders.
Overall, an excellent and well planned self-guided tour: highly recommended!- What was the date of your tour?
- mid-August 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1st in Europe, lots in New Zealand
- 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, Italy
-
★★★★★ Dennis A
Innsbruck to Lake Garda
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Beautiful is the only way to describe scenery. Only thing difficult about this trip were the directions! Had problems almost every day getting out of cities. Particularly difficult in Merano. Circled city in dangerous conditions trying to get to trail.
-
★★★★★ Don c
Retirement at its best
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
This was our second trip with biketours.com and did they deliver. We had a great trip. The Bikes were excellent and Hotels were very nice. Great job. The only issues we had was finding the starting points in town. It was very challenging go say the least. A suggestion if I can: A pin on Google maps of starting point would have helped immensely. That aside it was the trip of a life time. Great work bike tours.com. Our appreciation for all those involved with setting this tour up.
-
-
★★★★★ Megan P
Amazing trip
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
We had never been to Austria or northern Italy before and this was the perfect way to experience this region. The biking was almost all on bike paths and not difficult. The scenery was incredible. The accommodations were comfortable and well paced along the route. I would do this same trip 100 more times and find something new to explore each trip. The scenery was stunning. We loved every minute of it (even the day in the rain) and would book with this again 100%.
-
★★★★★ JRC
Great route
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
A great route - varied and spectacular scenery. We were very lucky with weather but September is a great month for this trip because of apple and grape harvesting. Hotels were all good with one exception. Breakfasts good also. Bike equipment very good.
-
★★★★★ David Frac
Wonderful bike tour!
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
For perspective, my wife and I are in our early 70's This was our fourth bike tour with BikeTours.com and we absolutely loved it. The scenery was gorgeous, and we loved how we progressed from the snow capped mountains around Innsbruck to the gentler slopes as we approached Lake Garda. The hotels selected for us were wonderful. The bike trails were so well maintained! It seems that this part of the world takes cycling very seriously, as the trails were well used by tourists like us, as well as local sport enthusiasts. The bikes provided were in excellent shape, and luggage transfer was seamless. There were many highlights on this trip, one I will mention in particular were the thermal baths at Merano. We really enjoyed this tour.
-
★★★★★ Emma
Great trip
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Very well organised. Lovely hotels. Superb helpline which we ended up using daily as one of our group was ill and couldn’t cycle most days. The help included the bike being transported on the days it couldn’t be cycled and when that couldn’t happen a new bike got delivered instead. Amazing.
-
★★★★★ Marek H.
One week like few seconds
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
We took our ride from Innsbruck to Lake Garda at the beginning of September and we were lucky for sunny weather. Electric bikes were quite new, but they belonged to the urban types. They worked on those flat and asphalt paths that dominated but they would be deceiving on the gravel paths. The organization of luggage transport and the quality of the hotels were perfect and the alpine landscapes as you might expect were gorgeous. Local tour operator guys were friendly and helpful.
-
★★★★★ Tom A.
Mountain valleys, forests, meadows, pastures, and rivers
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
I believe this has been our 4th trip with BikeTours.com, and this might be the best one yet. If you’re looking for a pleasant ride through a lush green countryside, and generally cool weather (and can tolerate a rainstorm or two), Austria is an ideal place for biking, and this particular tour is one of the very best. This trip was actually a little easier on the legs (we only use “real” bikes!) than the other Level 2 trips we’ve taken, and the overall vibe and scenery were just what we were looking for. While we enjoy the bigger cities of Innsbruck and Salzburg, what we love best are the trails through the countryside, with a nice village every 10 miles or so for a break and a bit of Apfelstrudel. Austrians are so friendly to tourists that it’s simply a delight to be here. The cool weather and lush green vegetation everywhere are a big plus, particularly if you come from a drier climate like we do. We navigated with the provided .gpx file using Google maps. Best navigation experience by far!
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat 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
-
★★★★★ Lgoeller
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
Email
Mailing Address
Office Hours