Austrian Alps Bike Tour Reviews (page 6)
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★★★★★ Tom A. 4 months agoMountain 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
-
★★★★★ AJM - Indy 2 months ago
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
-
★★★★★ Wendy Kercher 2 months ago
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
-
★★★★★ Keith M. 2 months ago
The Best Way to Experience the Countryside Between Innsbruck and Vienna
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
This was a very well organized and well thought out way to experience the beautiful countryside between Innsbruck and Vienna. Chris at the bicycle rental shop in Innsbruck was very helpful and provided us with handlebar mounts for our phones to easily view GPS tracks, bicycle repair tools (including tire levers, spare inner tube, patch kit, hand pump, and CO2 inflator) and lock and pannier bags. Bicycles have been well maintained and were well suited for this tour. My wife used an e-bike whereas I used a 24 speed hybrid bicycle with a triple crankset giving me a wide range of gearing just in case it got hilly. Accommodations were good, mostly lodging facilities intended for winter skiing, with very good European breakfasts and excellent Austrian coffee. Our luggage was always available at the hotel when we arrived. I am 70 years old and have toured by bicycle throughout the United Staes since my teenage years but I found this tour far more enjoyable since the route we took was mostly on paved or crushed stone bicycle paths without auto traffic to deal with (in the United States I have bicycled through many beautiful national and state parks but have always had to deal with automobile traffic making it more difficult to enjoy the natural beauty). On this tour there are a few miles (but only a few miles) where we did need to ride with auto traffic in the cities. There are also some backroads and roads through neighborhoods that have very little auto traffic. There were a few very minor hiccups with the GPS tracks and the bicycle path signage. Although we found the GPS tracks very useful, on very rare occasion there were times that the GPS tracks did not perfectly match with the bicycle path signage which led to a little confusion but this was easily resolved after checking Google Maps. It was great that a shuttle was provided from Zell am Ziller to Krimml since the highway between these two towns is fairly steep and narrow with lots of auto traffic. The shuttle also got us to Krimml in time for us to hike up to the Krimml waterfalls. It was also nice that the shuttle took us to a higher elevation which resulted in a down hill coast on our bicycles the next morning. We were fortunate to have a layover day in Zell am See since it was the only day to rain on this tour. Although we are comfortable riding in the rain it is something we like to avoid which can be challenging to do in Austria. There were also a couple of minor hiccups with our lodging but these were quickly resolved by a phone call to Helmut Wagner, the bicycle tour operator. When we arrived at the hotel in Zell am See there was no one at the reception desk and we later found out we needed to go to the hotel next door to check in. When we arrived in at the hotel in Salzburg we were told by the reception personnel that we would need to pay for our room but again a phone call to Helmut Wagner quickly resolved this issue. I mention these minor inconveniences so one is prepared to be flexible and not to panic since these issues are easily resolved. Overall, the experience was most enjoyable and the scenery amazing. I strongly recommend this tour for anyone that enjoys bicycle touring through very scenic mountain valleys and historic towns. I am thankful that biketours.com has vetted this tour and made it easy and affordable to experience. The personnel at biketours.com were very helpful with the booking of this tour and patiently answered all of my questions. I will definitely book future European bicycle tours through biketours.com. SHOW MORE
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- Dozens
- 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
-
★★★★★ Whereisrick July 26, 2016Absolutely 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
-
★★★★★ 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
-
★★★★★ Richard 69 June 19, 2017
Gute fahren... aber.....
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
Let me begin by saying that we have taken several European bike tours and the was by far the most scenic. The Alps in the backround, the farms, the lakes and the quaint villages and towns were absolutely breathtaking. However, there are some things you should know. This is a level three ride. Prior to this we had only done level two and the difference can be measured in light years. This was a very challenging ride on heavy rental bikes. We are experienced cyclists, however we are seniors and found ourselves walking our bikes up many, many hills.Also much of this ride is on public roads and there was traffic and the occasional piece of farm machinery. Although most of the roads were fairly quiet, many times we found ourselves on busy highways with very narrow shoulders. This was mentioned in the tour description but in my opinion it was somewhat glossed over. If we had it to do over again we would have inquired about upgrading to a more roadworthy bike or perhaps upgraded to the e-bike.
The tour company Eurobike provided us with maps and route directions, as well as placing stickers along the route to guide us. This is extremely important because this was a complicated route with many twists and turns. We both had some mechanical issues with our bikes and the company brought us new bikes in a very timely fashion. They also made excellent recommendations for lunch and dinner along the route and in the towns where we spent the night. I must say ate well on this ride. Also the hotels we stayed at along the way were excellent. Small friendly hotels with comfortable rooms and friendly staff.Each hotel provided us with a lovely buffet breakfast. Another point that gets glossed over in the tour description is the hike on the last day's ride. This is a very challenging 3K hike up and over a mountain. I felt like I was climbing Mount Everest.
In conclusion I would say that if you are an experienced cyclist and are looking for a challenge and some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe then this is the tour for you. If you are just a casual or occasional rider, then you might want to choose a less demanding ride.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 25 - 31 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Jenrob August 9, 2017
Fantastic scenery !
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
Cycling in this area of Austria by bike was just perfect. The scenery was stunning. We were given a really good briefing st the start of the tour and we were provided with extensive maps and instructions to make our trip easy to follow. Having a phone no to ring if we got into trouble was also reassuring. We were mainly on good bike path so or very quite country roads so felt safe for the majority of the ride. We booked the higher grade of hotels as we wanted air conditioning in as early of hot weather. Unfortunately the hotels outside of Salzburg did not have air conditioning so this was a minor disappointment. In general the hotels in this grade of hotels were pretty good providing a good breakfast and all were very central to amenities in the town. Our favourite place Rs were Mondsee and St Wolfgang. We had some relatively hard rides quite undulating so many climbs so grade 3 would be a fair classification for this road. If your not cycle fit not miss out because of this take an E bike as it was a really pretty ride.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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
-
★★★★★ ualift June 20, 2018
Could not have been better
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
Well thought out routes and hotel selection. Three 60 and 70 something guys on level 3 Salzburg Takes Tour had great trip with moderate riding. Variety of light to moderate terrain with scenery unparalleled on post cards was fantastic.
Everyone we encountered from booking to bike and route briefings was outstanding, helpful and seemed to love what they do.
I'll be looking at future trips as this one ranked very highlly!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 01 May 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- first one
- 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
-
★★★★★ Anne52 September 24, 2018
Gorgeous Salzburg Lakes Tour!
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
We had an outstanding week biking around five lakes in the Salzkammergut. We were so lucky with the weather, which was sunny every day except Friday, with highs in the 70's. The views on this trip are superb. We found the instructions to be very good, the hotels were all comfortable and had unbelievable breakfasts. The service at all the hotels was great. We are working on our 5th bike tour in Europe and this is one of our favorites. We were able to swim in four of the lakes and what a refreshing and awesome experience that was, too! One wish was that it would have been nice to have a paper map of Austria, or at least the Salzkammergut so that we could get an overall idea of where we were. All in all we would highly recommend this trip. Thanks to Stefan and everyone who made it possible!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 9 - 15, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- Three previous ones.
- 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
-
★★★★★ Creaky August 10, 2019
Lovely lakes
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
Beautiful scenery and pleasant hotels. Good organisation as usual. One forest section (in pouring rain) was pure misery and wouldn’t have been terrific even in good weather.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 28/7-3/8
- How many tours have you completed?
- 15
- 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
-
★★★★★ Joannie September 8, 2019
This is our third bike trip, and by far the most scenic.
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 25 to Sept 2 2019
- 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
-
★★★★★ John427 September 11, 2019
Great adventure
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
We had 7 perfect days of weather and beautiful scenery at every turn. We got a real taste of Austria by traveling its backroads and bike lanes. The hotels were excellent and breakfasts were substantial and delicious. One of our best vacations ever, looking forward to another trip in the future.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug. 25 to Sept 1
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- 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
-
★★★★★ Glen Kropp October 3, 2023
Amazing bike tour
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
The trip was amazing, like riding in a postcard the whole time. Bike touring was the perfect way to experience Austria. Saw so many wonderful places, stayed in different hotels each night and got to experience all the different little towns. We had great fall weather for our trip and made for a perfect time!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Steve and Marty October 6, 2023
Salzburg Lakes Tour
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
This was probably the most scenic tour we've taken. Lake Constance a close second. Hotels, E-bikes, orientation, the navigation app were all as advertised --- 5 star!! Of course we did have perfect weather for the entire trip except for our planned rest day in Bad Goisern. Hallstatt has become a tourist hotspot and I would suggest spending your time at the Dachstein Ice Caves instead of too much time in Hallstatt. The last day riding back into Salzburg was the best with lots of climbing but worth the effort for scenery and the downhill switchbacks. Ebikes are definitely recommended even if you are an avid and fit biker.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- 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
-
★★★★★ Ann Darby September 29, 2024
An 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
-
★★★★★ Phil 6 months ago
A great ride around beautiful countyside and Lakes.
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
Overall this was an excellent bike tour. The routing past beautiful lakes, small villages, delightful farms, and overnight stays in great locations made it highly enjoyable. The issues that I would note for possible improvements are:
1. The E Bike + Hike naviagation App was good but certainly not great. Not nearly as capable or helpful as the "Ride with GPS" App we have used on another BikeTours.com trip in Europe. The App provided was not programmed to navigate us to, or from, the hotels which had been booked for us, so one had to resort to using another navigation App like Google Maps for the finish and start to each day's ride. The App recommended didn't show at the start of each day's ride, the total distance to be covered, nor during the ride the distance travelled, nor the distance to go. The Ride with GPS App we had previously used was also programmed to give advice about scenic highlights as we got to them, and verbal as well as written descriptions of options to look at along the route.
2. The "Your Trip Itineary booklet provided with information and maps about each day's ride was unnecessarily complex and at times confusing, and the step by step instructions would be almost impossible to follow while riding, from just using the book. This booklet was claimed to be personalised for our trip but it contained a lot of irrelevant and unnecessary information relating to other riding options and accommodation other than the places which had been booked for us.
3. An overall map of the whole trip with reasonable scale (the one provided was too small) would have been useful. We eventually found a map independantly "Salzkammergut Radkarte" which was much better than the maps provided in our folder, which showed the overall route very well. I would recommend that this map be included in future folders.
4. About 10% of the route specified was on very busy roads. Options to avoid these (if at all possible) would have been welcomed, and obviously in the future as more dedicated bike tracks are developed, these would greatly improve the overall enjoyment of this tour.- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Susan P. 5 months ago
Our Best Bike Trip Ever!
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
We had to stop saying how beautiful this route was! Quiet roads and bike paths, incredible scenery, nice hotels and amazing breakfasts! We chose the upgraded bikes which were very comfortable, not e-bikes, and only walked one hill. The rolling terrain added welcome variety to our ride. We were especially surprised leaving and re-entering Salzburg totally on safe bike paths. The app was very easy to follow and we are looking forward to our next self guided tour with bike tours.com. We have done several tours with guided companies and are really enjoying the freedom of self guided biking. Being able to begin riding when you would like and to stop at sites that peak your interest made all the difference.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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
-
★★★★★ Raquel Tudela 4 months ago
What an amazing experience!
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
No better way to see this part
Of the world. In a world where everything is about looking at devices, soending 5 days with ny kids biking through this beautiful lakes and mountains was more than amazing. Thank you Biketours, your were exceptional, great communication, always very helpful. We Would all come backand do another route as soon as we could.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Kimila Grimes-Dineen 2 months ago
Amazing Adventure
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
This trip was amazing. Hotels were great and breakfast very satisfying. Austria is beautiful, clean and the people friendly. We didn't want it to end.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
