Austrian Alps  Bike Tour Reviews (page 7)

  • Tauern Bike Path
    (5/5) Rich and Alesa September 15, 2018

    Wonderful trip among the Alps

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    This is our fourth self-guided bike trip with Bike Tours (Tuscany/Umbria, Romania, Greece, and now Austria from/to Salzburg). It is the new benchmark.

    The bike trails were glorious and often in the country and along the rivers, usually
    paved. The hotels (except for the last one near Salzburg) were excellent. The bike equipment was first class and very appropriate for the bike trails and occassional gravel.

    We are in our late sixties, so having so much of the trip on bike trails was special. The countryside was green and when we saw the Alps after some cloudy days, it was awe-inspiring.

    This is a special trip.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 2 2018
    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 teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria
    • Salzburg, bike trail along this river (photo by Rich and Alesa)
    • Typical day on the trail with green everywhere (photo by Rich and Alesa)
    • Waterfall at the top of the trip (photo by Rich and Alesa)
    • Photo 4 (photo by Rich and Alesa)
    • And the longest day is mostly downhill!  The train took us up to the top. (photo by Rich and Alesa)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Julane January 1, 2019

    Scenic Adventures!

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    This tour was one of our all-time favorites for its scenic beauty, unique adventures (salt mine, falconry demonstration, ice cave), charming hotels and quaint small towns. We spent two extra nights in Salzburg before the start of the tour to take advantage of all that the city offered as well as to test our bikes on two separate loop rides. At the end of this tour we did another week-long tour (Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option) to see a different but equally beautiful region of Austria.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 21-27, 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    30+
    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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 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
  • (5/5) Fletch June 6, 2019

    Fabulous scenery!

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    We chose this tour because it stayed in the vicinity of the alps but was in the river valleys. The scenery did not disappoint. It was glorious when we had clear skies. We had some rain and snow when up on the mountains but even then the villages and farmland were wonderful. We spent extra days in Salzburg before the tour and spent an extra day in Zell am See in the middle of the tour. We were so glad we had those extra days because there was so much to see and do. We went up to the ice cave, up to the Krimml waterfall, and up to Kitzsteinhorn and had snow in all three places. It was like a winter wonderland. For the five of us from Florida, it was great.

    The hotels were all good and provided great breakfasts. The luggage transfer went off without a hitch. Our bags were always at the hotels when we got there.

    After a few days self supported from Passau to Salzburg we decided to upgrade to ebikes for this tour to make the climbs more manageable and to make it more likely that we would take side trips to see additional things along the way. We are really glad that the tour company was able to accommodate this last minute request. They were very helpful.

    We found that the signs for the Tauern radweg changed part way through the ride. This is something to watch out for. We made a couple wrong turns but learned to keep our eyes peeled for signs.

    It was a wonderful trip!

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 10, 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    Several
    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
    • Photo 1 (photo by Fletch)
    • Photo 2 (photo by Fletch)
    • Photo 3 (photo by Fletch)
    • Photo 4 (photo by Fletch)
    • Photo 5 (photo by Fletch)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 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
  • (5/5) Harry August 1, 2019

    Satisfied repeat customer

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    This is the third trip that I've done with Greenways and I remain very pleased with the impeccable organization, the thoughtfully planned routes, the helpfully redundant cycling instructions and the very engaging and pleasant territory. I combined the Salzburg to Prague trip with a Salzburg to Salzburg loop around Berctesgaden, and so my overall experience combined spectacular Alpine scenery with miles of classic Bohemian rolling wheat fields punctuated with forest and woodlot. There was a lot in this trip that exceeded my expectations, and virtually nothing that merits any harsh criticism. Getting over the hills north of Linz was a pretty good workout for an old guy!

    As a solo traveler, I didn't have any meals included in the package, and that worked out just fine. The Salzburg loop was all on well-marked bike path, so direction-finding was all but bulletproof. The 'Heart of Europe' trip has some very detailed instructions and a GPS, and almost never presented any confusion. Having Google Maps on a phone helped to disambiguate a few times. There were some good suggestions for things to see, though I didn't always have time to stop and see them. Perhaps the tour deserves a repeat!

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 15-25
    How many tours have you completed?
    many, both package and self-created
    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 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) LeePDX August 20, 2019

    Awesome Family Bike Trip

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    Great vacation and memories to last a lifetime. The Tauern Bike Path is great, relatively flat and incredibly beautiful at every turn. Lots of great excursions within relatively easy bike or bus connection to route, including Ice Caves, Caverns, Salt Mines, Waterfalls, Trams, Lakes... Awesome.

    What was the date of your tour?
    8/6-8/12
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    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
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 2/5 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
  • (5/5) Adam Pernsteiner November 8, 2022

    A Great Scenic Bike Trip with a Lot of Interesting Side Excursions Along the Way

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    The Tauern Bike Path in and out of Salzburg, Austria was my 5th bicycle trip in Europe and once of the most scenic and beautiful bicycle tours I have experienced. The bicycle route itself is usually a paved path and primarily follows along river valleys, so the difficulty is easy to moderate and very manageable for a recreational rider like myself. I only walked my bike on a few short climbs and my 18-year old son had no issues with the difficulty. Navigation-wise, the tour company materials were fine and the route is well-marked, although I would recommend keeping a backup navigation aid or two in the form of google maps and perhaps a cycling map app. I was impressed by the high percentage of local Austrians cyclists who were using e-bikes along the path. So, if you are considering an e-bike but wondering if you would stand out - no worries, you will blend right in with the locals!
    The thing that probably sets this tour apart from others in my mind is the impressive number interesting side adventures that you can have along the way - right next to the bicycle path. For us, these included medieval castles and falconry shows, hiking, waterfalls, mountaintop tram rides, and underground cave hiking - and we probably still missed a couple of other excursions we could have done along the way. Some of these are free and most do not cost more than the price of a tram ride.
    As far as food and accommodations, they were excellent. I did the upgraded lodging option because I have back issues and I was thoroughly impressed. I would note that some the spa and health facilities at the properties are world class. The included breakfasts are great and we had no trouble finding restaurants with great food and drinks.
    Overall, I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants a scenic ride through Austria without too much difficulty, especially if you want to be able to hope off your bike once and a while and do a few side hikes and other adventures.

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 2022
    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, Families with young kids
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria
    •  (photo by Adam Pernsteiner)
    •  (photo by Adam Pernsteiner)
    •  (photo by Adam Pernsteiner)
    •  (photo by Adam Pernsteiner)
    •  (photo by Adam Pernsteiner)
    •  (photo by Adam Pernsteiner)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 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
  • (5/5) Christopher McAdam 11 months ago

    Fantastic Ride

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    Loved the hotels loved the ride, loved the all day everyday view. We really like seeing and going through the little alpine towns.

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 2023
    How many tours have you completed?
    6th
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    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
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Robin Walton 9 months ago

    Most scenic bike tour

    · Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)

    This was our 4th European bike tour and definitely the most scenic! The ride was a little more hilly than mentioned in the website, but fortunately I had an e-bike which made it no problem. My husband did not have an e bike and had no problem.
    Each day was a very different route and made it exciting for what the next day would be. Beautiful Alps, waterfalls, villages with so much charm. We opted to upgrade to the deluxe tour and was well worth the money. Wish we would have stayed an extra day in Kaprun as there was much to see there. Would definitely recommend this tour.

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 2023
    How many tours have you completed?
    4
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers
    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 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection