Austrian Alps Bike Tour Reviews (page 8) (Austria)

★★★★★ (5/5) 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

★★★★★ (4/5) Jane Fletcher October 4, 2023

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

★★★★★ (5/5) 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

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

★★★★★ (5/5) Shelley Vercoe October 20, 2023

Great trip

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

We enjoyed this trip very much. The small medieval town centers were beautiful. Nice hotels and the tour company adjusted the schedule so we could visit Otzi. The scenery is gorgeous especially when the route veers away from the main roads.

What was the date of your tour?: October 2024
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, Italy

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

★★★★★ (4/5) Brenda Teal 12 months ago

Enjoyable trip in most ways...

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

First, the positives...
The scenery, hotels provided, local emergency/tour representatives and bikes were exceptional. There were interesting and beautiful sights in every town and along the way. The bike shop where we received rental bikes, helmets, etc. was knowledgeable, friendly and Chris in Innsbruck was great to work with and talk to, and he provided great insights toward upcoming routes.
There was useful information about available alternate routes/modes of travel, as well as the scenery we could experience, and the details of our stays at each local inn were seamless, for the most part. I cannot say enough about the friendliness and helpfulness of hotel staff, without exception. The local representative and the transfer drivers were also easy to communicate with, and helpful in every area we needed.
I felt the info given regarding sightseeing was not as detailed or inclusive of all sights, as the last time we worked with BikeTours.
Regarding directions and mapping, the GPS we rented from BT was useless, and we stopped using or even charging it after a couple of days....the routes didn't seem to match those on the map given, and even when we were clearly on the cycle path designated, it constantly said to make a u-turn or offroute; 60 euros we should have kept for other things. The map directions were often unclear, especially entering and leaving cities, and since the GPS wasn't working, we had to constantly stop to take the map out as there was no place to clip it to the bike handlebar. The alternate routes on the Lofer travel day were confusing as well.
Despite these issues, we would have probably used BT again, except for the unexpected hotel expenses after we arrived in Austria. We asked for a final invoice, before booking, to make sure of costs in planning this trip, and was sent one which listed a "total" of all charges and a list of all services covered under our quoted tour cost, including specific hotel stays, with no mention of added costs to be paid when we arrived at each hotel. When we arrived in Innsbruck, the hotel informed us we still owed city taxes (this was the case in almost every town/hotel booked). Though the amounts were not big, the attitude we got from the tour when we called to check was off-putting ("that fact was included in the general description of the tour on the internet," and "a company does not have to put every little detail in an invoice.").
We suggest that BT put an * next to each hotel stay on their invoice/quotes, and then include in small print at the bottom " *some hotels may charge a city tax at checkout, usually from 2-8 euros per night, which is not covered by BikeTours." This is a detail that can be corrected easily, and sure would help travelers budget appropriately as well.
One thing is for sure, however you plan for it, go to Austria and experience the marvelous places on this river tour (we added extra time in Salzburg and Vienna)....you won't regret it. SHOW MORE

Countries included in this tour?: Austria

★★★★★ (5/5) Om Apte 12 months ago

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.

Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Italy

★★★★★ (4/5) Pankaj Mulye 11 months ago

Dolomities

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

Perfect way to explore and experience a region is by cycling. It was a great hassle free experience everything went as planned and would definitely recommend bike tours to all

What was the date of your tour?: May 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 1
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

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

★★★★★ (5/5) Olafur Olafsson 11 months ago

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

What was the date of your tour?: June 2024
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Italy

4/5 Value
4/5 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

★★★★★ (5/5) BARAK JACOBS 11 months ago

Great tour

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

Great tour
Amazing views
No AC at most of the hotels - We got along but would have made the trip perfect

What was the date of your tour?: 06/24
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Who is this tour suitable for?: Solo travelers
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
5/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents

★★★★★ (5/5) Marek Hartleb 10 months ago

Alpine pastures

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

Although we went through all climate zones during our ride we find this vacation awesome. Selection of hotels and planning of bike routes was very good. Riding 40 to 65 km each day with e-bikes took 2-3 hours, therefore we had enough time to walk alpine pastures taken up by cable cars in Zell am See or Lofer. You may believe me that alpine meadows settled only by Milka cows is something that gives the best break from noisy and busy life.

Countries included in this tour?: Austria

★★★★★ (5/5) Matthew Waterbury 9 months ago

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).

What was the date of your tour?: July 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 0
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

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

★★★★★ (5/5) F.S 8 months ago

Beautiful trip

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

Very nice routes through small rural towns, national parks and resort areas. Hotels were clean and offered local flavor. Road bike route needs to be more on bike paths than highways, but the distances and excursions were well thought out.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 4
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
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) Mark Anderson 8 months ago

Well Organized!

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

Tour Date (wk beginning Sep 7, 2024)

Our chosen tour was the self guided tour and my wife and I rented a tandem for the ride. the weather was the only thing we would have hoped to of had different. We started out in the 80's F and ended in the low 40's with all day heavy rain.

Bike Tours and their local providers/coordinators did an excellent job of coordinating all the parts and pieces from the bike shop where we picked up the tandem in Innsbruck and including all of the accommodations and luggage movement along the way. Everything worked perfectly.

One comment I have heard in many other reviews was that the map book is difficult to follow. We decided to also rent a GPS as well to help with navigation. That was a good move as the GPS was easier to manage in the rain and then we pulled the map book out when we needed additional details.

The map book directions were hard to follow initially, but that got easier with familiarity after the first day. When you receive the GPS it's not preloaded with the route. We didn't realize this ahead of time, but after loading the Garmin app in our phone we would load each day's route from the map book into our phone and then transfer to the GPS the night before. We both grumbled a bit as we completed this process the first night, but this became much quicker after the initial run as well.

I would definitely do another tour with Bike Tours!

What was the date of your tour?: Sep 7, 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 1
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
4/5 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) Margaret Ann MacGregor 8 months ago

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

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

★★★★★ (5/5) Nancy Reid 8 months ago

Surrounded by beauty: Innsbruck to SalzburgA

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

Our self-guided ride was a beautiful ride along the rivers on well marked bike paths and trails. The scenery was amazing and the hotels were very comfortable. It was a wonderful way to experience the Austrian countryside, towns and people. I enjoyed the ride so much, I'd like to do it again!

What was the date of your tour?: September 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 5
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

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

★★★★★ (4/5) Nancy Voorhees 8 months ago

Idyllic landscape

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

I have never seen such beauty as along this trail in the Austrian Alps. Our accommodations were comfortable, breakfasts were delicious and our luggage was alway there before we arrived. My suggestion for making the trip more enjoyable is to make sure the Garmin has each day's route. Our's had many routes on it and that made it confusing. It would make more sense if only our routes were on it. Also, everyone should have a Garmin or use their google maps. Using the printed route map was impossible. Our ebikes were very comfortable and our trip was awesome! Thanks.

Countries included in this tour?: Austria

★★★★★ (2/5) Carol Bly 8 months ago

Not what hoped for. Poor directions. Unsafe routes and not well marked.

· Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)

Loved quiet rides in country and thru villages but dangerous conditions were not marked due to recent storms. We should have been notified and got onto dangerous routes.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 1
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Do you recommend this tour?: No
Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Germany

BikeTours.com staff reply from jan October 2, 2024

Thank you for your feedback, and we sincerely apologize for the disruptions you experienced during your trip. The recent 100-year storm was an unprecedented event that affected thousands of travelers across the region, and we regret that it impacted your adventure.
We always strive to provide the best experience possible, and it is disheartening when factors beyond our control prevent us from doing so. Please know that our team worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of all our guests during this unexpected situation.
Thanks for your business and we hope you'll travel with us again.
Jan

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

★★★★★ (5/5) JP and Shannon 8 months ago

First Bike Trip for us. Was wonderful.

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

We loved Austria and biking on this route was great. The route is very well designed. We took traditional bikes and it was no problem at all. We wished it could have lasted longer with another segment. We were very lucky with the weather in September as it was sunny our entire journey but had rain when we arrived and on the day we departed.

Bike rental shop, equipment and all hotels were top notch!

Countries included in this tour?: Austria

★★★★★ (5/5) Ann Darby 8 months ago

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

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

★★★★★ (3/5) Anne Temple 8 months ago

Beautiful but given bike with defective wheel and inadequate spares/pump

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

The ride is beautiful, hotels very comfortable with pleasant employees and great breakfast. Our rating would be higher except for our experience with one bike and the repair kit provided by the operator in Innsbruck. Also, if you are not familiar with Garmin, be sure you have a good alternative.

We had two flats in the same place on the inner seam of the back tire. We understand that tire changes were our responsibility and were prepared to handle them. We were provided with only one spare, no co2 cartridge because the operator was out of the attachment needed to use them, and a small inefficient pump. The advice given to us if we were to get a flat was to change the tire, pump it up as best we could with the inefficient pump and then go to a service station where we could then fill the tire up to its required PSI. This is a rural route with few service stations and much time was wasted.

The morning after the first flat we spent a couple of hours locating a bike shop that was open (tried 3) that had the right size spares. In addition we purchased a better pump which we were very glad to have with the second flat. That second flat occurred on the ride to Lofer. A biker who helped us noted that we didn’t have enough tread (profile) on the tires and we were lucky we hadn’t had rain.

Helmut was unable to provide a different bike for the last leg into Salzburg. Rather than spending the time finding a new back tire to buy and thus getting a much later start that we were comfortable with, we elected to take transport to Salzburg.

A special thanks to Helmut for his responsiveness and assistance.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2024
Countries included in this tour?: Austria

5/5 Included meals
1/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents

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Austrian Alps Bike Tour Reviews (page 8)

Amazing bike tour

Good trip - lots of orchards and vineyards

Salzburg Lakes Tour

Great trip

Enjoyable trip in most ways...

Perfect way to enjoy Italian Alps

Dolomities

Six days of pleasure

Great tour

Alpine pastures

Perfect way to experience the Alps and the Tyrol Region!

Beautiful trip

Well Organized!

All great—although the weather did not cooperate, but we had rain gear!

Surrounded by beauty: Innsbruck to SalzburgA

Idyllic landscape

Not what hoped for. Poor directions. Unsafe routes and not well marked.

First Bike Trip for us. Was wonderful.

An adventure

Beautiful but given bike with defective wheel and inadequate spares/pump

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