Bike Tour Reviews Best of Slovenia Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran (page 2)

★★★★★ (4/5) Barbara October 8, 2023

Beautiful country with lots to see and do

Slovenia ranks as one of my favorite countries to cycle. Friendly, hard working people. Roads are in great condition ( minus a few construction zones due to recent flooding), and the routes offered are interesting and varied. From high mountain vistas and zigzagging descents to flat bike trails along the sea, each day brought a new adventure to the senses. We enjoyed getting off the bikes to explore caves, castles, waterfalls, and towns. Most of us opted to cycle and climb the first day to the high plateau of Pokljuka. It actually seemed like an easier climb than the second day to the high plateau of Jelovica. Two people used the shuttle the first day and were not particularly pleased at where they were let off on the route. Had they known better, they would have also cycled to Pokljuka with us. (they were on electric bikes).

The hotels were good. Regardless of the size of rooms, the beds were comfortable and the breakfasts were bountiful and varied. The hotel in Ljubljana was a 45 minute walk to the city center, but it allows one to see the sites and restaurants along the way. We downloaded the maps on our devices and they were adequate for navigation. It was helpful to have 3 navigators in our group of 8 people.

Bikes that we used were hybrid ones. They were a definite plus with all the climbing involved with this tour. Sometimes, the small towns we entered had short ascents of 10-12% grade, so it was helpful to have the low gears to pop into. There were a few problems with the bikes. One of the hybrids was not in good condition for riding and was replaced before we started our tour. It was helpful to have the bikes at the hotel the night before ( Day 1) so we could adjust and test ride the bikes. The one electric bike had a problem the first day while riding the hills. It was discovered that a sensory cable was not connected after going to a local bike shop to have it looked at after the second day of riding.

Bike Tours, the company, there were some problems with communication regarding bike choices. There were problems with obtaining the bikes that were unnecessarily stressful. Overall, they were good enough to use, and eventually the issues were resolved. Also, I'm not a big fan of putting a 75% deposit down 9 months before the tour date which is unusual from the other 6 self guided tours that I've done. Make sure to read the fine print regarding the tour. Extra luggage other than one piece is charged extra. Also, we opted to find our own transport options to and from airports/towns, which were cheaper than what is offered. Staying a night in Kranj after our arrival from Ljubljana airport, before going the next day to Bled, worked out wonderfully.

Discovering the Best of Slovenia was a treat. I would recommend this tour to anyone who is adventurous and curious. The food, the culture, the people, and the sites were incredible! SHOW MORE

What was the date of your tour?: Sept 2023
How many tours have you completed?: many
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 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

★★★★★ (4/5) John Murray April 10, 2024

Immersive Slovenia

A great way to experience the country from the mountains to the coast. Recommended . Nice trip.

How many tours have you completed?: 9
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

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

★★★★★ (4/5) Lisa Ayton May 31, 2024

Excellent Trip

We chose the unguided version, using the Guibo Ap on our cell phones. Definitely worth bringing an extra power bank, as the power available on the cell, was our only concern in terms of getting from A to B. Sometimes the Ap, if there was a criticism, was almost 'too detailed' ie) a slight turn might be described in so much detail, that you think you are to do a much larger turn. Overall a very helpful ap and it corrected our direction a few times. The sites we saw from Bled to Piran 10 Bike Day Bike Tour were amazing and the distances were well planned. You did have to do some cycling on major roads at times, but the drivers seem quite used to cyclists. I recommend taking hotel upgrades when available, as we did not do this, but definitely wished we had, when it came to seeing Ljubjana and staying closer to the city. We felt all the hotels were what we expected (we had chosen a mid-range trip) with 1 major exception, that was a three star hotel. We also felt there were at least two stays that were excellent or above a mid-range feel, one with beach views and another with wine tastings. The country is amazing with views and greenery everywhere you look. At times reminding us of the Alps and at others like our home in BC, Canada and then finally the unique beauty of the Adriatic seaside to enjoy at the end. Our Electric Bikes were excellent, my chain came off twice but we got it back on and my husband ran out of brake fluid on the very last day. There were friendly, helpful people in all hotels and bike shops. We would all highly recommend this trip to others. Take an extra day in the City and by the seaside if you can. We also appreciated that help was only a phone call away at all times, we felt very safe and well served.

★★★★★ (5/5) Dee by the sea June 4, 2024

Slovenia 9 days

Beautiful country, friendly people, very safe! Would highly recommend visiting!

What was the date of your tour?: May 16, 2024
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 teens
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

4/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
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)

★★★★★ (5/5) THOMAS P. July 1, 2024

A very fun and leisurely trip

This trip was a great way to see Slovenia. We took 10 days to ride from the northern side of the country to the Adriatic coast. Most days were about 30 miles, with about 2500' elevation gain, but really just 3-4 hours' riding. Hotels were great and offered very nice breakfasts. We really enjoyed the slower pace family vacation, seeing a lot but still moving through to new sights every day. Highly recommend.

★★★★★ (5/5) Austin Bragg July 20, 2024

Brilliant Experience - well named tour!

One of the best travel experiences we've ever had. The itinerary was very well put together ensuring enough time to visit some of the most spectacular gems Slovenia has to offer. Accommodations were very very good too - a real mix which made things interesting i.e. not the same old each time. Bikes were great - the app was excellent which we relied on heavily esp getting in/out of larger towns/cities. All in all, an unforgettable experience.

What was the date of your tour?: July 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 3
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists

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

★★★★★ (4/5) Gareth Laws 10 months ago

From Mountain Tops to Ocean Views

Do this now, before Slovenia is spoilt. Lake Bled our starting point was amazing. Some steady climbs, luckily on e-bikes made the challenges in the early days more comfortable! A mix of accommodation, but one night in most of the places, was ok. We broke the journey with 2 nights in Ljubljana, definitely worth it.
A mix of off road, paved tracks, some roadside cycling ( but the cars were very good to us) grunty uphills and screaming downhills.
The App was easy to use and didn’t chew through the battery too much.
Overall we had a great time. The people are very friendly and welcoming. The hotels varied from top notch to “OK”. The bikes were comfortable and good condition, no problems there. Would recommend if you have some cycling experience.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 5
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

4/5 Value
3/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
3/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection
1/5 Guides (if applicable)

★★★★★ (4/5) Clifford Davis 10 months ago

Great Intro to Slovenia

Tour offers everything from the Julian Alps area and Bled to small towns to Ljubljana to coastal Italy and coastal Slovenia at the finishing town of Piran. We added extra days in Bled, Ljubljana and Piran and highly recommend doing so. Most of the cycling is on roads shared with vehicles but drivers were generally aware and used to cyclists. We found the GUIBO navigation app somewhat problematic particularly since we didn’t get access until the morning cycling began. Our bike fitting and familiarization was also included in our first cycling morning so a number of items regarding the cycle computer were not covered.

The tour company was responsive to our requests for transport due to inclement weather.

There are wide variations in the quality of the hotels with some very fine hotels and some less so.

That being said the tour features some gorgeous scenery and spectacular sights. The caves in Postonja and the area surrounding Bled are breathtaking. The people along the way were very helpful and we had no trouble communicating even though we don’t speak Slovenian.

★★★★★ (5/5) Gail 2 months ago

Everything I expected and more

Everyday was something new to see
Loved all the farmland, meadows
Seeing less people in these areas
Couldn’t believe how green it was
Loved the small village accommodation
Especially in Kodreti
People were kind and gracious
We could not get over how good the food was in smaller towns