Bike & Hotel Tour Reviews page 36
- Argentina
- Australia
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- Belgium
- Bosnia and H…
- Brazil
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- Croatia
- Czech Republic
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- England
- Estonia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Holland
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- Ireland
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- Jamaica
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- New Zealand
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- Poland
- Portugal
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- Serbia
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- Slovenia
- Spain
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- Thailand
- Turkey
- United States
- Vietnam
- ★★★★★ Lee Chestnut
Great Scenery, History, and Acomommdations. Not much Support
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
We enjoyed seeing the Rhine Valley and historic villages. Our accommodations were great and the food was great.
Unfortunately, the Rhine was near flood stage and much of the given route was flooded. After contacting the local operator for direction, I was told to find my own route or take a train, at my own expense.
We found our own way using Google maps and talking with other cyclists.
The main reason I use a tour operator is to have local support when difficulties arise. We didn't receive that support.
It seems the operator could come up with secondary routes that are safe and beautiful (which we came up with on our own) and supply them to their guests as needed.- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
- ★★★★★ Wendy Harris
Stunning Scenery!
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Almost the entire trip was on beautiful, well maintained bike trails. The scenery was spectacular during the entire ride and we loved riding from the Dolomite Mountains to the sea. The hotels were all very nice and the bikes were very comfortable. Everything was well organized and went smoothly. Great value too!
- ★★★★★ Scott Reuben
Amazing scenery biking through 3 countries
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
I have always wanted to see the Dolomites and this was the perfect tour to do so. We actually took a day before the tour started to stay in Cortina and hike. This will not disappoint you as the scenery is spectacular. Then we took a 30 minute bus to Toblach where we picked up our bikes and started the tour. Travelled through Italy, Austria and Slovenia. The food and accommodations were fabulous. The last day was a little disappointing traveling to Trieste as the route led us through some rather busy streets and on top of that it was raining. I would have preferred to take the train option. Otherwise the bike paths were fabulous.
- ★★★★★ 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
- ★★★★★ Pankaj Mulye
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
- ★★★★★ Jeff Kuerbitz
Perfect Honeymoon Getaway
Croatian Vineyards and Villages of Undiscovered Istria
Our trip was the perfect way to explore this beautiful country! We loved every part of it. The hotels were beautiful and comfortable. We had some of the best meals of our lives. The wine was amazing. Everyone we met was very friendly. The directions for the route were clear and accurate. We never got lost. The routes were well thought out. The scenery was incredible, there was a lot of great history to learn about, and there were beautiful villages, restaurant, wineries and shops along the way to stop and take a break. The tour company was very responsive. My front axle began wobbling the second day and they quickly met me along the route with a replacement.
We can't wait to go back.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This is my first
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
- ★★★★★ Renee Goertzen
Great views
Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
My friend and I did the self-guided tour, which we loved. The hill on the first day was rough, but after that the ride was almost always flat. The views were varied - rivers, mountains, castles, sometimes through small villages or fields, but mostly along thewater. The guide provided was just what we needed - enough detail for navigating (supplemented by the app) and recommendations of things to see and where to eat.
The bikes were sturdy touring bikes - not light, but able to handle the bumps of the road. We did not have any mechanical trouble, so we didn´t call on the company for any bike support. The app showing the route was very useful, although it was mildly annoying that it didn´t track your location - you had to manually scroll the map throughout the day. I think this is an app option that you can choose to pay for, though.
The hotels booked for us were always lovely and clean, and the breakfasts provided lots of options, even for the one vegetarian in our group.
I would recommend this tour in a heartbeat!- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Czech Republic, Germany
- ★★★★★ Harpa Sigmarsdóttir
Amazing landscape
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
For the first three days you cycle in the beautiful Dolomites and Julian alps. The views are stunning. We only stayed one night at lake Bled, we started early in the morning so we were there at around noon so we had the whole day to explore. The next morning we took the train to Most na Soci and the trail that day was so beautiful and a lot different from the previous days. The last part of the trip, last cycling day, was very stressful because of traffic. I would prefer that the trip would end outside of Trieste, like in the village the day before cause you are riding on main road in high traffic so I didn’t enjoy the surroundings. Accommodations were all nice, very different but all nice. Loved hotel Franz in Gradisca- superb and the staff are amazing! Overall I’m very pleased with this trip and love exploring this way. Would recommend.
- ★★★★★ Tanner Welsh
Beautiful ride, a few weather-related issues
Danube Bike Path 5-nights (Active)
Overall this tour was a great experience. The scenery was lovely, basic logistics were smooth and easy to follow, and the bike was sufficient for the style of riding. Hotels were comfortable and clean, and one was way more luxurious than expected.
The only reason I didn’t give five stars is that my tour coincided with Danube flooding that closed many sections of the trail, making the route significantly more difficult to navigate. While the tour operators were very helpful when asked, there wasn’t much proactive support with information like alternate routes. I would’ve expected a bit more of a “Plan B” in place given that flooding is not an uncommon event, but instead I was often just figuring it out as I went. This made for a memorable adventure, but also that I had less time to stop along the way because I had to account for more time spent waiting and taking detours. I’d also recommend spending some time getting familiar with common bike-related road signs and relevant German words for “except” and “open/closed” - much better to know the basics before having to take an unplanned detour through a higher-traffic zone.
All this to say, if you don’t go during a flood you’ll probably not encounter any of these issues. And the scenery and tranquility of the ride are hard to beat.
- ★★★★★ Tanner Welsh
Beautiful ride, a few weather-related issues
Danube Bike Path 5-nights (Active)
Overall this tour was a great experience. The scenery was lovely, basic logistics were smooth and easy to follow, and the bike was sufficient for the style of riding. Hotels were comfortable and clean, and one was way more luxurious than expected.
The only reason I didn’t give five stars is that my tour coincided with Danube flooding that closed many sections of the trail, making the route significantly more difficult to navigate. While the tour operators were very helpful when asked, there wasn’t much proactive support with information like alternate routes. I would’ve expected a bit more of a “Plan B” in place given that flooding is not an uncommon event, but instead I was often just figuring it out as I went. This made for a memorable adventure, but also that I had less time to stop along the way because I had to account for more time spent waiting and taking detours. I’d also recommend spending some time getting familiar with common bike-related road signs and relevant German words for “except” and “open/closed” - much better to know the basics before having to take an unplanned detour through a higher-traffic zone.
All this to say, if you don’t go during a flood you’ll probably not encounter any of these issues. And the scenery and tranquility of the ride are hard to beat.
- ★★★★★ J. Henderson
Perfect Custom Bike Tour in Holland!
Custom and Private Bike Tours in Holland
I've had the opportunity to bike all over the world, exploring many beautiful places. Among all these destinations, Holland stands out as a cyclist's paradise. As many of you know, Holland is renowned for its excellent biking infrastructure and scenic routes. When I decided to explore Holland, I chose to book through Biketours.com, and it turned out to be a fantastic decision. The team at Biketours.com was incredibly accommodating and tailored a custom tour just for us. They took care of everything, from planning the perfect routes to arranging comfortable hotels, delicious food, and immersive cultural experiences. Our custom tour in Holland was nothing short of perfect, thanks to Biketours.com.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
- ★★★★★ Gib Egge
Nice ride for cultural imersion
Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Nice ride between two wonderful cities. Mainly along bike paths with the occasional road bike lane and urban, on-the-street moments when riding within larger cities. Ride has a manageable climb the first day but otherwise, not too much climbing unless you decide to embark on some optional side visits along the way. Outside of Prague, few people spoke good English, so have a good translator app with you. One member of our group had to ride the train for part of the journey and it was difficult to get him a ticket not speaking Czech. We were able to find a German-speaking ticket vendor and someone in our group could speak German. Just be aware of the language barrier in this part of Czechia. Parts of the trail on the first couple days were a bit muddy and more like a mountain bike trails. Took a bit more effort to traverse these sections. Hotels were very nice and the towns we stayed in were as well. Didn't see any other Americans along the ride. The food was very good and most places were even able to accommodate a vegan that was riding with us. We did have some mechanical issues with our bicycles that were addressed by the local tour company. Used the vendor for airport transfers and those were perfect. Navigation involved downloading Mapy.cz on our smartphones and uploading their trail maps. Maps were accurate and more or less essential for an optimum riding experience. Our hotel room the last two evenings, and the dinner we pre-paid for with biketours.com were not pre-paid by the vendor at arrival so we needed to pay for it. Currently working with them to get that refunded. If you're looking for less-traveled, easy/intermediate ride, and you are ok with navigating the language barrier, this is a good choice.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic, Germany
- ★★★★★ Tina Nef
Fantastic trip
UNESCO Sites of Albania
This was a wonderful tour. Everything was perfect. The biking and scenery were top notch - a few days in the high mountains of Albania and then a few days biking along the coast with swimming in the Ionian Sea after a day in the saddle. The guide was super knowledgeable and organized. He ran a great tour. The food, bikes, hotels etc were all top notch. There is one very long climb on the last day (over 5,000 ft). That would have been a good day for an e-bike!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
- ★★★★★ Lisa LeRoy
Great way to start with self-guide cycling trips
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
The Hotel Laurin in Toblach-Dobbiaco was a truly wonderful base from which to explore the Tres Clims area of the Dolomites. The hotel was beautiful, new and clean with great views from the balconies. The food was spectacular. Every meal was a work of art. The hotel staff were kind and helpful. The pool, saunas and spa were relaxing. The cycling paths are bike/pedestrian only paths and mostly well marked. The scenery is fantastic on all of the rides. Each town has something special about it. The bicycles are pretty good. The maps were fairly good and the GPS program that is provided is also pretty good. The navigation could be a little better. I'd recommend communicating with the local tour company in advance of starting the trip to get an orientation to ride packet and the GPS program. There are bus and train transfers needed which we didn't realize and did not have one for each person in our group - the hotel provided them when we asked. The tour company was unclear on how many people were in our group and that led to extra clarification that was important. The packets did not include all of the same materials.
Tour Operator is located near the hotel but they have a call center that is elsewhere and depending what language you speak, you might need staff members in one or the other location. The order of the daily rides may change depending on availability of vans for days when transfers to or from a ride start/end are needed. We didn't realize this before setting off on our first day. We also wished we had known that there was an Austrian holiday the day we went to Cortina because everything was closed and we could not visit the museum or other attractions. More communication with the local company would have helped us with better planning. It was rainy and cold the week of our trip and we had to buy extra waterproof gear which is easy in Dobbiacco because there are several sporting goods shops.We were a friend group of 4 women -- all experienced cyclists and intrepid travelers. This trip is perfect for that type of group.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- 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?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ David Frac
Wonderful bike trip!
Cycling Paradise of Provence - to and from Avignon
We very much enjoyed the bike trip in Provence. The e-bikes provided were fantastic. The routes selected were so nice! Maybe 10% of the trip was on traffic roads, the rest was on bike paths, quiet country roads or even gravel roads through farmlands. We really appreciated the hand-off of the equipment, everything about the bikes was very well explained. We also appreciated the pre-tour meeting, where we went over every detail of the trip and received recommendations. We really appreciated receiving the GPX files ahead of the trip, so we could download them and follow the GPS guidance. The towns we visited were so very nice, we appreciated the care given to the construction of the route. The accommodations at the various hotels were excellent. The one thing I will mention about this trip is the Mistral Winds, which I had never heard of before. We were lucky, we only had one day of moderate winds, but I understand they can be strong at times. On the first day of our bike trip, from Avignon to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, we actually found two bike paths that were not on your printed directions or gpx files. The first was apparently some brand new four lane bike path that a local told us about. This is soon after you cross the Rhone river from Avignon. The second was near Châteauneuf-du-Pape, we happened to see some cyclists on this path, and took that instead of riding on the road.
I wish I could be more specific about where these two trails were, but the details have slipped my mind. If you can somehow update your routes/directions for these bike paths, I think it would help future bikers.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our third bike tour.
- 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?
- France
- ★★★★★ Barbara Stanley
Good trip with a few problems.
Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
Instruction , hotels and app were very good overall. Could improve to have ability to put in hotel for city navigation when it really counts. I had a collision with a tram at the end of the ride but lucky that I had minimal damage. Also , in our group of 5 , one had a horrible bike and the chain kept coming off.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ GORD MAXWELL
Adult Family Trip of the Decade
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Did this trip with spouse and 3 adult children (+ significant other). Hotels were fantastic (call out on breakfasts), scenery awesome and great family bonding
Especially highly recommend Gästehaus Schloss Aschach (an old converted palace) and Hotel Schachner (worth the hill).
We had a few minor challanges but they were quickly sorted out by Biketours.com
- What was the date of your tour?
- May/June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
- ★★★★★ Llewellyn Fernandes
Fabulous Trip
Algarve Coastal Route
One of the best cycling trips we've done! The weather as perfect, the route was great, the bikes were very good for the varied terrain and the hotels were lovely.
Perfect time of year to go... end May, early June. Warmed up quickly in the mornings, so we headed out early as the afternoons would be much hotter to cycle. Arrived at hotels around noon and enjoyed the hotels and towns were would stay at.
Only a couple of challenging hills (walked a bit), but that was just fine as we were there to enjoy our time....it was not a race. We relied heavily on the GPS as there were lots of twists and turns, and the written instructions were only so accurate. As other reviews mentioned, it did take us down a couple of one way streets the wrong way. Overall not many pure bike paths, but lots of quiet roads and highways with broad shoulders so felt very safe and comfortable. The route sometimes followed a posted EU bike route or the blue line on the road, but this tour doesn't always follow them, so always check GPS for this tour.
Leaving the hotel early like 8 or 8:30 meant not much traffic in the towns at that time. Always stopped for a refreshment along the way...lots of cafes, beaches, etc. Just need to plan ahead so you don't arrive at the hotel too early. Lots of dirt/gravel/cobblestone roads so a good workout on the arms. Make sure you have lots of water as it gets dusty and dry. There was never a long stretch of the same terrain. Each day the views were spectacular!
We brought a change of clothes/bathing suit in our panier bags, since we knew we would arrive at the hotel before our rooms were ready. Most hotels were resort hotels with spas, pools, restaurants. Very, very nice hotels. And located by the beach and/or close to everything you need. The hotels were very accommodating when we would arrive. We just stored out bikes, changed, left our panier bags with reception and went by the pool to cool off and have some refreshments and relax. Some would call us when our rooms were ready and luggage had arrived.
The bikes were really good, built for the varied terrain. Not heavy. Many gears...and needed. And we were given lots of repair equipment ... that we NEVER had to use!!!! (we were three so only took a few things with us...the rest we kept in our luggage)
The towns we stayed in were all different and lovely in their own way. There were always well-reviewed restaurants to go to, and easy to make reservations online. Most restaurants only opened at 7pm for dinner, which suited us fine, as they would get busy later. It was easy to get a reservation, time for a pre-dinner drink somewhere, they weren't crowded, allowed us to enjoy the rest of the evening and then up early for the next day.
This was my sixth cycling tour, and it was the best so far. All aspects from weather, cycling route, hotels, restaurants and towns, were all just fabulous! SHOW MORE
Hope you try this one out...
SHOW LESS- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
BikeTours.com staff reply from Jan
Thanks for the fantastic review, Llewellyn. I have done many of the tours we sell but not this one...yet anyway. Appreciate the business and hope you have a great summer.
- ★★★★★ Heather Batchelor
Hail, lightning and rain
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Didn’t get to do the trip because of terrible weather and the idea of sitting in a hotel room until 6pm without any luggage.
