Bike & Hotel Tour Reviews page 115
- Albania
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★★★★★ Paul Lant
Excellent Balkan cycling experience
Balkan Treasures
We did a self-guided tour using e-bikes. The rides were quite different each day. The destinations are varied and interesting, and the hotels were all good (3*). The local operator managed the logistics very well. Note there are three car transfers during this trip. Each of them is about 1.5 hrs. Whilst this extends the days, it does mean you get to experience some very different parts of the region. You do genuinely experience many Balkan treasures. Our highlights included cycling around the Bay of Kotor, cycling down the amazing switchbacks into Kotor on the last day, cycling through the hills alongside Lake Skadar, staying in Stari Bar and the food at Hotel Tradita in Albania.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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?
- Albania, Montenegro, Croatia
-
★★★★★ paul22
great trip
Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
a fantastic part of Italy - unspoiled. tour is well organized, hotels are good. highly recommended
- What was the date of your tour?
- october 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Paula Renwick
Just stunning scenery and a great bike adventure
Romantic Road and Bavarian Lakes
Just loved cycling the romantic road. Acconodation were good, the scenery was spectacular. There was only one place are stayed with air conditioning. It was very hot at night so had trouble sleeping. Ask the breakfasts were great. The APP was amazing, made it very easy to find your way. So much to see and do just a brilliant time had but us. Bikes were comfortable and the panniers were fabulous for sorting extra gear. Briefing was good, however my bike didn't have some issues even before we started and Thomas had no tool kit with him and couldn't adjust our bikes. Bags picked to and delivered waiting for when we arrived.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5 plus
- 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?
- Germany
-
★★★★★ paula12
I Would Go Back Tomorrow...
Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
I've been to Europe a dozen times, but seeing the Salzburg
area by bike was the best trip yet. Such beautiful scenery.
Loved the e-bike!- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 12-19
- How many tours have you completed?
- no others
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ billiehenny
Romania & Bulgaria
Danube River and Black Sea
Very well organised and efficient. Bikes were excellent and well maintained. Nothing seemed to be a problem even when I manage to leave my power adapter somewhere our guide went out of his way to find a replacement.
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★★★★★ Paul Banken
Awesome trip
UNESCO Sites of Albania
I rarely post reviews but wanted to share my experience with a recent cycling tour; the 10 day UNESCO tour of Albania. The tour was led by Armand and Mario. It was a fantastic experience. The tour was well organized, really well run, fun, the country beautiful, the local people friendly, the food incredible and quite varied. Our group of 19 were from many countries but really bonded well. The last days ride was unnerving for some due to strong winds and large vehicles; but the sag van was usually close behind if someone wanted to take a break. Not everything went perfectly, but Armand’s upbeat, energetic, and positive attitude in quickly handling the issues made things go quite smoothly. All in all; one of the very best, most enjoyable tours I have taken out of the 20+ to date.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
-
★★★★★ Pekka60
Hot hot hot
Lake Garda (Based in One Hotel)
We knew that things can get very hot in Italy on august, so in 2012 me and my wife decided to book a Tour, where it is possible either cycle, or just spend time on the beach, if its too hot. We have heard that Lake Garda, and the hole area is very nice, so this Tour seemed perfect.
We flew from Helsinki to Milano, then we had a train, approximately 2 hours, from Milano to Lake Garda. Our hotel was nice little family hotel in Desenzado, with a nice little own beach. On the first day our tour-operator came to meet us and brought our bicycles, maps and other equipment.
As you know, it can be very hot, but its never too hot to cycle. Every morning we started from the hotel, and we had a nice cycling in the area. One day we took a train to Torino, and we cycled back, 80 km, temperature was 38 C, 100 F.
Best day we had, was when our tour operator took us with a van to Trento. From Trento we cycled to Riva, in the north part of Lake Garda, and in Riva we took bicycles to a ferry, witch took us back to Dezensano.
This is very easy Tour to recommend for anyone. If you don"t want to cycle, you can just relax and enjoy your holiday, good food and wine, and atmosphere.- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ mattybee
Enjoyed the whole adventure
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Great way to see 3 countries on one bike ride. Weather could have been better in the beginning. We started in mid September and encountered one day too wet to ride. But nevertheless made the most of it. Great accommodations all the way throughout the trip. Scenery was superb. Bike paths were wonderfully uncrowded. Rarely had to travel with any kind of vehicle traffic on any of the roadways. All luggage transfers and shuttles were seamless. Tour staff very friendly and helpful. The cycling itself wasn't particularly difficult, but a little endurance is needed because of the length of the daily rides. Didn't have GPS so we relied on the maps which were adequate in the outskirts and country, but could have used a bit better map in the city of Gorizia for sure. Don't miss the pizza a Al Lampione in Gorizia, and the strudel at Gasthof Post, in Oberdrauburg. We opted for the layover day in Lake Bled which was one of the highlights of the trip. Stunning. The walk around the lake with first snow on the mountains was spectacular. Nice way to spend a day. Also, would recommend a day after spent in Trieste. Plenty to do and see along the waterfront. We rented bikes from the Hotel and made another wonderful day of it. Would highly recommend this trip albeit maybe not as late in the season as when
we went.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Italy, Slovenia, Austria
-
★★★★★ Mattman
Wonderful Cycling Vacation
Medieval Villages of Catalonia
This trip was exactly what we we're hoping for. Casual cycling along the coast and villages. The bikes we're fantastic and comfortable. All the hotels were first class and the food and ambiance in the hotels and small restaurants throughout the trip were delightful. GPS was adequate, but be sure you can read a map! The tour briefing was helpful beforehand and be sure you understand how to change a tire before you embark. There is some incredibly beautiful country on this ride, and since it is 6 days long, I think if we we're to do it again we might have skipped a day of riding in Calella de Palafrugel in favor of a hike along the coastline. There are some lovely hiking trails that were begging to be explored. Also, by traveling in early October we missed the european vacationers and essentially had all the beaches and villages to ourselves. Never a worry with busy roads or vehicle traffic. Looking forward to our next adventure.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Spain
-
★★★★★ pam123
Beautiful landscapes - amazing way to see Catalonia
Medieval Villages of Catalonia
Our second trip through biketours.com did not disappoint. We did the peak season self-guided trip in August 2018. Our orientation guide was extremely kind and took a lot of time with us to get us oriented to the materials and the bikes. There was a hiccup on the first day with the bag drop off, but Daniel, the head of the local tour company, was responsive and immediately worked to rectify it. We were pleased that they gave us both a GPS device and an smartphone with the routes outlined in the maps.me app - so both of us could follow our route in real time. We had a few times where we had to backtrack just a bit to make a different turn, but we were never lost -- and the GPS-enabled devices meant we could venture off the course when we liked and then find our way back to the pre-determined route pretty easily. Bikes were very good. Roads were a mix of paved and dirt (about 60/40 I'd guess). We had one flat just before the last day but we were able to fix it with just tire inflation. All in all, we liked the routes and the suggested stopping points, as well as the hotels we stayed in -- especially the first and the last hotels. One thing that would have made the trip better would have been some information on each daily route, with more suggestions/options on places to stop in the various towns or along the way -- e.g. churches, museums, other points of interest.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
-
★★★★★ Peter Wiedenbeck
Wonderful week of biking in a beautiful place
Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
I’d like to give a 4-1/2 star rating because, although it was wonderful and we definitely recommend it, there is still room for improvement
Pros: Wonderful route – the vast majority of the time you are biking on paved dedicated bike paths along the river, separate from the roadway and train tracks. There are a few areas where the bike path is adjacent to the road (especially along the Rhine from St. Goar to Koblenz) and at least one short stretch on packed dirt through the woods. Most of the routes are extremely well-marked. You have to be watchful for turns in towns, where it can be easy to miss the small sign with the arrow to turn, especially when looking at all the sites in the towns. We did better when we stopped at each signpost and made sure we were headed the right way. The Hotels were all very nice and had generous breakfast buffets, which made for a great start every morning. Note that hotels in Germany don’t have AC and often don’t have fans. I had a spray bottle to mist myself while riding and that helped at night, too. Next time, I’ll bring a small fan to help on those hot nights. We didn’t opt for the dinner plan, but did eat in the hotels several times and had excellent meals and service. The organized wine tasting was fun and we did a few more on our own. Luggage transfers all went very well. We added an extra hotel night at each end (Trier and Koblenz), which we would do again. Trier has an amazing amount of Roman history and fabulous restaurants. The extra day also gave us time to ride the other way (upstream on the Mosel) to Saarburg. In Koblenz, we spent an entire day at Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (take the cable car up and across the Rhine to get there). The map book was very helpful and detailed the type of trail for each section. But, oops, one page on the Rhine was replaced by a duplicate page along the Mosel. The specific directions packet included detailed distances between towns and possible sites to see. But…. See cons below.
Cons: Bikes: we had conventional bikes (not ebikes), and they could have been better maintained. The chains were a bit dry and downshifting often didn’t work. That was not a huge issue on the flat trail, but in towns, it was a problem. The odometer on one of the bikes quit working after 3 days. The seats are not touring seats – they are wide and therefore chafed. Despite doing lots of riding in prep and wearing padded shorts, we were painfully chafed by the end of the trip. We couldn’t figure out how to use the pump without letting out air, but were able to use a pump at one of the hotels. Detours: Our biggest issue is that it is clear the route was not checked early in the season and the directions adjusted. There was a lot of construction in many of the towns that invalidated the directions in the packet. Construction that clearly would be going on all summer. For example, Day 1, leaving Trier, the booklet says: “Start at Kaiser-Wilhelm bridge and cycle along the left bank of the Moselle” Well, the bike path itself is being reconstructed beneath the bridge - it is down to dirt, covered with equipment and bike path entrance blocked off. No detour signs giving you an alternate route. It took us an extra 10 km of going one way then another over a frustrating hour before we were on our way. Not a great start to the trip. There were similar long-term construction issues in at least two other places (Karden and Koblenz). If the route had been checked, a single sheet in addition to the bound booklet could have provided alternate ways to leave town/get to hotels with much less frustration.
All that said, it was a wonderful experience and we highly recommend it. It is beautiful country, well-maintained bike paths, lovely vineyards and great wine. Being able to have the hotel reservations and luggage transfers all done for us was a pleasure. When there was an issue with the ferry to St Goar, customer service was very responsive and got things straightened out right away. Transportation to Trier and from Koblenz was very easy to arrange on the regional German trains. SHOW MORE- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first
- 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?
- Germany
-
★★★★★ The mangles cycle group
Story book stuff
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
What a fantastic way to explore the German/ Swiss border area. Absolutely fantastic to see so much with no stress of driving or timetables. Brilliant
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- 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, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Peterxyz
Great trip
Florence to Rome
Some steep hills, always a down to balance it. Very well marked trail. Had a great time, just managed to avoid rain at end of two days.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 3-9 September
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Peter Rankin
A very enjoyable , challenging cycle tour
Aegean Discovery: Cycling through Eastern Crete
Cycling offered a different experience every day , hotels all had very friendly staff and generally excellent. Local tour provider gave excellent support and is the best source for information pre-trip. We did the longer duration version with a day off in each town which I would highly recommend
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
-
★★★★★ Petty
Was great!!
Venice to Trieste and Istria
I have already written to you about tour - really enjoyed every moment! Hotels were great and personnel very friendly
-
-
★★★★★ peyster
I am 68, don't bike much, and loved the experience.
Wine & Bike in Hungary’s Balaton Uplands
The tour was all that I had hoped for.
I picked this tour in part because I am 68 years old and, because of where I live, don't bike much. I went self guided partly so as to not hold up a group. As it turned out the riding was no problem. The longest day was 50 K, and while there were some hills, nothng arduous. So my main consideration turned out not to be an issue and everything else was fantastic.
The highlights, apart from the scenery, were the accommodations, the food, and the guys who ran the tour. The places we stayed, especially the Grand Anna Hotel, were outstanding. The breakfasts and food we ate on the way were what you would expect in Hungary: and since we were riding, we felt free to eat all we wanted. The tour operators were like friends or family; they couldn't do enough.
My wife fell ill on the fourth riding day - not sure why, but those things happen when you travel and eat and drink freely. The host who would normally transport the baggage took her and her bike to the last two hotels and also took her to a doctor and got her a priscription.
The biking might be too easy for someone more fit than I, but we were given good maps and could have explored all of the countryside we desired.
We flew to Budapest five days before the tour started and took the train to Veszprem. Budapest merits at least that much time, and getting the train is a piece of cake.
I don't make many good decisions, but taking this tour was one of my best- What was the date of your tour?
- June 4, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- Two and RAGBRAI
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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?
- Hungary
-
★★★★★ Patrick Fenton
Portugal bike trip
Castles and Wines of Portugal
It was a great trip. We loved learning about castles, marble, cork, wine and Portuguese food.
- What was the date of your tour?
- February 2024
- 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?
- Portugal
-
★★★★★ Patrick Fenton
Portugal bike trip
Castles and Wines of Portugal
It was a great trip. We loved learning about castles, marble, cork, wine and Portuguese food.
- What was the date of your tour?
- February 2024
- 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?
- Portugal
-
★★★★★ Peter Bachman
Fabulous trip
Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
There were eight of us on E bikes on a self guided trip. The bikes were great. The routing was excellent on small, mostly very low traffic roads. We rode about 30 miles a day and had plenty of time for sightseeing. We loved the food, wine and friendly people. The only downside was that we had several flat tires and the tool kits we were given were incomplete. So check them before you leave to make sure you have what you need. We would highly recommend this trip!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
-
★★★★★ Tim H
Dolomite trip
Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
Beautiful and well organized trip. Things were as explained and the navigation app was helpful. Hotels were very nice and pretty convenient to bike route. Would recommend and will!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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?
- Italy
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