Bike & Hotel Tour Reviews page 96
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and H…
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- England
- Estonia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Holland
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Scotland
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United States
- Vietnam
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★★★★★ Joshua Gordon
Beautiful trip, friendly tour company.
Split to Dubrovnik: The Islands and Coastline of Croatia
Such a beautiful and well-organized trip. The provider met us at our hotel, gave us an extensive overview, fitted us to our bikes, and sent us on our way. He was exceptionally friendly and helpful, and really took his time making sure we had all the information we needed. The bikes were in excellent condition, and included helmets, repair kits, pumps, and small rack-top bike bags. The routes were all on RideWithGPS and had excellent details, including sites of interest and restaurant recommendations. There were no serious glitches and the provider was very quick to respond to my questions via text along the way. A few pointers: first, though the distances are short, there are a number of significant hills. We did fine on our regular bikes but if you are unsure whether to get an eBike, consider those hills. Second, the boat transfer includes a private speedboat -- our ride was very bumpy because of the wind, not for the faint of heart. The hotels were wonderful and the food, wine, olive oil, and sightseeing were fantastic!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Wendy Geiger
Lovely Tour of South Holland and Bruges
Amsterdam to Bruges: Cycling through South Holland and Zeeland
This was my first supported bike travel vacation and it was lovely. Although the GPS stopped working on day 4, we were able to use the previously downloaded Maps on Ride with GPS. Luckily I brought my phone holder so it was convenient. There were some routes that were a bit more complex than necessary with the route going off on a tangent and then coming back to the original roadway- most likely to provide more scenic byways or to add mileage. We were often able to stop along the way at a cafe to have a drink or dessert or even lunch. I recommend using the ebikes for Holland due to the wind. We had great weather in early/mid- May but missed the blooming tulips. Next time we'll go in April to see the tulips (although the weather might offer more rain). We had beautiful weather with sun and 70 degree days (one into the 80s) with only 1-1/2 days with rain. Loved that someone took our bags on to the hotels for us and the charming B&Bs were luxury. Loved, loved, loved the last B&B (De Zomere) in Bruges. It was quite unique and my sister and her hubby were jealous of the accommodations as they were placed in the non-descript Martin's hotel along with half of Bruges' tourists! I would recommend for future bike tours that you list bringing along some anti-chafing "butter" for your derriere. The upright position of the bikes is a different sensation for those of us used to Road bikes and it made for a few uncomfortable days in the saddle. Overall, a wonderful way to spend part of a vacation.
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★★★★★ Christopher McAdam
A great ride!!!
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
We loved all aspects of the ride. It was great to span 3 different countries. We were glad that we chose the 23 days in Bled, we had a fantastic free day there.
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★★★★★ Sam Roozendaal
Beatiful Views
Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
Great way to see the Dolomites and Northern Italy. Majority of the ride was on paths, so low stress. There is more climbing than indicated in the description so be prepared. The rental bikes are 21 speed vintage 1990's so heavy and not geared well for the climbs.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ LINDA LYNCH
Surpassed all expectations
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Though we "trained" for this trip, (this trip is rolling hills and a relatively level course), there are several long ride days. And in truth, we are more tourists than competitive bikers, so wanted to sightsee the villages, which are rich in history and architecture. So, we connected with Caroline and Natasha at the BikeTours bike partner and were very fortunate to switch to ebikes midway. Truly suggest this option to begin with, as it made the journey more pleasant and our time well spent learning about UNESCO sites, ancient Churches and the area surrounding Lake Constanze. Simply, all the hotels were superior, they provided peaceful settings, clean accommodations and tremendous breakfasts, though Alte Post front desk and breakfast staff and St. Leonard Park Hotel were true overachievers. The Hotel front desk staff in all were great and answered our many questions. At present, we are reading about and studying countries for our next trip with Bike Tours!
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Christopher Schafer
Wonderful cycle ride through 3 lovely countries
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
This was a great first bike tour. It's mostly flat and off road on paved bike trails without cars. I felt safe the entire time. Although I was a solo traveller, I met other cyclists that were on the same tour and staying at the same hotels as me which made my solo cycling tour all the more enjoyable. I highly recommend it.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- My first bike tour
- 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?
- Italy, Slovenia, Austria
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★★★★★ Joshua Klein
Best way to see the region
A Taste of Italy: Emilia-Romagna
This trip was amazing and everything we hoped it would be. The bikes and the hotels were great and everything was very smooth. Having the loop days being optional was great as we were able to choose to explore the different cities those days when we needed a day off from riding.
We did the optional dinner package and while the food was good the restaurants themselves seemed a bit confused and unprepared, if we were to change one thing we did it would be to not include that and just find dinner ourselves.
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ klaus albrecht
Trip of our 35th weding anniversary
Burgundy Wine Trails: Beaune to Macon on the “Voie Verte”
Excellent trip. Fine hotels. Good bicycles. Food and wine are marvelous. Great
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Julie Lee
More than I expected!
Sweden’s West Coast: Helsingborg to Gothenburg
To my surprise we rode along this gorgeous path along the Baltic Sea with full sun and blue skies in May 2024 for an epic Swedish adventure. The hotels were comfortable and centrally located with sumptuous breakfast butfets. Luggage transfer was smoothe. The GPS app was very helpful to keep us on the right path. The recommended stops for fika and sightseeing were excellent. All communications from Biketours was clear and detailed.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Sweden
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★★★★★ Kenneth Gresham
Beautiful trip
Split to Dubrovnik: The Islands and Coastline of Croatia
Croatia is absolutely beautiful, and what better way to explore by bike. Our guide was fully prepared, and gave us a history of the areas we were going to ride. The only hiccup we had was finding the first ferry to board, but we asked the locals and they pointed us in the right direction. Beautiful trip; I specifically loved Hvar Town. The hotel we stayed in was incredible and the view of the sea from our room was stunning.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Robin Jones
What a beautiful trip!
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Seeing the Dolomites was always something I had wanted to experience. Starting the trip in Dobbiacco Toblach allowed us to be close up and witness the beauty of this mountain range. The couple who provided us with our bikes the first day suggested riding to Cortina since the weather was perfectly sunny that day. We rode and were able to see the 3 Sisters and it was amazing! The first day of the trip which allowed us to see the Dolomites was sunny and warm despite earlier weather reports calling for rain. It could not have been a more perfect day for a ride.
We had rain for most of the following days but because it was the beginning day of the season we didn't go in expecting sunshine the entire time. Someone once told me, there are no bad days only bad gear. We had come prepared and did not regret it. Each village we stayed in was nice and the people we came in contact with were friendly and accommodating. The hotels, although many were quite simple, were comfortable and clean. The food in all establishments was good and exactly what we needed. We opted for e-bikes because of the hilly terrain and felt the bikes provided were good quality.
All in all, even in the rain it was a wonderful trip that was well planned out. We did not use the route maps the tour company provided rather we built our own in Strava. However, the people on the same tour who were using the app seemed quite happy. I'm so happy we chose this tour and look forward to many more.
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★★★★★ Brenda Teal
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
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★★★★★ Jennifer K.
Awesome trip
Danube River and Black Sea
This was an awesome trip. Was my first biking adventure. The owner/guide was very attentive and very well educated on the history of Bulgaria and sights. Definitely recommend an e-bike unless you have bike experience uphill. Everything was planned out from the daily route to hotels and meals. I felt we had a great balance between the time biking and sight seeing. The hotels were very nice accommodations. Weather was perfect for our May 2024 trip. Highly recommend this company.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1st bike tour
- 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?
- Bulgaria, Romania
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★★★★★ Stephanie H
Such a beautiful country!
UNESCO Sites of Albania
We had wonderful support from our guide and our driver. The food was delicious and it was a treat to experience the amazing terrain and sights. The hills could be strenuous at times and the diesel fumes unpleasant.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ LINDA LYNCH
Stunning Lake, country and villages
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Our first bike tour introduced many picturesque villages, as well as kind hotel staff. The hotels were nicely spaced along Lake Constanze with great breakfasts each morning. First moment, I recognized the absolute quiet of our peaceful settings. The villages and country were not just charming, they were calming and quiet. Day 4 we switched to Ebikes, as they allowed us to visit more of the Historic and UNESCO sites along the route and facilitating the hills. Suggest better cell phone research, as our "just change to new sim card" did not go to plan. It is 3 different countries, so 3 sim cards by the number of phones... Alte Post in Constanze front desk manager was amazing in her ability to answer our many questions, as well as Nadia at the bike company.
- 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, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Mary-lou Huculak
Amazing scenery.
Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
The fresh air and mountain peaks are spectacular. I would recommend upgrading the bike rental as the basic trekking bike were not efficient for the terrain of this route.
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Joanne Hamilton
An Amazing Experience
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We did the self-guided tour around Lake Konstanz. It was a wonderful trip. Right from the moment we got to Constance, we were impressed the attention to the details that made our trip very enjoyable. Tour operator was such a great bike rental company. They also had a very impressive book with maps and hotels that was detailed just for us. So it had all the updated info on our trip. We loved our bikes. They ran very smoothly. They were quite heavy..... and the only time that was a challenge was a couple of times when we stopped to walk our bikes up a hill. We rode through two days of rain and the paniers and map pouches stayed dry. The hotels were so, so nice. We stayed in 5 different hotels and 4 out of the 5 were, for us.... 5 star! The breakfast at each hotel was complimentary and all very tasty, extensive buffets, so we could fuel up for the day ahead. We found so many cute places to stop along the way for snacks and drinks and little breaks.
The one thing I would encourage bikers to do, is to figure out your GPS/data service for the road. There were a few times we lost the trail and our GPS's failed us because our data wasn't working. Gratefully people like to help out and we found some people who spoke English. By the third day we really had the GPS thing figured out. I will say that the company did give us EXCELLENT maps! So that too helped us find our way.
We had three days of sun, two days of rain, and one day of threatening rain (but did not rain). It was all great! We really felt like it was all part of the adventure. We cycled 30-60 km a day. Gratefully, the one day we were SOAKED and all our clothes and shoes were soaked, our hotel had radiators that worked and a towel warmer so we were able to dry out clothes. Another hotel had a towel dryer and radiator that did not work, so we would have really been challenged to dry out. All in all it was a great trip and we totally plan on using BikeTours.com again!- What was the date of your tour?
- May 19-24, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Kathleen Rush
Excellent trip
UNESCO Sites of Albania
The tour was very well organized by our local guide and his family. Our hotel and food stops were planned ahead of time and everything was ready as soon as we arrived; we didn't have to wait to eat or to get a shower! Food was plentiful and varied and our accommodations were very comfortable. The cycling part was a bit more challenging than expected but our group worked well together as half were on regular hybrid bikes and half on ebikes. Temperatures were perfect, if not a bit warm, for mid May. I definitely recommend the guided over self-guided for this trip as parts were remote and not a lot of services during the day.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5 or 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Ildiko Mikos
Picture Perfect
Florence to Rome: Bike through the Heart of Italy
Fabulous ride through the heart of Italy. Rotalis went above and beyond to make the trip comfortable and fun. Snacks and daily lunch picnics were exceptional and a highlight for me. Our group consisted of 12 Germans and 3 Americans, so the guides needed to translate all into both languages. Sometimes that was a bit tedious. Dinners were above average, but I wish we had more opportunities in the cities to select our own restaurants and menu options. This would enable more free time, as well. The hotels were all great, except those in Rieti and Rome. But overall loved the trip and would highly recommend it.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Om Apte
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.
