Bike Tour Reviews  Bolzano – Verona – Venice (page 2)

  • Bolzano – Verona – Venice
    (4/5) Jackie21 October 13, 2019

    Very Memorable

    Amazing way to see parts of Italy you couldn’t see any other way. I loved our guides and the fun places we stopped along the way, however, the biking was much harder and faster than expected. I was expecting to be able to stop and take pictures any time I saw something picture worthy, but that was not the case. I realized the first day that I was not as prepared as I should’ve been. We had a very large group and people of all skill levels and even though I bike regularly I was not prepared for all peddling and no coasting. I also found the bike trails to be very crowded and nerve wracking with racing cyclist both coming and going. I expected a relaxing daily 40miles and it was in fact rather stressful biking. We had an amazing group from all over the world and that really made the experience fun. Our guides, Alain and Diego, were very personable and fun. I would do it again, but I would get an E-bike for the hills.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    This was my first
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • Photo 1 (photo by Jackie21)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 3/5 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
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (4/5) Catherine Hicks June 27, 2024

    Italian cycling

    the trip was very well organised and the hotel were very good. and meat lots of nice people doing the same trip. The routs were good but only having the on GPS I think we should have had a map as well as when the road was closed and no diversion in place it was difficult to get back on track. The transfer back to Bolzano was very good and again well organised. The 1st night our luggage did not turn up until 18.35 and that was after a phone call from me .The only part of the trip that we did not like was the 5 hour boat trip backwards and forwards across Lake Garda this was very long and we did not get to the hotel until 20.45. you could do a bike transfer along Garda or miss it out all together and go direct to Verona.

    What was the date of your tour?
    june 24
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 1/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) MacS July 24, 2019

    Wonderful vistas

    What was the date of your tour?
    7/6- 7/13
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 4/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (4/5) Dan1 September 19, 2018

    With the Dolomites as your splendid background, ride through ancient towns until you reach the unique watery world of Venice.

    Highly recommend getting to Bolzano early so you have time to spend a day visiting the Italian Alps. The Dolomite Highway is awe-inspiring.

    The bike trails were great. Mostly paved, and when they weren't, the majority were well packed. The tour route goes through picturesque countryside. The daily destinations are beautiful and historical.

    The tour includes a 5+ hour ferry ride on Lake Garda. It is a gorgeous ride with the ferry zigzagging down the 35 mile length of the lake. Feels like you are in a National Geographic special. A couple of other recommended "must do's" - visit the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova and take in an opera at the Roman Arena in Verona.

    Girolibero was our tour company. They provide great tour book of entire area and towns on route. However, they give it to you (along with bikes) the morning that the tour starts which allows little or no time to really utilize the great information. It would be much better if they provided a month earlier so you have time to research in advance. Should also provide bikes the prior evening so you can get up and leave earlier in the morning.

    Some of the directions along the route could have been marked better. We followed other tour companies' markers more often because Girolibero's were fewer and far between. The bikes were excellent. In great shape and mechanically solid with smooth shifting.

    We paid for the upgraded hotels. However, a few of them were in sketchy areas; like near train stations.

    I don't mean to sound negative. Overall, it was a great trip and very glad we did it. Only offering suggestions to make the tour even better for future riders.

    What was the date of your tour?
    August 26-31
    How many tours have you completed?
    Two
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Boris August 10, 2016

    Great trip

    It was a part of my overall trip to Italy and definitely was a highlight. The only thing I would have done differently is to do a little more research in advance myself. There are so many things to see along the way one simply cannot get them all. So I could have been more selective and that would have give me more time at the sights that more interesting to me. For example, I was interested in a little wine testing and there were opportunities along the way, but because I found out about them just a bit too late, I had no time to stop.

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 25 - Aug 2
    How many tours have you completed?
    First with this company
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 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
  • (4/5) Yeenie September 27, 2016

    Bolzano to Mestre, Italy bike trip

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 11th -- 17th, 2016
    How many tours have you completed?
    Nine
    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
    • 3/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) MelT October 17, 2019

    25th Anniversary Trip

    A great way to see the beautiful smaller towns of Italy that you would normally drive right by!

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 9, 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • Cycling into Lake Garda (photo by MelT)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (3/5) US cyclist July 31, 2019

    Difficult to navigate

    I chose this tour because I was finishing up a week of hiking in the Dolomites in Balzano, and though that riding a bike back to Venice to catch my plane would be more interesting than taking the train. I saw that there were several reviewers who noted that they had difficulty navigating but thought, "I can just check Google Maps if I have a problem. How bad could it be?"
    Well, it was bad. I found the step by step directions to be indecipherable. The maps made it look easy, but there was not enough detail to actually use them to follow the route. Google maps did not pick up the bike paths, so could not provide a cycling route. I spent a significant part of each day lost and frustrated, in addition to inadvertently ending up on roads with heavy traffic and adding extra miles to the trip. Towards the end of the week I discovered that there were several people from Belgium who were riding the same route I was, but had booked directly with the tour company rather than going through a third party. They were emailed the routes in digital format, and were able to download them to their Garmin. This was not offered to me.
    The area is beautiful, bike paths nice, and local folks very friendly and helpful.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Ended July 28, 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    20+
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (3/5) Raff September 29, 2017

    Wonderful itinerary, average biking

    Great towns, but not enough time to see them. The biking scenery was ok. Really poor cue sheets in English.

    What was the date of your tour?
    9-16-17-8-22-17
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 2/5 Route selection