Client Favorites  Bike Tour Reviews

  • Bolzano – Verona – Venice
    (5/5) bridget Harron 1 day ago

    Self-guided Northern Italy

    · Bolzano – Verona – Venice

    Great ride, E Bikes, 3 adults in their 70's and 80's.
    We had a wonderful self-guided ride about 220 miles on mostly- paved wide bike paths using the GPS tracks which we had previously downloaded and riding on our Girolibero bikes (which were in perfect shape). The travel guide emailed to us by Bike Tours was excellent, giving cultural information as well as the daily mileage requirement and tips on how to shorten our day using the local trains which we never found to be desired or necessary. The guide also included all the necessary vouchers for our hotels, ferry ride and free ice cream as well as travel info on getting to Bolzano. The ride itself was spectacularly beautiful, especially starting near the Dolomites and following the River Adige with mountains on the other side all the way down to Lake Garda.
    There was a detour programmed into our GPS tracks and also a surprise one which was not. We navigated that short detour pretty well for not speaking Italian thanks to the very helpful/understandable signage. We had selected three star hotels which we might change to four star for our next ride. The first three days the hotels and the breakfasts were top notch but after that got progressively more like 2 star hotels ending in Venice/Mestre where we were escorted to a refurbished garage behind the main hotel, not what we had hoped for on our last and only night in Italy. In terms of the bike route itself we found the 4 hour ferry ride on Lake Garda unfortunate as there is a bike path around the lake which we would have preferred. The ferry ride was totally fogged in so we could not enjoy the beautiful sights and there was no food or drink available on board -a long 4 hours to think about a glass of wine. On the whole, we loved the trip and would do it again- the mountains, the exercise, the cuisine, the history, the people. Getting to Bolzano when our flights landed in Venice was our biggest problem - we had trouble trying to decipher the train system. But then the Bolzano funicula ride and the adventure on the ridge line overlooking the city and the Dolomites in the distance made up for getting bogged down catching trains. Looking forward to our next self-guided E-bike adventure.

    What was the date of your tour?
    October 5-12, 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    me two, my family10+
    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
    Countries included in this tour?
    Italy
    •  (photo by bridget Harron)
    •  (photo by bridget Harron)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 2/5 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
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Algarve Coastal Route
    (5/5) Leslie Wiens 1 month ago

    Beautifully planned

    · Algarve Coastal Route

    We had a well planned route, with marked maps, written details, and GPS all to support us. The route ensured minimal interaction with vehicles. The accommodation were wonderful and the bag transport worked flawlessly. I will be booking more tours in the future!

    Countries included in this tour?
    Portugal
    •  (photo by Leslie Wiens)
  • Venice to Mantua
    (5/5) Maureen Langan 1 month ago

    Best Sister Trip EVER!!!!!

    · · Venice to Mantua by Bike and Boat (and reverse)

    Well for starters both our guides were amazing! I loved the knowledge both Mr & Mrs shared throughout the week! Very approachable guides, crew and captain! They sure had team down to an exact science!

    What was the date of your tour?
    October 10, 2024
    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
    •  (photo by Maureen Langan)
    •  (photo by Maureen Langan)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 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
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Castles and Wines of Portugal
    (5/5) David Hodgson 2 months ago

    Great scenery in Alentejo

    · Castles and Wines of Portugal

    Very nice self-guided tour of the Alentejo region. Very good hotels and itinerary, decent bikes, good support from the tour company. We went in October 2024 and it was a bit wet.

    What was the date of your tour?
    October 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    10
    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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Venice to Mantua
    (5/5) Kathleen Cook 2 months ago

    Wonderful Trip

    · · Venice to Mantua by Bike and Boat (and reverse)

    Everything was great: the guides, food, barge accommodations, crew, bike route, daily itinerary with interesting stops.

    What was the date of your tour?
    October 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    8
    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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Danube Four Countries
    (3/5) Linda Cooper 2 months ago

    Made the most of being stuck at the dock.

    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    An act of nature meant that the boat never left the dock. The company made a point to provide activities and bike routes for 7 days in Vienna. Bike Tours was non existent when it came to communicating the changing conditions before the tour started.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept. 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Biketours team October 21, 2024

      Hi Linda, we do sincerely appreciate your willingness to make the most of an unexpected situation. Unfortunately the Danube flooding was an unprecedented and historic event which inevitably left a chaotic situation for all involved. I do apologize that Biketours team could not update you. With the dynamic situation we relied on the on board crew who had the best ability to give you the most up to date and pertinent information. I hope despite the frustrations you were able to bring home fond memories of your time in Austria.

    • 3/5 Value
    • 2/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • Bolzano – Verona – Venice
    (4/5) William Loewe 2 months ago

    Italian jaunt

    · Bolzano – Verona – Venice

    Great way to see northern Italy. Accommodations were fine, except for the last, where the room was difficult to access and the bathroom downright dangerous. Disappointing end to an otherwise lovely ride.

    What was the date of your tour?
    October 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
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac October 17, 2024

      Hi William, thank you for your feedback! We're glad you enjoyed the trip overall and apologize for the issues with the final accommodation. Your safety and comfort are our top priorities, and we'll be addressing the issue with the room and bathroom access to ensure future guests have a better experience.

    • 4/5 Value
    • 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
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Danube Four Countries
    (5/5) Sean Thomson 2 months ago

    Amazing trip, wonderful memories

    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    Overall the trip was excellent. We enjoyed the rides, the beautiful countryside, City tours and company of our fellow passengers. The boat and rooms were clean, the service was great and the food was delicious. The bikes worked great and the seats were very comfortable.

    Communication could have been better. For example on the first day the boat couldn't make it into Passau so we showed up at the dock to busses with no notification. There were major floods about 10 days before our cruise and it would have been nice to get a general acknowledgement of the situation prior to the trip.

    We felt fairly rushed on the bikes especially on the first day through the Danube Bend and from Vác to Esztergom. Even another hour could have made the trip more relaxed. The later route still had lots of mud and took a lot longer than expected.

    The trip was comfortable and well organized. We plan to do another trip in the future.

    What was the date of your tour?
    October 2024
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
    •  (photo by Sean Thomson)
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac October 16, 2024

      Hi Sean - thank you for your thoughtful feedback! We appreciate your suggestions regarding communication and pacing, and we’ll work on improving those aspects for future trips. Thank you for sharing, and we hope to welcome you aboard again!

    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Thomas Rossington 2 months ago

    A Sometimes Rugged Ride

    · Algarve Coastal Route

    Perfect organization for hotel pickup, delivering us to the start point, bike setup, luggage transportation, return to hotel at the finish, and transportation to the train station the next day.
    We found some parts of the route in more rural areas were rough trails with hills too steep to climb on regular bikes. Too bad there isn’t a developed network of bike paths along the coast. Saw lots of wonderful scenery, though, and happened upon som great coffee and lunch stops. We did have a couple of times where we had trouble following the Garmins.

    Countries included in this tour?
    Portugal
  • Cycling in Western Spain
    (5/5) John Saunders 2 months ago

    Great way to see unique part of Spain

    · Cycling Spain’s Land of the Conquistadors

    Bike delivery from Augustine was perfect, Paradors were great, typical Spanish breakfast was plentiful, map details were accurate, routes were all on roads which were for the most part low traffic but most all had an adequate shoulder. The local operator was very helpful to get us transported to the next Parador on a rainy day. Some moderate climbs, so some cycling experience would be advised. We did it at the beginning of October so cooler nights and warm days but not hot.

    Countries included in this tour?
    Spain
  • Mosel Bike Path
    (5/5) Helen Seton 2 months ago

    What a great bike ride

    · Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz

    We really had a splendid tour. The hotels were comfortable and the trail well marked. The scenery and historic villages were beautiful.

    Countries included in this tour?
    Germany
  • Danube Bike Path
    (2/5) Shirley Santucci 2 months ago

    Disappointed

    · Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)

    Total lack of communication in not informing us that our biking would end 2 days early, which meant missing out biking through the Wachau valley . When I contacted Bike Tours that my husband was ill and could not make the trip. I should have been informed then that there were changes to the scheduled tour. The welcome meeting & bike fitting was a joke. There was absolutely no value in that 15 minute meeting. I had to adjust the handle bars myself and struggle through removing the battery for charging at the 1st two hotels that did not offer charging in the bike storage area. The electric bike itself was very good quality and comfortable to ride. The printed trip itinerary was easy to follow but did not offer much in the way of "do not miss" highlights along the way. In my opinion, only three of the hotels were worth the upscale category. I would not recommend this bike tour for anyone that has experienced quality bike tours previously.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 26 to October 3
    How many tours have you completed?
    three
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany
    • 2/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 2/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 1/5 Local tour company services
    • 2/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Tammy Noteboom 2 months ago

    Best trip ever!

    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    I loved everything about our bike and boat tour down the Danube. The e-bikes were high quality and well-maintained and the ship and the pampering they gave us after our days biking was fabulous. Everything on board was perfect. We loved our waiter, Ayup, and our cruise director, Leslie. And the biking—it was so incredible. The entire trip exceeded our wildest expectations. We are already planning our next one!

    What was the date of your tour?
    September/October 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    First one
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
    • Biking through Austria’s wine country (photo by Tammy Noteboom)
    • So much beauty (photo by Tammy Noteboom)
    • 70s and 80s night on board the Vivienne (photo by Tammy Noteboom)
    • Stopping for our delicious sack lunch. (photo by Tammy Noteboom)
    • Loving the celebration of our 49th wedding anniversary (photo by Tammy Noteboom)
    • More beautiful countryside. (photo by Tammy Noteboom)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) James Ruzevick 2 months ago

    A nice tour but a few hiccups along the way

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    On the first day of the tour, our bags were not delivered by the 6:00 pm promised time. I called the emergency number and found out that they never were picked up from our departure hotel. The fault was with the Hotel Halm who said that we had never checked in the evening before. Our bags arrived at about 8:00pm but it kind of ruined a nice evening that I spent waiting in the lobby instead of enjoying a pleasant dinner. On the 3rd day just as we started our ride my wife had a flat rear tire on her e-bike. Our instructions stated to not attempt to change an e-bike rear tire. It was a Sunday and the bike shop in town was closed. I asked to have another bike delivered but was told that it was not possible. We were told to take a train to the next town where a replacement bike was to be delivered by 0900 the following day. The replacement bike arrived at about 10:45. The rest of the trip went according to plan. The weather on the 3rd day was really beautiful, so I regret that we were not able to ride on that day.

    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
  • (4/5) Amy Lynch 2 months ago

    It was very nice but flooding kept us from boating on the Danube.

    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    Vienna Austria was amazing. It’s a beautiful and friendly city. We saw many of the sights and enjoyed it so much.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    Two
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Provence by Bike and Boat
    (4/5) Ron Walker 2 months ago

    Highly Recommended Itinerary

    · · Provence by Bike and Boat

    This was a great trip and I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5 only because I wasn't crazy about our boat, the Caprice. The dining area is just way too cramped when the boat is fully booked. From what I saw of the L'Estello, which does the same route, it might be a better choice. Otherwise, it was great. We did a ride out of Amsterdam earlier this year, and riding around Provence is about 100x more interesting than riding Friesland. I'd highly recommend that area to everyone. Specific to the local operator, the e-bikes were excellent, loved our guide, food was terrific and the team was very focused on providing a great experience for the guests.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    7
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    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?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 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)