Client Favorites Bike Tour Reviews (page 27)
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★★★★★ Gretchen Jones August 8, 2022Stunning trip through the coast of Ireland
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
This was my fourth bicycle trip in Europe and was one of my favorites. We used ebikes which made the entire trip enjoyable and manageable (altogether, we rode about 130 miles and had just under 10K feet of climb). Scenery was unsurpassed. Just stunning. Area is very remote. Accommodations were fine but nothing special (except the beginning/ending B&B). We did self guided and directions/Garmin were impeccable. Just a great way to see Ireland
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9+
- 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?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Anne Stanek August 31, 2022
Gorgeous views most of the time!
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
We had a wonderful trip. Seamus was a super introduction to Donegal -such a friendly person who gave us a clear and detailed introduction to the bikes and the trip. The map and instructions were clear. Our bikes were comfortable and worked well - although the hills were intense and constant. I have done six previous bike trips with a standard bike but I would have opted for an E bike on this one had I known how difficult the hills were going to be! One of our group of four did opt for an E bike and she was very happy she did so! The routes were quiet and mostly on back country and farm roads. There always seemed to be beautiful or serene views. There were several very interesting side trips. The accommodations were very comfortable. The breakfasts were great. The pubs and music were such fun. And everyone we met was friendly and sunny (the Irish people are "always sunny on the inside despite the weather," so someone said and it seems to be true!). It did rain a lot - but it was always a gentle and warm rain. With rain gear it was quite manageable. I would highly recommend this trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- Six others
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Nancy Tiernan August 31, 2022
Beautiful, friendly country
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
Ireland is a lush and gorgeous country, and Donegal especially so. This trip is well planned to maximize the scenic and minimize time on busy roads. Our local coordinator, Seamus, was responsive to our needs along the way, quickly showing up to make what would be a critical bike adjustment for the day’s ride.
Our self-guided group of four senior citizens - very FIT senior citizens! - had 3 hybrid bikes and one e-bike. Although the distances were shorter per day than we did on the Slovenia bike trip three years ago, there were lots more hills in Donegal. I was VERY glad to have the e-bike, and my mighty mates envied me…- What was the date of your tour?
- August 22-29
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- 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?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Stu Davidson September 13, 2022
Time to enjoy Ireland!
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
We opted for a customer 12 day option, with an extra day (well, a 13 day option?). The extra day was special for 2022 - with stories of airlines canceling flights. We wanted to be sure we arrived in time for our tour!
Ireland by Bike (the tour operator) delivered our bikes a day earlier, effectively extending our tour, and provided an extra route! I thought that was a very thoughtful surprise. We found that Ireland has lots or wonderful, thoughtful, friendly people, which made our tour enjoyable and low stress.
I rode a hybrid bike and certainly noticed the tour routes were not flat; my wife had an ebike and climbed hills faster than I did. We both loved the varied terrain. Doing the tour self-guided let us set our own pace with no pressure.- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Carol 7 months ago
2nd Ireland west coast tour - love this country
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
Really enjoyed this tour and Ireland by Bike does a great job of providing clear maps and detail on each leg of the journey to explore. The county is beautiful with an amazing variety of landscapes from cliffs to valleys to amazing remote beaches. Hotels and their proprietors were all terrific, made if especially nice to stay extra nights in some.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Frankie April 26, 2016
Great trip
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
The trip was a lot of fun and our guide was the best
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Marc October 30, 2016Very pleasant trip in Italy
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
I had a very great time in this tour, done in solo, in october. The scenery is fabulous, the mountains are wonderful, the roads and paths quiet and well paved. This is an almost always flat itinerary and the two days with an uphill section, there is an alternate route. I'm not used to slope, but I choose the hilly route and there were my favorite days of the trip. The effort was very worth it. Verye great trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- october 8, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Ken1126 June 8, 2017
Bolzano to Venice
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
Overall the trip was very nice and I plan to use Bike Tours again soon. We arrived Bolzano via train from Munich and the scenery through the Austrian Alps was fantastic. Our first hotel is Bolzano, Hotel Scala, was very nice and we enjoyed the extra night we had booked, including a tram ride. We were a little surprised to have almost 30 people in our tour orientation. With so many people, there was little time for one on one instruction on the equipment and it was a struggle to get questions answered. The bikes, one e bike and one hybrid, were in great condition and were pleasant to ride. We were fortunate to have the tool kit which included a spare tube because on our last day the e bike had a flat in the back. The e bike had an extra (gear??) cable in the back we were not familiar with but managed to figure it out. It would be nice if the bikes had shocks to absorb the rough surfaces but I'm sure there is a reason they don't.
Our second hotel, in Trento, was not as nice as Bolzano and had no air conditioning. Since it was hot and humid the entire trip, ac turned out to be a big issue for us. Some hotels had it but it was not very effective or efficient. The next trip we book will include the upgraded hotel package.
Navigation into and out of the cities proved to be our biggest challenge. Following the arrows was great until you missed one and it required constant vigilance. Trying to follow the road book instructions was difficult, the mileage references never seemed to matched and street names were hard to find. I also found that often it would have been easier to join the route directly from our hotel rather than getting to a central starting point indicated in the road book.
We booked an extra night in Mestre and were glad we did. The Hotel Venezia Mestre had great ac, several English language tv stations, and great location to catch the bus to Venice and airport (VCE-Marco Polo).
Overall a great trip and looking forward to our next one.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 27, 2017
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ pkbiking July 24, 2017
The Best Way to Get to Venice!
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
Each town we visited was unique. Bolzano had a very Austrian feel and Venice was magical. Glad that we chose the 4-star hotels because they were beautiful and roomy and worth the extra money! The self-guided tour allowed us the flexibility to seek out really cool local restaurants and go at our own pace. It was the trip of a lifetime and the recommendations and help from Matt and the staff at BikeTours was excellent.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- several
- 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
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★★★★★ raystrach July 31, 2017
Interesting Culture Great Scenery
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
We decided to do two week long bike tours in succession with this trip coming immediately after the previous tour finish in Lecce.
We caught an overnight train from Lecce to Bolzano which worked out quite well initially. The only problem was that our last couple of days were were getting a bit sick of moving in and out every day. We probably should have given ourselves a little more time in between trips.
The tour itself was fantastic, with the main surprise being the cultural differences between the south and north. The germanic influences were much stronger that i had expected. Also, being in the foothills of the dolomites, obviously means different architecture and traditions. This was all good.
The cycling itself was generally very easy and for the first few days followed a dedicated cycle way. There is plenty of time to take detours into the villages off the main track and still arrive at the next destination in plenty of time.
Although the tour was very well organised, the tour directions were quite poor in comparison to other tours we had taken, however because the trail itself is quite well marked, it is probably better to follow your nose and the o site directions rather than using the detailed guide book. (there have obviously been recent changes to the tour route itself)
if your are wanting a taste of the high italian mountains without having to climb any, this would be an ideal trip. there is a lot of spectacular scenery along the valley road and across lake garda before changing to a more typical italian countryside for the final couple of days towards venice.
just a note on the approach into vincenza, my wife decided that she did not want to take the hillier route (there is a choice) but then when she discovered we were staying at the hotel at the top of a big hill, she regretted it. Take the hillier route into vincenza.
for us, the apuglia tour was probably slightly better tour, but we have absolutely no regrets in doing this one as well.
- What was the date of your tour?
- late april 2016
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Cousin September 5, 2018
Loved it
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
This was such a great way to see the country. We loved the whole experience.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 11 to July 18
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was my first
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Biabattistella October 1, 2018
Great view, food, biking
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
The view was fantastic, especially Dolomitas. The tour was easy, but very nice.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 9th
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ nippy1 July 8, 2019
One of our favorit family trips!
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
This ws one of our favorite trips ever! It was our first really active trip with our kids (11 and 13). Up to this point our travel has been mostly cities, museums, tours, and short hikes. It was more difficult than we thought it would be mainly because the kids go slower than if it were just adults so each day had around two additional hours due to more frequent breaks. That said, we felt so accomplished at the end of each day, it was a wonderful confidence boosts for our kids. And it was very bike friendly -- only one day was on heavily traveled roads otherwise it was quite a few bike trails and backroads. And the scenery is stunning. We got a little lost in some of the cities, but it was part of the adventure. Instructions and equipment were top notch and we always felt well cared for. Fabulous adventure -- we highly recommend it!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 15, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Rach October 15, 2019
Beautiful Italian countryside
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
What a wonderful way to travel and see a country! This trip was wonderful! The weather was amazing (cool mornings and nice breezes mostly) we had one day of light rain, which some of the group opted to ride in it and some took the train to the next stop. Our group of 20 had two guides, Alain and Diego. These guys were so friendly, helpful, fun-loving, and personable. The riding each day was a little harder than I was prepared for, but it was worth all the effort. I would give it a higher difficulty level than 2- I would rate it a 3 as there are a couple of days with some longer hill climbs. Make sure you train on some hills...or get an e-bike to make it easier and enjoyable. Our group had fun together! My travel buddy and I loved meeting everyone in our group. I would love to do this kind of travel more often. I highly recommend this tour!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept-Oct
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Kari Abrahamson August 7, 2022
Amazing trip for the whole family.
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
Excellent route. Family friendly. Good accomodations. Very happy we went with BikeTours again for yet another amazing family vacation.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- Three
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Vijay DSouza September 19, 2022
Very fun
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
Trip was well organized and very scenic. Would recommend. Lodging was generally very nice. First couple days were most scenic. A lot of gravel and dirt surfaces which I’m not used to but was fine on hybrid bikes.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Michel 10 months ago
Six days of great cycling!
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
Beautifull scenery. Well organized despite my last minute booking. Most helpfull staff.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- Six
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Kathleen Ball 8 months ago
Wonderful way to experience Italy!
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
Some days were harder than others but the views were grand. Hotels were charming and will choose to upgrade the hotels for our next trip. Looking forward to scheduling our next bike trip!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- 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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★★★★★ Laura Peck 8 months ago
One of the best vacations I have ever taken
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
We did the self-guided, and loved it, the maps were fantastic, only got a little lost a few times, someone has done a lot of work on getting the logistics of this week nailed down very well, including luggage being moved. Great way to see parts of Italy no one else sees. Some of the hotels were AMAZING, a couple were a little run-down and needed to be crossed off the list, got locked out of one and ended up having to get another hotel (at our own expense, and without all of our luggage as it was in the original) that night because the front desk clerk went home at 10 pm (this was also one of the run-down places). Breakfasts were perfect at all locations. Route was gorgeous, Italy is absolutely beautiful. Overall, this was great and we are already talking about our next one.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 20 - 27, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ mountain broad December 9, 2015Perfect Pleasure Times Two
· · Venice to Mantua by Bike and Boat (and reverse)
This was such a wonderful trip when my husband and I experienced it the first time for our thirtieth wedding anniversary, we took it again, in the opposite direction, two years later!
The small towns we traveled through were charming and welcoming. We saw places that were unique and off-the-beaten path of the general tourist. Chioggia, Ferrara, Zelo: they each kept beckoning us back.
Then, too, the Vita Pugna was any thing but "hard life". The staff treated us like treasured family members. The fed us local cuisine that was fresh, creative, and oh, so satisfying. They were enthusiastic and welcoming every day of the journey. Our bicycling guides, on each trip, revealed history, culture, and sites, that only the well-informed local would usually enjoy.My husband and I have traveled on five bike trips with biketours.com, and we have plans of cycling again to an, as yet, undiscovered destination. The company makes our travel dreams affordable, successful, and worth repeating.
These memories are golden!
- How many tours have you completed?
- six
- 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
