Cycling The West Balkan Triangle Bike Tour Reviews page 2
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★★★★★ Jim n Anne
Breathtaking Scenery
The views on this trip are amazing! True, there are a few climbs, but the views and the downhills more than make up for them. Our guide Mario was attentive, capable, enjoyable, responsive. We enjoyed the fresh, seasonal, healthy meals, and the accommodations were first rate! The rental bikes were comfortable and well suited to the road conditions. It was fascinating to experience the different countries and cultures in such a compact space; so different from the U.S. The only improvement I would recommend would be for printed maps or cue sheets to follow, even though we had a guide. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone with an interest in beautiful scenery, complex history and cultures, and a fun bike tour!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- Several dozen
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ matis
- What was the date of your tour?
- 15.09 -22.09.2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- Three if I include this one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ olistef
Top quality tour with top quality guides.
Our guide, Mario, was great. He is a kind man and knows lot about the routes and the history. Dinko drove our luggage and gave us lunch in welcomed shadows, knew so much about the land and history.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 16-21 september
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Björg
If not on the bucket list - put it there
The tour was amazing, the diverseness of the route was a pleasure experience every day. Beautiful landscape, uphill’s and downhills, flat surface, cent of herbs, harvest time – a feast for all senses. Some of the routes were more difficult than other and to conquer it was a victory, after a hill is a downhill that makes it all worth it. Mario and Dinko are the perfect and flawless guides, always a pleasure to have them around with such a good presence and very well informed and willing to share their knowledge about thousands of questions they got from the group. I give this tour my best recommendation.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 16th of Sept to 22nd of Sept
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Rósa
Amazing Experience!
Our tour was just amazing and each day was like a new adventure. The cycling routes were diverse through beautiful landscape. Uphill’s and downhills, sometime difficult but always very enjoyable. Our guide Mario and Dinko were great and played a huge part in making this trip so incredible. I can highly recommend this tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Melani
Most epic trip!!
This vacation/bike tour was one for the books! We wouldn’t change a thing and would like to take the tour again. The 6 day bike ride was no easy feat but it was manageable (especially with 2 14-year old boys). Our bike guide, Igor was very knowledgeable of the history and sights/cities we visited. Mario was an amazing SAG driver and prepared quite a lovely daily lunch spread!! Loved all the rest stops and hotels we stayed at. Can’t wait to take another tour with BikeTours!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 27 - July 4, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Joseph Bohonos
Balkans Introduction
This trip was our introduction to supported touring. The cost was reasonable, hotels were charming, the guides were top notch. There were some areas that were not bike friendly---our guide did a remarkable job keeping us safe. The rented bicycles were high quality--no worries there. May/June, September/October are the times to go, summer is too hot.
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★★★★★ Roxana Miranda
Amazing 3 country bike tour
The routes were great and the scenery first class; a fabulous way to explore those areas that are not that touristy and interior roads with absolutely no cars though Montenegro is a different story; recommend e-bike to stop and enjoy your surroundings because some of the days were very challenging for regular bikes including for some fit bike riders, most specially in the hot sun; the company can do much better on lunch options which were absolutely not good for the rides; the hotels were very good, some of them real gems; felt very good exploring Bosnia and cute little villages close to Dubrovnik; Montenegro coast is paradise.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 9, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Suzy Clapp
Fabulous trip cycling in Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro.
The cycling was harder than we thought and it was good that we did some training before hand. This made it more enjoyable. The group was large for one guide and mixed fitness levels with different bikes caused a big gap. Hotels were lovely and generally food good but not sure the type of food at lunch is really what you want in the baking hot sunshine cycling 60km. Gluten Free options
were poor and not explained to the guide. Guides both knowledgeable and the weather and views were superb. Loved being on a guided one and them taking the luggage. Really helped experience seeing all the different countries and a great way to do it. Would definitely like to do another one.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Lucretia Germick
Balkans Coast & Mountains
BEAUTIFUL scenery along coasts & mountains. Some challenging climbs mixed with coastal flats. Comfortable accommodations with character. Lunches were delicious & introduced us to some local foods. Alex & Igor provided excellent leadership & support while keeping us laughing with their antics! Always felt safe so could relax & enjoy the views. Would suggest stocking small, medium & large helmets and adding bells on bikes to alert pedestrians.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 10-17, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4 European tours & 20 US tours
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Dadd
- What was the date of your tour?
- sept. 13-18, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- lots, almost all on our own
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ bobeh1
Wonder-Filled
The tour was an amazing way to explore the history and cultures of the Balkan Countries.
Though the mountains were a challenge to climb (especially for those of us who chose standard hybrid bikes), our guide would encourage us with "I believe in you". We learned to then believe in ourselves.- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct. 5-12
- How many tours have you completed?
- one before this
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Anita Elder
Beautiful scenery and routes!
I really enjoyed riding my bike through Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia. The scenery was gorgeous and I made new friends. The hotels were mostly great with a couple of exceptions:
1. No elevator at the Splendido and very difficult to carry heavy suitcase down and then back up some stairs to our room. No coffee/tea until 8:30am and then it was terrible. Their food in the evening was good, however.
2. Hotel on the last day was not very good. The AC didn't work well and there was only one electrical outlet on the other side of the room from the bed (had to get an extension cord to plug in c-pap).The lunch stops during our ride were great and was more than I expected.
The local partner needs to step up their game. Because they didn't have anyone dedicated to collect luggage each morning and deliver it to the next hotel, the ride leader and support driver had to do it. This caused long delays in starting our ride each day. We would usually be told there would be a briefing at 8:00 am, but until they ride leader and driver got to the hotel, loaded up the bags, and dealt with some other issues, it was always well after 10am before we started riding. This meant that we were riding (and doing steep climbs) in the worst heat of the day.
The support driver, Nikola, was a sweetheart. Alex, the ride leader, was a good rider and knew the routes well, but he was rude to several of the guests.
With a little organization and extra staff, this tour would be perfect and at a decent price.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 8-15, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- Average
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Becky Foster
Beautiful and very challenging!
Cycling near the Adriatic Sea was spectacular, probably the most beautiful cycling I have ever done. It was also the most challenging trip we have done. The countries of Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro are mountainous! This is a perfect trip for serious cyclists.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Elizabeth Denniston
Spectacular
An amazing way to see the most stunning scenery. I had no idea what each day would bring, and the trip unfolded as one magical day after another.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 14
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ robert harrison
enjoyable interesting trip
the trip overall was enjoyable.The tour leaders Alex and Amir were helpful and organised the transport,luggage and hotels effectively.What they could have done was given us more information about the places we visited.For example in Kotar we could haVE visited and climbed the city walls had we been told that was an option.This really was down to their inexperience and lack of training The other point oi would make is that on the departure there was only limited airport transport available.Bike tours need to ensure that transport is available throughout the day for the various flights people are taking back
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ Gregory Bodin
West Balkan Triangle Review
Our 2 guides were excellent. Aleksander led the rides and was very attentive to both the fast riders and the slower riders. Juro drove the van and handle a lot of the logistics; he was very attentive to the details and made sure everything flowed smoothly. They were both very friendly and informative on the local culture.
The ride was beautiful with quite a variety of terrain (coastal ride, bay ride, inland valley). I would recommend an e-bike unless you are in very good shape; the distances aren't huge but some of the hills are big.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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
-
★★★★★ robert harrison
enjoyable interesting trip
Overall the trip was good.Alex and Emir as the main tour guides were efficient and the organisation of the luggage and the bikes was excellent.The cycling and the routes were good.Where the tour could have improved was giving us some basic information about the places we were visiting.For example at Kotor most of us were not aware that you could walk up the city walls to the top of the hill.We don,t expect an hours lecture but some local knowledge would further enhance the trip and perhaps training for the tour leaders would be appropriate.Finally there was some confusion on the final day we were leaving re airport transfers and it seemed that drivers had other duties which reduce their availability.Biketours need to ensure the transport is available as this is specified on the tour information
Idespite these points I would certainly recommend this cycling trip to friends who might like to go. -
★★★★★ Catherine Veitch
Balkan triangle,epic Croatia.
Really enjoyed seeing so many countries by bike,a great way to see the countryside.Our guide was able to guide us through less busy roads..It definitely was an epic trip,lots of hills,some days long distances and warm.The accommodations were excellent,and really appreciated the snacks provided by the tour..
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★★★★★ Carol Keys
Beautiful and varied tour taking in 3 fantastic countries
This was our first time visiting Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina & Montenegro and the tour provided a good flavour of all three countries.
We booked an extra day at the start of the tour to take in the sights of Dubrovnik. This was well worth it, with the highlight being a walk around the city walls in the old town and a boat trip out to Lokrum Island. On the downside, Dubrovnik was very crowded and prices were comparable to the UK. The rest of the tour was mainly in much quieter places, sometimes in the middle of nowhere and prices were very cheap in Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Our hotels varied from fairly basic to very nice but all of them met our needs.
The tour itself did include a few very busy roads which were not ideal but probably unavoidable. However, it did include some lovely stretches along the coastline in Montenegro and the ride in B&H along an old railway line was predominantly traffic free.
We did feel a bit under time pressure a couple of times when we were required to meet the van with our luggage at a border crossing, as it was difficult for us to estimate how long it would take us to get to the rendezvous.
Our only real frustration was with the one Garmin we were given to navigate. This was quite dated, not intuititive to use and didn't seem to recognise some of the new roads. We often found it difficult to get the correct information displayed on the screen at the right time. We had written notes but in places where navigation was tricky, the notes didn't help either.
