Danube River Bike Tour Reviews (page 13)
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★★★★★ MungovanAJ October 15, 2017Awesome experience!
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Our bicycle trip from Passau to Vienna was absolutely wonderful. BikeTours performed flawlessly for which we were very thankful.
We purchased the "Upscale Lodging" which was well worth the money. Some of our hotels were stunning chateaus, others ultra-modern glass edifices, but all were very nice and located in desireable locations.
The bikes are big and heavy but ride comfortably and smoothly.
Some advice to first-timers.
1. The bikes are very big. If you are not at least 5'8" you should probably consider getting the women's bike as the cross bar on the men's bike is unusually high compared to the typical American bike.
2. Bring a little pen light to help you find the bathroom at night without waking your partner. Staying in a different hotel each night can be a little disorienting, especially at 3 AM.
3. Bring good rain gear, gloves, and a layer of warm clothing. Our last day's ride into Vienna was cold and rainy and we were all freezing by the time we reached our hotel.
4. European hotels do not typically provide sheets. Instead, you get a single plush and very warm comforter. However, if the hotel room is warm it is hard to get the covers situated so you are not too warm or too cool. I would recommend packing a small sheet--or better yet a sleeping sack--to provide that "just right" sleeping temperature.
5. BikeTours will provide you a packet of maps and directions for your trip. Study them thoroughly before each day's ride to avoid making wrong turns, especially in the bigger towns or cities. (We made some wrong turns in Vienna.)
6. You will not have access to washers and dryers. To wash your underwear and socks bring a two gallon plastic storage bag and some liquid laundry detergents. (I used Woolite.) At your hotel fill the bag with water, detergent, and your dirty laundry. Agitate, soak, agitate, soak, agitate, soak, rinse, and then hang dry. If something is still wet in the morning affix it to your bike rack and let the wind and the sun dry it while you ride. It works perfectly.
7. Be gracious. Germans and Austrians are kind, friendly people. Compliment the many things they do well, they will be very appreciative.
8. Be excited, because you'll love the trip.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept'17
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ jfvb October 7, 2017· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/24/2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much 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?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Bryan October 5, 2017
Austria Bike Trip
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
This was the second bike tour that we have completed; and compared to the first tour, this one felt like the local tour operator was more of a logistics company. The route was spectacular, I feel like we could have maximised the experience if we had more information, particularly when it comes to different options along the route. On several occasions we either ran out of time to see things later in the day, or arrived at the hotel around lunch time because we didn't know where we should be budgeting our time. During our Portugal trip, our local contact, Nuno, was incredible, speaking with us several times a day to ensure that we were getting the most out of the experience - this time we were flying blind on our own.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 25 Sept - 5 Oct
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1 other
- 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?
- Austria, Germany
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 6, 2017
We really appreciate your detailed review! We'll work with our operator partner on adjusting the daily recommended stops to maximize time for future clients. We hope to help you plan another tour in the future!
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★★★★★ Cliff October 4, 2017Doin' the Donau
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Perfect pedal venture for cycle, food, wine, & beer junkies! Great history lessons and cultural interactions around every corner. Equipment and support were bombproof and reliable.kk
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★★★★★ Kretch October 3, 2017One of the most beautiful rides I have taken in Europe
· Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option
I am so glad I elected to ride from Salzburg to Vienna rather than Passau. The ride was beautiful, mountains coming down to the bike trails and Alpine lakes to ride along. It was not difficult for the average rider and a ranking of easy 2 is fair. From Linz to Vienna was also very nice and it gave us enough river riding to make the trip a good combination of mountains and riverside.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9-5-17
- How many tours have you completed?
- 15 non supported rides in Europe
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Travel Junkie October 1, 2017First bike trip.
· Cycling the Altmühl Valley - Round trip from Regensburg
Wow, what a trip! I usually plan everything so it felt a little strange not doing a thing. We showed up at our first hotel and everything was ready to go. Hotels were lovely. Breakfast was adequate, kept us going until lunch. Our luggage was at the hotel when we arrived. We were very happy with the services provided.
The scenery was amazing, the river, the fields, and the valley. The valley was our favorite. The boat trips were enjoyable. And so many castles!
A couple of days on the trail were a little harder than I thought they would be. The trail surface was rough and hard to pedal on. When the trail was smooth, the cycling was a breeze. We had no trouble with the bikes although It might have been better if we would have rented the 21 speed bikes. We were on the trail 5 -7 hours each day. All and all, we would do it again. I see another trip in our future.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- One
- 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?
- Germany
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 2, 2017
We love helping plan the right tour and we're delighted to hear you had a great time! We hope to help you again in the future.
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★★★★★ linda lou September 27, 2017
Bike Trip from Passau to Vienna
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Bike Tours did a fantastic job in mapping, transferring our luggage and equipment. This was not a completely flat course but almost flat. They rated it a number 1 (easy). If you are an avid bicyclist I would mostly agree. We are in our 60's and are pleasure riders. Next time we will get electric assisted bike.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, Founder and president September 28, 2017
Thank you for your feedback. I'm glad you had a great time!
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★★★★★ Chris 77 September 27, 2017Good way to visit two great cities
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
Rated a four out of five only because we have done many of these self guided tours and some have been better based mostly on scenery and route
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★★★★★ linda lou September 25, 2017
Trip of a lifetime
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
The bike trip was a little more challanging then we thought. WE were told the trail would be FLAT a 1 % grade well that was NOT true all of the time. We had many many hills to go up and that was not easy at times. We were going to get electric bikes and your company said that was not necessary due to the flatness....We really do wish we chose the electric bikes to help us out at times. WE also had a hard time finding some NOT all of the hotels when we got off the bike trail and we did use the maps and your information. We must say the bikes were GREAT....PERFECT ....and the equipment was really nice ...
Thank you for making this a real adventure for us...- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 1st-9th.
- How many tours have you completed?
- this is our first bike trip
- 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?
- Austria, Germany
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Bike Basilicata directions September 26, 2017
Thank you for your valuable feedback. I'm glad you had the trip of a lifetime! There are indeed some inclines along the Danube bike path, which can start feeling a bit hilly by day's end. I'm sorry if you were given misleading information, and we've reminded our tour advisor team about the terrain and, as appropriate, to recommend e-bikes.
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★★★★★ Bikers September 25, 2017Passau to Budapest
· Danube Cycle Path Passau – Budapest
A great way to explore parts of the Danube and its environs including historical and present day influences. Good hotels with local cuisine, culture and friendly hosts. A great way to meet like minded fellow travellers and get lots of fresh air with exercise.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 2 - 15 September 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- Nil
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Thrivin sixtyfiven September 24, 2017
Get out there and LIVE!
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
This tour was well orchestrated with every detail Jozef (our "pre-tour" guide) gave us perfect instructions so we stayed on course without troubles. We upgraded, and the hotels were all nice and in good locations regarding the bike trail (with the exception of the huge city of Budapest). We also used the ride with GPS app, which was extremely helpful. We had some rainy windy days, but overall the experience was delightful. I thought the breakfasts were ample except the one in Visegrad.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 15, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- None
- 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?
- Austria, Hungary
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, Founder and president September 25, 2017
Thank you so much for your review and ratings. I'm glad you enjoyed your tour!
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★★★★★ 4the Danube September 22, 2017
Great Fall Ride
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Directions were clear , the bikes were great and accommodations were very nice and ideally located. Service on the trail was super. We were on a self guided tour along the Danube and one in our group had a broken chain. We had a replacement within the hour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 7th- Sept. 13th
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- 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?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Jim G September 21, 2017
Rainy Days
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Beautiful bike path, superior bike path route signs. Very historical cities and sites.
We booked Class A lodging package with dinner plan and were very pleased with everything except our stay at the Diamond City Hotel, Tulin. Although the Hotel was new and very nice, they sent us to the Albrechtsstuben Gasthof restaurant. It was a totally bad experience. Only 1 other couple dining, all sent from the Diamond Hotel.
Horrible food, although hungry, neither Bonnie or I could eat much. Requested tap water to drink, restaurant would only provide $4 euros bottles of water.
Spoke with other couple in restaurant, and they concurred, "very bad"
Upon return to hotel, I expressed our disappointment with the restaurant.
I was informed that I was the only person that ever complained, everyone else loved the restaurant.
It was obvious, there is a family connection, we saw the women who waited on us, with the desk clerk, together the next day. (All related)
Overall, great ride- What was the date of your tour?
- September, 2017
- 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 young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Marcus September 17, 2017
Better than I expected.
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Bike trip was quite an experience. Gorgeous country and villages. BikeTours.com was very accommodating to our needs. In a few places, especially near towns, some more green "tour" signs would have been helpful.
