Bike Tour Reviews Dolomites To Trieste Via Lake Bled At The Foot Of The Julian Alps (page 3)
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★★★★★ dmshimizu May 24, 2017
Amazing trip!
Great way to explore the boarder region amongst Italy, Austria and Slovenia. The scenery is amazing, and it is a great opportunity to enjoy some towns and places that are not widely seen by regular tourists.
Travel documentation supplied by the local tour company is very good with complete information about the route. I'd recommend the investing on the GPS too, as it helps a lot with navigation activity.
The accommodations and the included meals were really good, perfect for those who would like to spend some days away from crowd and large cities.
In summary, it was a great experience, I'm looking forward for another bike tour like this one.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 6th, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
Video: Cycling in Austria, near Thal
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★★★★★ Nancyhj May 15, 2017
Beautiful ride through three countries
The scenery was ravishing, the directions got us where we needed to go, the breakfasts and hotels were delightful. We opted to rent e-bikes which allowed us to keep up with the stronger riders on our group. The main drawback was the lack of directions for getting from the train station in Trieste to our hotel. Not knowing the lay of the land, which streets were apt to be steep or major thoroughfares, it took us 3 times what it should have to get to our hotel. Also Bled is a charming little town, but had we realized it is a major tour bus destination we would not have opted to spend the extra night there.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 5-12, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Curt October 18, 2016
Great trip
First bike trip like this for my wife and myself. The route was spectacular. Had everything from mountain scenery, beautiful river valleys, charming village, seaside rides, and ended in the wonderful city of Trieste. Got a taste of 3 countries and their cultures and food. Met lots of great people along the way who were doing the same trip as us. Everything went fairly seamlessly from the hotels to the transports to the bikes and the information provided. On a few occasions had some confusion with the directions, but nothing that wasn't able to be figured out.
All in all an excellent trip and would do another trip with this organization without question.- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/24-10/1/16
- 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 teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Zephyr February 17, 2016
Excellent.
Beautiful scenery, mostly on cycle tracks, three countries, cultures and languages, nice weather, pleasant lodging.
- How many tours have you completed?
- six
- 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
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★★★★★ Marissa 7 months ago
Really great first trip
Highlights:
- Handy navigation app that usually seemed to work well.
- Really neat variety of hotels with absolutely ridiculous breakfast spreads. Dinners at the hotels were also incredible.
- Staff were very helpful when they could be - this includes rental shop, phone contact, and transfer assistant staff.
- I'd estimate about 60-70% of the route was on dedicated bike trails that were wonderful to bike on, especially compared to terrible US bike infrastructure.
Lowlights:
- We did not use navigation features on the app, just used it as a reference map. As a compulsive mapper, an easy way to export GPX/route info from the provided app would have been appreciated. I was able to download GPXs several weeks in advance, but the routes on a couple of days ended up extremely incorrect and misleading.
- It would have been helpful to have general guidance or resources on alternatives in the event of bad weather. We got fairly lucky on the timing of some heavy rain, but it definitely caused some anxiety.
- Nova Gorica and Trieste were kind of awful and hectic to navigate, but I don't know how you'd avoid them.The route was gorgeous and mostly easy. I'd recommend taking the long and hilly routes to Bled and Trieste if you're physically up for it. As an enthusiastic cyclist, it was hard to adjust to the heavy and clunky rental bikes (obvious solution: bring your own bike) and I can't say we'd have tackled any mountain passes, but they were comfortable and well maintained. I felt like we definitely got value for what we paid and I'd recommend this trip to anyone who wanted an intro to easy touring!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Thomas Albrecht August 4, 2022
Beautiful, well-organized trip; good value for the money
We enjoyed our tour very much. We opted for the unguided version, which suits our tastes well, and found the maps provided to be good enough to guide us. The bikes were good quality and comfortable. The hotels varied, but we enjoyed them all and thought they were a good value for the price. The luggage service each day was perfect -- never late or unclear where to put the luggage for pickup.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 1-8, 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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
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★★★★★ Nils Martin Sellgren August 5, 2022
A wonderful trip through an amazing landscape in early summer blossom.
We had an easy descent down a long valley from Toblach into Austria. Options with bus and train for mountain climbs. Experienced beautiful towns, among beatiful town of Bled, and even exhibition at a roman town excavation in Slovenia.
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★★★★★ Jodi Ready 8 months agoGreat trip!
My friend and I did the tour on one of the upgraded regular non-electric bikes and I was very happy with the quality. You should be already quite comfortable with bicycles as they were handed over to us with no instruction. A phone mount was not included, and between the two of us, we only got one handlebar bag. There were no water bottle holders either.
The route was excellent and, as promised, was mostly on non-motorized, paved, well marked trails. You have the option of being driven over some of the bigger hills, but my friend and I opted to ride them ourselves. Of the paper forms provided, the written directions were much more useful than the maps, and I found the app useless and intrusive so I deleted it and used the downloads of the routes they provided ahead of time into my chosen app (Gaia for me and OnX for my friend) for the map. It worked much better, especially in combination with the written directions on the papers provided.
The accommodations and food in the hotels were excellent. our bags seem to always arrive before we did and there was a clean dry place to park our bikes.
I loved biking along the Drau river with beautiful views of the amazing dolomites.
The route brought us by interesting museums (we went to a chocolate museum, as well as history museums), pretty lakes, and we were informed of good food stops, and interesting viewpoints. I also enjoyed biking through some of the small hillside villages where you could see how some of these remote communities live.
I enjoyed the camaraderie of others doing the same program. We would see each other at breakfast, sometimes at dinner and occasionally on the route.
We chose to spend an extra day in Bled. We thought we would need a break from the cycling. We found that wasn’t the case, but enjoyed the lake and the castle so we’re glad we stopped. Because we took the extra day, they gave us an alternate route to the last hotel, but we decided to follow the one that the rest of the group took because it went through some beautiful places that we wanted to see. It really didn’t change our average daily distance to do that.
There was one area that required taking a train. We called to find out the logistics while we were on the tour because it wasn’t clear from the material, but I was impressed with how it worked. Someone from the tour group met us at the station, had tickets, and helped us and our bikes onto the train. Then someone was at the other end to pick us up and make sure we got to where we needed to start our ride again. They were easy to identify and very friendly and helpful.
I had a great time and would look to this company again for another tour.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- 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
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★★★★★ Scott Eckhoff September 13, 2022
Three countries with great scenery and variety.
We experienced a true feel for three countries as we biked through this amazing area. There is much variety with this trip. We experienced small quaint villages, ski towns, beautiful mountain scenery, quiet forests, beautiful lakes and rivers, great restaurants, nice accommodations, mostly safe biking on trails and quiet roads. We took the slightly longer route through the hinterland into Trieste which gave us a peaceful ride until the city of Trieste. The App which was provided gave us peace of mind that we were always on the correct route. There were no worries about getting lost. We would advise having a phone holder that fits on your handle bar. We highly recommend this trip and would recommend Ebikes. There are many up and down slopes on a few days.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- 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
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★★★★★ Jean Olson September 27, 2022
Beautiful Scenery
The Dolomites were amazing. The bike paths were good and traveled through some beautiful areas. The hotels were all great. The drections from the maps and app were good, we only got a little off track a couple of times. We rode regular bikes and although the hills were tough, they were doable. I definitely want to go back to the area between Toblack and Bled and explore more.
The roads into Trieste were busy but there was a good shoulder most of the time. The views were worth the busy road. Castello Duino was cool.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- 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
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★★★★★ Nancy Nestler September 28, 2022
Even better than I imagined!!!
We did the self-guided tour. The routes were well described. They were beautiful and varied, from bike paths in remote areas to bike lanes in busy cities. I always felt safe. The scenery was amazing from river valleys to mountain views. There were options to explore along the way. The length of each day's ride was a good amount, and it often offered a shorter or longer version so you could decide along the way what you wanted to do. The hotels were also a nice variety. I thoroughly enjoyed each day. I would highly recommend this tour. I went with a friend, but hope to do it again and take my husband.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- 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
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★★★★★ Diane Witters July 3, 2023
Great first trip with BikeTours.com
Overall, we really enjoyed the experience and were impressed with the scenery, lodging, quality of the bikes (one of us had an e-bike and the other a “top bike “), and the multiple layers of navigation provided by Fun Active Tours, the local outfitter. We also appreciated the detailed instructions for the luggage and train transfers. We especially enjoyed the first 3 legs of the journey through the Dolomites of northern Italy, into Austria, and then the entry into Slovenia with views of the Julian Alps and into Lake Bled. Trieste may have its merits but the city was quite chaotic and difficult to navigate and find our hotel by bike.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- this was our first tour
- 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
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★★★★★ William Gibson 8 months ago
Dolomites to the sea in Trieste
This was a fun trip overall. The route begins with beautiful scenery thru mountain valleys with it's conclusion into the wine country north of Trieste. Numerous historical sites along the way with castles, churches and town centers to see. The lake in Bled is stunning.
Accommodations were mostly fantastic with excellent food for dinner and breakfast.
We had a few problems at the start with missing bike accessories for the e-bikes. Luckily this was easy to sort out at the bike shop in Dobbacio the evening before our ride.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- Some self guided gravel biking in Colorado
- 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
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★★★★★ Shayne palfreyman 10 months ago
Beautiful scenery - well organised
Cycling is an awesome way to see some beautiful scenery and experience the area. The tour itinerary is great - very achievable daily rides and the app showing the routes worked well though a couple of recent changes to the path need updating.
The luggage transfers and accommodations all were very well organised- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Stanthepianoman October 8, 2019
It was the trip of a lifetime.
The scenery was amazing! The bike paths and back roads were awesome. With a couple of changes I would give the trip a 5 star review: First, they shouldn't give an option to ride the train to Jessenice to Bled. This town is scary and hard to navigate. The ride over the pass was minor from what we were told.
Second, the Hotel Roma in Civedale is a dump. Hard beds and rude employees. All the other hotels and inns ranged from nice to awesome.
Third, we should have stayed in Bled and extra day. Our own fault on this one.
Last, the ride in to Trieste was dangerous. It was like riding the gauntlet. I would have liked to drop off our bikes out of town and walked or Ubered in to the city. This is a big busy city and many in our group were unhappy with the danger involved.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 9, 2019
Hi Stan, thanks so much for this review. We're overjoyed to hear you thought this was the trip of a lifeitme. That's what we are striving for! We appreciate you sharing your thoughts regarding the Hotel Roma and the ride to Trieste. We haven't heard it described as dangerous before and will surely pass your feedback onto the tour operator. Thanks for noting that you wish you had stayed an extra day in Bled - perhaps future clients will opt to do so.
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★★★★★ Emily Magnavita July 3, 2023
Great trip
Trip was great, however, there was lack of communication with the company as far as planning logistics. Directions were unclear and sometimes incorrect, got lost on the route multiple times due to lack of information and description in the directions.
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★★★★★ Rhonda Barton June 27, 2023
Beautiful views!
The trip was beautiful! The views through the Dolomites and Julian Alps are constantly awe provoking. The hotels were also wonderful, our favorite being Alta Post in Feistritz an der Gail!
Bikes: We paid for the upgrade but it didnt feel as though we were upgraded. The bikes we received were not well maintained. We had a bike brake on the first day of our tour and the replacement bike had a loose peddle the rest of our tour. A few of our bikes were not tuned well and gears were either difficult to shift or couldn't be geared all the way up or down. In general, we would have appreciated better maintained bikes for a 230 mile tour, it would make the days much more enjoyable. We also had to swing by the rental place for a bike pump that had the correct valve for pumping up tires. The bikes were equipped with presta valves, but the pumps were schrader valves. We also recommend placing an allen key in the repair kit. We had several items that we had to adjust, angles of the header, tightness of the bells, etc. Having an allen key would have made these adjustments easier to make.
Bike Accessories: we think you should provide or tell the riders to bring a cell phone mount for the trip. The app was nice to have but we had to constantly get the phone out of our pockets to follow along. This can get quite dangerous on certain parts of the tour.
App: the phone app was a great perk to the trip although our main complaint is that every tour participant should have access to the app. It is challenging to have only one person with the app and it doesnt seem to make much sense to limit access. Give everyone who paid for the tour access please.- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Kathy D August 5, 2022
MIghty Dolomity
Truly enjoyed the trip. Great bike paths for most of the route. Beautiful scenery and great overnight stays. A few hotels didn't have air conditioning but that is not unusual in this part of the world. Unfortunately, Europe is experiencing a very hot summer in 2022. We greatly enjoyed the route and all there was to see and do along the way. The bikes were not what we had expected. Very heavy, more like a beach bike w 21 gears. If you take this trip and are used to a better bike, as we are, upgrade the bike you use. Very difficult riding these very heavy bikes up some of the hills. We took a train on Day 3 for a break - mostly because of the bikes. Saving grace - the train system is fantastic and they all have capacity for bikes at a minimal cost. The app was very good once we figured out how to use it. Would have been helpful if FunActive Tour Company had given us some instruction on how to use it prior to us departing.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Kirsten August 5, 2022
Hi Kathy! Thank you so much for leaving such detailed feedback. We are sorry you were surprised by the type of bike. We list the bike info under the Dates & Prices tab and will always try to upgrade when possible. We are working with our local partner to get app instructions so we can share them before travel. We are so glad you enjoyed your trip and hope to help you plan your next one!
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★★★★★ Richie November 24, 2015
Diverse cycling through three countries
Diversity is the theme of this tour. From the Dolomites, to the Julian Alps, to the dreamy Lake Bled, to the Friuli Italian wine country, to the Adriatic Coast, this tour has it all. Riding in three countries in one day is an awesome experience as well.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Boot September 21, 2017
Weather restricted tour
Unfortunately we ran into a patch of bad weather...snow, rain etc so we were not able to enjoy the gorgeous scenery so much....we know we missed a lot of countryside and we don't have many pictures to show from our trip...these are the chances you take when signing up!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September. 2017
- 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?
- No
