Bike Tour Reviews Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track

★★★★★ (2/5) Chris MacMillan September 4, 2023

Spectacular scenery, poor bike maintenance

The scenery was spectacular and memorable. The hotels were good. However in the middle of the trip my bike handlebars came loose and the bike was very difficult to steer towards the hotel. Also I found the Funtastic navigation app to be unreliable.

★★★★★ (3/5) Barbara Stanley 11 months ago

Good trip with a few problems.

Instruction , hotels and app were very good overall. Could improve to have ability to put in hotel for city navigation when it really counts. I had a collision with a tram at the end of the ride but lucky that I had minimal damage. Also , in our group of 5 , one had a horrible bike and the chain kept coming off.

★★★★★ (3/5) Terez Maniatis September 8, 2023

First trip in the dolomites

The scenery was amazing! The local tour company was not.
By the time we got our bikes they had run out of repair kits. We had to but two tire tubes at different times because of this. Would not recommend this company!

How many tours have you completed?: Many
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens

3/5 Value
2/5 Included meals
2/5 Bikes + equipment
2/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
1/5 Local tour company services
3/5 Route selection
1/5 Guides (if applicable)

★★★★★ (3/5) Sharon Aikens October 15, 2022

Spectacular scenery, great trails, mediocre hotels

The route from Toblach to Venice was fantastic. We were surprised at how much of the route was on beautiful paved trails, along rivers, mountain ridges and through lovely small villages. The bikes provided were excellent. The FunActive app is very good but, the the bikes do not come equipped with a cell phone mount so every time you want to figure out directions, you have to stop and hassle with your phone. This added a lot of time to completing the route each day. We had rented a mounted GPS for this purpose, but were told when we got there that they no longer offer this because they have the app. The ride itself is at an intermediate level of difficulty because there were a few challenging spots, mostly when the trail was steep gravel, but also a couple quite long climbs. The big disappointment were some of the hotels or hotel rooms. Many hotels were nice but they seem to reserve the worst rooms for FunActive. When we realized this, we started asking for nicer rooms. One night when we were supposed to stay in the lovely town of Belluno, we were housed in a horrible hotel far from town after after riding 75 kilometers (Hotel Villa Capenada). It was like out the the movie "The Shining." Old and tired, deserted and creepy. We were too tired to go back into town and the food at the hotel was inedible and very expensive. We never got to see Belluno. A few other hotels were barely acceptable with dusty bedspread, curtains and dirty carpet. The hotel in Mestre put us in a room that smelled like cigarettes and sewer and the floor was linoleum. On our return stay there, we insisted on a nicer room and got a lovely room on a higher floor. The moral of the story: Don't accept an unacceptable room! But BikeTours.com and FunActive need to know that this is going on. We have been on many bike tours and never require fancy accommodations but some of these were pretty disappointing. All that said, the BikeTours.com and the FunActive staffs provided excellent service in setting up the tour for us.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2022
How many tours have you completed?: 6
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder

3/5 Value
3/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
1/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Marv September 29, 2019

First European Bike trip

This was an amazing trip. Well organized, excellent hotels and breakfast. The route was beautiful. The bicycling was more challenging than we expected, but we are casual cyclists. If you are somewhat of a serious cyclist, it would be no problem. 95% of the directions were excellent. 5% were very confusing or ambiguous. Everyone in our group got lost at one point or another. Overall, well organized and beautiful trip. We will book again with Biketours.com.

What was the date of your tour?: 09/14/2019
How many tours have you completed?: 1
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Much harder
Who is this tour suitable for?: Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
3/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
3/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Silvia Guillemi 7 months ago

Great trip

This was a good bike trip . Perfect amount of time and length of bike days.
The hotels overall were good , although some of them were located outside of the towns /cities and made it harder to visit them .
There was very little or almost no instructions when we receive the bikes from the local supplier

★★★★★ (4/5) Deb Glazer 7 months ago

Great trip!

This is my 4th trip with Biketours.com & I'm already looking forward to scheduling another. The scenery on this one couldn't have been better - it was simply stunning. The route was easy to follow & the biking was pretty easy. Some of the hotels were lovely, and while we're not picky, a few fell short. At the last one there were no blankets in the room & when we asked, they said they didn't have enough for all the rooms. That was a head scratcher for us and made it difficult to sleep.

What was the date of your tour?: Sept. 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 4
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

5/5 Value
3/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
3/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
3/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Mary-lou Huculak 11 months ago

Amazing scenery.

The fresh air and mountain peaks are spectacular. I would recommend upgrading the bike rental as the basic trekking bike were not efficient for the terrain of this route.

What was the date of your tour?: May, 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

4/5 Value
2/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Sam Roozendaal 11 months ago

Beatiful Views

Great way to see the Dolomites and Northern Italy. Majority of the ride was on paths, so low stress. There is more climbing than indicated in the description so be prepared. The rental bikes are 21 speed vintage 1990's so heavy and not geared well for the climbs.

What was the date of your tour?: May 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 4
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

4/5 Value
3/5 Included meals
2/5 Bikes + equipment
3/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Mickey Shnaiderman October 4, 2023

An almost perfect tour

A very unusual and exciting way to explore to Dolomites. Riding the bicycle through the those magnificent views was truly astounding.
The routes were picked correctly both in terms of distance and terrain.
Also, the provided booklet with the brief information about the routes and food recommendation was great!
All the hotels were great with excellent service, breakfasts were good and had us full until arrival.
The bicycles were good too, although we would expect to have some help adjusting them to our sizes. My girlfriend is very short and we had to find a multi-tool to adjust her saddle horizontal position. If we had all the tools supplied, it would be much easier.
We also had one miscommunication: one of the hotels was changed, so we got the updated list of hotels before the beginning of the tour. Upon arrival, we got all the maps and another list of hotels. This printed list stated that all previous lists were invalid, so we took it for granted. At the second day of riding, which was the longest and the hardest, we arrived exhausted to the wrong hotel, only to realize we have 3 more kilometres to ride to a hotel outside the city. That, in turn, meant that we were left with only one dinner option - in the hotel itself. It was great, though, but quite expensive.
The navigation was a bit tricky too. The app is a bit primitive, sometimes got stuck, drained a lot of battery when navigating with the screen on (compared to Google Maps that takes much less battery). In one occasion it also got my phone so hot it had to shut down. In some several places the app tried to take us on to non existent roads or onto incoming traffic. It was also unaware of road constructions. Other than that, when getting the hang of this app, it wasn't that bad. We managed to find our way without too much of a hustle.
A tip to give to other riders next time: Venice has a secured parking spot for bicycles for a 10€ per bicycles. It is essentially a huge locker for the bike. Also, a big shout-out for Anthony, who called us to help finding the return place of the bikes. He also gave us the tip of riding to Venice and then leaving them in the hotel inserted of in the garage.

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

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Dantzel Crane May 28, 2023

Beautiful sights, okay directions

We absolutely loved our trip to Italy! It was such a treat to be able to be outside and spend significant time in the Italian countryside, seeing the beauty that is there. My only critique is that often times the directions were a bit difficult to follow. It might just be that I am unfamiliar with the Italian road system, but there were several times where we needed to check the map that was given to us by the tour company against Google maps to make sure that we were in the right place and hadn’t missed a significant turn. Otherwise, the hotels were fine but nothing special (we did not pay for upgraded hotels), the bikes were great, and we loved our time in Italy so much!

Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
3/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
3/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Don Thain September 23, 2022

Mostly fantastic

This trip used rental bikes and was self-guided. The basics worked well with hotel bookings and luggage transfers. The bikes were fine for this but had minor deficiencies. The joining instructions were incorrect but were sorted out with a phone call. Routings were chosen to highlight scenery and views while avoiding traffic. The map sets were disappointing as directions were muddled. Other cyclists had the same complaint. But it was a great trip nonetheless.

What was the date of your tour?: September 2022
How many tours have you completed?: 3
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Who is this tour suitable for?: Solo travelers, Families with teens
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
2/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Llewellyn Fernandes August 7, 2022

Beautiful Italy from Mountains to Coast

The views of the mountains and countryside were fabulous ! And best experienced on bike. All the hotels along the way were nice and comfortable. Luggage usually delivered by 4pm, so sometimes we toured the town and had a bistro stop before ending the day at the hotel. Since my daughter was having some challenges with the distances, we just hopped on a train to complete the day's journey and toured the town. It was actually a great way to spend the day. Only issue we had was that all the instructions were in German. This did cause some challenges because there was a major detour one day. We figured it out but would have been much easier if all information was in English (as we expected since we communicated in English throughout the booking process). Otherwise it was a fabulous trip !

What was the date of your tour?: May 2022
How many tours have you completed?: 4
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

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
2/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Alexthegr8 October 2, 2019

A Bumpy Ride at Times, but Worth It.

The scenery ranges from pleasant (Asolo to Treviso) to spectacular (Cortina to Belluno), and the hotels (all of which were nice) were conveniently located with the exception of those in Belluno and Treviso, which are located too far from the center to walk. Bikes were OK, although the pump provided did not fit the tube stem, and the extra inner tube was too large. We saw very little signage on the first day, although the frequency of signage increased over the length of the trip. The GPS, for which we paid extra, did not work, and is unnecessary in any case. All that said, we enjoyed the riding very much, and would definitely recommend it to others, most particularly if they have some prior experience (there are a few detours along the way) .

What was the date of your tour?: September 2019
How many tours have you completed?: 8
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

4/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
3/5 Bikes + equipment
2/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
2/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Bumble July 15, 2019

Beautiful Scenery

From the picturesque mountains in the north to the open flat lands of the south this was a joy to ride. The hotels were clean and welcoming.

What was the date of your tour?: June 2019
How many tours have you completed?: Four
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

4/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Skippy September 22, 2018

Loved the Scenery!

Enjoyed each day! Length was good, even including the king day!

What was the date of your tour?: Sept 8-15, 2018
How many tours have you completed?: 6
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

5/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) Deb Glazer 7 months ago

Great trip all around

Great itinerary. The hotels were mostly great. The local app was sluggish. Google maps
Would be better.
The food was good. More
Dairy free options please. Hard in Italy I know! More protein options.

Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat easier
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

5/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
5/5 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

★★★★★ (5/5) artnscience December 30, 2015

Spectacular experience with the most scenic and variable terrains, villages and accommodations

I feel I have experienced the soul of Italy through the pedals of my bicycle as we passed from Niederdorf through the Dolomites, into beautiful towns and cities to Venice. Since we paired this tour with one starting in Venice two days after our arrival we had more time to explore it and it's out islands. I prepared a Google+ album with captions for the 306 photos from both tours. You may use any of these images with captions as you see fit. The four of us, two Anderson and two Abeles call ourselves the Four 'A's because we sally forth on adventures together. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOVdH6klghY5LXY0xRnJXgs3V22UOQqIrSTQtIZk-iBfOPD-HVh2ajAjWPV0rspkQ/photo/AF1QipMkVq17mKGDNdacKckMZOIwFVFSf3ZEwQI7lm8?key=MEQzNXNiWEVwM2MwSV8ycVExcWg4ZmFUU2kzM3h3

How many tours have you completed?: 14 European, 1 Canadian, 7 USA
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat easier
Who is this tour suitable for?: Families with teens, Solo travelers
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

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) Julie van Soeren 7 months ago

A wonderful experience

Our tour was self guided but we were fortunate to meet two other couples with similar biking abilities on the same tour. We had mixed weather so we missed some of the beautiful vistas in the mountains. The accommodations were great for the most part and the breakfasts were amazing! Everything from bacon and eggs to croissants, meats, cheeses, fruit, cereal and all sorts of sweet treats. The navigation was not always straightforward as the signal was poor in many places. Only one of our group experienced a flat tire, which was temporarily fixed and the tube replaced the next day. Our bikes were comfortable and easy to operate. All in all a fantastic experience.

What was the date of your tour?: October 2024
How many tours have you completed?: This was our first organized 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

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) j59fj2046r July 28, 2019

Great cycling and and absolute best way to see the Dolomites. The routes are great, with a little bit of climbing and some fun downhill sections each day. I commute to work and found the riding matched my ability, leaving enough time to stop here and there, and explore the city at the end of each stage.

TIP: The routes are mostly intuitive and easy to follow, but there are some challenges and confusing areas. If you ride this tour, skip wrestling with the paper map and use a GPS. I set aside some time before each ride to plot my route using the Komoot cycling app on my phone - I found I made fewer wrong turns and had more confidence to have fun with the ride and take in the scenery.

What was the date of your tour?: 2019
How many tours have you completed?: 1
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat easier
Who is this tour suitable for?: Solo travelers
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

Bike Tour Reviews Dolomites To Venice Along The Old Dolomites Railway Track