E-bikes Available Tour Reviews page 105
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★★★★★ Thom October 25, 2016Lovely trip on the Danube River with biking to keep us in shape!
· · Danube Discovery: Bike and Boat through Enchanting Capitals
A great trip to four cities and capitals in Eastern Europe. Comfortable accommodations, friendly staff, good meals, easy biking. Weather was chilly and grey at this time of the year. The Danube is NOT blue if the sky is grey and it is drizzling!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 1-8, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4 European bike trips
- 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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★★★★★ Mattman October 25, 2016Wonderful Cycling Vacation
· Medieval Villages of Catalonia
This trip was exactly what we we're hoping for. Casual cycling along the coast and villages. The bikes we're fantastic and comfortable. All the hotels were first class and the food and ambiance in the hotels and small restaurants throughout the trip were delightful. GPS was adequate, but be sure you can read a map! The tour briefing was helpful beforehand and be sure you understand how to change a tire before you embark. There is some incredibly beautiful country on this ride, and since it is 6 days long, I think if we we're to do it again we might have skipped a day of riding in Calella de Palafrugel in favor of a hike along the coastline. There are some lovely hiking trails that were begging to be explored. Also, by traveling in early October we missed the european vacationers and essentially had all the beaches and villages to ourselves. Never a worry with busy roads or vehicle traffic. Looking forward to our next adventure.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2016
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
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★★★★★ KZ2016 October 25, 2016Outstanding Trip
· · Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty
Richie Daigle with Bike Tours did an outstanding job on our club's bike and boat trip on the Danube. We had 38 people and many of them said it was one of our best trips ever. Throughout the planning process Richie answered all our questions in a timely manner. During the trip all contracted items were as promised or better. Many of our participants said it was one of the best vacations they have ever had.
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★★★★★ Susan October 24, 2016Wild Atlantic Way - Late August 2016
· Wild Atlantic Way Cycling
Varied scenery with the ocean, so many lakes and mountain views, we did not expect. The people were all so friendly and helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 26 - September 2
- How many tours have you completed?
- Three
- 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?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ GatorDavid October 24, 2016Fantastic Way to Tour Netherlands and Belgium!
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Princesse Royal
We had never been on a barge trip, and did not know what to expect. The boat was very well maintained, the food was great, the cabin was clean, comfortable, and adequately sized so that we could sit in the cabin when we didn't want to be in the common spaces. The crew, staff, and guide were friendly, approachable, accommodating .... they really went out of their way to make guests comfortable. The bar was well stocked, and very reasonably priced. The guide (Paul) was knowledgeable, patient, and was fine if we rode with his group or out on our own (which we did most days). Overall, this bike tour was a great value considering the accommodations, service, food and quality of food, bikes, guide services.
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★★★★★ Pablito October 23, 2016Great Trip
· Best of Catalonia Cycle Touring
We had a large group (16!) with varying levels of ability. All aspects of the tour were great. Logistics worked well: pick up and fitting of bikes went without a hitch. The rides were very scenic and covered a range of terrain, from mountains to the flats. All hotels were very nice and Creative Catalonia booked a couple of very fine meals in Olot and Llafranc at truly world-class restaurants. Scenery on the rides was fantastic, and the routes had little traffic and were often off the roads altogether.
The only hiccup of the trip was that only 4 map packages were provided to our group. Would have expected that each rider would get a full pack of maps.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 9-16
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Spain
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★★★★★ M And D October 23, 2016So enjoyable!
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
We had such a good time going from Passau to Vienna. The bikes were great and the signage along the route made it so easy to stay on course. Sometimes making it through a larger town &/or making it into Vienna proved to be an adventure because of the "traffic"
and quick choices to make at those times, but that's part of the charm! Accommodation was different in amenities from day to day but all lovely. Staff were wonderful at every spot. Would definitely recommend it and looking forward to trying another.
Day- What was the date of your tour?
- September 23,2016
- 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 young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ kiki1970 October 21, 2016· Venice to Trieste and Istria
The overall experience on this bike trip was good. The rain that occurred on 4 of the 7 days of the trip was unexpected. The locals informed us that it hadn't rained in 2 months so it caught up to us. The accommodations and food were excellent. The real problems were the maps that were provided. They need to be more tour specific. When arriving in the destination city, specific directions should be included in finding that hotel. We spent too much time looking for our hotel for the evening. Also the written instructions are a translation from the German guide. In some cases the instructions didn't match what we saw on the ground or what the sign posts indicated. In general, the people that we dealt with in the States and Italy were great. I only wish that we would have taken a day break some where in the middle(Trieste?) to refresh and recuperate. We didn't know we could do it. I highly recommend this before heading into Croatia.
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★★★★★ Sphen October 20, 2016Great way to tour!
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
The tour was excellent from beginning to end. Joseph was a very knowledgeable guide. The route was explained clearly and was as leisurely or challenging as we wanted to make it. The hotels chosen were excellent and well located for checking out museums, restaurants, shopping and historical sites. All in all, a terrific experience and one that I would do again with this company!!
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★★★★★ KathiD October 20, 2016We began in Avignon and ended in Avignon!
· Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park
We came to Avignon 2 days early so that we could become acclimated to the time zone difference. The tour operator very nicely delivered our rental bikes the day after we arrived. Therefore, we had the bikes for travel in and out of Avignon before we started our sel-guided tour.\. This was great because the wonderful Hotel La Ferme was about 3 miles outside of the city.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 11th to 18th 2016
- 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 teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Chri October 19, 2016Excellent
· Burgundy Wine Trails: Beaune to Macon on the “Voie Verte”
Really enjoyed our trip from Macon to Beaune through the vineyards.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 24.09
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ hhhh October 19, 2016Slovenia,,Wonderful Country
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Good bikes, maps, reliable drivers, everything we needed...well organized..overall very good, mostly nice hotels a very good value
two exceptions...
1 we paid for the A hotels and 2 hotels were particularly bad...
Vila Andor and M Hotel in lbjuana.
2 do not get the meal package..they often gave us special menus with lower end meals....you are best just to use restaurants and meals of your choice- What was the date of your tour?
- october
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20
- 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?
- Slovenia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Lindsay Nash October 20, 2016
Hi, thanks very much for sharing your experience! I just wanted to note that this tour only has 3- and 4-star hotels available (no Category A or B options), and it looks like our tour advisors also chatted with you further about this in an e-mail. But, as this local tour operator said, Slovenia is a very small country and staying in small hotels and guesthouses adds to the wonderful experience of the country and its local people. Thank you again for your feedback, and we're happy that overall you had a wonderful experience.
Kind regards,
Lindsay
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★★★★★ kirbymom October 19, 2016Great Effort but we were frequently lost
· A Taste of Italy: Emilia-Romagna
We had titanium bikes and a very intro. Unfortunately we were lost so often that instead of enjoying time at q location, we were biking around asking locals and using our compass. I think Bike Tour tried too hard to use route with less traffic or a bicycle trail. This made it very hard to get in and out of cities. We had both a bike gps with the routes inputted and the written instructions. Just give us the most direct route out of the cities.
The hotels were nice and mostly well located. Sometimes they weren't well located like the one on the farm. We very much enjoyed the cooking class, the visit to the balsamic vinegar producer, and the gelato machine making -- that ws great. Also the dinners and breakfasts were very good to excellent.
I would recommend this tour IF the routes were adjusted and the visit to the farm was eliminated- What was the date of your tour?
- 10-4-16
- How many tours have you completed?
- thousands of miles w/o guides
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Lindsay Nash October 20, 2016
Hi, thanks very much for sharing your experience! We're so glad to hear that the cooking class, hotels, and food experience on this tour was wonderful. However, we're sorry to hear of your problems with the directions and route. We'll share your feedback with the local tour operator and work together to make sure this experience is improved. Thank you again for your review and for helping us share in the joy of bicycle touring!
Kind regards,
Lindsay
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★★★★★ bluewindows October 19, 2016Well wasn't that fun!
· Treasures of the Donegal Coast
My wife and I decided to try our first biking vacation in Ireland. As we're both over 60 we found the hills to be a bit challenging at times. But when we needed a rest we'd just stop and be amazed at the views in every direction. From our first ride around Lake Eske to the cliffs near Carrick to the descent towards Ardara, we enjoyed all the memorable stops on our adventure. As another writer encouraged, try to catch some local music. Just excellent!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
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★★★★★ Curt October 18, 2016Great trip
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy, Slovenia, Austria
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★★★★★ Keats October 18, 2016Cycling the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland
· Connemara Lazy Days Cycling
My wife and I greatly enjoyed our tour along Ireland's west coast. The slow pace allowed for many stops, great views, and meeting locals in B and B's and pubs. Mostly on back roads, we encountered very little traffic, and even when we did, the local drivers were well aware of us, slowed until they could safely pass, or expressed appreciation when we pulled over to let them pass. Our longest days were 45 and 38 km, and the rest closer to 30 km. We were in pretty good condition for the tour, though we do not bike these distances regularly, and felt comfortable with them each day, albeit a little saddle sore.
Weather was cool and cloudy, so good for cycling, and only occasional showers for which we were well prepared with rain gear. The bike were in good condition, and geared appropriately for the hilly terrain. Tools for adjusting seats and gear shifters were provided, and we made use of them. We would have preferred to sit more upright on the bikes, but this was not possible since handle bars could not be raised. With this exception, the bikes were comfortable. We rented one pannier between the two of us for rain gear and extra clothing.
Wind was occasionally a factor, especially when facing west toward the Atlantic, but as soon as we headed east or northeast, it was at our back and an asset.
The B and B hosts were friendly and helpful with advice. Most were well located near pubs for dinners, and all provided very hearty and tasty breakfasts. The pubs along the way were great for a generous bowl of seafood chowder and a beer--a good energy boost on cool days, as well a spots to dodge occasional showers.
The scenery was spectacular along the route, including seascapes and pristine beaches, lakes, farms, sheep, Connemara ponies, donkeys, the 12 Bens mountains, and small, friendly towns.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 19-Oct. 1
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- 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?
- Ireland
