E-bikes Available Tour Reviews  page 5

  • Rhône River Route
    (3/5) ArmannI September 17, 2018

    Nice mountain view

    · Rhône River Route: Oberwald to Geneva

    Good way to experiece Switzerland. More information needed regarding interesting places to visit. The first day was the most wonderful day

    What was the date of your tour?
    26.8 - 30.8
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Switzerland
    • 3/5 Value
    • 1/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 2/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 1/5 Tour documents
    • 1/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • Cycling the Altmuehl Valley
    (3/5) Jonathan M September 16, 2018

    Great trails, not well organized

    · Cycling the Altmühl Valley - Round trip from Regensburg

    This trip follows well marked German bike trails which are very easy to navigate and quite scenic. The hotels are fabulous. However, we did not have a good experience with the German bike company (Radweg Reisen) that operates the trip on the ground. We were self-guided, and our information package was not available the day we arrived, so we didn't have maps and guiding information in advance. When the packet arrived the next morning, we discovered that it contained very little about sights near the tour route. We were able to Google plenty of side trips but wondered: isn't that the job of the tour company? Also, our bikes were delivered late on the day we were supposed to start, so we lost a morning of biking (and actually the bikes were eventually delivered not by the tour company but by an English family to whom the bikes had been misdelivered). We called Radweg Reisen but their corporate office was located hundreds of km away. We have been on lots of trips with biketours.com and find that the smaller shops are much more attentive and give better service. Radweg Reisen is too big to care about 2 self-guided bikers.

    What was the date of your tour?
    8/25-8/30
    How many tours have you completed?
    10
    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?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Germany
    • 2/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 1/5 Tour documents
    • 1/5 Local tour company services
    • 1/5 Route selection
  • Mosel and Saar
    (3/5) Water Bound September 15, 2018

    Disappointed

    · · Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat

    What was the date of your tour?
    9/1-9/7/18
    How many tours have you completed?
    -1- before this one
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Germany
    • 4/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 2/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Rhône River Route
    (3/5) Dagbjört September 9, 2018
    · Rhône River Route: Oberwald to Geneva

    * It was our 3d tour that we have booked with BikeTours and always been very pleased with the organizing, until now, we are sad to say.
    * We never meet anyone from the tour company and that was very strange.
    * Accommodation on one of the "hotels" was very poor, very cheep hotel, that was right across the street from the train/bus station and that was very disturbing through the night.
    * It was only breakfast that was incl in the price. Maybe you should considered to have dinner incl. also.

    What was the date of your tour?
    26th of august 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Switzerland
    • 2/5 Value
    • 2/5 Included meals
    • 1/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 2/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 1/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • National Parks of Dalmatia
    (3/5) Labia September 6, 2018

    Glad we did it - but too hot in August

    · · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat

    This is our third bike tour. The boat was much nicer than others we have been on. The cabins were very large and a good size bathroom. The food was good (not great). It was nice to have two tour guides. The downside was that it was really hot and the sun too blazing to enjoy the bike rides a lot. The landscape I would also say is a bit repetitive. All in all I wish we could have done it some weeks later with fewer crowds in town and especially cooler weather.

    What was the date of your tour?
    18 August
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Croatia
    • 3/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Berlin – Copenhagen
    (3/5) JessieV July 11, 2018

    More Challenges Than Expected

    · Berlin – Copenhagen

    The scenery was lovely and the bike route was easy to follow, and also mostly on dedicated paths, which we very much enjoyed. The daily mileage, however, was more than anticipated - approx. 40+ miles per day. This would have perhaps felt like a minor increase, but the bikes they gave us compounded it exponentially. These were the worst bikes I've had on a tour (I've done four others). The bikes included seat and fork suspension, which I imagine the tour operator thought would be useful for the few segments of the route that end up on cobblestone or gravel, but they made the bikes SO HEAVY! Even gentle inclines became difficult - and we're from Seattle, so we're accustomed to riding up hills! We'd stand and pedal in hopes of getting more leverage and our bikes would basically turn into pogo sticks. We dubbed this maneuver "go sticking". The other thing that was challenging, was the lack of amenities along the way. We did a bike trip in Italy in 2017 and every 10 km there would be somewhere to get water or an espresso or a sandwich, but in the Germany section especially these things were few and far between. My overall recommendations would be to 1. reserve the electric bike 2. pack a picnic lunch each day

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 18
    How many tours have you completed?
    5
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Denmark, Germany
    • 2/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 1/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 1/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Alsace Wine Country
    (3/5) WalkersAdventure July 3, 2018

    Beautiful villages - beware of hills and train strikes

    · Alsace Wine Country

    The tour operator is unusually cooperative about modifying the standard itinerary. I requested many changes to suit our interests and abilities and they fulfilled them all. We requested and received GPX tracks to load onto our own Garmin devices. The GPX and the map and the tour materials had been revised to reflect the changes I'd requested, which I appreciated very much.

    Colmar is an exceptionally good place to center the trip. I recommend staying there several days and taking day trips by bicycle, or train plus bicycle, to nearby villages.

    All of the hotels booked for us were high quality, and thoughtfully positioned for convenient access.

    Segments of the trip are quite hilly: two chevrons on the map. We evaded the hills by planning alternate routes in the flat part of the valley. These routes presented a different view, still valuable and entertaining.

    We had trouble with the SNCF train strike. Of course, that situation was beyond the tour operator's control, but it detracted from the experience.

    One of the e-bikes was delivered with a bad battery. They replaced it the next day. That was okay for us, as I had an extra day planned for local sightseeing, so our overall schedule was not affected.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June, 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    22
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 3/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Best of Northern Zealand
    (3/5) Kseed July 1, 2018

    Fun, but flawed

    Best of Northern Zealand

    We did the ‘Best of Northern Zealand’ trip. The locations were fun, and the the hotels decent enough. The bikes need to be upgraded. The most difficult part of the trip was the navigation. The GPS files don't have enough way points, so it rarely told us on what road we should be, instead pointing us across fields in a general direction. We wound up using Google Maps, which served us way better, but used a lot of battery on the phone. So make sure you have a smart phone and a good sized external battery for navigation. We did enjoy the trip quite a lot, but in general, with the exception of moving luggage around, we could have done just as well or better on our own.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 16th
    How many tours have you completed?
    Several
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Denmark
    • 3/5 Value
    • 2/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 2/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • Bruges to Paris
    (3/5) JEC65 June 25, 2018

    A different biking experience

    · · Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)

    Thirteen days of easy to moderate biking. The crew were friendly and helpful. The food was excellent! Lots of extra sightseeing excursions to choose from. Very old boat with very small cabins was the only drawback but price was reasonable.Generally the routes were on quiet roads on all types of surfaces.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 9-23
    How many tours have you completed?
    7
    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?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Belgium, France
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 1/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
    • 2/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Mosel Bike Path
    (3/5) Dre22 June 15, 2019
    · Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 30 thru June 5
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Germany
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 1/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 1/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Salzburg to Vienna
    (3/5) Jackie10 June 14, 2019

    Recommend with caution

    · Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option

    This bike tour is through the most beautiful Austrian countryside. The accommodations are great, luggage transfers flawless and great breakfasts included. The directions are horrible, especially the 1st and 3 rd days. Make sure you have a GPS with you. The poor directions added unnecessary frustration to the trip. The bikes are up right commuter bikes and uncomfortable for the mileage involved. If you are accustomed to a decent road bike you probably won't be happy. Most cyclists we saw were on e-bikes which makes the poor ergonomics more tolerable. This tour would be a 5 star with accurate directions and decent equipment. So bring a GPS and your own bike and have a blast!

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    Two
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 2/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (3/5) Horned Frog June 4, 2019

    Fun time... but

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    I enjoyed the tour a great deal, but the route instructions were sketchy at best, and the bike weighed only slightly less than a Sherman tank.... which would not have been much of a problem except that the route had more hills than expected. The hotels selected were all very nice.

    What was the date of your tour?
    21 May
    How many tours have you completed?
    4
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    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, Switzerland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 2/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • Cycling in Western Spain
    (3/5) CJ4EY March 30, 2019

    Fabulous Paradors - Challenging Cyclying

    · Cycling Spain’s Land of the Conquistadors

    We really enjoyed the Paradors as each one is historical and unique. The biking is through rural countryside and is very pretty, and the temperatures in March were perfect. The directions provided by the tour company were outstanding! The surface of the trip is along asphalt roads, but I think it should be noted that the terrain is very hilly. The only flat section of the trip is the first half of the first cycling day and last cycling day. Otherwise, you’re climbing or descending, and since descending is much faster, you’re spending most of your days climbing. It was our 8th trip and definitely the most challenging. Another aspect of the trip is there is a lot of traffic passing at high speeds. While most of drivers are courteous in the amount of space given, if you’re accustomed of cycling without traffic, it can be very disconcerting. It a lovely trip, but I think the surface and terrain need to be disclosed.

    What was the date of your tour?
    March 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    8
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Spain
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 2/5 Route selection
  • Algarve Coastal Route
    (3/5) NoPensionWillTravel December 8, 2018

    Sunny Cycling in a Very Popular Spot

    · Algarve Coastal Route

    The tour operator provided very responsive and friendly service throughout this trip. The hotels were excellent, being mostly four-star (although we're usually happy with two or three.) We particularly liked the staff at the Hotel Apolo in Vila Real de Santo António. As the description says, this is one of the few places you can cycle warm, sunny weather in Europe in late November! We would caution prospective riders to do their research, though. If, like we, you imagine the Algarve as quaint and quiet - as it may have been in the past - you may be surprised at how built up it has become. We were rarely out of sight of high-rise hotels or flashy marinas. The "fishing villages with Moorish architecture, cobbled lanes, Roman ruins, beaches, lagoons, and inlets" all exist - but there's a lot of development in between, and growing. And this also means traffic and more challenging cycling. When we see a "2" rating, we usually expect we could invite capable non-cyclists, but in this case, the preponderance of busy, sometimes narrow roads, and complex traffic circles made us glad we didn't have newbies with us. So, do your homework - but if you know what to expect, this is a well-run operation with nice bikes and a super GPS route-finder.

    What was the date of your tour?
    November 12, 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    7 or 8 (plus club-organized in NA)
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Portugal
    • Photo 1 (photo by NoPensionWillTravel)
    • Photo 2 (photo by NoPensionWillTravel)
    • Photo 3 (photo by NoPensionWillTravel)
    • Photo 4 (photo by NoPensionWillTravel)
    • Photo 5 (photo by NoPensionWillTravel)
    • Photo 6 (photo by NoPensionWillTravel)
    • 2/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Alsace Wine Country
    (3/5) Chris118 October 1, 2018

    Lovely, but there were problems

    · Alsace Wine Country

    A friend and I just completed the Alsace trip. We had perfect weather and it was lovely to ride through the vineyards while the grapes were being harvested. Accommodations and dinners ranged from superb (Osthouse) to “meh”. It seemed to us that the quality declined with each successive day.

    The tour company rep who met us in Strasbourg was very rushed and did not give us a particularly warm welcome. We only discovered the next morning that the mileage computer on one of our bikes was faulty because an electrical lead had been pulled out. This is the bike he used to “demonstrate” so he should have known that it was faulty. We were never able to fix it because it required too small a screwdriver. This inhibited our route-finding throughout the week since the computer was on the navigator’s bike.

    On the flip side, I had a crash (someone ran into me) and I called from the destination hotel and the company rep arranged for someone at the hotel to swap out my bent wheel. I was interested that the company rep didn’t ask if I had sustained any injuries.

    The route instructions were sometimes difficult to follow. We were lucky to also have a personal GPS and it helped us know whether we were on track. I think part of the problem is that the North American interpretation of some navigation terms may differ from the the European. I urge the company to consider a separate sheet/map to help people find heir way out of Strasbourg. It is actually simple but not at all obvious.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept. 9-13, 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    10
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 3/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • Split to Dubrovnik
    (3/5) Brent September 30, 2018

    Beautiful scenery

    · Split to Dubrovnik: The Islands and Coastline of Croatia

    Excellent support
    Really challenging cycling
    Doublecheck that inner tubes have been properly fitted before you start

    What was the date of your tour?
    Aug. 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    5
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Croatia
    • 3/5 Value
    • 3/5 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
  • Bruges to Paris
    (3/5) Joey September 29, 2018
    · · Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)

    What was the date of your tour?
    Late September
    How many tours have you completed?
    7
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Belgium, France
    • 3/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 2/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
    • 3/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Bordeaux by Bike and Boat
    (3/5) Banershan September 26, 2018

    Trip with my daughters

    · · Bordeaux by Bike and Boat: Castets-en-Dorthe to Libourne (and reverse)

    The trip was fine as the area of Bordeaux is so picturesque, but the rating of the trip was easy to moderate which was not true as we encountered hills every day. Some of the hills were quite difficult. They should re rate it as totally moderate.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 6-13
    How many tours have you completed?
    11
    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?
    France
    • 4/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 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
    • 4/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Danube Bike Path
    (3/5) 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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 1/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • Bolzano – Verona – Venice
    (3/5) Raff September 29, 2017

    Wonderful itinerary, average biking

    · Bolzano – Verona – Venice

    Great towns, but not enough time to see them. The biking scenery was ok. Really poor cue sheets in English.

    What was the date of your tour?
    9-16-17-8-22-17
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Italy
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 2/5 Route selection