Bike Tour Reviews Emerald Tour Of Slovenia’s Gems
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Self guided from EUR € 1066
Description:
This classical Slovenian bike tour takes you to the country's most famous historical attractions and points of natural interest! Starting in lively Ljubljana - Slovenia's stunning capital - you'll explore the city's splendid old center and mighty…
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★★★★★ David Turner 11 months agoBeautiful Scenery, Too Many Busy Roads
This was our sixth European cycle trip and the first one that we felt the description of was misleading. The information indicated that 80% of the route was on country roads. To us that means small quiet roads that go through villages with infrequent cars or farm equipment. We found that far too often we were cycling on secondary roads with fast moving cars, trucks and buses and no shoulder. There were several close calls with cars passing us on curves. We expect traffic entering and leaving cities, but this was stressful and unpleasant. The few designated bike lanes and small roads were fine and made for enjoyable cycling.
There was severe weather forecast for the first day of our ride. We, and some other cyclists expressed concern about the weather to the representative that we met prior to the start of the ride. He absolutely downplayed our concerns at our first meeting and also the morning we were to begin when the rain was torrential. Wisely we decided to take the train to a station close to our destination. We still got drenched getting to and from the station. The other four cyclists tried to ride and had to be rescued after 10 km. Luckily some very kind people helped them out.
The Guibo navigation system worked well, however on one cycle day, the route ended 15 km. from our hotel. We had to self navigate the rest of the route. We managed, but there was a bit of stress figuring out the best route with the least amount of traffic. A less experienced group could have found themselves in a difficult situation.
The scenery, the people and the food were all good, but we would not recommend this ride to others. We realize that weather is out of anyone’s control, but we felt our concerns were taken lightly and the advice given was poor.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
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★★★★★ Wes Kenney 1 month ago
Beautiful week in Slovenia
We had a great time on the Emerald Tour. None of us had been to Slovenia before and were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the country and friendliness of the Slovenian people. We spent some extra time in Ljubljana and Lake Bled in advance of the tour. Definitely a must. Would highly recommend this trip to those who had not been to Slovenia and those who have and want a different perspective.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- 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
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★★★★★ John Mitchell 11 months ago
Good trip - great experience
Overall a wonderful trip through gorgeous scenery. The routing was excellent, giving us pretty rural scenery and avoiding car traffic. Hotels were generally excellent and continental breakfast buffets were a highlight of our day! We had a fabulous time and this trip has opened up the world of bike touring to us. And made us want to return to Slovenia to explore further.
The route did bring us to a couple of small towns with very little going on, and we would have enjoyed going a little bit further on some days. Maybe it could be better to tweak the route by lengthening a couple of days and building in an extra night and side-trip from Postojna, Muggia or Piran.
The hotels in Muggia and Piran were superb. The hotel in Vrhinka was not great (rooms were noisy from road traffic and bar immediately below; breakfast choice and quality was lowest of the trip).
Our touring bikes were basic, old and in average repair. Tires were under-inflated on receipt, mudguards rattled. All mechanicals worked just fine though. We saw some other Helia bikes on our travels which looked newer and lighter.
Navigation - the Guibo app was OK. The interface is definitely NOT Google Maps. We found it slow and clumsy but it did the job. The arrows on signposts were great in some areas, not in others. The printed material was useful to read to prepare for the day ahead, but the printed map details were too small to be of use.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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
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★★★★★ Joseph Lutkenhaus 12 months ago
Lovely Slovenia
This was a great bike trip and a great way to see Slovenia (the part between Ljubiana and Piran). The ride is mostly (>90%) on roads with only the last part into Piran on a bike path. The first day was flat, the second day was hilly and partly on a gravel road) and the other days were hilly. The roads were generally not too busy but occasionally some of the roads were busy. We bike often at home but would have died if we did not have e-bikes because everyday after the first was hilly. The hotels were great and made charging the bikes easy. The breakfasts were amazing. The stay in the rural area with the wine tasting was great, although a bit expensive. We generally do bike trips in September but had to go in August this year. A dip in the Adriatic in Piran was fantastic.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Carol RALEY September 17, 2023
Awesome trip
Slovenia is an absolutely beautiful place to visit especially by bike! We spent time in Bled before the trip so we felt like we saw a great deal of the country. Some difficulty withe Guibo and signage was hit and miss. Ebikes functioned well but had some issues with plastic parts falling off (chain guard and rear fender stabilizer ) Nothing critical but just annoying. End of summer tired bikes I suppose. Otherwise great trip!
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★★★★★ Carol RALEY September 22, 2023
Easy to Love Slovenia!
We did a self guided Emerald Tour. For the most part directions were good. Went through a bit more road construction than was expected. Guibo was OK. Once you figured it out. We had not used it previously. Good Ebikes with Bosch motors and Shimano shifters. Disc brakes.
Slovenia itself is an absolutely beautiful, friendly and welcoming country! From top to bottom (Bled t0 Piran) It did not disappoint. Tour was well planned and our tour rep had lots of helpful hints about the trip.
We had enough time to do all we wanted and still get some rest time . Good trip!- What was the date of your tour?
- September 23
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7+
- 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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★★★★★ AMY COOK May 3, 2024
A lovely tour
This tour was lovely, so much beautiful countryside and fascinating historical sites.
It was quite a bit more mountainous than the promotion description lead me to believe and on of the hotels was considerably less nice than the rest. But overall it was a great trip.- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Anne H 3 weeks ago
Fabulous, scenic odyssey
What a wonderful journey! The scenery was spectacular as we biked through rolling hills, quaint villages, and especially as we arrived at the Adriatic Sea. A few days consisted of biking up and down some fairly significant hills, so get an e-bike if you aren’t in shape for biking uphill, which we thought we were but we underestimated how challenging the hills would be. The route includes several gravel roads but the bikes handled the bumps just fine. Slovenian drivers seemed very accustomed to sharing the road with cyclists and were quite respectful. Almost all of the roads that we biked on were sparsely traveled. The hotels were nice and they all had good hearty breakfasts for us to stoke up on before our rides. The tour company was responsive and we appreciated having our luggage delivered to our destination each day. Slovenia is a beautiful country inhabited by welcoming, friendly people. We loved it!
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- 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
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★★★★★ Julie November 4, 2015
Europe's hidden gem
A great trip! Explored big cities and small town! A little bit of everything! Busy city life, quiet cafes, horses, cobbled streets, castles, caves...
- 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?
- Yes
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★★★★★ David A. 3 weeks ago
A great experience
This was an unguided town-to-town bike trip, 6 days, from Ljubljana to Piran. I rented a (non-electric) bike.
The bike (Trek FX2 gravel bike) was good, and fit me well. The rear derailleur was a bit out of alignment. They give you a spare tube and some tools, which I didn't need.
The nav was pretty easy. You get a nav app (Guibo) that has some glitches but works OK. There are little arrow stickers along the way that confirm the directions, but don't replace the app
The route was about 50% roads with fast cars and no shoulder, 30% paved village roads with few cars, 10% bike paths, and 10% gravel farm roads. This was more cars than I would have liked, but the tour has to work with what's there.
The hotels were all excellent - generally the best available place in each town.
The towns, and the associated attractions (castles, caves etc.) were great.
The rides were moderate - 20-30 miles each day, some elevation gains. Day 2 gained 2000' and was a little hard. They generally took ~3 hours including breaks. Take your time, otherwise you might arrive too early to check in.
In summary: a very well-planned and well-organized tour. I had a great time, and would definitely consider doing another tour with this company. Also, I thought the price was quite reasonable.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- 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
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★★★★★ John E. 3 months ago
Awesome experience
Well organised bike trip in stunning scenery. Overnight stays were fantastic and great fun. Our cycling companions made for a memorable trip.
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★★★★★ Julie Krey 3 months ago
Enjoyable ride through Slovenia
Very much enjoyed our bike ride. Flawless support and organization by the local partner as well as the GPS map enabled us to enjoy the ride without the hassles. Beautiful countryside and very friendly people and excellent accommodations. Only slight improvement would be a bridge detour and new road out of Muggia that were not on our GPS that would have been helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Chris Mauriello 11 months ago
Amazing trip!
I've been a number of European bike tours and this one was excellent. The mapped route is a nice change and variety of scenery.
Flat and through the vegetable filed when you leave Ljubljana then mild hills with vineyards and farms with a great ride down to the coast to Muggia with lots of olive tress and ending up in Piran, a very cool place on the Adriatic.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- 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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★★★★★ Heinrich Tillmanns July 31, 2024
Amazing country by bike
We booked this tour to celebrate two of our daughters graduations from university. We were a group of 6 and everything went super smooth. Amazing e-bikes, scenery, amazing people and would book again!
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 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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★★★★★ Suzanne Kellett July 12, 2024
Great ride through beautiful scenery
A great ride for everyone even those who may not be regular cyclists. The schedule is not too taxing for e bike riders who only cycle occasionally. The route takes you through some really beautiful scenery albeit a bit hilly at times and the hotels were all in great locations.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five
- 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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★★★★★ Carrie Sciammas October 12, 2023
Slovenia is wonderful
We had a fantastic bike trip in Slovenia. The country is beautiful as are the people we met along the way. The food was delicious and there were so many things to see along the route. We enjoyed seeing nature, castles, caves ( so many caves!), water powered saw mills, quaint villages, vineyards, Lipanzer horses, rivers, the sea, etc etc.
The app was a bit tricky at times and we encountered some road construction nearly every day but that is all part of the adventure!
I'd love to see more of Slovenia from my bike!
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Michael Schwartz July 18, 2023
Great Exposure to a Slovenia not seen by tourists
The bike tour of the Gems of Slovenia afforded us a glimpse into the hidden life of the country, at least the part we saw. The hotels were comfortable, especially the M Hotel in Ljubljana. Breakfast at the M Hotel and the Hotel Piran were great; the others middling to OK. The luggage delivery to each hotel was excellent. The routes from Ljubljana to Piran were good, although our navigation system failed us after the second day. The company faxed us paper directions but they were in black and white and were repeat documents of what we had already.
A few suggestions for change:
1. Provision of a cell phone holder (the plastic bag with velcro strips did not work)
2. A better GPS app
3. Two, not one, but two panniers
4. A way to ensure the charger for the E-bike does not fall out or be removed (someone removed my charger whether accidentally or intentionally I don't know)
5. A way to do laundry, either in town or at the hotel with turn around time to keep the momentum of the trip goingI would also consider making a town in Slovenia a central location with day trips to the surrounding environments.
Good job!
Michael
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 4 - 11
- How many tours have you completed?
- Two including this one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Pieter Van Niekerk July 12, 2023
Quiet, beautiful and well organized.
Excellent cycling roads with beautiful scenery. Well-spaced stops. Excellent GPS app. Good hotels. Good bikes and helpful upfront orientation.
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★★★★★ Amy Reller November 16, 2022
Epic trip!
We did a self-guided tour (two couples) and it could not have been better! From the first night trip orientation in our Ljubljana hotel to our final stopping point in Piran, we couldn't stop talking about how smoothly everything went. The hotels were well familiar with the electric bike routine, our luggage was always waiting for us upon arrival in the lobby, the routes took us through beautiful Slovenian countryside and stopped at points of interest and historical sites that were worth the side trip. Our detailed route map (provided by local bike tour group Helia) was experienced enough to mention ideal locations to stop for lunch along the way which proved helpful when traveling through small villages with limited spots to stop to eat. We lucked out on the early October weather and had no rain which was a bonus. Having breakfast in our hotel before departing each morning made it easy to pack up and get back on the road. Would highly recommend this trip!
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★★★★★ Gail October 27, 2022
Beautiful Slovenia
This was an excellent tour to see the diversity of Slovenia's landscape! I highly recommend the e-bikes as it was hillier than expected (and e-bikes are just fun!) Everything went smoothly, especially the weather this late in the season (we went in mid October). Highly recommend!
