Family Friendly Bike Tour Reviews (page 42)
- Albania
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- Cambodia
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- France
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- Greece
- Holland
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- Japan
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★★★★★ Calista1226 September 29, 2016Incredible Experience
· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
This was my first bike tour and I cannot say enough positive things about my experience. Our group was small with 5 bikers and 2 guides. The other bikers were very friendly and we all got along well. The guides were incredible and I could not have asked for more supportive, friendly, helpful people to enjoy this experience with. The accommodations each night were very comfortable and in perfectly safe areas.
While it was definitely a physically demanding trip, it was attainable and we all completed the trip perfectly fine. While I do bike regularly, I'm certainly not the ideal specimen of fitness. I bike around 30-50 miles a week and found the trip a little more difficult than I anticipated. But again, I would not let this discourage you from going.
The guides were all from the Prague/Dresden area and so were able to share historical and relevant information about the sites and cities along the way. This trip was more than a bike tour--it was also a cultural tour. In addition, the sites are absolutely breathtaking. I'm giving myself a few weeks to recover and then planning my next one!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 17-Sept 23
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- 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?
- Czech Republic, Germany
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★★★★★ roadrider56 September 28, 2016Alittle bit of heaven
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We had an amazing time. This is our third tour with BTD and will definitely plan another tour in the future . The hotels were wonderful with amazing breakfast and some hotels had pools and offered spa packages. The routes were great although rated a level 2. I found a couple days a bit challenging considering I live in the low country yet I appreciated the challenge. The bikes were excellent considering their weight.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September8, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- four
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Retired Teacher September 28, 2016Great Scenery, but... poor bikes
· Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
The rental bikes were NOT up to standards. One bike had defective derailluer and and to be substituted. Pedals and seats were hard to replace with ours, mechanic had to return next day with WD430 and oversized wrenches to get pedals off.
The hotel was very cute and nice, but across plaza from 2 churches that ran LOUD bells. Hotel room had no AC and no screens on windows and we spend time killing flies! The breakfast was good, dinner was good except for one night...do not get venison (2 of 4 of us could not cut with serrated knife!) There was an alternate choice most nights had we know that is better choice.
This is NOT traditional Italian food. Villabassa and Toblach are in the German speaking section of Sud Tyrol. It is an interesting combination of Austrian and Italian 'fusion' food. White table cloths and waiters. Lots of local wines to choose from.
The bike routes were VERY Scenic and for the most part enjoyable. We got lucky and only had rain at night, but bring your rain gear just in case! There is some
gravel surface that gave some of the group tour we bumped into a little trouble, but we had no problems. Most of the rides do not take most of the day, so stop and take all the photos you want. The weather in Dolomites is about 10-15 degrees cooler than Lake Garda because it is about 4000 feet. We started with layers and soon got down to short sleeves on most days in late September.- What was the date of your tour?
- Mid-Late September
- How many tours have you completed?
- Lots
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Yeenie September 27, 2016Bolzano to Mestre, Italy bike trip
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 11th -- 17th, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- Nine
- 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
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★★★★★ Bonjuk September 27, 2016Italy on Two Wheels
· Bolzano to Verona: Orchards, Mountains & Timeless Culture
Our fall trip was a wonderful way to see both bountiful orchards and vineyards and sample sights and history in small and larger cities. We enjoyed the beautiful river paths and scenery. And breakfast for kings and queens!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 9-14
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1, my first
- 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
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★★★★★ CJ4EY September 27, 2016Highly Recommend to Every Cyclist!
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
Great Overall Biking Trip. The scenery was splendid and loved cycling up to chateaus. As an intermediate cyclist it was a relatively easy trip. The bikes and navigation signs/written information was the best we've had (and this was our 6th trip.)
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 6, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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?
- France
-
★★★★★ Colorado Kid September 26, 2016
Spectacular Italy!
· Bolzano to Verona: Orchards, Mountains & Timeless Culture
The trip had a nice variety of terrain and locale, going from Bolzano to Verona. The first two days is bike paths going down the Adige Valley. However, the last three days added some ups and serious map reading as we went through the countryside. In a few places our guide book did not match up with the route.In a few places there was more traffic than some of our group were comfortable with.Hotels were great values and the food excellent. Lago di Garda is beautiful.It was a great trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/10-9/14/016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2 with Bike Tours; 4 others
- 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
-
★★★★★ Ron1 September 26, 2016
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9-8 to 9-16
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Halle96 September 26, 2016One of Top 5 trips in 30 years travelling
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- Just this one
- 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
-
★★★★★ Marko September 23, 2016
Good experience overall
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We enjoyed the tour from Passau to Vienna very much, it was very scenic and overall a great experience. I would have rated the experience higher except some of the hotels were not really 4 star or better and the directions need to be improved.
In particular the Römerhof Hotel in Tulln (regardless of assigned rating) is just not very nice. The property is needs updating and painting. Our room was small, had ineffective air conditioning, needed painting and was really a 2 or 3 star experience. The Römerhof Hotel was by far the least desirable overnight stay on the trip, and we would not want to stay there again. I suggest the tour company reconsider this location for the "upscale lodging" tour.
For the most part the directions and maps were outstanding, except for the last day. The final day directions could really be improved for the area around Korneuburg and into Vienna. This is the most difficult section of the journey but the directions are the least descriptive. It was very hard to stay on track with the directions here. We met several other travelers that got off course in this section.
All in all we liked the tour and would recommend it. Thanks for the opportunity to provide feedback, we appreciate it! Marko and Janet
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★★★★★ tyrrell2016 September 20, 2016
best trip ever!!
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
-flat great condition bike dedicated pavement path -90 percent of the time
-the places you are on the road, the roads are not too busy and there are so many cyclist and there are signs for drivers to be aware of cyclists
-we got the electric bikes...they were a lot of fun!
-trails marked well
-bike and equipment very nice. saddlebags are waterproof
-excellent staff, great support and guidance
-lots of bike shops along the path in case you break down. the company will reimburse you. you also have a small repair kit on board and the option to call them for assistance.
-this was our first bike tour.
-maps were good
-the bike path was not too crowded...but we did go after labor day.
-very scenic
-very safe
-we did the upscale hotels. they were solid-but considering we were going through small villages they were the best of the village. fyi...air conditioning is not like in the USA. I can't imagine doing the tour in July ugh
The hotels are very friendly and are very aware of the bike arrangement.
-we did self guided and felt very comfortable with this particular itinerarytips
-be prepared for rain...it can happen. we got water proof socks, pants, jacket, shoes and gloves. it came in very handy one day. Eddie Bauer waterproof shoes were great for us. Lightweight and comfortable. my husband wants to buy another pair for backup.
-hat for sun and bug protection. We did not wear helmets because we were on bike paths.
-sunscreen for face, body and lips
-lightweight sunglasses
-consider bike gloves....the last day i got sun poison on my hands
-bring baby wipes. my husband got oily adjusting his chain
-bring washcloths (disposable)-we got dusty on the trail and none of the hotels provided wash cloths. also...bring shampoo and conditioner. many of the hotels only offered a liquid body wash.
-bring a little pharmacy antibiotics, miralax, monistat, tylenol, allergy meds,
-plan on layers for clothing and packing
-get good socks from a running store...my feet got hot- What was the date of your tour?
- September 3rd thru 11th 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- our first
- 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?
- Austria, Germany
-
★★★★★ paula12 September 19, 2016I Would Go Back Tomorrow...
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
I've been to Europe a dozen times, but seeing the Salzburg
area by bike was the best trip yet. Such beautiful scenery.
Loved the e-bike!- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 12-19
- How many tours have you completed?
- no others
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ diane g September 18, 2016
Salzburg to Salzburg has fantastic scenery but directions provided are unbelievably poorly developed
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
Salzburg to Salzburg over 6 days is higher than a level 2. The terrain is hilly. I do not recommend this self guided tour because the german-speaking outfits they contract with provide totally inadequate self-guiding instructions. They do not know what a cue sheet is. They do not provide any directions as to north, south, east, west; they do not provide any street names. AND, the directions in English are very obviously translated very poorly from the German. In addition, there is no way to find your hotel once off the bike path. You have to depend upon good route finding skills for this hotel finding as well as the entire trip. We had this same experience with bike tours.com 7 years ago and thought they might have gotten better at directions. We gave bike tours feedback at that time, and our friends gave feedback on their german-speaking directions on their self-guided tour, and nothing changed. Hence I am writing this review without making a customer complaint becaue I do not believe bike tours will fix this problem. AND, THIS TOUR REQUIRES ONE TO CONSULT 3 SETS OF INSTRUCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE TRIP. 2 sets of friends had exactly the same experience. 2 stars are for getting our luggage to each hotel before we arrived; and the hotels were gracious and accommodating.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Anna September 17, 2016Mosel bike Tour
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
The tour was planned good. Very nice landscape and picturesque small towns.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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?
- Germany
-
★★★★★ Cramaz September 11, 2016
The Great Tour of Salzburg
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
This ride took us through some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. While there were a couple of difficult hills, the majority of the ride was quite manageable and structured so that there was plenty of time to sightsee on the way and at each destination. The towns we stayed in all had something a little different to offer and all had plenty of good places to eat and relax. As a self-guided tour, this would be hard to beat. The Tauern bike path is a great way to see this part of Austria.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 28th August to 5th September 2016
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Tzee September 11, 2016Beautiful Ireland West Coast Bicycle Trip
· Connemara Lazy Days Cycling
A great way to experience this wonderful region of Ireland. My wife and I decided on a late August tour and weren't disappointed, but be prepared for changeable weather each day, from rain and clouds to sunny and warm. Definitely rent some panniers to hold rain gear, jacket, etc. The bicycles performed well and we cycled through all the gears in the hilly countryside.
The Connemara Tour staff were friendly and very helpful.
Many of the B&Bs had fabulous views out to the sea and mountains and all rooms were comfortable and near town centers or other points of interest.- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug 21-28
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
-
★★★★★ Jenny P August 31, 2016
Beautiful Scenery, Nice Riding, and Excellent Wine
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
Excellent bike tour! Traveling as a couple, we found the hotels nice, and especially loved the Hotel Weinhaus Mayer in Zell. Our favorite stops on the trip include hiking up to Zummethöhe and having dinner at Hotel Zummethof after the first day of biking (Trittenheim); wine tasting at the Vino-thek in Bernkastel-Kues; and everything about our stay in Zell. Breakfasts were excellent, and kept us filled until the afternoon.
There were many other bike tourists on the route, including families with children of all ages. The route was fairly flat, and there seemed to be options for riding on either side of the river in most cases. The riding can be done in 2-4 hours, and there are plenty of villages to stop in along the way.
The bike path itself was generally wide and well-paved, although we experienced a few short bumpy segments. The first 10 or so miles of the bike path (leaving Trier) goes through a rather industrial area, but once you've gotten through that, the scenery on the rest of the tour is incredible. We did the tour in mid-July, and had generally great weather. If going in early August, you should be able to eat lots of wild blackberries! We had a great time and would highly recommend the tour to anyone looking for a scenic and relatively leisurely trip.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 14-20
- 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, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
-
★★★★★ Julius August 28, 2016Lovely ride
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
I decided on the spur of the moment to treat myself to a bike tour. The Mainz to Cologne route appealed to me because I did it by boat many years ago. It was one of the most enjoyable holidays I've ever had. The scenery was impressive, the ride was nice and easy and the hotels were sufficiently comfortable. Having done bike trips before where I carted my own luggage it was an absolute luxury to have my luggage looked after by the tour company. This was done in a very efficient way. The trip is quite easy. Before this, the last time I was on a bike for more than 10km was about 10 years ago. I had no problems, other than some saddle soreness after the first day. I would recommend proper cycling shorts, that makes life in the saddle a little easier.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 14-19 August 2016
- 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?
- Germany
-
★★★★★ EDWH August 26, 2016Denmark Sights
Best of Northern Zealand
Pretty good tour with lots to see along the way. Best bike paths in all of Scandinavia. Bikes in good condition, except for my computer which never worked, but could have used more detail or up to date information on guide sheets. Fairly flat with lots of pretty seaside scenery.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Denmark
