Family Friendly Bike Tour Reviews page 3
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-
★★★★★ Skipper
Nice trip- some days better than others.
Bolzano to Verona: Orchards, Mountains & Timeless Culture
The trip was nice. The first three days had pretty scenery and nice riding. The fourth day was mostly on roads and some areas not very exciting. The last day retraced some of the fourth day and seemed like it wasn’t really necessary. The signage at certain points was unclear (e.g., the bike path ended and it was unclear what to do next) and there was an actual mistake in directions arriving at the hotel in Verona. The GPS was not particularly helpful. The bike was a good quality, but one of the bikes didn’t have working lights.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- Two
- 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?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Raff
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
-
BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany
Thank you for your review. We'll work with our partner operator on better translated daily directions. We appreciate your time and hope to help you in the future!
-
★★★★★ Marion Van Kirk
Beautiful Austria and Germany
Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
Biking was more difficult than expected. Luckily the women had e-bikes. Most of the hotels were excellent and food was great. Trip started in Neukirchen am Grossvenediger instead of Krimml due to closed hotels. The hotel in vicinity of Burghausen was too far from the town to be able to enjoy the beautiful city and castle and this was a huge disappointment since there were 3 other hotels within the city.
-
★★★★★ Mychelle
Do Your Research
Lake Constance Bicycle Path (Upscale Lodging)
My husband and I did the Lake Constance Self Guided bike tour. When we arrived at our hotel we dropped off our bags and we took a taxi to the bike company to pick up our bikes (per our instructions). We were greeted by a man that spoke only German. The maps and instruction he gave us were not clear (some of them were in German as well). The monitor on the bike was not in English (he got a translator over the phone to help him change it). I had upload the suggested Bike app on my phone ahead of time with the trail map but it would not work once we arrived. The first 24 hours of our trip did not go smooth (prior to our ride). I ended up going to the Visitor's Center in town and found someone that spoke English to walk me through the route. I got a much better trail map from them as well. Once we got through the hump of what we felt was very poor planning on the part of this company everything else went well. The hotels were wonderful, the bike trail was breathtaking, the weather was mostly sunny (a little rain) and the trail is well marked. I emailed this company during our trip to let them know about our problems and they were little help.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2019
- 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 young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe
Thanks, Mychelle, for your review and for taking the time to chat with us directly. We appreciate your details about the communication, language, app, and instructions. We understand this made your first 24 hours less than ideal. We will work with the tour operator to improve the experience for future clients as well as consider how we may better prepare clients for their tour. Thanks again for your feedback, we're overjoyed to know the hotels were wonderful, the path was well-marked, and the trails were breathtaking.
-
★★★★★ Bob Sterndale
Beautiful trip but problems
Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
The scenery was breathtaking, the bike paths mostly fine but with seriously difficult and dangerous exceptions, the hotels very pleasant and the e-bikes fine with one exception.
The trip started on the wrong foot at the first hotel: Hotel Krimml Fälle. We were assigned a room with no heat (as were others) on a cold day. After two hours of lame diversions and excuses, while we sat in the lobby to keep warm, we were given a heated room. In all other respects the hotel and restaurant were fine.
Getting to Krimml is a bit confusing. OBB will sell you a train ticket (from Salzburg for us) all the way to Krimml. The trip involves a narrow-gauge train from Sell am See to Mittersill hbf (end of line) and a bus trip from Mittersill to Krimml. There is a bus stop in the middle of Krimml village, steps from our hotel.
The first day of biking were delightful. The hotel in Sell am See was beyond our expectations.
The second day of biking started well but we encountered a long section of closed trail. We were in a narrow valley with little development. The only parallel path was a shoulder-less two-lane highway with plenty of high-speed traffic, not an acceptable bike route. Trees and brush had been trimmed along the nice paved bike path recently. All the slash had been left on the path, for 2 or 3 days from its appearance. We picked our way through the mess for maybe a couple kilometers. Then we came to a section with blown down trees obstructing the path, another ½ to 1 Km. Getting through this required some bushwhacking with the heavy e-bikes. Not fun.
Day three of biking was fine until we came to a flooded underpass on the outskirts of Salzburg. We needed to cross the A1 highway to get to Salzburg. A bad storm a few days before had caused numerous problems across Austria. We did find an alternate route but advance knowledge would have saved us a few Km of pedaling.
Day 4, however, brought us to highway biking. As we approached the village of St. Radegund we were directed onto a busy, shoulder-less two-lane road for a steep ascent of a kilometer or more. It was a strenuous ride even with the e-bikes. Your web sites offers this description of the tour:
“The tour route is mainly on dedicated bicycle paths (about 80% of the time). The remainder of the tour is on quiet roads and dirt or gravel roads. This tour is suitable for families with children.”
This stretch alone disqualifies the tour as a family-safe route. The experience continues:
A short distance beyond the scary hill climb is a 5.2 Km stretch of riding on the same road. The tour map shows this section as a bike path on the side of the road pavement. The “bike path” in this area is about 18” wide, separated from the high-speed traffic by a 4” wide white stripe. Narrative direction for this day’s route were not helpful, signage was poor, the “pink” house referred to is now yellow.
The unpleasant day was capped by a steep climb to the hotel in Burghausen. Pushing a heavy e-bike up a hill doesn’t work! You need to pedal it up so that it assists with its own heavy weight.
Day 5 brought us to Bad Fussing. This day was mostly uneventful. Directions to the hotel in Bad Fussing were vague, calling for riding 4 Km on a busy road with no shoulder. Instead, we found a bike path at the German side of the bridge that led right in to downtown Bad Fussing. The directions should include this route. Plan your day to allow an hour or two at one of the baths, you will be glad you did!
Day 6 was uneventful, mainly along the Inn River to Passau.
One e-bike problem: the rear disc brake on one of the 4 bikes was useless, apparently the brake pads were worn away (bikes had coaster brakes too). In all other respects bikes were fine. Battery capacity was generous. I think the lowest reserve at the end of any day for any of us was 50%.
An otherwise delightful trip was marred by surprise bike path closures and stretches of unsafe highway biking. This is not for children. The scenery was awe inspiring. Hotels were good to excellent. E-bikes were good except for one problem that didn’t spoil the trip.
We would have wished for more current information on bike path conditions from the local partner. We provided reports to them of closed paths as we encountered them.
Your tour description misrepresents the conditions of the route. We would not have booked the trip if had been accurately described. SHOW MORE
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★★★★★ Scott Katzer
Enjoyed the trip but some things can be improved
Cycling the Altmühl Valley - Round trip from Regensburg
The sites and surroundings were great and we lucked out with the weather as it rained almost every other day. Although we completed the tour with no issues, it was a bit complicated at times. The information between Bike Tours and the tour company Ragwed wasnt always fluid and simple questions seemed to take a bit of time to answer which is a problem when trying to book flights. The information given with the tour company package was a bit limited. Although maps were included, they are not provided with any sort of turn by turn direction. This isnt a big deal for most days as the trail is obvious but entering a city has its own challenges. It is recommended for anyone going on this tour to have GPS on their phone which we had to use (and incur roaming charges) several times. The signage in some locations simply dont exist and some roads were even closed during our tour due to construction. It would be wise for this tour company to occasionally ride their own route and note any changes.
The hotels were nice for the most part and breakfasts were good. The only one that I felt could be improved was the Regensburg location (IBIS Hotel). While it was nice and fine for the stay, its location is a decent distance from the Old Town (30 minute walk minimum) when there are tons of other places right in the Old Town area to stay. The other locations had hotels right in the middle of the main area (The one in Belingres was real nice). Mileage was fine and a majority was on bike paths/trails. My only request would have been providing the option to use a GPS on this tour as many of the paths either were not labeled or so close to the country roads that its hard to tell them apart. The bikes could be improved a bit as they are a bit bulky and heavy and really could do without the bright red advertising all over it. I will give kudos to the luggage people as we never had to wait for our luggage to arrive and they were usually there by 3pm at the latest.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- 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, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
-
★★★★★ Osmo S
Beautiful Garda landscapes, but some discomforts
Lake Garda (Based in One Hotel)
Having had many tours with daily changing hotels, I liked this time this one based on one hotel. The daily tours were mostly beautiful landscapes, and also some very attractive human creations, especially Verona. Some problems still: the quality of bike lanes varied from very well made and clearly marked to muddy dirt roads and at some places within hard traffic. On the first day there was a mess on returning from Riva del Garda, most of the group missing the boat because of problems with bike transportation.
The EuroBike app was really good and showed clearly the way and its quick turns.- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Brendan
Beautiful bike ride but not a good value at the price.
Connemara Lazy Days Cycling
This is a remarkable part of Ireland with an amazing history and a haunting landscape that is quickly changing as this part of Ireland attracts more visitors.
First the good parts: we were a family of six and had a wonderful biking vacation. The people at Connemara Adventure Tours were very helpful and kind. Specific thanks to Conor and Chloe who were so thoughtful as we arrived and set out on our first day. There were no issues with baggage transfers etc.
But here are a few critical things to consider before booking this trip.
1. Clifden is the only true town on this trip and yet only the first and last nights are spent here. If you are looking for music, as an example, it will be difficult (if not impossible) to find at the other destinations. In Clifden there are several pubs with music every night of the week and a much wider selection of eating options.
2. The idea of a Connemara Loop is nice in concept when looking at the map but the B&Bs we experienced were not at all consistent and a couple just seemed cheap considering what we paid. One happy exception was Connemara Country Lodge on our last evening. "Singing Mary", the host, was the epitome of Irish hospitality.
3. At €900 ($1000) this is not an inexpensive trip for six people. But if I had friends wanting to repeat this trip, I would suggest they find a good bike rental in Clifden (€100/week per person). Get a nicer B&B or house rental in Clifden and stay put and bike north and south from there. And then work with a local guide to plan daily loops that align with the ability and interest of your group. It would also be easier to manage the weather issue since this part of Ireland is often cloudy and wet.
4. The maps and assistance by Conor on routes and restaurants along the way were very helpful. But the condition of the bikes were just average. And when they charged for panniers and "souvenir" water bottles as we prepared to leave, I felt nickel and dimed. Note to Connemara: when a family pays more than $6k for a week of cycling, kick in the panniers and water bottles or price accordingly so basics are not being charged. Grrrr.
Our family biked through Normandy earlier in the summer and the bikes and hotels were far better for a minor increase in cost. The lesson for me is that our next bike tour will be direct with a local operator so costs, routes, equipment and expectations about hotels and restaurants are better aligned.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 3 - 9
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Ireland
-
★★★★★ pmr52
Lake Constance Bicycle Path (Upscale Lodging)
- What was the date of your tour?
- 24 june - 1 july
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Ellen Brown
Poor route info
Lake Garda (Based in One Hotel)
While the company rep was great, the app and route map only worked the middle 3 days. First day we had a transfer to Trento, a rather rushed fitting of bikes, then told to just follow the bike path to Riva de Garda, “ it’s easy, you won’t get lost”. Well, we were lost, and we experienced with self guided bike tours. There was no meeting to discuss the use of the app before we took off riding, but then there was no GPS either. Lucky we paid for an international phone plan, I used it to get us to the town. Others on this same tour ended up MILES away from where they should have been.
They gave us a booklet with written directions that were totally useless as there was no starting point. One direction said start over the bridge, there was no bridge anywhere near our hotel.
The riding was basically on bike path, so very easy. Lots of dirt and rocks and stones as well.
The bikes were “ok” but seemed older. I had to switch out my e-bike as the battery wouldn’t detach. The replacement bike I was given had a slow leak in the back tire, so we had to pump it up during the ride.
While the scenery is beautiful, and the riding enjoyable, I don’t recommend the tour company used in Italy- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ US cyclist
Difficult to navigate
Bolzano – Verona – Venice
I chose this tour because I was finishing up a week of hiking in the Dolomites in Balzano, and though that riding a bike back to Venice to catch my plane would be more interesting than taking the train. I saw that there were several reviewers who noted that they had difficulty navigating but thought, "I can just check Google Maps if I have a problem. How bad could it be?"
Well, it was bad. I found the step by step directions to be indecipherable. The maps made it look easy, but there was not enough detail to actually use them to follow the route. Google maps did not pick up the bike paths, so could not provide a cycling route. I spent a significant part of each day lost and frustrated, in addition to inadvertently ending up on roads with heavy traffic and adding extra miles to the trip. Towards the end of the week I discovered that there were several people from Belgium who were riding the same route I was, but had booked directly with the tour company rather than going through a third party. They were emailed the routes in digital format, and were able to download them to their Garmin. This was not offered to me.
The area is beautiful, bike paths nice, and local folks very friendly and helpful.- What was the date of your tour?
- Ended July 28, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ three bees
great variety of scenery
Best of Northern Zealand
Lots to see whilst cycling - forests, seaside, lakes, country farmland, small towns etc. The organisation was somewhat disappointing e.g., miscommunications in regard to where our bikes should be delivered, wrong maps provided, battery charger not working (and some reluctance by the bike operator to replace it!) but overall the bikes were in good working condition, the maps were easy to follow, and accommodation was great.
As for the scenery - once you got out of Copenhagen, it was brilliant.- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- Four
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Denmark
-
★★★★★ William Sholten
Our Alsatian Bike Trip
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
We have enjoyed 2 other bike trips in the past. This route was not easy to follow without GPS. We used a Garmin GPS to help confirm our path along the way (and highly recommend this). There are many intersecting bike paths around towns, so we had to stop often to determine which route/path to take. There were several detours due to construction (not indicated on our route plans) which made travel both longer and more challenging to navigate.
We cycled on gravel roads in addition to the bike paths, making the ride somewhat longer than anticipated.Hotels were comfortable, but not all hotels in Category A had air conditioning. Hotel staff and breakfasts were first rate!
Rental bike performed well but were heavier than expected.
-
★★★★★ Waterdog
Wonderful tour
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
The bike, accommodations, and breakfast where all very good. I rented an eBike and am so glad I did. Some parts of the route were
harder than I had anticipated. The eBike made those times considerably easier to endure. My only negative about this trip was that the maps and directions were extremely poor at times...numerous times. The worst was when we were trying to find the hotels in the afternoon or leaving town in the mornings. The good news is we were usually able to find pedestrians or other cyclists to ask, but we could ask three people and get the different directions. That being said, it was still a wonderful adventure. I'll definitely book another trip through biketours.com.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 6-15
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Wes G
Lake Konstanz Bike Tour
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
My first bike tour in Europe. The area is beautiful to ride through and each city had its own uniqueness. We really enjoyed sampling local beers and wines along with our favorite snacks and dinners. Generally, our accommodations were satisfactory with some better than others. Thankfully, mid-September is not too warm because many small hotels do not have airconditioning. The bikes from Radweg Reisen were in excellent condition and never once gave any of us any concern.
Just a few suggestions that would have made the trip more memorable. First of all, our tour was self-guided and we used the maps provided by Radweg. Because of some areas that had poor signage, we could have used a GPS with the routes loaded into it. There was a lot of road construction and repairs going on. We got lost several times and ended up way off course and walking our bikes up steep hills to get to our destination.
Second, although all four of us are in excellent condition, two of us are not regular cyclists. So, we trained with spin classes. Even then, we were wishing on many occasions that we had opted for the e-bikes,especially on the St Gallen to Konstanz segment (absolutely crushing)!
Third, the hotel in Manzell was too far away from Friedrichshafen and absolutely nothing to do in that area. The only saving grace was the restaurant.
Overall, a lovely ride, although I would caution against novice cyclists doing the eleven night tour without e-bikes.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 13-25
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Vegacat
Enjoyable tour but poor organisation
Best of Northern Zealand
Although we booked this tour through biketours.com the tour is actually operated by Bike Denmark. Things got off to a bad start when we arrived at the first hotel (the Scandic in Copenhagen) to find the hotel had no record of a reservation in our name. Fortunately, the hotel did have a free room and after several phone calls to Bike Denmark the situation was sorted out. Our bikes were to be obtained the next morning from Bike Denmark at the rear of the hotel. What we found was a fairly chaotic situation with one Bike Denmark representative trying to set up bikes for twenty or so cyclists. Whilst the bikes were reasonable touring bikes, they had not been cleaned and were very dirty. There was a shortage of bike locks so we only got one between two. The helmets were old and in poor condition. Similarly, the bike map holders were torn and certainly not waterproof. Altogether it was a poor start to the tour. Bike Denmark could have done a much better job by ensuring that all bikes were set up and fully equipped prior to the 9.00am pick up time.
We were provided with two route books, one with maps one with turning instructions. Both were printed only on one side of the page so it would have been much better if they had been combined so as you could see the map and instructions side by side. The instructions were not always clear leading to a couple of wrong turns and the need to resort to Google maps. (We found that others on the route made similar errors). It would be better if the route book provided more detail of what you are passing between turning points as a cross check that you are on the right route. Also detail could be provided of dining options in overnight towns.
The bike tour itself was most enjoyable. Very pleasant and safe cycling along the coast to Helsingor (a highlight in itself) and then back by an inland route with some undulations. The hotel in Helsingor was very good (right on the beach) whilst the other hotels were adequate. However the hotel in Hillerod was unfortunately some way out of town so we didn't get to enjoy much of this interesting looking town itself.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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?
- Denmark
-
BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany Williamson
Thank you very much for your feedback. We're delighted to hear you had a great time overall, but we're very sorry to hear of the lack of organization from the local tour operator upon your arrival. We will follow up with our Danish partners to discuss this situation along with better-translated maps for future clients.
-
★★★★★ Kathleen Wilford
Scenic and interesting
Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Overall--a great trip.
There was some confusion at the beginning, as we were given a different hotel name than the one we were actually scheduled to stay in. Also, connecting with the taxi driver took several calls and emails. Things went smoothly after that--we were met by the tour leaders for an informative meeting.
The maps and information were basically good. But the information should stress more strongly that riders should look for the little yellow signs. This works much better than trying to follow the maps. We also found the GPS app NOT helpful. The turn by turn uses too much battery, and the downloaded maps are no better than the paper maps.
The route was well set up, with appropriate biking distances each day and good tips on sights to see along the way. We loved the Czech Swiss national park.
Hotels were reasonable except for the U Zamku in Melnik. The room was primitive and smelled musty, and the breakfast was terrible.- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Czech Republic, Germany
-
★★★★★ Nonickname59
Two wheeled wonder
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
Best way to see the sites on the Rhine. Great accommodations along the way.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 30, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- 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?
- Germany
-
★★★★★ Wim
bike tour expands your reach
Welcome to Tallinn Bike Tour
Nice tour, distance was okay with frequent stops. Advantage with the bike tour: you see some sights, which you wouldn't do if you are on foot. Pleasantly surprised by some nice cycle paths in the harbour area. The route avoids busy road traffic.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
-
★★★★★ MikeSue5052
The Rhine is a very busy river!
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
We were enthralled with the amount of river traffic going in both directions. Barges and river tour boats, constantly plying the wide river. Of course, the historical locations, from castles to churches, are numerous all along the river.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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