First Timers Bike Tour Reviews
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★★★★★ Elizabeth Levine 14 hours agoSeeing the Netherlands on 2 wheels
· Best of Holland South: Canals, Windmills & Historic Towns
The Netherlands are a cyclist’s dream- bike lanes and biking infrastructure everywhere- in villages as well as cities. This was amazing to experience- and to hop on 2 wheels and join in! The bicycles provided by Tulip cycling were top notch Dutch bicycles with automatic lights that turn on while pedaling. It was great to have our luggage shuttled to each hotel every day, so our bags were waiting for us when we arrived at each hotel ready for a hot shower and a change of clothes. Most of the hotels were 4- star and all had great breakfasts and all were walkable to the historic city centers with the market square, restaurants, cafes etc.
Unfortunately the weather was poor during our cycling trip- very high winds and frequent heavy rain almost every day of our mid- September journey- this made the cycling much more difficult than we anticipated with the need to frequently stop to pull on rain gear- and the GPS device did not work well during storms so the navigation was also more difficult than expected. Several of the locals told us that frequent high winds and rain are typical in autumn and that the best months for cycling are May, June and July.
Despite the bad weather we enjoyed the countryside, the lovely hotels, the friendly locals , the delicious food and the pace of life on the bicycle tour.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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★★★★★ William Meyer 2 days agoAbsolutely beautiful country views, very nice accommodations
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
To improve; 1-briefer should set bikes to correct language and distance setting. 2-briefer should suggest to use Google maps to and from hotels from daily track beginning and end. 3-recommend that customers bring phone holder that fits bike.
E-bikes were excellent. We will be back.
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★★★★★ Rusty Page 3 days agoWonderful Bike Trip
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
This was our 4th trip with Bike Tours, and arguably the best. The e-bikes were great! The lake and the small towns surrounding it were gorgeous. 3 countries. One day we ate breakfast in Germany, lunch in Austria, and dinner in Switzerland. We’ll worth the money. Hotels were all beautiful and quaint in their own right. Do it! You’ll love it.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Linda Croft 3 days agoA Scenic Paradise
· Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
What an outstanding cycling paradise! The Dolomites are breathtaking. The bike tour operator in Italy was fabulous. I rented an e-bike and it was brand new! The information package was well organized and the trail maps were great. I had no problems with the shuttle on the day I took it. The cycling paths were very well marked with no question as to which way to my destination. The hotel was beyond expectations! I stayed in Dobbiaco at Hotel Laurin’s. The staff were fabulous. The breakfasts were delicious and the 5 course dinner was outstanding every night! The garden, spa and pool area were so relaxing. The value for a solo traveller like myself was unbelievable. I highly recommend this trip!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Linden Bentley 5 days agoGreat organization, fantastic biking.
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Fluvius (and reverse)
The biking staff we very helpful and knowledgeable. King and welcoming, understanding of all levels and the territory. The daily rides by digital “ride with gps” was pretty much flawless, and the app staff very fast and helpful when a problem arose.
The boat staff very warm and helpful. The cleaning staff timely and great for cabin cleaning. The chef; warm, funny and talented. Food delicious. -
★★★★★ Frank Boyle 6 days agoBeautiful & flat ride across the Netherlands
· Amsterdam to Bruges: Cycling through South Holland and Zeeland
The scenery was spectacular, as was immersion into the historic towns and restaurants. The local tour company was particularly wonderful, reimbursing us no questions asked for the cost of repairing a worn out tire. I HIGHLY recommend downloading the optional GPX file to your phone and making sure you can use it before you arrive, we found it much easier to see the tricky navigation turns on the phone than on the small (and often hard to see) screen of the small Garmin GPS device provided.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium, Holland
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★★★★★ Blain M Archer 6 days ago
Wonderful adventure around Lake Constance
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
we were three on this tour with one being a novice who had difficulty riding an ebike due to inexperience. He got better after the first 2 days.
we got lost a bit nearly every day but never felt real lost as we knew where the lake had to be most of the time and we were always going in the right direction. The reason for this was the signage was not always understandable.
we always found help from many nice people who were eager to assist.- What was the date of your tour?
- sept 10 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 11
- 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, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Charles Bergmann 7 days ago
Fantastic trip
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Trip really was great! Great places to stay each night. Great bike paths and scenery.
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★★★★★ Tom Hawkins 7 days ago
Trip postponed
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Fluvius (and reverse)
We were unable to do this fantastic trip due to an injury. We are how every very excited about doing it next year. It sounds like a fantastic experience!
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★★★★★ Chuck Gottschall 1 week agoGreat Trip!
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Great way to see Europe! The biking was GREAT! The staff was GREAT! The food was GREAT!
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★★★★★ Ellen Speare 1 week ago
Danube waltz bike tour
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
I chose this trip for my 70th birthday with friends. riding through the beautiful countryside was wonderful. sitting on the deck going through the Danube river was so relaing and lovely. The food and accomadations fro perfect. Loved this whole trip.
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★★★★★ Joanna Havener 2 weeks agoLoved every minute!
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
Our tour leader was fun, knowledgeable and very safety conscious. The route was almost all flat, only one big climb on Wednesday. The ship's crew was helpful and saw to it that my husband had potato chips in his lunch. They accommodated my wish for vegetarian meals. The small towns were charming and I loved learning about their history. Highly recommend this trip. (My husband and I are in our 70s and the ebikes were a great help to us.)
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Annik Stahl 2 weeks ago
Could have been better
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
The tour leader (Helmut) was great, as was the boat crew. There were some fun times biking but the miles and miles of harsh gravel was not in the description of the trip. (This was not "country roads" -- this was ROCKS and my back ached for days afterward.) Had I know, I would not have chosen this trip as I just had surgery. I found the food to be absolutely awful. The dinners were beond strange and hey, maybe something besides HAM HAM HAM every day for lunch? I lost 4 pounds during that trip.
While I know there are some great trips to be had with this company (my dad has been on several and said this one was the worst). this was not one of them. Like I said, some fun time biking but not enough to recommend this trip.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Jan Sjökvist 3 weeks ago
Perfect tour
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Everything, indeed, worked perfectly. No problems whatsoever with bike, tour information was excellent, very good hotels always close to city centers. My luggage always waiting for me at the hotel of the day. I am impressed of how well everything worked out.
Generally the bike roads were good, with some exceptions, but a few kilometers with quite bumpy gravel is acceptable.- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Peter Van Zoost 3 weeks agoBeautiful trip
· Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
The first 3 days of biking were beautiful in the Alps. We stayed a couple extra days in Salzburg. Everything was well organized and went smoothly.
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★★★★★ Charles Stahl 3 weeks ago
A Bit Dissapointing
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
Compared to the previous five bike/barge trips I have done with company this tour was disappointing. The boat and it's crew were great, the cabins were clean and as comfortable as possible. No problems there. The breakfasts and afternoon snacks were plentiful and good. However, the dinners were often not edible. The Italian cook was very sweet, but the food was often unrecognizable and tasteless. I am not a fussy eater, but I along with my dinner companions often sent the food back uneaten.
The printed material does say that riding is done mostly along country lanes, but the amount of riding on gravel was daunting. I feel that should be mentioned in the literature. The guide was extraordinary, both knowledgeable and well spoken, not to mention very approachable. The highlights were indeed highlights, but negotiating the busy streets while riding through small towns was scary at best. Perhaps doing this trip is mid-summer would be more picturesque, but the weather wouldn't be as perfect as it was for us in late August/early September. Had this been my first bike/barge adventure perhaps I would be less critical, but with many other tours co choose from, I would not recommend this particular 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?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Daniela Veludo 3 weeks agoUnforgettable Danube
· · Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty
Perfect way to see Bavaria and Austria, exercising safely with the bike and enjoying a very comfortable motor boat. Very good organization.
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★★★★★ Jimmie Ring 3 weeks agoSelf guided tour of the Rhine
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
My spouse and I elected to take a self guided tour of the Rhine from Mainz to Cologne. We could not have been happier with the support, hotels or the route. The daily length of the ride was PERFECT for allowing plenty of time to explore along the way. The hotels were awesome - located always close to the things we wanted to see, comfortable, and breakfasts were fantastic. The support- from the information provided before the tour to the daily pickup and drop off of luggage - was perfection. The bikes were also very good and comfortable. We were very happy with the whole experience.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Jill Kaufman 3 weeks ago
Amazing experience!
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
The small barge experience turned our group of strangers into good friends; the food was excellent; the routes and countryside beautiful; the tour guide was knowledgeable, skilled, and fun! This tour exceeded our expectations.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Late August 23
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Tim Yancy 3 weeks ago
Relaxed ride along the Danube River
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
We enjoyed the structure of the tour, with 3-4 hours of riding per day and details on the many sights to see along the way. Onboard service and meals were excellent, and the boat had a nice mix of people from all over the world. We also liked the time to explore several cities on non-ride days.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
