First Timers Bike Tour Reviews (page 2)
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★★★★★ Marlys Manthei 7 months agoThe Family trip of a lifetime!
· Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
My husband and I did this self guided tour two different times in the past. We loved it so much that this time we wanted to share the experience with our entire family: our four adult children and their spouses and our nine grandchildren, ages 9 through 21. There were 19 of us and we all had a fabulous time. We shortened the trip to just biking from Krimml to Salzburg on a 6-night tour.
We did this tour in June of 2022. The tour. company graciously arranged for a bus to take us from Salzburg to Krimml at the start of the tour. Even that was fun for the group. On the bike ride, everyone enjoyed stops for apple strudel, swimming in the lake, riding the gondola on the ski hill, the hike to Krimml waterfall and much more. Every day we were surrounded by the most amazing beauty. The kids and teens were never bored. 22 miles a day was just right for our group and we stayed together in a long line. We opted for a night in Zell am See and that was the favorite overnight - a beautiful town on a beautiful lake.
We were blessed with perfect weather every day. One evening it rained and we found a bowling alley right in our hotel so that was fun for everyone. We highly recommend this tour. -
★★★★★ Debby Schlesinger 7 months ago1st bike/boat tour.....best time ever.
· · Danube Impressions Bike and Boat Passau – Vienna – Passau
Touring by bike with support from boat was a wonderful way to see the countryside, experience local culture, and sightsee without having to do HOURS & DAYS of research on routes, sites worth stopping at, and logistics of lodging, and biking. The tour was a great value too. It was a wonderful way to have an active vacation....so much better than a cruise or bus tour. Really appreciated the route reviews, maps, and suggestions for the next day's route each evening. It was apparent that the routes chosen offered scenic value, as well as ease of access, and worthwhile sights to see. The crew were very helpful at getting the bikes set up for rider proportions, comfort and preferences. There were even opportunities to meet with local experts and experience a more "in depth" tour with history and background. The food was absolutely sumptuous!! Meals were expertly prepared, featured local cuisine at dinners, as well as "American" favorites at breakfast in addition to "Continental" breakfast foods. The "Picnic" lunches provided for were a bonus too. Cabin accomodations were comfortable, adequate, and served our needs well; albeit the small space. (We had a "lower deck" cabin... the most economical). That being said, there wasn't much time spent in the cabin other than sleeping, and preparing for the next day's ride. Really enjoyed the spa on the top deck to ease sore muscles & relax. Altogether, a wonderful vacation in a beautiful location.
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★★★★★ Brianna Oehm 7 months agoFirst solo trip & first bike trip!
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Absolutely would recommend this tour for anyone! I went in April which was a bit chilly, but had the trails to myself. I felt very supported by the staff if I needed, but was independent the whole time. Fairly flat and easy trail, but the mileage added up throughout the week. Hotels were easy to find and lovely to stay at!
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2022
- 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, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Adam Pernsteiner 7 months agoA Great Scenic Bike Trip with a Lot of Interesting Side Excursions Along the Way
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
The Tauern Bike Path in and out of Salzburg, Austria was my 5th bicycle trip in Europe and once of the most scenic and beautiful bicycle tours I have experienced. The bicycle route itself is usually a paved path and primarily follows along river valleys, so the difficulty is easy to moderate and very manageable for a recreational rider like myself. I only walked my bike on a few short climbs and my 18-year old son had no issues with the difficulty. Navigation-wise, the tour company materials were fine and the route is well-marked, although I would recommend keeping a backup navigation aid or two in the form of google maps and perhaps a cycling map app. I was impressed by the high percentage of local Austrians cyclists who were using e-bikes along the path. So, if you are considering an e-bike but wondering if you would stand out - no worries, you will blend right in with the locals!
The thing that probably sets this tour apart from others in my mind is the impressive number interesting side adventures that you can have along the way - right next to the bicycle path. For us, these included medieval castles and falconry shows, hiking, waterfalls, mountaintop tram rides, and underground cave hiking - and we probably still missed a couple of other excursions we could have done along the way. Some of these are free and most do not cost more than the price of a tram ride.
As far as food and accommodations, they were excellent. I did the upgraded lodging option because I have back issues and I was thoroughly impressed. I would note that some the spa and health facilities at the properties are world class. The included breakfasts are great and we had no trouble finding restaurants with great food and drinks.
Overall, I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants a scenic ride through Austria without too much difficulty, especially if you want to be able to hope off your bike once and a while and do a few side hikes and other adventures.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 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?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Carol McClennan 7 months agoVery relaxing and scenic
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We thoroughly enjoyed this trip toward the end of September, specifically Sept. 22 was the day we started cycling. It was just my husband and myself. We had no issues with our bikes, or with the maps and directions. Our hotels were excellent with the upgrades. It was relaxing in that we took in the sites, chatted with occasional folks along the way and ate well! And enjoyed extra time in Vienna..
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★★★★★ Carol McClennan 7 months ago
Very relaxing and scenic
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We thoroughly enjoyed this trip toward the end of September, specifically Sept. 22 was the day we started cycling. It was just my husband and myself. We had no issues with our bikes, or with the maps and directions. Our hotels were excellent with the upgrades. It was relaxing in that we took in the sites, chatted with occasional folks along the way and ate well! And enjoyed extra time in Vienna..
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★★★★★ MF 7 months ago
Made for an unforgettable honeymoon!
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
This was a great tour through Austria and the upscale markup was definitely worth it. The trip went exceptionally smoothly and we had a great time! Great food and scenery that changed every day of the trip, comfortable accommodations, and no worries. Having the luggage forwarded each day made for an easy trip.
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★★★★★ Hilary Powell 7 months agoAmazing
· Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option
This trip was amazing! I had so much fun and it was very well organized. Any problems we ran into we were able to get answered quickly through email or a phone call. Someone was always available. I had never been to Austria and in one trip I saw a little bit of everything the country had to offer.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Layne Perry 7 months agoLake trip of your dreams!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
A wonderful and unique way to experience Lake Constance, with wonderful food, beautiful water, and relatively flat bike path! A place to stop and eat lunch or take a swim practically anywhere! Opportunities to stand up paddle board or play volleyball!
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- First!
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ John Thell 7 months ago
Great adventure
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Wonderful experience. Using ebikes made the trip very doable. The hotels were great - locations,food, service, and comfortable. Not having to worry about luggage was a great relief. The only thing that was frustrating was poor maps in a couple of the larger towns - finding the hotels can be a challenge. Usually the locals were very helpful in giving directions. Would recommend a gps system for our next trip. We were very pleased overall and biking around Lake Constance was more than we imagined.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- One
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Nancy Mackay 8 months ago
Great experience
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
This trip was a wonderful way to see the areas from Aigues Mortes to Avignon with a very experienced guide. Much information was shared with our group that was beyond our expectations. The pace of the daily ride was comfortable and our skilled and enthusiastic cook always had a great treat waiting for us when we arrived back at the boat. The crew on the Caprice are thoughtful and kind and made us feel at ease.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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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★★★★★ Charlotte Dewar 8 months agoA beautiful journey
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
We loved this trip. It was wonderful you hired a professional guide in Arles to spend 1.5 hours with us talking about the history, the Roman architecture and Van Gough. Provence is so beautiful and we are very blessed with the good weather and a wonderful group of travelers who cared for each other and enjoyed the company of each other on this trip.
As a professional travel planner for 30 years, I wish to share my honest feedback so you may improve your tours for future clients.
1. The chef Irene made the most delicious dinners for us every evening. We were always looking forward to her food at the end of long and exciting journey.
2. Our Captain was excellent and so was the assistant Phillipo. 3 crew members worked together beautifully and treated us like royalty.
3. Our guide Hens is not as professional. He never counted the number of guests. We had people falling off the bike everyday, no major injuries. Hens was out at the front riding quite fast. He rarely looked back and kept an eye on the group. Every time we had an accident, we had to send someone from behind to catch up with him and asked him to stop and wait for the folks falling behind.
4. The internet on the boat is very choppy. I had important business to communicate with my travelers going to Asia. Most of the time I couldn't receive or send emails. My PayPal app, my airb&b app and my VRBO app all stopped working. I had free roaming data on my phone and that had issue working on your boat either. it's very important you have a functional internet on the boat so people like myself could still carry on business while we are on your trip.We love the concept of bike and boat! We will come back for more of your tours. I am considering introducing your product to my high-end Chinese clients.
I am raving about this trip to all my friends in California. Thank you for putting together a fantastic journey for us.
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Robyn Larkin 8 months ago
More challenging trip than we thought thanks to rainy, windy, cold weather
· Romantic Road and Bavarian Lakes
We knew this would be a challenging cycle, but we weren’t prepared for the terrain + lousy weather for the entire trip. The first few days were a good workout - and very pretty. Not many places to really stop, though, during the day (so plan to bring picnic lunches & snacks!). Definitely check on when places you hope to stop for a meal are open as we found many places closed on random days.
There is an app that you can download to get the route, details, and info for the trip that we didn’t know about until we met the guide on the first day. If you use this on your phone to help ensure you stay on course, be sure to bring extra battery packs for your phone!
Also, we didn’t know we needed to get tickets for the castle in advance and this were not able to visit. As this was the one thing we wanted to see, we were rather disappointed to have to miss it as all morning tours were sold out.
While we enjoyed it and came through the deluge of cold, rain & wind during our week in Bavaria with our marriage intact, you definitely need to be ready for a challenging ride. If you aren’t in excellent shape, consider getting the electric bike as some of the hills are extremely intense.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Anne Stanek 8 months ago
A gorgeous trip!
· Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
This was a beautifully planned trip - such amazing views, peaceful rides, comfortable hotels. We have done many of these bike tours now and this rates as one of our most favorite. We highly recommend it!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 9 - 16
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Anne Stanek 8 months ago
A gorgeous trip!
· Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
This was a beautifully planned trip - such amazing views, peaceful rides, comfortable hotels. We have done many of these bike tours now and this rates as one of our most favorite. We highly recommend it!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 9 - 16
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Scott Katzer 8 months ago
Enjoyed the trip but some things can be improved
· Cycling the Altmuehl 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
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★★★★★ John DesRosier 8 months ago
First bike trip was a great success
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
We had never been on a bike tour before and absolutely loved the Provence tour. The ebikes made a big difference in making the trip so enjoyable. The food on the boat was excellent night after night and the staff friendly and helpful. Special thanks to Claudia, our tour guide, for making the week wonderful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September, 2022
- 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?
- France
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★★★★★ Michael Mccutcheon 8 months ago
Wonderful bike trip
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Glad we added days in melk and durnstein. It helped us enjoy the towns more. We also stayed a few days in Passau, before our bike trip which we really enjoyed. Did not like Goldenes Kreuz in Grein. Hotel would not let us check in even though we were wet. Favorite hotels were Schloss Durnstein and Gierlinger in Schlogen, Zur Post in Melk.
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★★★★★ Sunil Savara 9 months ago
Time of my life with my family!
· Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option
Everything was great, except for the documentation and organisation around that. Three changes you should make, and I will share this with Carla and Thomas as well:
1. Please provide an English map and booklet. In fact, when booking the tour, you can ask preferences for languages, and ensure that its followed through by the appropriate documentation.
2. When booking the tour, check if this is a first tour and/or use of the e-bikes, and if it is, offer the option of someone spending an hour to rope the persons in... there can be a small charge for it..
3. Share information on online maps, aside of Google Maps. I downloaded on the 3rd day an application that was very helpful, and which made it easier for me to figure things out.- What was the date of your tour?
- 1-7 Sep 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Jeffrey Kuhl 9 months ago
second tour
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
Day 1 - 3 were fantastic.
Day 4 was too long partly because of route, a few mistakes and a long detour to local bike repair shop. Broken seat was replaced quickly, but caused 3 or 4 stops to attempt to tighten seat with tools that didn't fix the problem. I could only ride a short distance before stopping to flatten seat. The issue was a broken ratchet that had to be replaced. Local tour company worked to find repair and notify them I would be there. I arrived right before closing.
Day 5 I just wanted it to be over.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 3
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
