First Timers  Bike Tour Reviews (page 20)

  • Danube Bike Path
    (5/5) 4the Danube September 22, 2017

    Great Fall Ride

    · Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

    Directions were clear , the bikes were great and accommodations were very nice and ideally located. Service on the trail was super. We were on a self guided tour along the Danube and one in our group had a broken chain. We had a replacement within the hour.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept. 7th- Sept. 13th
    How many tours have you completed?
    7
    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?
    Austria, Germany
    • Photo 1 (photo by 4the Danube)
    • Photo 2 (photo by 4the Danube)
    • Photo 3 (photo by 4the Danube)
    • Photo 4 (photo by 4the Danube)
    • Fun along the Danube (photo by 4the Danube)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Jim G September 21, 2017

    Rainy Days

    · Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

    Beautiful bike path, superior bike path route signs. Very historical cities and sites.
    We booked Class A lodging package with dinner plan and were very pleased with everything except our stay at the Diamond City Hotel, Tulin. Although the Hotel was new and very nice, they sent us to the Albrechtsstuben Gasthof restaurant. It was a totally bad experience. Only 1 other couple dining, all sent from the Diamond Hotel.
    Horrible food, although hungry, neither Bonnie or I could eat much. Requested tap water to drink, restaurant would only provide $4 euros bottles of water.
    Spoke with other couple in restaurant, and they concurred, "very bad"
    Upon return to hotel, I expressed our disappointment with the restaurant.
    I was informed that I was the only person that ever complained, everyone else loved the restaurant.
    It was obvious, there is a family connection, we saw the women who waited on us, with the desk clerk, together the next day. (All related)
    Overall, great ride

    What was the date of your tour?
    September, 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 young kids, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany
    • Romantic bike ride (photo by Jim G)
    • Cows on bike path. (photo by Jim G)
    • Linz, Austria (photo by Jim G)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Romantic Road and Bavarian Lakes
    (4/5) Mauriciom September 21, 2017

    MY FIRST BIKE TOUR IN EUROPE

    · Romantic Road and Bavarian Lakes

    Our trip was an enjoyable one due to both fantastic scenes and excellent organization. Bike network routes in south Germany are beautiful, with all the indications and directions perfectly well posted. All hotels were rather good, ones better than others especially regarding bathrooms. Hotel service was always excellent. One thing that helped us a lot was your having emailed all the rides for the app Ride with GPS. Highly recommendable. Also all recommended restaurants we tried were very good.
    Your local agent was very helpful and flexible.
    On the room-to-improve side I suggest that you be more specific on the definitions of Difficulty levels of the tours. We took Level 3 with normal bikes. It was some time quite challenging to us. I am 62 and in fantastic shape. Nevertheless the road specially the 3rd and 4rd days showed quite demanding.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 10-17 2017
    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?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Germany
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, Founder and president September 22, 2017

      We love first-timers--especially when they come back with such positive reports. We'll also take into consideration your comment about the level of difficulty. Many thanks!

    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) JannieB September 19, 2017

    Great family trip

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    A wonderful adventure for us with our adult children. Beautiful scenery, awesome food, nice people!

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 13-19,2017
    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 teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • Photo 1 (photo by JannieB)
    • Photo 2 (photo by JannieB)
    • Photo 3 (photo by JannieB)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
  • Neckar and Rhine
    (5/5) Miles September 19, 2017

    Wonderful time

    · · Neckar & Rhine Rivers by Bike and Boat

    Best way to see the little towns and castles of the Rhine valley. Took the time to ride through the old small towns and little cobblestone streets along the way which don't have a ton of tourists. We made a special effort to eat at small, local restaurants in these towns it that was some of the most memorable moments of the trip. We'll be planning another trip for next year we enjoyed this one so much.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Week after Labor Day
    How many tours have you completed?
    0
    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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Best of Holland South
    (5/5) Suekimnye September 19, 2017

    Everything was perfect

    · Best of Holland South: Canals, Windmills & Historic Towns

    This was a well thought out route. The hotels were all all interesting and unique. We loved the cities we visited and the sites were amazing.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 5 - 10
    How many tours have you completed?
    This was our first one.
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much easier
    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?
    Holland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) Mick September 18, 2017

    Three Countries, One Lake

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    A relaxing tour with some good cardio the second day getting to the hotel. Plenty of scenery for us photographers and lots of cafes for morning coffee breaks and afternoon beers.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept. 4-10
    How many tours have you completed?
    4
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • Typical bike path. (photo by Mick)
    • Break time and a beer. (photo by Mick)
    • Crossing the lake (photo by Mick)
    • Canola Fields (photo by Mick)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Danube Bike Path
    (4/5) Marcus September 17, 2017

    Better than I expected.

    · Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

    Bike trip was quite an experience. Gorgeous country and villages. BikeTours.com was very accommodating to our needs. In a few places, especially near towns, some more green "tour" signs would have been helpful.

    What was the date of your tour?
    9/1/2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Wine & Bike Hungary’s Balaton Uplands
    (5/5) charles September 14, 2017

    `A relaxing week exploring good food great wine in good company

    · Wine & Bike in Hungary’s Balaton Uplands

    Gabor and his team plan and run this trip very well with a great eye for the detail and a passion for the region and region's wine.
    The cycling is generally on dedicated cycle tracks and the route has been well planned which helped us enjoy the views , good food, some interesting sights and the vineyards
    A mixed age group of 11 cyclists were all happy with the variety of the route and the pace was fine for all.
    Every day had different highlights of views , places to see and comfortable smaller hotels to stay together with around 30k of cycling.
    Equipment was excellent ( we chose electric bikes which were almost brand new and light in design and easy to use).
    Transfers to and from Budapest well organised and Gabor and team very knowledgeable to answer questions both on the balaton area where the cycling is and also ideas for onward travel and other areas in hungary.

    What was the date of your tour?
    26th Aug 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    0
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Hungary
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Danube Bike Path
    (4/5) Wiederholen September 12, 2017

    A great tour with good friends

    · Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)

    Overall, a wonderful trip. Highlights included the Engelzell and Melk Abbeys, the towns of Dürnstein and Tulln, and the finish with an extra night in Vienna. The best scenery was in the Wachau, where we cruised through beautiful vineyards and lovely villages. On a couple of days the scenery was rather ordinary, and made the short rides seem longer out of boredom. Although the route was very flat, we did have a couple of short but steep climbs, the biggest being out of Melk to cross the bridge. This being our third bike tour in this region, I'm not sure the "upscale" lodging was worth the extra cost - some of the hotels were great (Schloß Dürnstein and Steigenberger Vienna) but most were not of any better quality than the standard tours. Biggest disappointments were the Hotel am Domplatz in Linz (where they charged us 20€ to garage our four bikes) and the Diamond City in Tulln, which was not "upscale" at all. The local tour operator was great - they provided us with a face-to-face briefing the night before we started riding - and the bikes were solid. We had a great time on this trip, despite two days of steady rain, but if I had to do it again I'd seriously consider the 7-night standard tour and save a few hundred Euros.

    What was the date of your tour?
    31-AUG to 6-SEPT 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    This was our third in this region
    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?
    Austria, Germany
    • Photo 1 (photo by Wiederholen)
    • Cobblestones in the village of Stein (photo by Wiederholen)
    • Rainy day arrival in Melk (photo by Wiederholen)
    • Most of the path is separate or protected from roadways (photo by Wiederholen)
    • Crossing the Donau for the last time, into Vienna! (photo by Wiederholen)
    • Almost missed the border crossing from Germany into Austria, it's next to a gas station. (photo by Wiederholen)
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, founder and president September 13, 2017

      Thanks for your helpful feedback and great photos! I'm glad you had a great time. We'll pass along your comments about the hotels and also bear that in mind when advising future clients.

    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Danube Delights
    (5/5) Chippy September 12, 2017

    Awesome Austria

    · · Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty

    After planning this trip for over three years, I finally found my way to the Danube and it turned out fantastic. The route was well-planned with sights featured along the way. The boat was very comfortable and the crew did an amazing job cleaning the rooms and taking all the bikes on and off every day. The cruise director did a great job as well providing tips and directions for the bikers. And, the non-bikers who stayed on board were treated well with a hot meal at lunch. On most days, the schedule allowed for the bikers to catch up with the boat by early or mid-afternoon to facilitate sightseeing with the non-bikers. All in all, it was an excellent week.

    What was the date of your tour?
    26 AUG 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    two
    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?
    Austria, Germany
    • After crossing the "border" to Slovakia, the Palace of Hof was directly on the bike route with very clear directions. It's a beautiful and well-maintained facility. (photo by Chippy)
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, founder and president September 13, 2017

      Thanks very much for your feedback. I'm glad you had a great time and that the tour lived up to three years of planning and expectations! After three decades of bike touring, I still consider the Danube one of my favorite cycling regions.

    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) Beanz September 12, 2017

    First Bike Adventure

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    The bikes were very good and the bike company most helpful. Accomodation and breakfasts were also good. Only issue is the maps provided especially around towns and attractions were not very good - definitely could be improved. In summary great trip, with the locals very helpful when we were lost.

    What was the date of your tour?
    5th September 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    First one
    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?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
    • 3/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Danube Bike Path
    (5/5) tandem September 10, 2017

    Fabulous Danube cycling!

    · Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

    We did a self guided Danube cycling trip. Maps were thorough and rented bikes were in great shape. Enjoyed all the accommodations! We would do this again!

    What was the date of your tour?
    8/25-8/31/17
    How many tours have you completed?
    10
    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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Danube Bike Path
    (5/5) Gary63 September 7, 2017

    Once in a lifetime trip

    · Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)

    The service and bikes were great! The map given was I little hard to read and follow but gave good information to take you on your way. The route signs were easy to find, for the most part, but that isn't the tour groups fault. The hotels along the way we're very good with special charm attached with each one. The short verse is that I would recommend his group to anyone thinking of taking this trip!,

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    One, this one.
    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?
    Austria, Germany
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, Founder and president September 8, 2017

      Gary, I'm so delighted you had a great time! Thanks for your feedback and comments!

    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Danube Bike Path
    (5/5) Ckmeyerno September 5, 2017

    Had been on my list for a long time.

    · Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

    This was the first bike trip we have ever taken. Everything worked very smooth. Bike was good. Luggage was picked up and delivered without issues. Hotels were very nice. We got to one hotel and they had our reservation for the next night. We showed them voucher and they quickly gave us an upgraded room Only problem was that the hotel in Vienna was a bit difficult to get to and far away from the center of town. But they were very helpful in calling a taxi to get us to the airport at 5 a.m. I will definitely recommend this tour to friends. I hope to take another bike tour with your company in the future.

    What was the date of your tour?
    25 August to 2 September
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection