First Timers Bike Tour Reviews (page 24)
- Albania
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★★★★★ Juls September 5, 2018
Fantastic family trip!
· Best of Holland South: Canals, Windmills & Historic Towns
Our family of 4 (2 parents, 2 teenagers) had an absolutely wonderful time exploring Holland on bike. This trip was our first trial of a family biking trip, and we’re hooked! The routes took us through incredibly picturesque fields and towns, riding along canals while seeing windmills and farms and cottages galore! Each night we’d arrive in a different enchanting town. Peter of Tulip Tours was terrific - he was waiting for us at our first hotel and made sure we were comfortable on our bicycles (which were quite nice) and understood the GPS and had all of the information we’d need to manage our self-guided tour. We highly recommend this trip!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Early August
- 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?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Fabio September 5, 2018
Perfect organization
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Perfect organization, good bike conditions (we rented the ebikes).
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 7
- 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, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Traveling Jackie August 2, 2018Great for Solo Females!
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
I am a 33 year old female from the US, I did this tour by myself in April 2018 and I LOVED it.
I opted for the regular bike instead of the e-bike, and I was happy I did, as the route is mostly flat and the regular bike is much lighter than the e-bike. My bike seat was padded, and with padded bike shorts as well I was never uncomfortable. The bags I was provided had plenty of space for changes of clothes, hat, water, cameras, everything (bring lots of sunscreen!).
My luggage was always at the hotel ahead of me, even when I thought I was early to arrive. The days did get long towards the end of the trip, it's a long way! But I got stronger as I went, and ended up with some calves of steel. Everyone I met along the way was super nice, most people wanted to chat with me and were very friendly.
I never felt unsafe. The local bike tour company was always just a text or phone call away. They checked in with me throughout the week, I had zero issues whatsoever! There were plenty of people on the path, even in the shoulder season. In fact, I recommend going in the shoulder season because it is less crowded, I imagine it gets super busy in summer.
Definitely stop by the monastery in Engelhartzell where the monks brew their own beer, do the hike above the river bend at the Donauschlinge hotel in Schlögen (it's short and worth it), get to Melk early so you can enjoy the beautiful village, and make lots of stops of food and drinks! On that note - I opted not to get the dinner package, and I usually ended up having dinner at the hotel anyway because it was convenient, but I enjoyed the freedom of getting to choose.
I am new to cycling, but it is a fantastic way to travel and see a new place. These self-guided tours are perfect opportunities for solo cyclists (especially solo females) to get into bike touring. This is definitely just the beginning for me.
P.S. German Lesson 1: "Donauradweg" means Danube bike path, just follow the green signs :)
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2018
- 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?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
Video: Danube Bike Path as a Solo Female Cyclist!
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★★★★★ Lakeside Spinners August 1, 2018Riding around Lake Constance
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Back in May my wife and I along with 10 of our good friends rode the Lake Constance Bicycle Path. To say that everyone had a great time might be a bit of an understatement. We started from Hotel Halm in Konstanz which was a wonderful hotel (even without A/C in most of our rooms) and cycled to Stein am Rhein along a well marked mostly paved and mostly flat bike path except for the last couple of miles coming into Stein am Rhein. Our accommodations were nice, clean and our host made sure we were all comfortable.
Day two took us on the opposite side of the lake as we headed back towards Konstanz to pick up the ferry to Uberlingen. We started out mostly downhill on a rolling path through beautiful countryside. While on one stretch of unpaved path, the sky opened up and we all got drenched. (in fact we encountered rain on all but one of our riding days) but still were able to laugh it off and chalk to the experience. We had a few miss-steps finding the correct ferry landing and just missed the boat. No worries, some in our group found a local pub and made the best of it while we waited for the next boat. Uberlingen was awesome except for the climb that takes you up to the top of the hill where the hotel is located. But the walk was worth it as the hotel was fabulous and afforded us all fantastic views of the lake and the thunderstorms.
Day three took us on a dirt and gravel path through the forest until we reconnected to the paved path. (I'm not sure if we misread the directions but if was an adventure). We visited the Meersburg castle and were quite surprised at how well it was maintained. Then on to the Airship Museum for lunch and a tour. So worth it!
We finished our ride late in the afternoon in Lindau. Somehow we got separated into two groups and one of our riders went down on the wet road, he is now a true believer in bike helmets as the helmet broke into three pieces on impact but saved his head.
I wish we had more time in Lindau, it seemed like such a cool town.
Day four, on to Arbon. Some challenges with the bike path signage and some unexpected hills but we made it. Our accommodations were a little spartan but the restaurant in the hotel was excellent albeit pricey. So much history on this ride.
Our final day the sun came out and we all enjoyed the final and shortest leg of the trip.
All in all, I highly recommend this tour and rate it the second best tour of the now six we have done in Europe. The route was well marked in Germany but a little challenging in Austria and Switzerland, nothing too bad, just not as well marked as Germany. The only thing we could have asked for was more sunshine and clearer skies as we only saw the alps once while we ate dinner in Lindau.- What was the date of your tour?
- 5/13/2018
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ MBferraris July 20, 2018
Fun had by all!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We biked Lake Constance in 6 days. The trip was enjoyed by the adults and teens alike. Everything was seamless. The directions, hotels and tickets were pre-organized and made the trip stress free. It made all of us wanting to do another one in the near future. Highly recommended!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 6/2018
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Awan July 20, 2018
An unforgettable bike tour
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
- What was the date of your tour?
- 27 June 2018 - 5 July 2018
- 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 teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Ozzie July 18, 2018A great trip!
· · Holland by Bike and Boat, Northern Tour
A well organised tour that we thoroughly enjoyed. The crew of De Holland and the tour leader Sandra did a great job..always very helpful and went out of the way to ensure everything ran smoothly. Would be happy to do another bike boat trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 23/6/2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Holland
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★★★★★ DebM July 11, 2018Beautiful ride through Dutch countryside
· Best of Holland North: Dutch Villages, Landscapes & the Keukenhof
The local tour company designed a beautiful and varied route through nature preserves, parks, farmland, and old and picturesque towns. Each inn was delightful in its own way. I rated this harder than expected only because we had extremely windy weather.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Late June
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2 on our own, 30+ years ago
- 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?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Lisa C July 9, 2018Excellent family holiday!
· Danube Family Tour 7 Nights
Great cycle tour for family. Maps and local guides were helpful. Only suggestion would be to have hotel in Linz not be so far out of town in industrial area and to skip lodging in Marbach; most of the town was boarded up or vacant. Otherwise hotels and locations were great. A wonderful experience I would recommend.
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★★★★★ 2pedallers July 7, 2018
A windy but enjoyable ride!
· · Holland by Bike and Boat, Northern Tour
A good introduction to the history and culture and geography of Northern Holland. Good biking routes, but time constraints and weather impacted our ability to fully enjoy some of the possible outings/stops along the way.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 16-23, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Holland
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★★★★★ 2pedallers July 7, 2018An enjoyable trip!
· · Holland by Bike and Boat, Southern Tour
A good way to see some of the sights in southern Holland. Not enough time to see everything, but enough variety in the routes to get a sense of the culture, history and geography of southern Holland.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 23 - 30, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Holland
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★★★★★ chips July 6, 2018Passau to Vienna
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
All the logistics were luggage handling and hotel arrangement were first class. The pre tour briefing was excellent with good tips about places to see. The Mapping was excellent and provided excellent directions and suggested stop over points for lunches etc. The breakfasts and evening meal provided were more than adequate and the 4* hotels were great. The ride was well spaced out with two quite long days about 65 Km being a little long particularly into a head wind. But overall th etrip along the Danube and the services provided made for an excellent self guide tour
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★★★★★ Johnpg July 6, 2018
A Great Austrian Cycling Adventure
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
The trip met or exceeded our expectations. We travelled in the shoulder season but still expected the bike trail to be packed. It wasn't, except for perhaps the last day of our ride into Vienna, which was a Sunday so there was a lot of locals enjoying the beautiful trail and scenery. That would likely be mitigated by planning one's arrival in Vienna for a weekday.
Generally the accommodations lived up to the "upscale" designation, but there were two exceptions that were for us, just mediocre at best. That could simply be that there wasn't anything nicer in those locations.
The local tour company was great, and very responsive to our needs. The bikes were fine--clearly built for wear and tear. The luggage service was perfect, and our bags were always waiting for us when we arrived.
The Danube bike trail lived up to our expectations in beauty and condition. We'd recommend this ride to anyone who enjoys bicycle travel.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- 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
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★★★★★ MarcieB July 6, 2018Life on a Mosel/Saar River Barge is good!
· · Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat
Not our first self-guided bike tour, BUT our first barge/bike "all inclusive" ride. We loved it. The barge rooms were small, but clean. The on-board meals and "make your own lunch from breakfast buffet offerings" were excellent! Kudos to the chef of the MS Patria. Staff from Czech Republic and Poland were hard working and friendly. Dagomar, the activities director, was enthusiastic and dedicated to making sure everyone was taken care of. Seating assignments in dining room were well thought out, placing the two of us (Oregon) with traveling relatives from BC. The rest of the table consisted of a group of eight Danish folks who spoke English! Bikes were 7-speed models and with a headwind, I was regretting not having an e-bike. Live and learn. Excursions/field trips were interesting and offered cultural highlights. The Mosel/Saar River valleys are simply breathtaking. There was a mix-up the day of our arrival in Koblenz, as we had not received the e-mail regarding the change in mooring. Our German friend was able to call the Harbormaster to locate the MS Patria, and after a rather long walk pulling our suitcases, we located a small local ferry that took us to the opposite shore (Rhine) where we boarded the boat. I don't think I would have thought to call the Harbormaster, and my husband's phone (with contact info) was out of battery power. Technology! All's well that end's well.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 16, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our NINTH tour!
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Team Wuss July 4, 2018
Lowlands Adventure
· · Holland by Bike and Boat, Southern Tour
Fantastic trip. Incredible tour in a beautiful country on an extensive bicycle infrastructure. In fact there are so many bike routes that navigation was sometimes a challenge. The download navigation option would have been helpful. The planned routes through the countryside were excellent. The bike/ boat approach is a great way to travel avoiding the daily packing. The accommodations were very nice, the staff was excellent, and the bicycles were well maintained. The dinners were good though basic with small portion size (a common observation in Europe). Breakfast was a very good buffet with fixings to make a sandwich for lunch. Definitely recommend this tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 9,2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Senior Adventurer July 3, 2018
Perfect Danube Bike Tour
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Very enjoyable tour of a lifetime without crowds, with beautiful scenery, and with great lodging. My wife, whose last biking adventures were in her middle and high school days, proved a super biker, enjoying the exercise, scenery and challenge of biking the scenic Danube bike path. The bikes, delivered at our start hotel along with the tour package, were in excellent condition and functioned perfectly. A knowledgeable in-country guide met us at the start hotel to explain the tour information, the route instructions, bikes and equipment. The provided materials allowed us to effortlessly self navigate. After hours each day on the bike the upscale lodging met or exceeded our expectations and was greatly enjoyed. The weather mostly cooperated, spring beauty abounded, and the temperatures were perfect. We are planning our next biking adventure on the Mosel and Rhine and plan to again use BikeTours.com.
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★★★★★ louis16 July 1, 2018Great Trip down the Rhine
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
We had a fantastic first bike tour. The hotels in general were well appointed. One hotel had staff that did not know any English which made communication a challenge but we managed. The castles were amazing. The routes are well laid out and easy to follow even if you do no know German.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 6/17/2018
- 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
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★★★★★ Tiff from Colorado July 1, 2018
The perfect trip for 3 generations!
· Danube Family Tour 7 Nights
The directions, places to stay and length of trip were exactly as described. The tour was fantastic in June. Excellent service, no lost bags, everything went smoothly. An amazing time was had by teenagers, ourselves and my parents. Just stupendous!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 15-22, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first!
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ ohsuzanna June 30, 2018· · Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty
- What was the date of your tour?
- may 5-12th 2018
- 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 young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
