First-Timers Bike Tour Reviews page 25
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- ★★★★★ Fletch
Fabulous scenery!
Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
We chose this tour because it stayed in the vicinity of the alps but was in the river valleys. The scenery did not disappoint. It was glorious when we had clear skies. We had some rain and snow when up on the mountains but even then the villages and farmland were wonderful. We spent extra days in Salzburg before the tour and spent an extra day in Zell am See in the middle of the tour. We were so glad we had those extra days because there was so much to see and do. We went up to the ice cave, up to the Krimml waterfall, and up to Kitzsteinhorn and had snow in all three places. It was like a winter wonderland. For the five of us from Florida, it was great.
The hotels were all good and provided great breakfasts. The luggage transfer went off without a hitch. Our bags were always at the hotels when we got there.
After a few days self supported from Passau to Salzburg we decided to upgrade to ebikes for this tour to make the climbs more manageable and to make it more likely that we would take side trips to see additional things along the way. We are really glad that the tour company was able to accommodate this last minute request. They were very helpful.
We found that the signs for the Tauern radweg changed part way through the ride. This is something to watch out for. We made a couple wrong turns but learned to keep our eyes peeled for signs.
It was a wonderful trip!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 10, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- Several
- 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
- ★★★★★ wilsom
Everyone should have a holiday like this
Romantic Road and Bavarian Lakes
It was such a good holiday. Even though there were challenging times with the weather, it was a great trip and the smile never faded from my face. I loved it so much I'm trying to go again this year.
10 out of 10, would do again, A++
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 18th, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Germany
- ★★★★★ Horned Frog
Fun time... but
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
I enjoyed the tour a great deal, but the route instructions were sketchy at best, and the bike weighed only slightly less than a Sherman tank.... which would not have been much of a problem except that the route had more hills than expected. The hotels selected were all very nice.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 21 May
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe
We appreciate the feedback on this tour. We agree... the bikes on tour are often heavier than the ones you may use at home, and the first few days of this tour are moderately hilly. We will pass your notes regarding the route instructions on to the tour operator. Overall, we're glad you had fun and enjoyed the hotels!
- ★★★★★ Scott
Great trip!
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Toured the Danube path from Passau to Vienna. Hotels were all excellent. The bike path was mostly easy to follow but be careful to stay on route at any detours. Really enjoyed the flexibility of a self guided tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 5/18 - 5/23/2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- first overseas 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?
- Austria, Germany
- ★★★★★ Kazookris
Fantastic trip! It was on my bucket list and so happy that I can check off.. Will try other tours.
Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Fluvius (and reverse)
I organized a trip for 24 of us from Michigan on the Amsterdam - Bruges May 4- 11, 2019. The trip was fantastic. We had a few rough days of weather yet were positive and biked anyways. Nice accommodations, staff was very friendly and accommodating to dietary needs ( one vegetarian and the lactose free). Bar prices were reasonably. The tour guides were informative and nice that they did a few evening tours. You could bike on your own and I did this several days. The maps were clear. The extra side trips were nice, strawberry fields, bike museum, sandstone shop etc... There was flexibility for those that didn't want to ride on the rainy, cold morning. I will be doing another tour in the future.
- ★★★★★ Anita
Amazing Germany
Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat
The boat Patria and the staff there were excellent ! The dinners were fantastic ! The maps were good and so were bikes.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 20 April 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- three
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
- ★★★★★ Terrell
The Best Way I can Think Of to See Holland!
Holland by Bike and Boat, Southern Tour
This tour lived up to my expectations. Holland was beautiful. The boat accommodations and staff were great! The bike tour guides were knowledgeable, friendly, and very personable. The miles per day on the bike was not for the faint of heart. Do your research and get a e-bike (electric bike) for anyone who is not used to biking. If you are an American, bring your GPS.
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 27 to May 4, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- one, including this one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
- ★★★★★ Kokapelli
Great bycycling trip by boat
Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Fluvius (and reverse)
- ★★★★★ Jan53
Biking through North Holland
Best of Holland North: Dutch Villages, Landscapes & the Keukenhof
This trip exceeded my expectations! Since most people own and ride bikes, the bike paths in cities and rural areas are extremely well marked and maintained. That, along with the flat topography, made this self-guided trip a really enjoyable experience! The training we received when the bikes were delivered to our hotel was thorough and all of our questions were answered. Since we had both a Garmin and printed maps, we managed to find our way most of the time. It was slightly difficult finding the correct route when we started out in the mornings, but people on the street were more than happy to point us in the right direction. The distance covered each day was reasonable and the only difficulty came from the wind. One day we seemed to be riding into the wind no matter which direction we turned!
The cities chosen for this tour were interesting and beautiful. The hotels were excellent, each with helpful staff present. There was always a convenient location for locking our bikes up at night either inside or near the hotel in a safe area. The breakfasts were amazing!!
Loved everything about this trip!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 4/18/19
- 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
- ★★★★★ San30
A trip like never before
Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat
The bike tour was an amazing first time experience. The crew of Patria are charming and kind and helpful. Thank you for a once in a lifetime kind of trip
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 20th 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- My First one
- 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
- ★★★★★ sandivet2003
Surpassed our expectations!
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
This tour surpassed our expectations in many ways. We were provided with reliable, sturdy hybrid bicycles that were well maintained, comfortable to ride, and decked out with a headlight, tail light, a (rather challenging to open at times) cable combination bike lock, large waterproof handlebar bag (that allowed easy viewing of directions and maps), bike computer, waterproof pannier, and bike tools/flat repair kit (which we never needed). Who cares if they weren't Trek bikes? (They were better than my own Trek.)
On the evening of our arrival in Passau (day 1), we were met at our hotel by a tour representative (fluent English-speaking) who provided us with the bikes (which fit us well), maps and cue sheets as well as an overview of our planned tour and ideas for places/activities to check out on the way. Each hotel we stayed at appeared to have been thoughtfully chosen to provide us with the best local experience--the least "upscale" one was in Schlogen, Austria (the room was quite basic and we needed ear plugs), but we had a spectacular view. The most upscale was Schloss Duernstein--it was like a castle! All breakfasts were terrific (lots of selection, hearty options, and the best breads I've had anywhere). Furthermore, the actual route was terrific--safe, low traffic and chockful of spectacular views! I was originally concerned that we started out on cobblestones and dirt paths for a bit in Passau, but the bikes were so sturdy and had such good suspension that didn't matter. I felt in control of the ride at all times. Most of the time, public restrooms were available on the route and were adequately spaced out so I only needed to do the "hide behind a tree or bush" thing a couple of times.
A couple of warnings to future travelers: 1) We went in April, and only the final hotel (in Vienna) had legitimate air conditioning (per North American standards). It was unexpectedly warm in the evenings, and we wished we had brought a fan (only the first hotel in Passau provided us with one), particularly since all hotel beds had thick duvets for covers. I can't imagine what it'd be like for people traveling during the summer. 2) Do some research before arriving in Melk. This was the only place we got lost and had to use our cellphones for GPS because the cue sheets weren't specific to our particular circumstances (they covered only instructions for people staying at certain hotels there, which we were not). But we did eventually find our way, and we're already thinking about planning our next trip!
- ★★★★★ Denise
Absolutely incredible
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Passau to Vienna was beautiful, the Danube breathtaking. Snow capped peaks in the distance, ❤️. The bike trails were better than most US roads. But I did feel some things could have been better. The maps resembled the old AAA trip tiks, mostly accurate unless you are looking for Cafe Braun. The “miles” of 34 daily was an average, that could have been explained better. We had day 1 & 3 @ 49.7 miles. (80k) we had odometers on both bikes, and they agreed. That was tough on day 1. I recommend bringing a GPS.
But mostly it was fun, hard but fun. Excellent accommodations. Great breakfasts. Nice helpful staff, everywhere. - ★★★★★ Julane
Valleys and Vineyards
Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option
We found the scenery on this tour stunning (especially on Lake Traunsee) and appreciated the variety of landscapes (forests, rivers, lakes, mountains, farmland) and terrain (flat to rolling hills). The hotels/inns were very comfortable and most within walking distance of interesting sites in the cities/towns. We combined this tour with another (Tauern Bike Path: Salzburg to Salzburg) which gave us an opportunity to experience a different but equally beautiful region of Austria.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 28-October 3
- How many tours have you completed?
- 30+
- 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?
- Austria
- ★★★★★ Julane
Scenic Adventures!
Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
This tour was one of our all-time favorites for its scenic beauty, unique adventures (salt mine, falconry demonstration, ice cave), charming hotels and quaint small towns. We spent two extra nights in Salzburg before the start of the tour to take advantage of all that the city offered as well as to test our bikes on two separate loop rides. At the end of this tour we did another week-long tour (Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option) to see a different but equally beautiful region of Austria.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 21-27, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 30+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- 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
- ★★★★★ what
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
the 1st day distance was much longer than the others and was a bit much for some of us. I assume this was related to hotel availability
- ★★★★★ WallyB
Excellent Service
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Biketours did an excellent job putting this together. To begin they were exceptionally accommodating when, three days prior to our arrival, my wife had a small accident in which she strained her groin and they were able to meet a last minute request to upgrade to an e-cycle with no issues.
The pre trip check in was informative. The maps were exceptionally detailed which made navigating the route very easy. They also gave detailed written information of the sites you would see along the way and at your destination. I would recommend reading up on the route the night before and planning one or two site seeing adventures to supplement your day of cycling. These are especially cool as they are self planned and you are not limited to the tours that your tour or cruise company sets out thus you can get off the beaten track a bit more and feel a little less like a tourist. Perhaps our favourite stops was the Hinterhaus ruin in Spitz. It required a 1km backtrack from a really neat ferry, asking for directions and a walk up a trail but when we arrived we were the only people there - a thousand year old castle in the middle of wine country in Austria all to ourselves - spectacular.
The biking was what we expected. As we were heading with the river it was slightly downhill however this was pretty much imperceptible. We were provided with odometers that made navigating with the well marked maps very easy. We found with our various detours and occasional trek past a required turn that we were putting in about 50-60 km per day - about the right amount of distance and interesting scenery so that it didn’t not seem like a slog while still feeling like we got a good day of exercise in. The bikes were serviceable road bikes, not spectacular but new and well tuned. If you own a hybrid mountain road bike like I do expect these to be a bit heavier and have thicker tires. You were given enough bags to take your day to day stuff including a front bag with a clear top to allow the map to be front and centre when you rode and a pannier for the more heavy items.
Accommodations were amazing. The hotels ranged from upscale basic to positively spectacular. I suspect that the hotels vary slightly from tour to tour, however, if you find you are staying at the Schloss Dürnstein you are in for a treat - our favourite hotel by far. The breakfasts at every hotel were simply over the top, I would try to list the spread but it would take too much effort. We were able to eat enough at breakfast that snacks and water were all we needed during our day of cycling. We then would eat an early-ish dinner and make out just fine. Our luggage was always there when we arrived, we were even early on a couple of occasions (we hadn’t figured out how to read the tour guide prior to leaving at that point) and it preceded us and the hotel was accommodating enough to let us check in early.
Finally at the end of the tour, Biketours was able to also help us out by booking an extra night in Vienna. Which, due to my own flight booking error, I discovered I had to cancel. No real questions, they cancelled and gave us a refund - again Biketours made it easy for us. SHOW MORE
- ★★★★★ Moody Group
Fun Experience
Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
The biking was a great experience based on something we have not done before. The bike route took us through the beautiful country side and charming communities of Austria and Germany. However, when the bicycles were delivered to our hotel in Salzburg no one from the bike company remained to provide assistance as we were lead to believe. Directions were not always clear so making decisions for the correct direction was sometimes difficult.
Accommodations in Salzburg and Obernburg am Inn were quaint, cozy and delightful and the staff were very pleasant and accommodating. However the accommodations at a couple of the other hotels were not very favorable. The Elevators/Lifts to the rooms at Hotel Gloecklhofer Burghausen were not available in our section of the hotel and the staff did not offer assistance. The staff at Hotel Spitzburg in Passau were not not very helpful or friendly. They seemed disinterested,. Example: On our last day in Passau we asked for an early wake up call to catch an early morning train. This did not happen. Fortunately we had set our own alarm and woke up on time. Then when we went down to the lobby that morning it was dark and no one was around. The door back to the rooms locked behind us and the lobby door to the street was locked. Fortunately we somehow managed to get the door open and were able to leave to catch our 7:25 AM train.Our overall experience was good and we did have a great time with our friends.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Started in Salzburg on Sept 18th.
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one.
- 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?
- Austria, Germany
- ★★★★★ Two Floridians
Exceptional biking vacation!
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
The Lake Constance ride was much nicer than we anticipated. Unlike the US, the area caters to cyclists with a significant portion of the ride on dedicated trails. The towns are charming and the open area between was beautiful. We recommend having GPS accessible as navigation was a bit confusing at times, but very doable. The trail is very flat and suitable to riders with moderate athleticism. Enjoy!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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, Switzerland
- ★★★★★ MAURICE
It was absolutely wonderful!
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We biked around lake Konstanz and were so lucky to have perfect weather. The bikes were excellent and so were the hotels and luggage transfer. We felt the maps could use a little bit of improvement, that would be our only minor complaint.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 6, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- just this one
- 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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