First Timers Bike Tour Reviews (page 10)
- Albania
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- England
- Estonia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Holland
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Montenegro
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Scotland
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United States
- Vietnam
- Wales
-
★★★★★ Betty Ngan 12 months ago
Great support from local team, but room for improvement
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
The tour was unfortunately shortened for me by an illness, which lasted 5 days, so I only rode 2 days. I can say that the trails were very well marked and the scenery stunning. I was able to see how well the local coordinators worked to help me move my bicycle around to accommodate my recovery. The emergency contact Benjamin was very understanding and patient as he rearranged hotel accommodations and bicycle locations. I relied on public transportation to move from hotel to hotel, since Bike Tours said it was was not insured to transport me.
Most of the hotel staff were helpful, especially the front desk manager at Hotel Rheingold, who went out of her way to give me directions to get to the next hotel. Even the front desk at Hotel Wilder Mann in Deemsburg called a taxi for me even though I was not a guest. Unfortunately, a staff member of the Hotel Alta Poste refused to call a taxi for me because I had checked out a day earlier, even though my tour group was due back at the hotel in 5 days. The young German staffer said she recognized me, but I had checked out, so she could only give me numbers which didn’t work on my phone. The staff at Alta Poste need more training in showing hospitality to bike tour group members.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug. 31, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat 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
-
★★★★★ Julia W. 12 months ago
A beautiful ride!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
This was my 4th bike tour with BikeTours. This was the best in terms of beautiful scenery and ease of riding. We were a group of 8 seniors, most on e-bikes. There were a few stretches of hills, but they were short and manageable with e-bikes. From past experience, we expected to get lost a few times, or miss the bike signs, but that was just part of the experience. The hotels and breakfasts were excellent. Working with Biketours was seamless, as usual. Luggage transport was flawless. We broke up the long ride from Uberlingen to Lindau, and stayed a night in Friedrichshafen. There, we got to see the Zeppelin Museum. We also stayed an extra night in Lindau, a beautiful town, which gave us time to visit Bergenz and take the tram for a mountaintop view of Lake Konstanz.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2024
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ EDWARD STEGER 11 months ago
Well organized and executed
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
BikeTours did a great job communicating our self guided tour and when one of our party had to drop out due to a sprained hand, BikeTours were flexible in picking up the bike from our 2nd tour hotel stop. The e-bikes were top notch and the countryside was beautiful. The hotels were all clean and ranged from adaquate to very comfortable. I have two suggestions. 1) It took a bit over a week to confirm our trip. This put the six of us in limbo for booking our airfare during this time. 2) The route was beautiful but the markings were unclear. There were a lot of choices (almost 1 per kilometer - lots of roundabouts and choices) and we had to stop, pull out our phones, and check Google Maps. This could have been avoided if the BikeTours had let us know to bring a bike phone mount or better yet, supplied one as part of the tour package.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Samantha 4 months ago
Loved our trip, amazing way to see this part of the world
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We loved every minute of our trip. We got lost a few times, but realised that in Austria the sign posting wasn't as reliable than it was in Germany and Switzerland.
Accommodation was exceptional at each location, and breakfasts were more than we expected.- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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
-
★★★★★ Corbin 4 months ago
A great adventure!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
This was a fantastic experience for both myself and my fiancé to explore the Swiss and German countryside. The tour maps laid out everything very clearly and we enjoyed biking through beautiful small villages. We would take every opportunity to stop along the biking trail at local historic sites and castles that were all suggested in our tour guide booklet. Each hotel we stayed at was top notch with very comfortable amenities and free breakfast included in the morning (which was great before biking 30-40miles). Overall we were super pleased with our decision to go on this trip. It was so well organized and it took out all the stress of having to plan out all the small details so that we could just enjoy biking and having fun.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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
-
★★★★★ Emily Eich 2 months ago
Perfect Family Trip!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
This was the perfect self-guided tour for our family of 3. My son is 14. The length of each day riding was perfect. We loved each hotel that was selected. We look forward to our next bike trip!
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
-
★★★★★ Meg S 2 months ago
Great family fun
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We had such a fun time cycling through Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The food was delicious and the hotel selection was amazing
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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
-
★★★★★ Cramaz September 11, 2016
The Great Tour of Salzburg
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
This ride took us through some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. While there were a couple of difficult hills, the majority of the ride was quite manageable and structured so that there was plenty of time to sightsee on the way and at each destination. The towns we stayed in all had something a little different to offer and all had plenty of good places to eat and relax. As a self-guided tour, this would be hard to beat. The Tauern bike path is a great way to see this part of Austria.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 28th August to 5th September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
-
★★★★★ paula12 September 19, 2016
I Would Go Back Tomorrow...
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
I've been to Europe a dozen times, but seeing the Salzburg
area by bike was the best trip yet. Such beautiful scenery.
Loved the e-bike!- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 12-19
- How many tours have you completed?
- no others
- 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?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Fishchico August 18, 2017
Spectacular Tauren bike route
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
This was an amazingly beautiful route through small villages, stunning granite mountains and wildflower meadows everywhere. Not to be missed were Krimmel Falls with vintage train ride and the Werfen Ice Cave. Signage was good, we only missed one directional marker but remembering that "the adventure begins when the plan fails" kept us in good cheer! Meeting locals when inquiring for directions is sometimes the best part.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 21 - June 29, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- 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
-
★★★★★ Rich and Alesa September 15, 2018
Wonderful trip among the Alps
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
This is our fourth self-guided bike trip with Bike Tours (Tuscany/Umbria, Romania, Greece, and now Austria from/to Salzburg). It is the new benchmark.
The bike trails were glorious and often in the country and along the rivers, usually
paved. The hotels (except for the last one near Salzburg) were excellent. The bike equipment was first class and very appropriate for the bike trails and occassional gravel.We are in our late sixties, so having so much of the trip on bike trails was special. The countryside was green and when we saw the Alps after some cloudy days, it was awe-inspiring.
This is a special trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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
-
★★★★★ Julane January 1, 2019
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
-
★★★★★ Fletch June 6, 2019
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
-
★★★★★ Harry August 1, 2019
Satisfied repeat customer
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
This is the third trip that I've done with Greenways and I remain very pleased with the impeccable organization, the thoughtfully planned routes, the helpfully redundant cycling instructions and the very engaging and pleasant territory. I combined the Salzburg to Prague trip with a Salzburg to Salzburg loop around Berctesgaden, and so my overall experience combined spectacular Alpine scenery with miles of classic Bohemian rolling wheat fields punctuated with forest and woodlot. There was a lot in this trip that exceeded my expectations, and virtually nothing that merits any harsh criticism. Getting over the hills north of Linz was a pretty good workout for an old guy!
As a solo traveler, I didn't have any meals included in the package, and that worked out just fine. The Salzburg loop was all on well-marked bike path, so direction-finding was all but bulletproof. The 'Heart of Europe' trip has some very detailed instructions and a GPS, and almost never presented any confusion. Having Google Maps on a phone helped to disambiguate a few times. There were some good suggestions for things to see, though I didn't always have time to stop and see them. Perhaps the tour deserves a repeat!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 15-25
- How many tours have you completed?
- many, both package and self-created
- 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
-
★★★★★ LeePDX August 20, 2019
Awesome Family Bike Trip
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
Great vacation and memories to last a lifetime. The Tauern Bike Path is great, relatively flat and incredibly beautiful at every turn. Lots of great excursions within relatively easy bike or bus connection to route, including Ice Caves, Caverns, Salt Mines, Waterfalls, Trams, Lakes... Awesome.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 8/6-8/12
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
-
★★★★★ Adam Pernsteiner November 8, 2022
A 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
-
★★★★★ Christopher McAdam May 28, 2023
Fantastic Ride
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
Loved the hotels loved the ride, loved the all day everyday view. We really like seeing and going through the little alpine towns.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6th
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Robin Walton July 27, 2023
Most scenic bike tour
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
This was our 4th European bike tour and definitely the most scenic! The ride was a little more hilly than mentioned in the website, but fortunately I had an e-bike which made it no problem. My husband did not have an e bike and had no problem.
Each day was a very different route and made it exciting for what the next day would be. Beautiful Alps, waterfalls, villages with so much charm. We opted to upgrade to the deluxe tour and was well worth the money. Wish we would have stayed an extra day in Kaprun as there was much to see there. Would definitely recommend this tour.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Patricia Rose May 29, 2023
Bucket List to Bruges
· Amsterdam to Bruges: Cycling through South Holland and Zeeland
A beautiful way to truly see the Netherlands! Our self-guided group of eight cyclists pedaled from Amsterdam to Bruges. Pleased how everything flowed so seamlessly. The bicycles, panniers, GPS and route maps provided by Tulip Cycling were top notch. Would recommend this tour for any level of cycling.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five
- 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
-
★★★★★ Geraldine Donato June 5, 2023
Couldn’t have been better!
· Amsterdam to Bruges: Cycling through South Holland and Zeeland
We did a self-guided tour with a 2-hour “tutorial” from Peter of Tulip Tours before we started out. He made sure we were fit properly to our bikes and understood everything about the navigation system so our ride was seamless! We planned an extra night in a couple of cities so we could enjoy more of the local activities and food (!) and decided to do more of that on our next tour. All the hotels were located convenient to town centers except the water hotel in Dordrecht, which was uniquely wonderful. Thank you to Tulip Tours for a wonderful biking experience in Holland and Belgium!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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