First Timers Bike Tour Reviews (page 6)
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★★★★★ THB123 July 13, 2017Great first-time bike tour
· Cycling the Altmühl Valley - Round trip from Regensburg
We went on this tour with our 9- and 12-year-old boys. It was an adventure at times, but everyone loved it.
We averaged about 36 miles per day, with the longest ride 43 miles. With a couple exceptions (detour on second day; climb to scenic vista on beginning of third day), the route was generally flat and easy to ride. Outside of towns, the route follows dedicated bike paths and quiet roads. There were a couple spots, both at Danube river crossings that we found a bit intimidating with the kids, but they were ultimately no problem. With our stops and side trips, we typically had long days (arriving at hotel between 4:30 and 6 or 7), but the rides were not overly taxing physically.
The scenery was interesting and the towns were charming. Not too many other tourists on the route or in the towns during the week, but on Friday and Saturday there more tourists, mainly Germans cyclists, kayakers, hikers. A couple of the hotels were outstanding, a couple others were merely acceptable. We had quad rooms everywhere, except one hotel provided adjoining double. Included continental breakfasts were good, more or less as expected. Luggage was picked up from and delivered to the next hotel each day without problem.
Bikes were about as expected, but could have been better. A bit heavy, and could have used tune ups. We did have a flat tire, and the included tools were sufficient to get the tire changed (which we had never done before).
Signs were typically excellent, but there were a couple missing signs. It is helpful to know when you are following a long-distance or primary bike route (shown on area maps provided) because there's additional signs. For the most part, following bike route signs to the next town was sufficient. We missed turns a few times, but we got better at reading the maps and following the routes after the first day or so.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 6/26 to 7/2/2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ APFDVM July 14, 2017Biking the Danube!
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
A summer bicycle ride along the banks of the Danube was great fun: easy biking, clearly marked route, beautiful scenery, friendly locals, what more could you ask? A little knowledge of German is helpful on the self-guided tours, but not necessary.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- This is the first multiday tour
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Pedals August 8, 2017Great and not so great
· Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
Having just come off 2 weeks biking in France we had something to compare this trip with.
The first 3 days or so were magic - lovely views, fantastic track surface and finally cool weather. The accommodation was great,especially after we were upgraded twice, and can be recommended.The bike gear was top class but my bike however was not. Euro Velo bike hires have to realise that the standard puffy commuter seat they supply are not comfortable for guys used to proper bike seats - enough said. Also on the second day when I went to use the smallest front chain ring it turned out that 2 of the mounting bolts were missing and it got wrecked so one third of my gears were gone. Managed to get this repaired after a couple of days but wasn't really satisfactory. This should not happen!
The directions and maps hardly ever match up completely on these type of trips but we were certainly not happy to discover at the end of a long hot day that the instructions for the approach to Salzberg were in fact for someone coming from completely the opposite direction - a victim of cut and past to be sure, as was the odd paragraph still in Austrian, but this should have been edited properly. A shame as the general standard of the material presentation was of a high quality.
Be aware if you want to do this trip that the last few days are along the stop bank beside the river and are boring - very little in the way of scenery and culture. Next time we will detour inland.
Sorry but overall a 3 star effort.
Warning - in case you may be considering a taxi ride from Innsbruck to Krimml to start your trip make sure that the driver is legitimate. Ours was a temporary fill in, had not driven out of town for 4 years and was a thoroughly unsafe driver. Much too fast and I suspect maybe on something. He almost ran off the road a number of times and clipped the inside kerb a couple of times . Haven't been so scared in our lives as passengers apart from jeep trips in Nepal and Pakistan. This should not happen in a first world country and if it had been practical solution we would have got out and walked!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- mid July 2017
- 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, Germany
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson August 9, 2017
We asked Hubert Simader of Radreisefreunde, manager of the tour operator, to respond:
I´m sorry to read that these clients had a technical problem with the gears. I guess there was a problem during the transfer of the bikes on our trailer; otherwise, I have no explanation. We normally have excellent feedback concerning our rental bikes (including the saddles we use). Unfortunately, you didn´t contact us during their trip - otherwise, we would have managed to solve the problem immediately (e.g. change the bike or fix it locally). I´m very sorry for that.
We normally update our tour descriptions at the end of each tour season, but my colleagues who are doing the travel documents will check the description for the hotel in Salzburg immediately. So far we haven´t heard from wrong directions.
Relative to the scenery, the first part from Krimml to Salzburg has an outstanding panorama with fantastic views. The landscape after Salzburg changes, but I would not rate it as boring - it´s just different. And you still have some highlights along the way to Passau (e.g. the world's longest castle in Burghausen and the beautiful Baroque towns Obernberg and Schärding. For those who want to have the amazing views from the mountains all along their way, we have a tour that is entirely in the Alps. But as we know: Tastes are different.
Besides these issues, I hope you enjoyed your cycle trip. Thanks for the constructive feedback, which allows us to improve quality for future clients.
(Relative to the taxi transfers, we want to point out to other clients that we didn´t arrange a transfer for these clients - they booked it on own. Of course, all our drivers have long experience and safety is one of our most important points.)
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★★★★★ Booboo August 8, 2017New friends, new places
· · Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty
Nice boat, although older. Very good meals. Great, helpful staff. Bikes we're good, all worked very well. Tour I'm Bratislava, Slovakia. We didn't research our day in Vienna very well, but we saw lots of stuff anyway. We will probably stay in touch with our dining table mates and do another trip
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 10 or so
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12 or more
- 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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★★★★★ JimRoscommon August 8, 2017Lake Constance Bike Tour
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We had a wonderful time! The lodging was great, the food was excellent and the scenery was spectacular. We had a group of seven which included a couple that had never toured on bicycles before. They have been asking me when the next one is.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 4th, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- Many
- 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, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Philip August 8, 2017Bike and Barge in Provence France
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
Excellent tour on the Estello. Great accommodations and bikes and people and tour!! Looking forward to booking our next biking adventure through biketours.com.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- First package tour.
- 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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★★★★★ Megb August 8, 2017
A Fantstic Experience
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
This was the first bike tour we had ever been on and it was better than expected. Our guide was very informative and she really knew the best roads to take to keep the peloton out of traffic. The food on the boat was excellent as
well as the hand selected wines had. The group of people was diverse and very interesting. We had a lot of fun.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 1-July 8, 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?
- France
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★★★★★ Icebikers August 8, 2017Hungary was on my list, cycling is good way to travel there!
· Wine & Bike in Hungary’s Balaton Uplands
The tour was wery well organized and a great way to see and visit many places. I did like very much the vine farms and restaurants on my bike tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 1. July to 8. July 2017
- 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?
- Hungary
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★★★★★ Aussie jeff August 8, 2017
Top planning and execution
· Wine & Bike in Hungary’s Balaton Uplands
Perfect route to see Hungary and the elements of country\villages
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2017
- 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?
- Hungary
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★★★★★ ArmannI August 8, 2017
Nice tour in beautiful country
· Wine & Bike in Hungary’s Balaton Uplands
Perfect way to experience wine tasting and beautiful country (north side of the lake Balaton )
- What was the date of your tour?
- 1/7 to 8/7
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Hungary
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★★★★★ allisong August 9, 2017Wonderful trip with my daughter!
· Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option
We did a self-guided tour and had a wonderful time. We used electric bikes and I was very happy with that choice. It was still a lot of work and we got a ton of exercise, but it made it so we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The paths were very good and we were on roads only about 10% of the time. The hotels were very nice-small and quaint with lovely breakfasts. The tour director in Austria was very quick to reply when the electric stopped working on my bike on the 4th day. She found someone to fix the bike early the next day. The only challenge was reading the maps but that was part of the adventure. We definitely made more than a few wrong turns and had to backtrack, but having the electric bikes made it okay.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 6-13, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- just this one
- 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
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★★★★★ qc2017 August 9, 2017
Great way to see Austria
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
This is my first bike trip which I made with my 10 y.o. son. We found it easy enough distance wise (made it on regular bikes). The bike path is easy to find most of the time. There were some tricky places, though, where the route description could have been done better. The choice of he hotels for the category C is very good. A little advise: don't rely on the day distance in your travel booklet. Your hotel might be on the next day travel somewhat 20 km farther.
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★★★★★ Crazy Canuck August 9, 2017Everything we had dreamed of !!!
· Danube Family Tour 7 Nights
The trip along the Danube was great for the entire family, ranging in age from 11 to 66. The accomodations with breakfast along the route were great. Great service in getting the correct size of bike for everyone. The supplied maps and signage along the root were well detailed for finding our way. The bikes were great with waterproof front and side bag.
A great experience with awesome views. -
★★★★★ Lola August 9, 2017
First family cycle trip
· Danube Family Tour 7 Nights
This was a fantastic trip; the cycling; the countryside, the food and the weather were all excellent. My 7 year old managed to cycle it all independently without bother. The organisation was very good and the local company answered any queries very quickly. I would recommend this tour for families without hesitation.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat 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?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ bike beasty August 10, 2017A perfect first tour!
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
This tour definitely met with our expectations, and was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. The information given beforehand was really comprehensive and the recommendations for meals and excursions really helpful. This was bought as a 70th birthday present for my husband and he/we had a great time! A bottle of bubbly awaited him on the first evening of the ride, as a present from the company, which he was very touched by! We were very lucky with the weather too, so all in all a great little adventure!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 10/07 - 16/07/2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- just this one
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Arliene August 13, 2017
Amazing!!!
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
The biking was perfect for families, exercise with the ability to stop along the way for food or sights of interest. Hotels were charming, very clean, friendly and the food was great. I am already looking into another bike trip next year with bike tours, perhaps Ireland. Need I saw more.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 28-Aug 4, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first
- 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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★★★★★ CGazafi August 17, 2017
Perfect trip for the kids and adults
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
- What was the date of your tour?
- 06.07.2017
- 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 young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Hermann August 17, 2017
Great tour
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
- What was the date of your tour?
- 24 - 07/ 30- 07
- How many tours have you completed?
- my first
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat 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?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
