France Bike Tour Reviews page 4
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★★★★★ Charlotte Dewar
A beautiful journey
Provence by Bike and Boat
We loved this trip. It was wonderful you hired a professional guide in Arles to spend 1.5 hours with us talking about the history, the Roman architecture and Van Gough. Provence is so beautiful and we are very blessed with the good weather and a wonderful group of travelers who cared for each other and enjoyed the company of each other on this trip.
As a professional travel planner for 30 years, I wish to share my honest feedback so you may improve your tours for future clients.
1. The chef Irene made the most delicious dinners for us every evening. We were always looking forward to her food at the end of long and exciting journey.
2. Our Captain was excellent and so was the assistant Phillipo. 3 crew members worked together beautifully and treated us like royalty.
3. Our guide Hens is not as professional. He never counted the number of guests. We had people falling off the bike everyday, no major injuries. Hens was out at the front riding quite fast. He rarely looked back and kept an eye on the group. Every time we had an accident, we had to send someone from behind to catch up with him and asked him to stop and wait for the folks falling behind.
4. The internet on the boat is very choppy. I had important business to communicate with my travelers going to Asia. Most of the time I couldn't receive or send emails. My PayPal app, my airb&b app and my VRBO app all stopped working. I had free roaming data on my phone and that had issue working on your boat either. it's very important you have a functional internet on the boat so people like myself could still carry on business while we are on your trip.We love the concept of bike and boat! We will come back for more of your tours. I am considering introducing your product to my high-end Chinese clients.
I am raving about this trip to all my friends in California. Thank you for putting together a fantastic journey for us.
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ CLTH
Bordeaux by Bike and Boat: Castets-en-Dorthe to Libourne (and reverse)
- 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?
- France
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★★★★★ ozfamily
Beautiful Trip Needs Logistics Tweaks
Alsace Wine Country
The positive: The route after the first day is spectacular - beautiful canals, villages, vineyards. Accommodations mostly fine, but see the needs improvement section. We especially liked the hotel in Sermersheim - tiny town but lovely place to stay. Bikes were great.
Needs Improvement: The first day out of Strasbourg is mostly a wasted day. Even the person who gave us our orientation the first day said there is really nothing to see this first day. Coupled with the fact that it is a hellacious route to get out of Strasbourg - very complicated and not well explained by the guide or by the instructions given to us, I would have started the tour on day two (save for the accommodations that first night). Also, the instructions are not always accurate. Sometimes they said we could eat lunch in certain towns, but there were not places available, based on day of the week closures. It would be helpful to note towns where train stations are available in case someone is sick or injured.... I would not have people stay in Barr - there was absolutely nothing to do and most places to eat were closed.- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/15/17
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Cynthia Cook
Biking Loire Valley
Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
Nice ride, there is a fair amount of riding with traffic, it would be difficult with younger kids. The trail signage needs updated. Some were faded and others covered by trees or brush. There were a few spots on the ride that GPS was needed for sure. Some of the trails were very rough and bumpy. It would be nice to stay in smaller towns, in city centers it was not very nice nor necessary. The scenery was varied, from vineyards to vegetable fields, orchards and quaint towns. The chateau package was nice. We had the dinner package which is nice after a days ride to have your restaurant already set.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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?
- France
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★★★★★ Anne Stanek
Peaceful tour of some lovely countryside and beautiful little medieval villages.
South of France: UNESCO World Heritage Sites
We surely enjoyed this trip. The beginning in St. Gilhem le Desert was perfect - such a lovely little town nestled into the mountains. There were a lot of uphills and wonderful long downhills on quiet roads. It was a nice variety of scenery and towns. We were particularly grateful for our Ebikes as the hills would have been difficult and tiring without them. It was a most enjoyable bike tour all round.
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Arik
Nice ride. Two complaints.
Three Lakes Tour: From Geneva to Annecy
1) The phone app didn't work at all (for three of us who tried). And the GPS they gave us as a backup is a decade outdated. Thank goodness for Google Maps, though that didn't always yield the most scenic routes.
2) Too much time spent on bike routes that were really highway shoulders, with a bicycle silhouette stenciled on the asphalt.Great hotels, fantastic food, (and priceless company we provided ourselves).
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Countries included in this tour?
- France, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Helen Stowe
Mostly Marvelous, Somewhat Scary
South of France: UNESCO World Heritage Sites
For the most part, the trip was wonderful -- accommodations were varied, but all just fine for a shower after a long day on the road, comfortable beds, good breakfasts, and pleasant hosts. Countryside was beautiful, and we were blessed with perfect weather. However, we occasionally felt that we had too many miles to travel so we weren't able to take advantage of visiting the UNESCO sites mentioned in the guide book. Electric bikes were fun (a first for most of us) and essential for making it up the long hills. On the downside, the last 3km into Carcassonne was hair raising....so much traffic, trucks that weren't about to slow down or give us any leeway as we approached narrow bridges. We managed to find a pleasant bike path along the canal that took us right into the city, with only a few streets to navigate; and we wondered why your tour didn't direct us onto that bike path instead of along the dangerous and busy road...and if anyone in the company had actually ridden that route into Carcassonne. I was so unnerved that I chose to skip the last day's ride and walked around the city instead (and loved every minute of that!).
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Jan Barbeau
First Bike Trip
Cycling Paradise of Provence - to and from Avignon
Overall, the e-bikes and service provided by Phillip were exceptional! Claire was also very helpful with check-in and the initial overview — much appreciated.
We did encounter a few challenges with navigation. We didn’t receive all of the correct maps in advance, and the maps provided were a bit tricky to follow, though we managed in the end.
The hotel in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue was disappointing. The bed consisted of two twin mattresses pushed together with a sheet, and the frame legs weren’t secured. Additionally, the hotel’s location on the edge of town made it inconvenient to walk to restaurants after a day of biking. Breakfast was quite minimal — one slice of ham, one slice of cheese, one roll, and a single cup of coffee.
The first and third hotels were good overall.
It would be great to have more suggested points of interest along the routes — for example, recommended stops at local wineries or scenic spots.
Just FYI - I am a travel agent and will now be able to advise clients on bike tours experiences.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one!
- 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?
- France
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★★★★★ Becca
Savoie self-bike
Three Lakes Tour: From Geneva to Annecy
Taste the cuisine and drink the wine of Savoie, swim in pristine lakes, visit medival villages, castles, and vineyards.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Jul 30
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France, Switzerland
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★★★★★ BH
Half and Half
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
Maybe it was the extreme heat but we found the first 3 days to be less than exciting. We were just thankful we didn’t have a strong head wind as we rode along the very exposed Rhine River embankment. Strasbourg was gorgeous but it was 98 at 4 pm. The ride west out of Strasbourg was beautiful, shady as it followed an old canal. Alsace was fantastic even though a few hills were probably at least 12%. Most surfaces were very nice. Obernai and Colmar were highlights. We rode our own touring bikes.
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★★★★★ Biabattistella
A great trip
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
The trip was great, the landscapes are fantastic, the little villages are very charming, well preserved! What could be better is having gps files for the path. The orientation, sometimes, are not clear and cost some kilometres more!
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★★★★★ JayF
Some Surprises!
South of France: UNESCO World Heritage Sites
We had some terrific rides on this tour. The most notable being the third day of riding with a stop at Minerve. The scenery was incredible. The first two days also had some great vistas.
We took the time to explore the first night's village of St. Guilhume le Desert. Worth the time. We also stopped and walked the cave at Clamuse. The vineyards on the hillsides and in the valley were treats to cycle through. We enjoyed exploring the villages in which we stayed such as Villeneuvette and Siran.
The accommodations were all adequate with a couple highlights with the Chateaus in Lignan sur Orb and Siran. La Source in Villeneuvette was also charming.
The staff at all the accommodations were all very helpful and friendly.
The included meals were lovely.I do have some criticisms/suggestions:
1. When we booked this trip we wondered how we were going to achieve our usual daily mileage of 80-100kms. The tour is rated a 3 "rolling, hilly terrain". Discover France rates it as Hobby or Active. We were surprised when meeting with our Discover France contact at the 1st hotel that every ride except the canal ride into Carcassonne is rated Active/Pro. We have cycled frequently in rolling, hilly terrain such as Kentucky, rolling hills do not have names (as at least one of the climbs did). There were a few long climbs that by no measure qualify as rolling hilly terrain. We are also familiar with categorized climbs so we adjusted our expectations and pedaled. One steep incline on a rare broken pavement type road will stay with me for a while.
2. Discover France titles this ride "The Best of Languedoc" which is exactly what it is, you may want to adjust Biketours.com title as Narbonne is not on the itinerary.
3. A shorter road bike option into Carcassonne should be provided. There is a hybrid bike ride along the canal or a long road bike option. The weather was not co-operative on that day and we had to make our own shorter road option into Carcassonne.
4. The Hotel Montmorency was the smallest room on the trip and frankly a let down after the Chateau de Siran. At the end of the trip with all your stuff for two days it gets cramped. As well the hotel is really an annex of another with check in at the Chateau du Hotel, although there is no mention of the need to go across the street to check in. Checking in through a 4 star hotel had me questioning "why are we not staying here?". As noted previously the staff were excellent at Hotel Montmorency (really Chateau du Hotel), strictly room size issue. The location cannot be beat either.
5. Another day in Carcassonne might be offered as an option. The medieval city and the other sites in Carcassonne cannot be done justice in half a day. To chose between riding and properly seeing a place such as Carcassone is one that should not have to be made.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 14-20 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- Countless
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, Founder and president
I very much appreciate your detailed feedback, which I've passed along to our tour team. We will also inform the local tour company of your helpful comments. I'm glad you had some great rides despite some of the surprises!
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★★★★★ Brian Deutscher
South of France Tour
Provence by Bike and Boat
A great way to review, cities and the countryside in the south of France. Our group of six enjoyed each day. E bikes allowed as to cover significant distance and enjoy the sites without having to exhaust our selves. Winds were particularly high the first couple of days.
Unless your a person who regularly bikes 50 kms, I would recommend the ebikes.- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Ed & Jill Nyland
Trip Was As Expected
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
The trip was enjoyable, the bikes were top notch, the trails were mostly well maintained except for a couple of remote and rough areas. The hotels were pleasant except for a very horrendous experience in Heidelberg. We were told that they were overbooked and they “stuck us” in a 7 story walk up hotel across the street., no elevator and no lobby. The hotel was dirty and not secure. We had to carry our two large bags and all of our bike gear up and down. The comment was “you look like you’re in good shape”. There was no real apology or accountability for their mistake. We were extremely angry and disappointed because we were looking forward to Heidelberg.
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BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac
Hi Ed and Jill,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re so sorry to hear about what happened in Heidelberg - we understand how upsetting and frustrating that must have been, especially when you were looking forward to that part of the trip. Please accept our sincere apologies. We’ll be addressing this directly with our partner to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Bozena
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★★★★★ Fang-Ju Chang
Amazing journey between vineyard and greenways
Burgundy Wine Trails: Beaune to Macon on the “Voie Verte”
Highly recommend for wine lovers and nature! But it’s self guided tour requiring time for foreigners to pick up the familiarity on the navigation app!. After first days’ challenge, thing gets easy and handy. The design of routes is excellent for 5 rides. We could explore different perspectives of the region of Bourgogne. I will definitely come back again !
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/13-19
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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?
- France
-
★★★★★ Coasters
A glimpse of the Loire valley
Loire Valley Châteaux & Gardens Tour
A fabulous way to experience the countryside around the Loire valley. GPS maps made this trip very pleasurable
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 11-17
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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
-
★★★★★ Gerard Hickey
Fun four days of biking
Three Lakes Tour: From Geneva to Annecy
Highs were the bicycle paths that for most of trip were separate to roads and vehicles. It really allowed you to relax
Surprises: the videos had indicated that a bike computer would b provided with the tour directions. We were told the first day that is no longer the case and we were told use our phones. I had brought my garmin 1050 and would have liked to download the trails to it but the file was not compatible and cyclomundo could not provide directions
Other surprise was some if the not being open until 4.30pm. This was a problem when you arrived wet after being riding in the rain.- Countries included in this tour?
- France, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Stephen Graham
Great area, careful with cars in France
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
Fascinating area, half German half French. French side has the cutest towns, German side the safest biking. Beware biking on the French side on weekends, as locals drive to the vineyard towns for lunch or overnights, and they drive fast. Often no shoulder or bike path, drivers not always courteous, a lot of energy on avoiding catastrophe for less-experienced riders instead of enjoying the scenery. Support was good, replacing a bike with brake problems mid-trip. Navigation had one major error, sending us to a small bridge across islands in the Rhine near Strasbourg that had in fact been closed for months. A bit stressful at the end of a long day riding, but we found another way across. Minimal guidance as to where to stop for cafes, lunch, etc.; could use a more detailed list of suggestions. Some of the budget hotels are not in charming locations or walking distance from restaurants. The Grand Hotel in Strasbourg has seen better days.
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★★★★★ Leonard72
Beautiful French Wine Countryside
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
The bikes, the hotels, the French Wine Country Scenery were beautiful, the German side was very uninspiring. We cycled through Agriculture farm country on the German side. Freiburg a wonderful, beautiful shopping town is geared to hiking in the Black Forest.
- What was the date of your tour?
- MAY 13, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- Completed four, this was #5.
- 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, Germany
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★★★★★ Alanran
Beautiful Provence by Bike and Barge
Provence by Bike and Boat
The boat was really nice and the crew was great -- from captain to chef to on-board host. They did an exceptional job making our time on the boat pleasant.
The biking was also nice in spite of the 98 degree temperatures, full on sun and mistral winds in our face -- even had to peddle going down hill sometimes. That said, we saw beautiful villages, olive orchards, vineyards, sun flower fields and lavender fields -- beautiful terrain -- even some of the areas covered in the Tour de France -- Pont du Gard. The visit to Le Beaux de Provence was special going into the cave with Van Gogh paintings put to motion and sound.
All in all it was a fun tour with a great group of riders.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 13-20
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- France
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