Germany  Bike Tour Reviews (page 36)

  • (4/5) Nicky August 11, 2017

    Great group holiday

    · Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz

    Perfect way to see a country and get some excercise at the same time however compared to other bike tours I have done we were disappointed that we were not met by local company at beginning of trip, the bikes didn't come with helmets or water bottle holders or a place on handlebars to put the maps

    What was the date of your tour?
    August 5 207
    How many tours have you completed?
    8
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Germany
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson August 12, 2017

      Thank you very much for your feedback. We encourage all clients to review "Included services" on the tour pages, so they have appropriate expectations for what is included. For this very low-cost tour (435 euros), no orientations are offered. Instead, the operator provides very detailed tour documenations. On the "Bike rentals" page, it's specifically stated, "Helmets are not available to rent. We recommend that you bring or buy your own helmet for safety and hygiene purposes." This is increasingly the case for most operators (I never wear a rental helmet, as it may not fit, may have an invisible crack (which renders it useless), and there's no amount of disinfectant that can eliminate previous users' sweat). It's also noted that map holders are available on request. Relative to bottle holders, many operators don't offer them, as they have proven dangerous for riders who aren't accustomed to reaching down while riding.

      I apologize that our tour advisor staff did not make sure your expectations were appropriate for this tour, which routinely gets top ratings.

    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 2/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 2/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Prague to Dresden
    (5/5) Stu T August 10, 2017

    Fantastic Ride from Prague to Dresden

    · Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers

    Great fun, bonus being that it mostly followed the Elbe River downstream to Prague so wasn't very strenuous, just a few hills here and there. Our guide Milan was great - definitely worth having along as (1) he spoke Czech which none of us did ! and (2) added in some side tours which would have almost certainly missed had he not been along. Also, our support lady Jitke was really helpful and very useful to have on hand, she moved our luggage every day effortlessly ! Great scenery, great beer (some of the wine was a bit ordinary) and great food. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

    What was the date of your tour?
    10-14 July 2017
    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 young kids, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Czech Republic, Germany
    • The Elbe River (photo by Stu T)
    • Crossing the border into Germany (photo by Stu T)
    • Hrensko (photo by Stu T)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Rhine Bike Path
    (5/5) bike beasty August 10, 2017

    A 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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Danube Bike Path
    (5/5) 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.

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 8,2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    none
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much 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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Danube Family Tour
    (5/5) Crazy Canuck August 9, 2017

    Everything 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.

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 19th, 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    our first
    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?
    Austria, Germany
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) 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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Danube Delights
    (5/5) Booboo August 8, 2017

    New 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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Tauern Bike Path
    (3/5) Pedals August 8, 2017

    Great 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
    • 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.)

    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
    • 1/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) RaduC August 8, 2017
    · Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    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, Germany
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 1/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (5/5) JimRoscommon August 8, 2017

    Lake 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
    • Photo 1 (photo by JimRoscommon)
    • Photo 2 (photo by JimRoscommon)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Musse Pigg August 8, 2017

    A very beautiful trip

    · Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz

    What was the date of your tour?
    17/7-2017
    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?
    Germany
    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 2/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
    • 3/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Mosel Bike Path
    (5/5) GFunk July 17, 2017
    · Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz

    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?
    Germany
    • 5/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Prague to Dresden
    (4/5) Mandy July 16, 2017

    Prague to Dresden Along the Vitava and Elbe Rivers July 30-July 7th 2017

    · Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers

    Overall great trip! Guides were great. Needed better handouts (not self guided for guided tour) and would cut the brewery where you pour your own beer.

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 1-July 6th
    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
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Czech Republic, Germany
    • 4/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Danube Bike Path
    (5/5) APFDVM July 14, 2017

    Biking 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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Cycling the Altmuehl Valley
    (5/5) THB123 July 13, 2017

    Great 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
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Cycling the Altmuehl Valley
    (4/5) Bike Queen July 12, 2017

    E-Bikes Are the Way to Go!

    · Cycling the Altmühl Valley - Round trip from Regensburg

    For the most part this was a GREAT trip. A few things (in no particular order) might be improved: More detailed descriptions of the routes, especially getting into and out of the larger towns. That's usually when we got lost even with the routes provided. Loved all the hotels, newer and older. Meals everywhere were great. The e-bikes were a lot of fun. They could have used a bit of an overhaul before we took them out, however. gears (especially 5 and 8) slipped. I had virtually no 5th gear. None of it was so difficult that we bothered to stop and get anything fixed. The scenery was fabulous. We had a couple of rainy days, but they didn't' interfere with our fun.

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 4-9, 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    8-ish
    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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Mikay July 5, 2017

    Beautiful, Romantic, Historic, Adventurous

    · Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers

    This trip was a blast! It was especially cool to see how the geography and culture changed as we moved out of Czech Republic and into Germany. This tour has a little bit of everything to satisfy everyone's tastes. Our favorites were the last two days: Hrensko, thermal bathes in Bad Schandau, Fortress in Koenigstein (well worth the hike to the top), and Bastei in Oberrathen (do the hike and visit the medieval fortress). Also, as far as navigation, we used the maps.me app and mounted our smart phone to the bike, which made getting around super easy. We had turn by turn directions throughout the tour.

    A couple tips I wished the tour company had provided, major sites along the route are closed on Mondays. We traveled from Litomorice to Decin on Monday. Unfortunately the Strekov castle and restaurant was closed (we found that out after climbing to the top of the hill). Additionally when we reached Velke Brezno to visit the brewery we found out it also is closed on Mondays. Therefore, if a day of your tour falls on a Monday it would be good to prioritize scheduling one of the hiking days (e.g. Decin to Bad Schandau or Bad Schandau to Dresden). In general, it would be nice to know in advance what days the points of interest are closed, so the group can manage their time at other sites better. If the tour company does not provide this info, I would recommend looking it up in advance.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 23, 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    0
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Czech Republic, Germany
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson July 6, 2017

      Thanks very much for your feedback! We're glad you had a great time. We'll pass along your helpful suggestions to the local operator.

    • 4/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection