Istria Kvarn Bay Bike Tour Reviews page 2
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★★★★★ Elaine Kubicki
Charming Coratia
The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
This was my second bike trip with Bike Tours. My first was the Albania tour, which was fabulous! Overall, the Croatia trip was very satisfying, i.e. the yacht was very accommodating, the staff was very attentive and informative including the email personnel who answered questions before the trip, the new chef was great, the e-bikes worked well, the other vacationers made for pleasant exchanges, and the small ports and villages were charming to visit and the staff tours were interesting. On the other hand, there were things that kept this tour from being a 5 rating. My biggest concern was the additional costs, i.e., expected tips and bar/water bills that were not mentioned in the initial cost of the tour and were only made aware a few weeks before the tour and after the initial commitment and payment for the tour was made. Also, along with those concerns, I am curious as to why there was an extra charge for an e-bike when the trip is advertised as “The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike” and everyone rode an e-bike except two people who brought their own bikes? We also had problems mid-week with sewer gases in the bathrooms, which did get repaired within a day or two, and the air conditioning in the cabins worked well only one night out of 7, which made the cabin quite warm and damp. There were 34 bikers riding at the same time and on many more rocky gravel trails and busy highway/roads then I had expected and, at times, felt rather dangerous. However, as you noticed I still gave this tour a rating of 4, so, enough good outweighed to make it a satisfying trip.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Edgar Albo
An Amazing surprise!!
Venice to Trieste and Istria
A great way of discover new cities, wonderful landscapes and meet new people.
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★★★★★ Edgar A.
Tour of surprises!
Venice to Trieste and Istria
Very good hotels, excellent app, great service in luggage transport. Highly recommendable, a thing to improve is the bike size. It was a very good bike , but one size bigger than my needs.
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★★★★★ Emma Broadfield
An excellent way to explore the Istrian Peninsula
The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
This is a fabulous way to explore the Istrian Peninsula, as you have the opportunity to see the coast and also explore inland. The boat is very comfortable and it is great to be able to get away from the crowds at the end of the day! The towns and villages that you get to explore are gorgeous and the coastline spectacular. Being able to swim off the back of the boat and cool off is an added bonus!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- One
- 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?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ David Gunther
Great Tour and Great Guides!
The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
I had a great time on this bike tour, and Tony and Dominic (Dominik) made it truly special. Both of them were so friendly, and we spoke for hours, exchanging stories and having a great time together. I can’t imagine doing the tour without them!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Denise brown
Great trip. Enjoyed every minute
Venice to Trieste and Istria
We travelled - just my husband and myself. The app gave great directions for us to follow. The routes were lovely- very little time on busy roads. The hotels were great. Clean and friendly. Our favourite stop was Piran in Slovenia. We got to know the others on the same trip as us. It was great to share experiences at the end of the day. Only thing I would change for me is I would not go for an ebike next time. Found it very heavy and not suited to some of the terrain.
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★★★★★ Nanette Bean
Adventure in Croatia
The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
Our guides Christopher and Mirta were excellent, very thorough and reliable and fun. The boat, the Andela Lora Was well-maintained and a pleasure to be on. The food on the boat was excellent, kudos to the chefs. Croatia is a beautiful country and I’m glad we got to Bike on back roads, we had many fun adventures
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Meg Bates
The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
tt was a great trip. The boat was gorgeous and very comfortable. All the staff on the boat were great and the food was really good. The bike guides were also very good.
Would suggest that the description you have of this ride be updated. You not only 30% gravel and it was at least 50%. The guides knew the routes very well and did everything to minimize traffic which was great.
Also Mariam - who helped deal with hotels before and after the tour was fabulous. She was very very helpful and extremely responsive to questions.
The issue of helmets needs to be clarified. We understood they were required, which is great. However there was a person who asked if it was required and he did not want to wear one and was not required to do so. Think this is a big mistake. Helmets should be required by all on the ride - even if local laws don't require it. Still should be required for the tour.
Overall it was a fabulous trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Unnur Fridthjofsdootir
Very nice trip
Venice to Trieste and Istria
Very nice trip easy to follow the app 😄Great to see italy, Slovenia and Croatia on bike
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★★★★★ Mary Lou Taylor
More than I could have hoped for.
The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
This was my first bike tour, and I was a little apprehensive. But it was great! The boat was first-rate, with a wonderful, accommodating crew and excellent chef. The tour guides were fun, responsible, and caring. And Croatia is beautiful. I would definitely recommend this adventure.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Jennifer Dattke
Incredible Journey!!💕
Venice to Trieste and Istria
Such a great experience! Yes challenging both the riding and navigating but rewarded with great food and gelato! The hotels were all good and comfortable with great breakfasts. Every community was so cute. Would recommend a lay over night to recoup, enjoy the community and give time for your chamois to dry!? Great experience. I was impressed by how bike friendly the route was on bike paths, along canals and use of rails to trails. Also I felt drivers were very aware of cyclists. The tour company (Anthony) was very accommodating when we had an issue with shifting and brought another bike to us.
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★★★★★ Thomas Carr
Wonderful Trip
Venice to Trieste and Istria
We did this trip with two other couples who had never done a European bike tour before. We were so impressed with the efficiency of the staff, the accommodations and of course the beautiful route.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- 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?
- Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
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★★★★★ carol friefeld
Great trip!
Venice to Trieste and Istria
Loved this trip! The route was fun and scenic, the accommodations were great, no logistical problems. The local tour agency was very helpful, and the GPS app worked well. Would work with this group again!
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★★★★★ Stradiotti
Superb Trip!
Venice to Trieste and Istria
A splendid way to see the world! This bike tour was our first but certainly not our last. We were a group of 10 friends ranging in age from 49-56. The ride was challenging at times but absolutely spectacular. We are not avid cyclists and some of the group used the electric bikes; this was a great option especially on the hills. The hotels were great, for the most part the food was good too, and the luggage transfers were seamless. This tour is very well organized and the local tour company is always reachable.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 4-10
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was the first
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
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★★★★★ Petty
Was great!!
Venice to Trieste and Istria
I have already written to you about tour - really enjoyed every moment! Hotels were great and personnel very friendly
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★★★★★ J and S
Perfect way to see the Country
Venice to Trieste and Istria
My Wife and I had a great Self-Guided trip. The people were super kind, hotels were good, food good, sites were the best. The maps were good, we used GPS points on our phones which did help a lot. So all in all, a can't miss trip.
We especially liked starting the trip in Mestre, the train over to Venice was a 5 minute walk from the Hotel Elite, cost was minimal. We explored Venice as well as old town Mestre, which was a extra treat.
Your first leg is to either Jesolo or Carole, we stayed in Jesolo and on the next day we stopped for a snack in Carole. If we were able, we would do the extra miles and stay in Carole the first night, town is really cute.
We did take two layover or extra days, one in Piran the other in Porec, both well worth it, so ask when you book if that option is available. The Ferry Ride from Porec to Venice was great but a a little of a challenge to schedule until we found there are two ferry companies, they run on opposite dates. After that, was super simple.
Hard trip to pass up, this was our third Self Guided trip, and already starting to plan for 2020. This has been our main way to see Europe and Loving Every Trip!!- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2019
- 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?
- Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
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★★★★★ OR bikers
Couldn't ask for a better 1st bike tour experience
Venice to Trieste and Istria
We did the self guided tour with another couple friend of ours. We all had ebikes which made it very enjoyable and easy to do the distances and the hills on the last 2 days. The stickers on street poles pointing the way along the routes were really helpful. The scenery along the routes were so pretty, many red poppy fields. The towns we passed through were fun to explore. We really enjoyed the routes along the water (sea, river, canals), which were many. We had one and a half days of rain, and there were some muddy dirt road we had to go through. We enjoyed the towns we stayed in overnight, pleased with the accommodations and the bountiful breakfast buffets. I would recommend staying an extra night in Porec (end of tour), just to get a little more time to explore, enjoy and relax before heading back to Venice on the early ferry
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 25-June 1, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- this is our first 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?
- Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
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★★★★★ alda
absolutely fabulous
Venice to Trieste and Istria
What a wonderful itinerary with varied scenery from the lagoons and beaches of Italy to the more mountainous coast of Istria. Going through three countries was very interesting and the accomodations and places we visited were top notch.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 24, 2017
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
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★★★★★ MarknPat
Expectations Exceeded
Venice to Trieste and Istria
We spent a few extra days in Venice to start and 5 extra days in Porec at the end. Really glad we spent the extra time. Extending the bike rental was not a problem.
The tour in between was awesome. Accommodations were better than expected and all the towns were charming.I had a little trouble with my bike. The front hub was a little tight so the wheel didn't spin as freely as it should have. I noticed when we picked up the bikes but didn't think too much of it. After a couple days I contacted the tour company and they brought me a different and better bike. Kudos to the tour operator.
At one hotel there was confusion about a reservation for someone travelling with us. Again, the tour company stepped up. The real measure of the tour company is how they handle problems. They were terrific.
Had a couple directional issues. We have T-Mobile so GPS worked perfectly. Previously we had AT&T with the international package. It was underwhelming to say the least. I highly recommend T-Mobile.
Final day was a bit of a climbing challenge for Mrs. But we managed. The highlights of the tour were riding along the Adriatic, taking the occasional swim and the people we met.
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★★★★★ artnscience
Wonderful Coastal Trip around the upper Adriatic Sea
Venice to Trieste and Istria
The route, maps, bicycles, accommodations and weather were perfect for our self-guided trip. We were lucky to be able to attend a Vivaldi Concert at the Cathedral in Grado. It was a one night only performance and our hotel host provided us with tickets. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOVdH6klghY5LXY0xRnJXgs3V22UOQqIrSTQtIZk-iBfOPD-HVh2ajAjWPV0rspkQ/photo/AF1QipMEguGCko9YGrAFg6YkROa7LLFyKdtTuGCFsTg?key=MEQzNXNiWEVwM2MwSV8ycVExcWg4ZmFUU2kzM3h3
Crossing the borders between Italy and Slovenia and between Slovenia and Croatia by bicycle was a fun experience as was seeing Piran and Porec. A car rally was going on in Porec which made it even more interesting.
We had one confusing route situation. The arrows and cue sheet had us going right and then left onto a farm road (see linked photo) when it should have said left and then right. Other than that our directions were perfect. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOVdH6klghY5LXY0xRnJXgs3V22UOQqIrSTQtIZk-iBfOPD-HVh2ajAjWPV0rspkQ/photo/AF1QipP8bWrmMDfBuhWBGxWQjo53m6mNt4CmrDNpQfs?key=MEQzNXNiWEVwM2MwSV8ycVExcWg4ZmFUU2kzM3h3 -
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