Italy Bike Tour Reviews page 16
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- ★★★★★ Rhonda Barton
Beautiful views!
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The trip was beautiful! The views through the Dolomites and Julian Alps are constantly awe provoking. The hotels were also wonderful, our favorite being Alta Post in Feistritz an der Gail!
Bikes: We paid for the upgrade but it didnt feel as though we were upgraded. The bikes we received were not well maintained. We had a bike brake on the first day of our tour and the replacement bike had a loose peddle the rest of our tour. A few of our bikes were not tuned well and gears were either difficult to shift or couldn't be geared all the way up or down. In general, we would have appreciated better maintained bikes for a 230 mile tour, it would make the days much more enjoyable. We also had to swing by the rental place for a bike pump that had the correct valve for pumping up tires. The bikes were equipped with presta valves, but the pumps were schrader valves. We also recommend placing an allen key in the repair kit. We had several items that we had to adjust, angles of the header, tightness of the bells, etc. Having an allen key would have made these adjustments easier to make.
Bike Accessories: we think you should provide or tell the riders to bring a cell phone mount for the trip. The app was nice to have but we had to constantly get the phone out of our pockets to follow along. This can get quite dangerous on certain parts of the tour.
App: the phone app was a great perk to the trip although our main complaint is that every tour participant should have access to the app. It is challenging to have only one person with the app and it doesnt seem to make much sense to limit access. Give everyone who paid for the tour access please. - ★★★★★ TF and DD NYC
Great destinations!
Venice to Trieste and Istria
A highlight of the trip was seeing all the different towns and cities along the way. The route varied from day to day – coastal paths, farmland and former border crossings. We stayed in modern seaside towns, ancient inland towns and cities. We even saw flamingos in the lagoon!
The biking was challenging at times, with strong headwinds the first couple of days. We rode on roads, bike paths, dirt farm roads and raised dike walls. The navigation, directions and app were easy to follow, but many of the arrow stickers should be replaced. Bikes were standard hybrids, but note: step through bikes do not have water bottle cages!
We opted for trains and boats when available. This allowed us to have more time to explore the towns, while still having plenty of biking. Each place we stayed was unique and a couple of the hotels were better than expected. It was nice visit the towns just before the summer season. There were many tourists, but not big crowds.
We would recommend this trip to those who are confident riders. Plan to stay a couple of extra days in Venice and/or Porec if you can, as there is plenty to see and do!
- ★★★★★ Daniel Villegas
Great rides, not so great organization
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
The rides to beautiful valleys was amazing and very enjoyable. The company FunActive was not well organized in terms of transfers to start or end points. Bicycles required better maintenance and bicycles were misplaced by the company on the first day. In hindsight if I was to do this again, I would book my own hotel, rent the bikes for a week and do the routes independently.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- 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?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ Melissa Barney
Biking in Italy in June
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
I will not be recommending this trip or your company to anyone. The App was awful: only intermittently in English (otherwise in German) and when I gave 'feedback' I got no response; the App intermittently stopped working and I had to turn my phone off and on to re-boot; the App ATE UP my phone battery (a relativley new iPhone 13 with an otherwise long battery life); any highlights mentioned in the App along a particular day's travel was only a link to something that required internet or phone service (this is ridiculous; this link should have taken me to text within the App just as every other self-guided tour does within their App). The written paper description was poorly done - for some cities the description was how to 'get' into a city and other times the city/town mentioned was only a landmark of progress but this was very confusing. The pedometer on the bike did not work after the first three hours of the 7 day trip. The bikes were way too heavy; surely there is a way to make a durable bike that is at least 2 to 3 kilos lighter. Getting the bike and getting a safety helmet were in different cities!! I would ask for some of my money back if I thought this was possible as I was very disappointed in the trip.
- ★★★★★ Henk V
All the sights in 3 hours
Rome Highlights Bike Tour
My daughter and I took the tour with Allesandro as our guide. We only had one day in Rome and the bike tour was a perfect way to get the most out of our day. The bike shop is on a very pretty street with flowery vine plants covering the street over the power lines.
Allesandro is a biking enthusiast and he knows the city very well. Rome is quite busy but the route was mostly back streets without too much traffic (car or pedestrian). However, there were a few spots where we needed to be in traffic and the tour has a bit of climbing so I'm glad we took the e-bikes. The bikes were heavy but quality.
We got some great pictures at each stop on the way. It was only the three of us so we moved fairly quickly and didn't dawdle much at the sites. Allesandro offered to take us to a couple more spots beyond what the normal tour had but unfortunately it started raining.
I would easily recommend this tour, especially if you have limited time. And Allesandro was a nice guide for the tour. His English was 6/10 but he knew a lot and was very friendly.
- ★★★★★ Catherine Cram
Convenient Way to Explore!
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
We enjoyed our self-guided bike trip in the Dolomites, with great support from BikeTours.com. We appreciated the detailed route information and app support. My only complaint is that I would liked to have had a better bike to ride instead of the heavy, upright positioned bike provided. The bike didn't make the hills easy and it would have been more enjoyable to be on a lighter, more responsive bike.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 31st-June 6th, 2023.
- How many tours have you completed?
- One
- 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?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ Mike Brinkley
Spectacular
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Spectacular scenery with an excellent local bike company who was very organized and helpful. Maps were good and the bike paths well marked in almost every place. The hotels were good and mostly in locations easy to find. Excellent trip.
- ★★★★★ Susanne Graham
Wonderful experience!
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
I can’t think of a better way to experience a trip through Italy, Austria, and Slovenia. The weather was perfect for our trip and the scenery was epic. We loved traveling by e-bike and seeing and feeling the small towns and beautiful and unspoiled territory. We met some wonderful fellow bikers along the way. We do not want to travel any other way.
- ★★★★★ Susanne Graham
Wonderful experience!
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
I can’t think of a better way to experience a trip through Italy, Austria, and Slovenia. The weather was perfect for our trip and the scenery was epic. We loved traveling by e-bike and seeing and feeling the small towns and beautiful and unspoiled territory. We met some wonderful fellow bikers along the way. We do not want to travel any other way.
- ★★★★★ Juan Pablo Beca
A nice and perfect organization
Tuscany Getaway: 4 Nights in Siena, Montalcino & Pienza
Routes and the booklet given to us were very clear and helpful. We would have liked to receive details of each of our two bikes sot to ask for change. In fact we did not need so heavy bikes for the roads of our tour, and one as 27 and the other was 29" wheels for same height of the two of us.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ John Hastie
Wonderful trip!
A Taste of Italy: Emilia-Romagna
Evrything was great, but we didi have a couple of issues:
* The Garmin GPS unit was programed for an incorrect departure hotel. Destpite our attempts to join up with the route, it constantly told us we were off course. We ended up abandoning it and using google maps to get from point to point.
* Our hotel in Parma informed us that our reservation didn't include breakfast, which was unexpected.Other than that, the trip was wonderful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- many self-guided. two through tourig companies.
- 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?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ Christine Comi
Lovely look at rural Italy
Florence to Rome: Bike through the Heart of Italy
Of the tour group of 15 people, only 3 of us spoke English. We didn't know this tour was actually being executed by Rotalis, a German touring company. It was still a wonderful experience but not what we were expecting. Also, most of the group was using e-bikes. This meant that the cruising pace was much faster than I think it would have been if everyone was riding on their own power. I was one of 3 people riding on my own power and found it a real work out every day.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 20-27, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- none
- 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?
- Italy
BikeTours.com staff reply from BikeTours.com
Hi Christine,
Thanks so much for sharing feedback with us. This tour is run by our local partner and can be booked by anyone, so an international group is likely. Although, we will make a better effort in the future to inform our guests of the group dynamic. There has been a shift in recent years, with more and more people using electric bikes than ever before. Understandably, this puts regular bike users at a disadvantage and we understand it was probably not the most comfortable experience. We’re sorry for these inconveniences and we truly hope you were able to enjoy your vacation all things considered. We will do better about how we advertise e-bikes versus regular bikes. We appreciate your comments immensely.
- ★★★★★ ELHoo
A good first bike tour experience
Venice to Trieste and Istria
This was my first bike tour with a bike tour company, so I have nothing to compare it to. That said, it was pretty good. The person who presented the tour at our intro meeting was very nice and honest about what each day's route had in store for us. Bikes were OK, they suited the varied surfaces we rode on. The hotels varied from fine to nice. Luggage delivery was great. The towns we stayed at along the way all had something interesting about them. We were given an app, maps and cue sheets for navigation as well as arrow stickers along the route. We did not get lost, but I would suggest refreshing the faded arrows along the way. I would do another BikeTours.com tour.
- ★★★★★ Dantzel Crane
Beautiful sights, okay directions
Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
We absolutely loved our trip to Italy! It was such a treat to be able to be outside and spend significant time in the Italian countryside, seeing the beauty that is there. My only critique is that often times the directions were a bit difficult to follow. It might just be that I am unfamiliar with the Italian road system, but there were several times where we needed to check the map that was given to us by the tour company against Google maps to make sure that we were in the right place and hadn’t missed a significant turn. Otherwise, the hotels were fine but nothing special (we did not pay for upgraded hotels), the bikes were great, and we loved our time in Italy so much!
- 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?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ Morgan Baumann
Excellent Trails on which to explore a lovely part of Europe
Venice to Trieste and Istria
Traveling by bike is a wonderful way to enjoy a new place. Our accommodations were Excellent. Our guide, Tony, (with us for the first days), was first rate!- so helpful. A couple of concerns: I would not rate this as a 2 for regular bikes - even with variants, it was a lot of biking and I was disappointed not to arrive in towns sooner. Everyone in our group was similarly disappointed including those on e-bikes. I would have liked a more leisurely pace and instead the days felt rushed. The directions however were my biggest problem. For the most part they were poor. We lost so much time just trying to figure out where to go! Our last stage, into Porec was by far the easiest and so even though the ride itself was more challenging, we arrived in Porec in good time to enjoy the town. This last stage was easier because the red arrows were frequent and well placed all along the route. You only needed to glance at the map and the written directions and then just keep following the arrows. In contrast, on many of the other stages, the arrows were few and far between and often were Not where we needed to make a turn! We spent far too much time studying the map and having to reverse direction to get back on the route. It would also help if the directions noted if we were generally following a set route that was already mapped out by those small brown signs. Those signs were well placed and easy to follow.
BikeTours.com staff reply from JV
Morgan,
Thank you for your detailed feedback. We're delighted you enjoyed your accommodations and the guidance from Tony, but we deeply regret the difficulties you faced with the directions and pace of the tour. Your suggestions are invaluable, and we'll ensure improvements are made in our tour planning and signage to create a more relaxing and user-friendly experience for future tours.
Regards,
Jan
- ★★★★★ Osmo S
Beautiful Garda landscapes, but some discomforts
Lake Garda (Based in One Hotel)
Having had many tours with daily changing hotels, I liked this time this one based on one hotel. The daily tours were mostly beautiful landscapes, and also some very attractive human creations, especially Verona. Some problems still: the quality of bike lanes varied from very well made and clearly marked to muddy dirt roads and at some places within hard traffic. On the first day there was a mess on returning from Riva del Garda, most of the group missing the boat because of problems with bike transportation.
The EuroBike app was really good and showed clearly the way and its quick turns.- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ Francisco Averhoff
great riding, great food
A Taste of Italy: Emilia-Romagna
Great way to see and feel the country and the food was amazing. the restaurants selected by the tour company were all excellent, just a little too much food. the bike paths were also wonderful with very little street riding and when we did need to ride on the street, the traffic was light. The tour company could have given us better instructions regarding use of the GPS and odometer. We were never able to get the odometers to work. we missed the parmigiana tasting since the GPS instructions were not clear. the GPS loop rides were also not clear and we missed the turn offs on a few occasions.
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ Bozena Kusovac Derkovic
Great way to discover Milan
Milan Hidden Treasures Bike Tour
The tour is fun, and very well organized in terms of places it takes you. Besides all the Milan's major sights, it also includes some of the less known, not that obvious touristic spots, which I found was very neat. My major highlights were Chinatown, and few new and ultra modern neighborhoods, architecture wise. These are all located in the vicinity od the immediate city centre. Our guide Polina was beyond great, you could tell she takes pride in her work, and the city she lives in. She also taught us some fabolous aperitivo places, as we were passing by them, the type of place you wouldn't know for unless a local showed you. Another bonus goes to the way Milan is laid out, being all very flat and extremely easy to bike.
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