Italy Bike Tour Reviews (page 8)
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★★★★★ rubbernecker October 23, 2019· Florence to Rome
- What was the date of your tour?
- 10/5 to 10/11
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1st
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ DrFerro October 20, 2019Magical Umbria
· Umbria’s Green Valleys From the Pilgrimage Town of Assisi
The first couple days in the Umbria region were almost magical. Riding through the olive groves and vineyards, passing by the fig trees that were offering their ripe luscious fruits brought special significance to this region of great spirituality. (These fruits are all mentioned in the Bible.) Experiencing the places where Francis of Assisi had his illumination, along with countless others who are nameless, reminds the visitor that all these churches, chapels, and basilicas are there because of the Italian people's expressions.
This was our sixth European bike tour. It was our first tour in Italy, and also the first tour we had done that was almost completely on roads (as opposed to dedicated bike trails). That said, we felt somewhat vulnerable, especially in heavily populated areas. Italian drivers are not overly aggressive or careless, but they do like to drive fast. Pavement conditions on several roads were pretty bad, especially near the edges where one would ride. Distances on the daily rides were about right given the riding conditions, there were interesting things to see and the written directions were excellent. The accommodations on this tour were outstanding, the food remarkable, and the hospitality of the Italian people warmed our hearts. Of the six tours we have taken, this is the first one where we gained weight after five days of riding!- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 18, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ MelT October 17, 201925th Anniversary Trip
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
A great way to see the beautiful smaller towns of Italy that you would normally drive right by!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 9, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Rach October 15, 2019
Beautiful Italian countryside
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
What a wonderful way to travel and see a country! This trip was wonderful! The weather was amazing (cool mornings and nice breezes mostly) we had one day of light rain, which some of the group opted to ride in it and some took the train to the next stop. Our group of 20 had two guides, Alain and Diego. These guys were so friendly, helpful, fun-loving, and personable. The riding each day was a little harder than I was prepared for, but it was worth all the effort. I would give it a higher difficulty level than 2- I would rate it a 3 as there are a couple of days with some longer hill climbs. Make sure you train on some hills...or get an e-bike to make it easier and enjoyable. Our group had fun together! My travel buddy and I loved meeting everyone in our group. I would love to do this kind of travel more often. I highly recommend this tour!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept-Oct
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Jackie21 October 13, 2019
Very Memorable
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
Amazing way to see parts of Italy you couldn’t see any other way. I loved our guides and the fun places we stopped along the way, however, the biking was much harder and faster than expected. I was expecting to be able to stop and take pictures any time I saw something picture worthy, but that was not the case. I realized the first day that I was not as prepared as I should’ve been. We had a very large group and people of all skill levels and even though I bike regularly I was not prepared for all peddling and no coasting. I also found the bike trails to be very crowded and nerve wracking with racing cyclist both coming and going. I expected a relaxing daily 40miles and it was in fact rather stressful biking. We had an amazing group from all over the world and that really made the experience fun. Our guides, Alain and Diego, were very personable and fun. I would do it again, but I would get an E-bike for the hills.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was my first
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Dotty October 12, 2019Our favorite bike trip ever!
· Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
This was a beautiful bike tour on bike paths of the Dolomites. So nice to not have to navigate on busy roads. Each day we either started or ended with a shuttle or train. Some of the paths were paved, others were gravel. Spectacular mountain scenery.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/15/19 - 9/20/19
- 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 young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Dotty October 12, 2019
Beautiful bike trip through the Umbrian countryside
· Umbria’s Green Valleys From the Pilgrimage Town of Assisi
Beautiful tour through the countryside. Lots of old mountaintop towns to explore (Assisi, Montefalco), beautiful scenery, and lots of agriculture (olive trees, vineyards, vegetables, tobacco). Food prepared by Carla at Countryhouse Casco dell'Acqua was the best we had in Italy.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/26/19 - 10/1/19
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Stanthepianoman October 8, 2019It was the trip of a lifetime.
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The scenery was amazing! The bike paths and back roads were awesome. With a couple of changes I would give the trip a 5 star review: First, they shouldn't give an option to ride the train to Jessenice to Bled. This town is scary and hard to navigate. The ride over the pass was minor from what we were told.
Second, the Hotel Roma in Civedale is a dump. Hard beds and rude employees. All the other hotels and inns ranged from nice to awesome.
Third, we should have stayed in Bled and extra day. Our own fault on this one.
Last, the ride in to Trieste was dangerous. It was like riding the gauntlet. I would have liked to drop off our bikes out of town and walked or Ubered in to the city. This is a big busy city and many in our group were unhappy with the danger involved.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2019
- 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?
- Italy, Slovenia, Austria
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 9, 2019
Hi Stan, thanks so much for this review. We're overjoyed to hear you thought this was the trip of a lifeitme. That's what we are striving for! We appreciate you sharing your thoughts regarding the Hotel Roma and the ride to Trieste. We haven't heard it described as dangerous before and will surely pass your feedback onto the tour operator. Thanks for noting that you wish you had stayed an extra day in Bled - perhaps future clients will opt to do so.
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★★★★★ Ricard60 October 7, 2019Fantastic holiday
· Florence to Rome: E-Bike through the Heart of Italy
Our trip through Italy was wonderful. Our guides Florian and Nicki looked after us in everyway. Very informative and worked so hard to make our trip memorable. Every hotel was top quality. Every meal delicious and excellent guided tours around Florence, Rome, Assisi and Perusia. This was our first cycling holiday, we we're a bit wary, but we loved it and it won't be our last.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 24 sep
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ GregR October 6, 2019
Too much highway biking
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy, Slovenia, Austria
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 7, 2019
Hi Greg, we're sorry that you felt this tour had too much highway biking. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to provide more details.
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★★★★★ Laird October 5, 2019Best trip ever!
· Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
We loved every aspect of this trip! The scenery was stunning. The bike path was paved and easy to follow. The directions were so clear and mentioned the easy two hills we encountered.
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★★★★★ Alexthegr8 October 2, 2019A Bumpy Ride at Times, but Worth It.
· Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
The scenery ranges from pleasant (Asolo to Treviso) to spectacular (Cortina to Belluno), and the hotels (all of which were nice) were conveniently located with the exception of those in Belluno and Treviso, which are located too far from the center to walk. Bikes were OK, although the pump provided did not fit the tube stem, and the extra inner tube was too large. We saw very little signage on the first day, although the frequency of signage increased over the length of the trip. The GPS, for which we paid extra, did not work, and is unnecessary in any case. All that said, we enjoyed the riding very much, and would definitely recommend it to others, most particularly if they have some prior experience (there are a few detours along the way) .
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Sagan October 1, 2019More challenging than leisurely
· Sardinia: A Mine of Memories
Unfortunately not the experience we expected and we were a bit disappointed given how much we enjoyed our previous tours.
The very hot weather and humidity may have been a factor but the route was much more challenging than expected and there were a lack of places to stop off that did not involve adding on extra KMs to the route.
We noticed many other self guided opted for e-bikes probably with good reason.- What was the date of your tour?
- 14th sept 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 2, 2019
Hi Sagan, and thanks for the review. We're sorry to hear that this tour was more challenging than you expected and therefore, less enjoyable. Heat and humidity can surely be factors in making a tour feel harder. As you noted, ebikes are an option on harder tours (this one is a rider level 3/4) to make them feel more leisurely. We appreciate your note that places to stop require some extra pedaling - very helpful information! Thanks again for the feedback
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★★★★★ Ron S September 30, 2019
FINE RIDE
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
A wonderful way to experience the Dolomite and end up in a superb Italian town. (Trieste) There are many different parts of Italy to see, but this trip might be the epitome of experiencing the Dolomites. I have taken many trips with Bike Tours, but this one may have been the finest. Good hotels, a superb route, and exquisite scenery made this trip four star. Renting an electric bike might be a nice option for the last parts of the trip. So would a G.P.S. as the directions can be a little hazy. Getting to the start of the trip could be a little dicey for the traveler but public transportation prevails.. Do this trip..AND TAKE THE 2 DAY OPTION IN BLED
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★★★★★ Collette September 30, 2019Piedmont Pleasures!
· Piedmont Region by E-Bike: The Italian Garden of Eden
After this bike tour, we can hardly imagine touring most of Italy, or Europe, any other way than by bicycle. Stopping in small towns for simple mid-day lunch, riding by a tiny gelato shop and making a quick U-turn, and having a cappuccino among other a few local residents in an ancient town square were just a few of the experiences that allowed us to be part of the Piedmont region, not just tour through it.
When we were on streets and road, off the bike trails, we found the drivers in the Piedmont region to be cautious and careful around us, giving us and our bikes as wide of berth as they could afford, including in the roundabouts and larger cities like Tourino and Asti.
We're in decent biking shape but grape vines love hillsides so we're glad we selected e-bikes for this particular tour route. We didn't have any problems with the bikes or battery charging (though if you're a larger person, some of the longer riding days required some riders to keep their e-assist on lower levels to facilitate battery strength throughout the day as the Bosch batteries are half strength of what is available here in the US.)
The map app with its corresponding daily route map made finding our way simple, and when we left the route for an interesting side-tour of our own (a wine stop!), it was easy to jump back on the route from where we were. You couldn't get lost using the map app.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 14-21, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ csilva September 30, 2019Best Bike Tour even 3 plus years passed
· A Taste of Italy: Emilia-Romagna
Best way to see the most underrated area of Italy!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 11/2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
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★★★★★ IanandNancy September 29, 2019
Mountains to Sea
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Three countries with all the beauty of countryside , towns and cities.
