Italy Bike Tour Reviews page 10
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★★★★★ Sierralover76
Wonderful Adventure of Gorgeous Beaches, Unique History, and Amazing Food
Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
Our adventure through Puglia was unforgettable! This region offers so much history, culture, and beautiful scenery. Every day of the bike tour is unique and different. It's especially nice to explore this amazing region that I imagine most Americans are not familiar with.
To begin, the staff at both Biketours.com and Girolibero (the local operator) are outstanding, super helpful, knowledgeable, and very responsive. Everything was smooth and easy.
Regarding the trip itself, Matera (day one) is just spectacular. Walking through the ancient stassi is a very special experience (we recommend hiring Nadia Garlatti for a guided tour to really get a feel for it (nadiagarlatti@tiscali.it). If you are planning on spending an extra night in either Matera or Lecce, we absolutely recommend you do so in Matera (not Lecce). The hotel is also wonderful, and it's just so special staying in the stassi of Matera.
One of the best parts about this trip is how you get to experience so much. Literally every day is very different. From the ancient stassi of Matera, to the trulli of Alberobello, the unique history of Otranto, the gorgeous beaches, lovely olive groves, vineyards and fig trees, this trip really covers a lot. Beyond the highlights, you will also visit very charming towns like Locorotondo and Gallipoli.
The biggest challenge for us was to see and do everything we wanted to do. It may not seem like much to bike 35-45 miles per day, but there is just so much to see and do. Each day was very packed so that we could enjoy the sites along the way, have a great meal in our destination, and have a stroll to explore our destination as much as we could. The nightlife in each bustling town was awesome as well.
The guidebook offered by Girolibero is very thorough and super informative. Their tips on where to stop and where to eat are spot on. All the restaurants, gelateria, beaches and other specific recommendations were great. In fact, the Pugliese cuisine was the best we had in Italy. Every meal was outstanding (and very reasonably priced). In America, "antipasto" is usually not really memorable. However, do yourself a favor and order the antipasto dishes when dining in Puglia -- for a very affordable price, you get a wonderful assortment of very tasty and unique dishes.
We could go on raving about this trip. We also need to mention the hotels were great as well (especially San Martino in Matera). And you have a complete and delicious breakfast included every morning.
Basically, from start to finish, this trip was just perfect. We have no complaints, and look forward to another bike tour in the near future. This was a wonderful way to experience an amazing region of Italy. Grazie!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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
-
★★★★★ raystrach
A Great Experience of the Real Italy
Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
We really enjoyed this trip taken before the start of the high season (mid april).
It really is a great part of Italy with relatively few tourists and quiet roads. Apart from one day when we we battled quite a strong headwind, the touring was really great with many beautiful and/or interesting places to keep us occupied every day.We found plenty of great places to have lunch and dinner along the way and from time to time enjoyed the company of fellow travellers using the same tour company.
A highlight of our visit to Italy.
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2016
- 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?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ paul22
great trip
Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
a fantastic part of Italy - unspoiled. tour is well organized, hotels are good. highly recommended
- What was the date of your tour?
- october 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ FunL
The best way to see Puglia!
Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
A great experience riding a bike thru the heel of Italy. A great way to see the country and ride off all those calories. I ate like a Roman, rode my bike like a Maserati and enjoyed La Dolce Vita.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 5, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Darcy Billinkoff
Italy’s best kept secret
Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
After visiting Puglia, we marvel that we had not really heard much about this spectacular region until three years ago.
We started our trip by staying in a cave hotel in
the stunning city of Matera in its historic section “sassi di Matera”. This ancient city, steeped in history , has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and should be on everyone’s bucket list.We started cycling in Alberobello, a touristy town famous for its whimsical whitewashed trulli with their signature cone-shaped roofs. As we left the town and worked our way toward the coast, we cycled on quiet roads passing by beautiful olive groves with rich red soil and fields dotted with trullis.
Magnificent views, picturesque seaside towns, a few challenging hills that got our hearts racing, and delicious fresh seafood became the norm as we cycled along the Aegean and Ionian Seas.
We finished the trip in the elegant city of Lecce, which is aptly nick named “the Florence of the south”. We would recommend spending at least two days in this beautiful city wander its beautiful historic Center, take in a walking tour and visit the fascinating Museo Faggiano.We cycled on hybrid bikes and they were comfortable and had good low gears to take on the coastal hills.
We would highly recommend this trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2022
- 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
-
★★★★★ Becca
Dolomite Area Bike
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
Varied rides with extensions for adding more sites and miles. Great local company. Bikes are best for easy bike rides. Adding all extensions to day ride made it better for us. FYI, there are two names for everything here. One in German, one Italian. The culture and food is mostly German. This trip begins in Niederdorf/Villabassa, not Toblach/Dobbiaco. That was confusing and biketours.com should update that.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug 20
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Dotty
Our 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
-
★★★★★ 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
-
★★★★★ Linda Croft
A Scenic Paradise
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
What an outstanding cycling paradise! The Dolomites are breathtaking. The bike tour operator in Italy was fabulous. I rented an e-bike and it was brand new! The information package was well organized and the trail maps were great. I had no problems with the shuttle on the day I took it. The cycling paths were very well marked with no question as to which way to my destination. The hotel was beyond expectations! I stayed in Dobbiaco at Hotel Laurin’s. The staff were fabulous. The breakfasts were delicious and the 5 course dinner was outstanding every night! The garden, spa and pool area were so relaxing. The value for a solo traveller like myself was unbelievable. I highly recommend this trip!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Lisa LeRoy
Great way to start with self-guide cycling trips
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
The Hotel Laurin in Toblach-Dobbiaco was a truly wonderful base from which to explore the Tres Clims area of the Dolomites. The hotel was beautiful, new and clean with great views from the balconies. The food was spectacular. Every meal was a work of art. The hotel staff were kind and helpful. The pool, saunas and spa were relaxing. The cycling paths are bike/pedestrian only paths and mostly well marked. The scenery is fantastic on all of the rides. Each town has something special about it. The bicycles are pretty good. The maps were fairly good and the GPS program that is provided is also pretty good. The navigation could be a little better. I'd recommend communicating with the local tour company in advance of starting the trip to get an orientation to ride packet and the GPS program. There are bus and train transfers needed which we didn't realize and did not have one for each person in our group - the hotel provided them when we asked. The tour company was unclear on how many people were in our group and that led to extra clarification that was important. The packets did not include all of the same materials.
Tour Operator is located near the hotel but they have a call center that is elsewhere and depending what language you speak, you might need staff members in one or the other location. The order of the daily rides may change depending on availability of vans for days when transfers to or from a ride start/end are needed. We didn't realize this before setting off on our first day. We also wished we had known that there was an Austrian holiday the day we went to Cortina because everything was closed and we could not visit the museum or other attractions. More communication with the local company would have helped us with better planning. It was rainy and cold the week of our trip and we had to buy extra waterproof gear which is easy in Dobbiacco because there are several sporting goods shops.We were a friend group of 4 women -- all experienced cyclists and intrepid travelers. This trip is perfect for that type of group.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- 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?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Elizabeth Brehaut
Good weather, amazing Dolomites
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
Based at a friendly family hotel where we were served bountiful delicious food prepared from local products, we were able to enjoy each days ride with energy and enthusiasm. Our bikes were comfortable and reliable. We appreciated the app to keep on track and to be alerted to places of interest to visit and to get to know the areas we visited. The locals were welcoming too.
The rides provided enough challenge for us without e-support although we could choose level of difficulty with the variations offered.
A great week in the South Tyrol valleys and meadows.- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Susan Roberts
Terrific!
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
The hotel was very convenient except for not having an elevator. Breakfast bar and 5 course dinners were excellent. All 5 bike routes and surfaces were good to excellent. Transportation was excellent. The weather was perfect and the mountain scenery was spectacular!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Susan Roberts
Terrific!
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
The hotel was very convenient except for not having an elevator. Breakfast bar and 5 course dinners were excellent. All 5 bike routes and surfaces were good to excellent. Fun Active transportation was excellent. The weather was perfect and the mountain scenery was spectacular!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Allan Starr
Enjoyed staying in one hotel for the week
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
Since we are all paying the same price for the tour, I was disappointed that we all didn’t get the route package as there was only one per room. I shared a room with a friend and we both didn’t ride at the same time and the same speed and there were times when we were separated and missed the correct trail directions because of lack of route information. The local tour company would not supply emergency repair tools if there was a flat tire while we were in an area that was not accessible to contact anyone for help. Since we had ebike’s we asked to coverer the digital display and phone, but they didn’t supply a phone holder for the bike.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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
-
★★★★★ ShopTherapy
Stunning Views
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
This was our first biking trip and we thoroughly enjoyed it. No problems with the ebikes although we were concerned that tools and a flat repair kit were not included. Appreciated the pannier to carry our stuff. App worked well at guiding us, just a few wrong turns. The packet with maps and history of sites was great. The Hotel Hubertushof was charming. It was about a mile from the center of town. Staff was friendly and efficient, and the multi-course dinners were a nice ending to each day. Highly recommend this trip.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Marcie B.
Dazzling Dolomites and so much more!
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
An excellent introduction to the Sud Tirol region via out-and-back bicycle day tours. Returning to our beautiful nest at the Hotel Laurin every evening was exceptional and we enjoyed a feast for the senses every single dinner. We had a reserved table for our entire stay (breakfast buffet and gourmet multiple course dinners) and the reception and wait staff were friendly, efficient and very customer service oriented. We selected e-bikes and are glad we did (we are 80 and 79 years of age and love E-bikes)! The itinerary had slightly changed from the original program, but it was easy to adjust our expectations based on shuttle availability. The routes were well marked and the app's instructions were clear. We knew there wouldn't be a handlebar phone mount, so brought one. Also we upgraded our T-Mobile coverage for 5G coverage for the month we were abroad.
We also appreciated the brand new pair of panniers and the handlebar bag (one per room).
The only day we encountered an unpaved route was the Cortina d'Ampezzo former rail to trail route. The drop off shuttle pointed in the general direction of the bicycle path, but it took the SIX of us to figure out it wasn't immediately visible. We had to pedal past the bobsled shed/track and push the bikes up a relatively steep embankment to access the then well-marked and mostly packed gravel trail into Cortina.
Fall weather can be fickle, but we biked every day in a different direction without issue. Raingear was indispensable on two of the five cycling days.
The ride to Lago di Braies can involve some traffic the closer one gets, but cyclists don't have to pay for parking and it's well worth the long climb.
All in all, we would rate this tour company, the hotel facilities and the quality of the instructions to all the bike destinations highly.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10+
- 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?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Jacqui M
Superb!
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
Absolutely perfect, could ride at your own pace all day, stopping where ever you needed. Scenery spectacular and it was also lovely cycling around the farms as well listening to the cow bells and birds. Bikes were fabulous, practically new and surprisingly comfortable! Hotel was fabulous and amazing food every day. Highly recommend.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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
-
★★★★★ Katie Walker
A perfect way to be introduced to the Dolomites!
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
The five day tour provided an excellent introduction to the spectacular scenery and splendour of the South Tyrol area. Staying at one hotel (The Hotel Germanic - excellent service all around), allowed us to focus on each day’s itinerary and not on packing up and moving on. The views biking out of Dobbiaco from all directions were breathtaking taking. We will be back!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June to July
- How many tours have you completed?
- Four
- 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
-
★★★★★ Lisa C
Bicycle path of the Dolomites based in 1 hotel
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
Beautiful scenery with challenging, yet manageable routes through amazing scenery. We cycled with our two teenage daughters (14, 16) who loved every minute of it. Being based in one hotel was very nice, and each day proved to be an entirely different experience. We were grateful to have this beautiful opportunity
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
-
★★★★★ Lisa C
Bicycle paths of the Dolomites
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
This was a great trip for our family of four to explore a beautiful area. The hotel was very comfortable and the included food was excellent. The local tour company was very helpful, although it was a little confusing to follow their paperwork so make sure to meet with them directly before you starts to confirm routes and days for transfers. It would also be helpful to check with the bike company to see if there are any route closures or events that may interfere with your trip. We had a large bike race which closed one of our trails one day which we didn’t know about and had to ride on the road and another day had a partial path closure of unknown reason. This could hav easily been avoided if the bike company had shared this information. The bikes were great but you may have to be proactive/assertive to determine details of route changes. All in all we really enjoyed our trip.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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