Italy Bike Tour Reviews (page 13)
-
★★★★★ Retired Teacher September 28, 2016Great Scenery, but... poor bikes
· Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
The rental bikes were NOT up to standards. One bike had defective derailluer and and to be substituted. Pedals and seats were hard to replace with ours, mechanic had to return next day with WD430 and oversized wrenches to get pedals off.
The hotel was very cute and nice, but across plaza from 2 churches that ran LOUD bells. Hotel room had no AC and no screens on windows and we spend time killing flies! The breakfast was good, dinner was good except for one night...do not get venison (2 of 4 of us could not cut with serrated knife!) There was an alternate choice most nights had we know that is better choice.
This is NOT traditional Italian food. Villabassa and Toblach are in the German speaking section of Sud Tyrol. It is an interesting combination of Austrian and Italian 'fusion' food. White table cloths and waiters. Lots of local wines to choose from.
The bike routes were VERY Scenic and for the most part enjoyable. We got lucky and only had rain at night, but bring your rain gear just in case! There is some
gravel surface that gave some of the group tour we bumped into a little trouble, but we had no problems. Most of the rides do not take most of the day, so stop and take all the photos you want. The weather in Dolomites is about 10-15 degrees cooler than Lake Garda because it is about 4000 feet. We started with layers and soon got down to short sleeves on most days in late September.- What was the date of your tour?
- Mid-Late September
- How many tours have you completed?
- Lots
- 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?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Yeenie September 27, 2016Bolzano to Mestre, Italy bike trip
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 11th -- 17th, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- Nine
- 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
-
★★★★★ Severa July 6, 2018· Tuscany and Umbria: Cycling in the Heart of Italy
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 22
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Kiwisabroad September 23, 2016Bike trip recommended
· Florence to Rome
The scenery was great - how could rural Italy be otherwise! The maps and instructions - and especially the 'E' stickers posted along the route, were excellent. The bikes were fine - no suspension but certainly good seats.
We only saw our contact person briefly at the beginning and end of the ride and didn't feel especially well supported although I'm sure if we had had a major problem, someone would have stepped up. (I'm comparing with a Czech Bike Tours 5 day trip we did last summer.)
We sought a gradient map of the route before booking it and only got a fairly hard to read and un-useful GPX one. Again, last year in the Czech Rep we found good gradient maps for each day on the website. It's quite nice to know when there's a big hill coming up! That said, the maps which were provided in the briefing the night before we set out had arrows in 2 colours showing steep uphill and steep downhill.
We are 4 relatively fit 60-year-olds. The biking was tough at times but we certainly managed it. We WOULD recommend it. (As an indication, with a coffee mid-morning and a picnic lunch and photos taken along the way, we were on the road from about 8.30am-4pm, perhaps a little less.)
The hotels were great, more charming than they looked on the website, although not always easy to find! (There are no more E stickers to follow). And - as we'd expected - accommodation was invariably in a town on a good sized hill! Hotel staff were great.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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
-
★★★★★ Stanthepianoman October 8, 2019
It 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. -
★★★★★ 0341MM June 12, 2019
Pretty Scenery and Wonderful People
· Florence to Rome
This is my third European bicycle trip but the first one in which I did not follow a river. The navigation was more difficult than I imagined.
I would strongly recommend three things: 1. Study your maps and instructions so you know what landmarks to expect on each day's ride. 2. Download the EuroBike app and be sure to load the gps coordinates into BEFORE your trip. (You may need a computer to do it.) You can find a helpful pdf document on how to do it via an internet search. 3. Watch for the cycling directional stickers at intersections. You hardly notice them when you first start the trip but rarely miss them once you get a hang of things. These stickers are very helpful and will keep you from making wrong turns.
Once I integrated these three things into my daily ride navigation was easy and I could just the beautiful Italian countryside and the wonderful villages.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 18 - 24
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
-
★★★★★ Don Thain September 23, 2022Mostly fantastic
· Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
This trip used rental bikes and was self-guided. The basics worked well with hotel bookings and luggage transfers. The bikes were fine for this but had minor deficiencies. The joining instructions were incorrect but were sorted out with a phone call. Routings were chosen to highlight scenery and views while avoiding traffic. The map sets were disappointing as directions were muddled. Other cyclists had the same complaint. But it was a great trip nonetheless.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
-
★★★★★ franks June 8, 2019
A great trip but you had better be in good shape!
· Tuscany and Umbria: Cycling in the Heart of Italy
This is an excellent trip. The scenery was incredible. It would be good to leave early in the morning or take some extra days so you can explore the towns; there is a lot to see. Hotels were a mix of great and medium quality. The food and wine were outstanding and very reasonable in price. We used the hybrid bikes which were very good, but a bit heavy. I would recommend the road bikes, although at times the roads are not so good. My wife and I are in good shape and experienced cyclists but had some difficulty with the very steep, long hills. Our sons are in their late 20's and did fine. Some of the climbs were more than 8 km long and quite steep, up to 15% grade. The directions in general were very good, but a bit vague at times, especially on leaving Todi and Orvieto. You had better be in good shape to do this tour. I would say it is closer to a level 4 than a 3. However, you cannot see Umbria or Tuscany on bike without doing a lot of steep hills. Overall a great experience.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 31 to June 7, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ JDMM August 18, 2017· Dolomites to Lake Garda: Picturesque Cities and Stunning Scenery
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20
- 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
-
★★★★★ Sue Collins-Larson 7 months agoA superior trip[
· Apulia - Heel of Italy
The region offered so many fascinating aspects of the unique culture of Apulgia. This was enhanced so greatly by our tour guide Paolo Maragliulo. He was from the region, had an amazing sense of humor, and was patient and understanding. Our accommodations were in keeping with the uniqueness of the locale. It was, however, concerning that the bikes were not in good condition and many of our group struggled with bike problems. Additionally I found the planning process difficult due to not receiving emails that others in your group received. Three times I tried to correct this and it never was resolved.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Alexthegr8 October 2, 2019
A 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
-
★★★★★ Emma2714 August 18, 2017Well organised
· Bolzano to Verona: Orchards, Mountains & Timeless Culture
I appreciate the arrangement of transfering baggage service and the staff in Bolzano, who helped me get my passport because the previous hotel kept my passport. However, i am so stupid that I could not follow the route , its better to have direction, for example , head South.... The worst thing is the attitude of hotel is not good when I request I put my bike into my room, because, every accessory can be removed very soon, for example, my saddle, wheels, one point is money, my bike is expensive, because I can cycle fast if I ride my own bike,the other point is what can I do if my bike was stolen, it will ruin my trip,right? Although, they will help to lock into somewhere, Hotel San Marco, I have to push my bike going up and down from ground to basement 2, I could not use LIFT, it is not friendly !! Anyway, I will join again,hopefully, people try to understand others who bring their own bike!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 2 Aug 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- no
- 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
-
★★★★★ Cheryl A Erlandson Erlandson 6 months ago
We needed more information.
· Sardinia: A Mine of Memories
Day 2 was awful. The road is full of rocks and sand, not easy to bike on. Plus Marco told us to use eco or tour not to bother with sport or turbo which would have been good on the steep incline. Needed more information about how to use an ebike would have been very helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Kathryn Burnyeat 6 months agoVery Enjoyable Trip
· Sardinia: A Mine of Memories
Equipment supplied was generally very good. Enjoyed the e bikes very much. Scenery was spectacular along the coast. Nice blend of coastal scenes, countryside and local villages. Hotels were generally good. Maybe there was more cycling on busy highways and gravel trails than we expected. Overall, we enjoyed the trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Boris August 10, 2016
Great trip
· Bolzano – Verona – Venice
It was a part of my overall trip to Italy and definitely was a highlight. The only thing I would have done differently is to do a little more research in advance myself. There are so many things to see along the way one simply cannot get them all. So I could have been more selective and that would have give me more time at the sights that more interesting to me. For example, I was interested in a little wine testing and there were opportunities along the way, but because I found out about them just a bit too late, I had no time to stop.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 25 - Aug 2
- How many tours have you completed?
- First with this company
- 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
-
★★★★★ Marv September 29, 2019
First European Bike trip
· Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
This was an amazing trip. Well organized, excellent hotels and breakfast. The route was beautiful. The bicycling was more challenging than we expected, but we are casual cyclists. If you are somewhat of a serious cyclist, it would be no problem. 95% of the directions were excellent. 5% were very confusing or ambiguous. Everyone in our group got lost at one point or another. Overall, well organized and beautiful trip. We will book again with Biketours.com.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 09/14/2019
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ hbth July 29, 2016
Great tour from Dolomites to lake Garda
· Dolomites to Lake Garda: Picturesque Cities and Stunning Scenery
We chose self guided tour which was perfect for our group. We biked through amazing landscape and beautiful villages with nice restaurants and friendly people.
The travel documents were very helpful and the luggage transfer was perfect. It was
just a great tour!- What was the date of your tour?
- 3.-10. July
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was the first
- 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
-
★★★★★ Ladislav Votruba September 28, 2022Italian hospitality is exceptional
· Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
Disappointed that the route of the trip was changed ( took the same trip 8 years ago )
Bikes - loved the e bike , the company has to have better maintenance program I almost ran into traffic going down the hill the first day of the trip
Emergency number - called to get assistance x 3, only got one call back
Navigation- the GPS is great when it works, starting from hotel or finding hotel at the end of day is challenging- we used google map to help us- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Randa September 12, 2019
· Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
Great cycling route. Some hills, but not as bad as I had figured. Disappointed that they did not have the meet and great on the day, as stated. It was on our day 2...when we had 70k to go. Otherwise the arrows showed that we had taken the right turn, and with them and the odometers it made for smooth sailing......never got lost!!! First time ever, in 6 tours that we have never been lost!! Great scenery, great accommodations. Some breakfast needed more protein on their tables to get us going until lunch time! All in all, we would recommend this trip!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug. 24-31, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ carlosferreira January 9, 2018
· Florence to Rome
- What was the date of your tour?
- october 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?
- Italy
