Italy Bike Tour Reviews (page 4)
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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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★★★★★ naamaza July 22, 2018well planned trip
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
we were a group of 6, the planning was great. a guide came to our hotel on the first night with maps,and attractions to see on the road (though except restaurants, there are not that many attractions to see).
the roads were very convenient and well signed.
the weather was perfect and the whole experience left us with a taste of more :-)
I advise to review the hotels that are booked as default since they are very basic. you may want to upgrade.highly recommended route and company.
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★★★★★ Louise C van Vonno 9 months agoFantastic but more challenging then we are used to!
· Tuscany and Umbria: Cycling in the Heart of Italy
My husband and I have done over 10 bike tours around the world and this was by far the most challenging. If we had received the itinerary earlier than 6:30pm the day before we started we might have requested some route adjustments but there just wasn't time. We were assured by the local cycling company that provided the excellent e-bikes that we should be careful about battery usage but we would be OK. We were ok but truly exhausted at the end of most days. The route was excellent and we wanted to go back to some of the towns we visited when we weren't so tired.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June/ July 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- 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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★★★★★ Poetry64 June 22, 2019Guide made the trip superior.
· Florence to Rome: E-Bike through the Heart of Italy
The elderly people on my tour kicked my butt with their level of skill in bike riding.
The guide was fluent in English and very experienced leading groups, she was fantastic.
The driver had no problem negotiating small turns with a trailer full of bicycles. He also prepared picnic lunches. The food was superior.
I feel lucky that the weather was somewhat hot, but no rain.- What was the date of your tour?
- June 8
- How many tours have you completed?
- First time
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Louise October 1, 2016Excellent trip
· Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
We had a great time . Hotels were great and charming . Self guide tour was enjoyable . Arrows showing pretty well except the last day. It was not only cycling it was a cultural trip at the same time . Your documentation was excellent . Very satisfied
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 17-24
- How many tours have you completed?
- At least 12
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Izzz October 1, 2016
Pulia heel of the boot Italy
· Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
We 4 seniors really enjoyed our bike trip. The second last day was more challenging than we expected. Route was well signed with small arrows except into Lecce. Bikes heavy but reliable and comfortable.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Spring 2015 Belgium
- How many tours have you completed?
- Over ten
- 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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★★★★★ KAY SINGLETON December 9, 2022
Most challenging of all bike trips we've done
· Tuscany and Umbria: Cycling in the Heart of Italy
There was a great sense of accomplishment each time we reached the hilltop towns, often after an over 1000m climb; all of the towns were beautiful with awesome views; the accomodations were excellent; we found the descents scary at times and were glad to have good brakes; sooo glad we got the road bikes! would not do this trip without them!
- 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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★★★★★ 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
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★★★★★ Yeenie September 27, 2016
Bolzano 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
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★★★★★ 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
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★★★★★ 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
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★★★★★ 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
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★★★★★ 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
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★★★★★ 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
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★★★★★ 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
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★★★★★ Sue Collins-Larson 6 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
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★★★★★ 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
