Bike Tour Reviews Lake Constance Bicycle Path (page 3)
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★★★★★ Woohoozen June 28, 2019Epic
Gorgeous ride! Perfect stops. Nice accommodations with plenty of good food options. Well maintained bikes. Trip of a lifetime!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June
- 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
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★★★★★ Dave and Chris June 15, 2019
Lake Constance/Bodensee
This was our third tour as a couple, and my fourth. My favorite was Croatia bike/boat in 2006, followed by Danube - Passau to Vienna, and Saar/Mosel (tossup). This tour was excellent too, but many of the paths/roads weren't along the lakes. The first day from Konstanz to Stein am Rhine and the second back towards Konstanz again was a little hilly, and we had to wait out a thunderstorm with small hail at the border crossing into Stein am Rhine. All the hotels were excellent. Remember to use the boat voucher crossing to Ueberlingen. I didn't, costing me extra. Some interesting birds and wildlife will be seen in the Rhine Delta on the third day, and we often heard cookoos. After we picked up bikes, we were suggested by the tourist office to see Mainau Island after 5pm when admission is half-price. Meersburg Castle is well-worth seeing. The Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen was someone interesting, but only for transport fans like me. We enjoyed the tour very much.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 25-30 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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
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★★★★★ The mangles cycle group June 14, 2019
Story book stuff
What a fantastic way to explore the German/ Swiss border area. Absolutely fantastic to see so much with no stress of driving or timetables. Brilliant
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Horned Frog June 4, 2019
Fun time... but
I enjoyed the tour a great deal, but the route instructions were sketchy at best, and the bike weighed only slightly less than a Sherman tank.... which would not have been much of a problem except that the route had more hills than expected. The hotels selected were all very nice.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 21 May
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe June 5, 2019
We appreciate the feedback on this tour. We agree... the bikes on tour are often heavier than the ones you may use at home, and the first few days of this tour are moderately hilly. We will pass your notes regarding the route instructions on to the tour operator. Overall, we're glad you had fun and enjoyed the hotels!
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★★★★★ Two Floridians September 30, 2018
Exceptional biking vacation!
The Lake Constance ride was much nicer than we anticipated. Unlike the US, the area caters to cyclists with a significant portion of the ride on dedicated trails. The towns are charming and the open area between was beautiful. We recommend having GPS accessible as navigation was a bit confusing at times, but very doable. The trail is very flat and suitable to riders with moderate athleticism. Enjoy!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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
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★★★★★ MAURICE September 28, 2018
It was absolutely wonderful!
We biked around lake Konstanz and were so lucky to have perfect weather. The bikes were excellent and so were the hotels and luggage transfer. We felt the maps could use a little bit of improvement, that would be our only minor complaint.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 6, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- just this one
- 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
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★★★★★ John49 September 19, 2018
Great trip around Lake Konstanz
This was an easy 5 day bike ride around a beautiful lake with lots to see and do along the way. We used the rental bikes and they looked so heavy that I thought I'd never be able to ride it, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very easy to pedal and well suited to all terrains we subjected them to. I can't think of a single suggestion for improvement.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 5 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- Many, but usually self guided.
- 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
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★★★★★ Vistoso September 19, 2018
Perfect weather, Awesome scenery!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/7/18
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Suse September 13, 2018
Absolute delight.
Lake Constance provided perfect backdrop to easy daily rides for this couple plus 55’s. Simple navigating with wel signposted bike paths. Delightful accomodation in beautiful towns. Will be back to do more.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September
- How many tours have you completed?
- Four
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- 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
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★★★★★ Einar September 6, 2018
A fantastic trip
We were very happy with the trip. We enjoyed cycling in the beautiful surroundings of Bodensee. The trip was very well organized and all the hotels very nice. We were there in august, the warmest time of the year and dificulty sleeping at a couple of hotels that did not have AC. Otherwise the trip was super good and great fun. There is friendly atmosphere everywhere, good service and delicious food.I highly recommend this trip. Einar and Margret
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2 - 8
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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
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★★★★★ Fabio September 5, 2018
Perfect organization
Perfect organization, good bike conditions (we rented the ebikes).
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 7
- 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
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★★★★★ Lakeside Spinners August 1, 2018
Riding around Lake Constance
Back in May my wife and I along with 10 of our good friends rode the Lake Constance Bicycle Path. To say that everyone had a great time might be a bit of an understatement. We started from Hotel Halm in Konstanz which was a wonderful hotel (even without A/C in most of our rooms) and cycled to Stein am Rhein along a well marked mostly paved and mostly flat bike path except for the last couple of miles coming into Stein am Rhein. Our accommodations were nice, clean and our host made sure we were all comfortable.
Day two took us on the opposite side of the lake as we headed back towards Konstanz to pick up the ferry to Uberlingen. We started out mostly downhill on a rolling path through beautiful countryside. While on one stretch of unpaved path, the sky opened up and we all got drenched. (in fact we encountered rain on all but one of our riding days) but still were able to laugh it off and chalk to the experience. We had a few miss-steps finding the correct ferry landing and just missed the boat. No worries, some in our group found a local pub and made the best of it while we waited for the next boat. Uberlingen was awesome except for the climb that takes you up to the top of the hill where the hotel is located. But the walk was worth it as the hotel was fabulous and afforded us all fantastic views of the lake and the thunderstorms.
Day three took us on a dirt and gravel path through the forest until we reconnected to the paved path. (I'm not sure if we misread the directions but if was an adventure). We visited the Meersburg castle and were quite surprised at how well it was maintained. Then on to the Airship Museum for lunch and a tour. So worth it!
We finished our ride late in the afternoon in Lindau. Somehow we got separated into two groups and one of our riders went down on the wet road, he is now a true believer in bike helmets as the helmet broke into three pieces on impact but saved his head.
I wish we had more time in Lindau, it seemed like such a cool town.
Day four, on to Arbon. Some challenges with the bike path signage and some unexpected hills but we made it. Our accommodations were a little spartan but the restaurant in the hotel was excellent albeit pricey. So much history on this ride.
Our final day the sun came out and we all enjoyed the final and shortest leg of the trip.
All in all, I highly recommend this tour and rate it the second best tour of the now six we have done in Europe. The route was well marked in Germany but a little challenging in Austria and Switzerland, nothing too bad, just not as well marked as Germany. The only thing we could have asked for was more sunshine and clearer skies as we only saw the alps once while we ate dinner in Lindau.- What was the date of your tour?
- 5/13/2018
- 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
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★★★★★ MBferraris July 20, 2018
Fun had by all!
We biked Lake Constance in 6 days. The trip was enjoyed by the adults and teens alike. Everything was seamless. The directions, hotels and tickets were pre-organized and made the trip stress free. It made all of us wanting to do another one in the near future. Highly recommended!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 6/2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- 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
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★★★★★ Ellie June 30, 2018
Lake Constance
This self guided trip around Lake Constance was the best biking trip we have taken this far. The scenery was simply fantastic. As boaters it was great to visit the many marinas along the lake. The hotels for the most part were very good. I would recommend that you request hotels with air conditioning . Two hotels we were at did not have air and we were quite uncomfortable. One hotel had very poor bedding as well. Several good pillows and blankets really should be a given.
We also did feel that more detailed maps between towns would have been advantageous. The maps we received on our previous Danube trip were excellent. We recommend that the Lake Constance trip have the same . Sometimes we ended up off the route because of lack of detail.I also recomnend that the tour offer van service to the park hotel. After a full day of biking that long ride uphill is not fun.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- 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
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★★★★★ aaoptics June 28, 2018
Discover Lake Constance
We hired e bikes and the tour was easy -we are relatively fit but this was a holiday and we wanted to make sure it was fun-few hills but no issue with e bikes
I would recommend adding an extra night in Lindau as it such a pretty place and gives an opportunity to check out the city- What was the date of your tour?
- 13th June 2918
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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
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★★★★★ johnkrue June 21, 2018
Lakeside Spinners at Lake Constance
This was our very first bike tour, and self-guided tour. We met up with friends who had taken a few tours in the past with biketours.com. We had an absolute fabulous time. The hotels selected by Biketours were awesome. The route was spectacular. The bikes and the bike company were great to us. And being with 10 friends for 6 days was the best time of our lives.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first!
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ umcam256 November 26, 2017
Excellent first cycling trip - beautiful countryside and learned a lot
Background: My friend and I are from Winnipeg MB. It is extremely flat where we live. This was also our first cycling trip. We paid the extra to have our overnight bags delivered to the next hotel. We started the cycling trip on August 25 and finished August 30 2017.
We booked the 5 day, 6 night self-guided cycling tour through Radweg Reisen. You receive a .pdf of maps and hotel logistics about a week before you arrive. Ideally this would be provided at time of booking so that you can download your own offline maps and determine where you will stop for the day. Although, in hindsight, with a little bit of effort we probably could have done this ourselves with a bit of research.
We started our tour in Constance, Germany. The company was most professional and very attentive to detail when we picked up our bikes. We were given a coiled booklet with the maps, written instructions on how to fix a bike tire, reattaching a bike chain and how to adjust your bike.
Please note, the bikes do not come with water bottle holders. First hand experience has taught me not to put your water bottle in the front basket with your phone unless you put your phone in a waterproof container (drowning your phone on day 1 puts a damper on how proud you should be of yourself for cycling all those hills!).
We were advised to cycle in 3rd or 4th gear when it was "flat" and in 1st or 2nd gear when cycling on an incline. Because where I live is extremely flat, and I'm short (5 foot), I ended up cycling in 5th or 6th gear most of the time, dropping down to 4 at my lowest. My friend who is average height was able to cycle in 4th gear and able to drop down to 2nd gear at her lowest.
The first day we cycled from Constance to Reichenau Island (to sightsee) and then on to Stein am Rhein. I would recommend visiting Reichenau Island on your own if you have a day in Constance. Cycling from Constance to Reichenau Island required us to cycle out of our way and back almost all the way to Constance to get back on the trail to Stein am Rhein. While it was an excellent place to visit, it wasn't worth expending energy that could be used elsewhere. The first day was mostly uphill, and included a hill with a 13% incline. If I were to do this trip again (and hopefully I will!), I would recommend taking your bikes on the train from Constance to Stein am Rhein. Dropping your bike off, and catching the train to the Rhein Falls. We desperately wanted to visit the falls but after all of those hills we were too tired to get there. This leg of the trip is mostly through farmers' fields so if you took the train, conserving your energy for the remainder of the trip, you aren't missing too much. Your legs will thank you and it will give you more time to visit the town of Stein am Rhein and/or the falls.
The rest of our journey was as follows:
Day 2: Stein am Rhein to Überlingen Note: you will end up cycling through Constance again (with stop in Arenenberg at the Napoleonic Museum and in Constance for a swim in the Rhine). SHOW MOREThe hotel that was booked for us by Radweg Reisen is at the top of a very large hill. The view was spectacular from our room! However, it was hard to enjoy because our legs were ready to commit mutiny. In hindsight, if we hadn't doubled back the day before and/or took the train to Stein am Rhein, the uphill cycle to our hotel in Überlingen wouldn't have a been so arduous.
Day 3: Überlingen to Kressbronn (with stop in Meersburg for the Old Castle and then took a shortcut on the ferry from Friedrichshafen (I think?) the rest of the way to Kressbronn)
Day 4: Kressbronn to Rorschach (with stop in Bregenz to take the cable car up to Mount Pfänder). Contrary to everything we read, Bregenz was the easiest city to navigate to, around, and out of, compared to any of the other towns/cities we cycled through.
It was in Bregenz that we found out from two British couples who were also completing the self-guided Radweg Reisen Lake Constance tour that you can request that the booking company give you an extra day in the middle of your trip. This gives your legs one day to rest, one day to sightsee a little bit more than the days you are on your bike and one extra night at one of the hotels. When I do this trip again, I will likely book my day off for Bregenz. There were lots of day trips you could take in that area or alternatively stick around in the town.
Day 5: Rorshach to Constance (with a stop in Arbon for a beach day).
Besides taking the train the first leg, booking a day off in the middle to rest your legs/sightsee a little more in depth, the only other thing I would recommend is to download offline maps to your smartphone for each of the cities you will be staying in and how to get to the hotels. The path itself is very easy to follow but when you enter the cities it becomes quite challenging to navigate to your hotel. We frequently found ourselves using the map provided as well as finding a local map once we entered the city and still often had to ask for directions.
If two flatlanders can cycle this, you can too! The scenery is stunning and it's honestly not too hard of a cycle if you are smart about it. There are plenty of things to see and do, but you will need to plan a bit in advance of booking if you want to take in certain things. Each day you are cycling about 75 km per day (hotel to hotel) and while that doesn't seem like a lot, it does take a full day to do. We found one sightseeing thing was all we could fit in a day, hence why next trip we will be booking a day off in the middle so we can visit more of the places we had hoped to see! That being said, you could tell who the locals were because entire families were on the trail (although I think most of them were just out for the day!).
Don't be afraid to hop off your bike and walk it uphill if you need to. You should note however that the bikes are quite heavy. (I ride a fixie and even compared to my little hipster bike, these touring bikes were quite bulky and heavy.)
On a final note, the hotels that were booked for us were much nicer than anything we would have booked on our own! And the breakfasts provided at each of them was delicious. I recommend picking up some snacks at the grocery stores in the town so you have something to munch on throughout the day.
You can drink the water in Switzerland from any fountain unless it says you can't. Even still, I would recommend bringing 2-3 water bottles with you because of how hot the weather can get.
SHOW LESS- What was the date of your tour?
- August 25 - 30 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ darylln October 5, 2017
Best Vacation Ever!
My wife and I have travelled extensively mainly on our own to remote places of the world for extended periods of time; however decided due to the shorter duration, to go with a self-guided tour so that our Hotel accommodations and meals and luggage would be taken care off and we need not have to hassle about it while we cycled for the day.
This was that perfect holiday. The communication with Bike Tours was excellent despite our several questions and they were extremely patient with us. The accommodations was top notch and we were glad that we added the meal plan to the package as it save us all the hassle from trying to find places to eat after a day of cycling and then trying to figure out the menu at a restaurant as we don't speak German.
Highly recommend.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 27th, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- 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
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 6, 2017
We're glad to hear you had a fantastic time on your tour! We hope to help you plan another relaxing tour in the future.
