Lithuania Bike Tour Reviews
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★★★★★ JEAN1999 July 16, 2016Unforgettable Experience
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Tour did not meet my expectations.
The pace was actually 12 to 15 mph and not 8 -9 mph as advertised, we always seemed to be late; and the only time that could be made up was during the riding. I would not describe the pace as casual. Unless you were a strong rider or had an e-bike, we felt we could not stop for pictures for the fear of getting lost. One rider dropped a bottle at the start of the ride and by the time it was put away, she could not see anyone up the road and did not know which way to go, so she decided to get on the sag wagon. On-going bicycle problems which should have been resolved the first day. Riders kept getting 'lost' due to inadequate group management which caused delays. Some riders kept having problems with their bikes, brakes improperly adjusted, loose handlebars (to store the bikes in the trailer, handlebars are loosened), group start riding despite not everyone being ready. Riders brought much more luggage than is recommended and there was inadequate space on the bus for all the luggage which ended up in aisle. Every seat on the bus was occupied; back row of bus has inadequate viewing and cannot hear instructions, sight descriptions over the speakers. One bus driver had unhealthy health habits, such as directly drinking from the 5 liter jugs used to fill up rider water bottles; he was always the first off and last one on despite record temperatures (one time after everyone got on-board, he went for a smoke with bus off); the other two drivers kept bus comfortable at all times and never got lost using their Garmin. Five nights were in hotels without AC, which is generally not a problem except that we had near record temperatures of 32 deg C on those days. Even though riding miles on the beach is considered 'fun', most of us did not consider it safe having to dodge bathers and children (it was record heat and the beach was very crowded). Your suggested tipping is ridiculous; seasoned Europeans riders within our group recommended a maximum of 20 Euros per person for the entire trip (bus driver was tipped separately). We had 15 riders, two guides would have been helpful to avoid losing riders along the way. I had never been on a multi-day bike tour, but others in the group had been on several and they did not think this tour met expectations.
Now the positives. The bus broke down on the worst possible day but we were able to proceed after a 6 hour delay for a new bus to arrive (this was handled well). The tour guide was very knowledgeable and had lots of information to share.
I will post more details on TripAdvisor -
★★★★★ quin101 July 18, 2016
Beautiful area but hectic pace
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
We did experience the Baltic Countries and we went to places we never would have seen. But, there are issues about the tour, that others should be aware of, the cycling was much faster then we thought, often cycling on roads, busy roads,it was not a relaxed pace, one guide for 15 riders, people often got lost/left behind. We never arrived to the hotel until at least 8pm No free time, no time to shop, take pictures. We feel the guide was unorganized, no care for the slower riders. When we booked this tour it was rated as a 1 in difficulty. This is too low for the terrain and pace that we encountered.
That said we are still glad we did the tour as we did see beautiful and interesting places. I hope the company makes some changes to the tour to make it more enjoyable to all. -
★★★★★ nunn August 28, 2016
Glad we went
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
We vacillated on taking this tour because of age and stamina. We called Biketour and asked about the tour. They said we could do it. The cycling is not difficult/technical, it is the pace that was difficult. We had to cover 800+ miles between cycling and bus in 9 days. There is a time-line that had to be kept to get us to the each destination. It was not a leisurely pace for us. One of us could not have done the tour if it were not for the guide suggesting to get an e-bike. It saved the trip. The Baltic tour company did a great job with logistics and getting us through the Baltics and the guides were awesome. We enjoyed meeting and making new friends on the tour. It was our first guided tour and took some adjusting on our part. We enjoyed the trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 7/31/16
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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?
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
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★★★★★ MarcieB September 14, 2016
Cycling and Coach Travel through Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Our tour consisted of 25 cyclists and 2 guides plus coach driver (1 English-speaking guide and 1 German-speaking guide). Over a period of 11 days and 10 nights our group experienced a series of amazing adventures that included walking tours of each capital (Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn), biking through rolling hills en route to Kaunas, cruising along the Curonian Spit National Park (where we visited the bird observatory at Vente Horn to experience the release of an Eurasian Sparrow hawk) and a catered meal of delicious pancakes (sweet and savory) by a local farm family. Before arrival in Riga, Latvia, we stopped at the very moving Hill of Crosses where thousands of believers have planted crosses to profess their varied faiths. Day 6 offered a) either a day of riding on the beach or b) touring around Riga. We elected to ride to Jurmala where we were actually able to cycle on the beach for what seemed a very long time (picture endless white sand beaches). Thanks to the Cycling Club of Perth, Australia, there were coffee/tea breaks that broke up the intense cycling. I say intense, because for a recreational cyclist, the pacing felt like I was pedaling hard and fast to keep up with the group. About 4 members of our group had E-bikes and, in retrospect, I would have opted for one as well. The cycling through National Parks was particularly beautiful and the trails varied from packed gravel to rocky causeways. The only busy day of riding with traffic came on a Friday when we cycled through Gauja National Park in the Gauja River valley. Our time on the island of Haapsalu was very relaxing and the ferry ride to Hiiumaa Island was a nice respite before tackling the 55 km of island riding to view some outstanding lighthouses. Our farewell dinner at the Hotel was filled with heartfelt toasts and praise for our guides and bus driver. There were several opportunities to experience the local culture (Amber Museum in Palanga, castles, botanical gardens, resorts and even a family wool factory).
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 28, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- Seven
- 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?
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
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★★★★★ Ronb September 25, 2017
Good value for money way to see the Baltic countries with great guide.
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Our guide Romas was excellent. Lots of stories about where we visited. Most hotels very good with useful location. Easy riding. Bus always available if somebody wanted to rest. Great way to see Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Riga hotel not up to the standard of the others though it had perfect location.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 27th Aug 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
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★★★★★ Robert Civiak July 17, 2023
I enjoyed it
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Good trip with excellent guides. The trip is a combination of walking tours of historic cities and biking on paths and quiet road, mostly near the sea near the sea.
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★★★★★ Sue Wells 4 weeks ago
Too many people on trip & transport was not large enough.
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
We enjoyed the bike ride. The guide did his best with 17 people. Bike tours information states no more the 15 bikers. They did not follow their own rules. The van for 1 to 4 hour transport was not large enough and did not have adequate venalation.
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★★★★★ Jennifer Tenford 2 months ago
Interesting countries to learn about through travel
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
We usually travel independently but chose a guided tour this time to learn more about an area of the world we were unfamiliar with. Our guide, Romas, was very knowledgeable and the international group (from 8 different countries) was enjoyable to travel with. The trip is a good mix of city, countryside and seaside resort areas. Most of the cycling was scenic but we would have preferred more bicycle paths and less on roads with traffic. The biggest disappointment was the vehicle transfers. We were expecting the long distances, but the van was crowded, the seats were uncomfortable with very little legroom, and it was very hot, with poor ventilation.
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★★★★★ Marilyn Miller 3 months ago
Great combination of antiquities and nature
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
All three Baltic countries were fascinating. We were happy we decided to go guided when we became acquainted with our guide, Minda. He is a great asset to the trip. So well organized, cordial, and full of interesting history and other facts.
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★★★★★ Alexandra England 3 months ago
Wonderful experience
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Cycling through the countryside and visiting the towns and cities was a great way to experience the culture and historic sites of the Baltic countries. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history and current culture of each region, giving us a better understanding of what people experienced during the transition to independence.
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★★★★★ Rob Luken 3 months ago
Beautiful Capitals of the Baltic States
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
The Capitals of the Baltic States are beautiful, with plenty of interesting history and worth to visit. However, with the distances so large between the capitals, please note that there is a lot of transfer by mini-bus and ferry to get to the next interesting place to cycle.
The cycling directions provided were insufficient and it would be good to provide the option of a GPS device attached to the steering wheel with pre-loaded maps and directions for those that can't download the route files on their own mobile phone devices. We got lost several times, on the first and last day, which meant cycling along roads with heavy traffic and thereby creating an unsafe and unpleasant experience.
Though this was an interesting trip, my inclination is to not book any cycling vacation in the future that includes so much transfer by mini-bus and ferries, and to have a true cycling trip along well-indicated dedicated bicycle paths, in the absence of clear cycling directions. Our previous experience with cycling the west coast of Sweden is more indicative of the type of cycling trip we would prefer. -
★★★★★ Robert Civiak July 22, 2023
Baltic
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Trip was to the Baltic countries for biking and walking tours. I went on the trip.
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★★★★★ jjgomez0371 June 15, 2017
Exceeded Expectation!!!
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
First time on a bike tour. So happy I chose the Baltic Capitals. Tour had a great mixture of cycling and sightseeing at various locations. The capitals are absolutely breathtaking...fairy-tale castles, lovely cobblestone streets.
The countryside during the cycling was absolutely gorgeous. The bus support was fantastic. If for some reason you couldn't cycle or something happened to the bicycle, the bus was there to take care of everything.
The hotels were very nice with very good breakfasts. The included meals were very good too. I was really surprised.
All in all and fantastic experience. The best part was meeting and sharing experiences with my fellow cyclists.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 28
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
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★★★★★ Lynn September 9, 2018
Fascinating history and culture in this area
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
It was very interesting to see the three Baltic capitals, but the long distances between them requires too much time spent on the bus. Riders considering this tour should look carefully at details regarding biking distances and bus transfer distances.
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★★★★★ Karen Gail Lewis September 23, 2023
Baltic capitals
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Biking through these three countries - all so very different -- was special. The views, the historical information, the Old Towns -- a great trip.
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★★★★★ Janna Poll 4 weeks ago
Great area of Europe to visit
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
I loved the places we visited and the vistas. Tons of history. Swam in the Baltic and ate very fresh smoked fish. Great old town centers where hotels were located. Great guides and wonderful support team. Super bus driver.
Guided option wa better than self guided.Not so fun: Klaipeda hotel in was awful and my husband got terrible food poisoning from dinner there.
We were pre warned, but there was a LOT OF BUS time. However, unlike a previous review, it was a big coach. It had AC problems for the first three days that made it terrible, but then that got totally fixed.
Headwinds on the Saaaremaa were tough on a manual bike. Ebike riders were the majority. -
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★★★★★ eboneo June 14, 2017
Great first trip by bike
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Perfect way no know this great contries!! The hotels, bike paths, guides, all was perfect!! The perfect tour for your first trip by bike in europe.
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★★★★★ Deborah Ryan 4 weeks ago
Well organized, beautiful hotels and delicious food
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Excellent way to see the Baltics. The food was amazing and hotels charming. We had a very good guide. Organized and well versed on the history.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- Two
- 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?
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
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★★★★★ wanetta beal 4 weeks ago
Trip of a lifetime
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
What a perfect way to visit these countries. Our died was knowledgeable, patient and very accommodating
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★★★★★ Chelle October 11, 2017
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Our guide was excellent. The trip was as advertised, and very enjoyable. I think we should have spent an extra day in Tallinn and one less day in the previous location. The stairs in the Riga hotel were difficult for some people.
