Bike Tour Reviews National Parks Of Dalmatia By Bike/E-bike And Boat
Guided from EUR € 1690
Guided:
May 10, 24; Jun 21; Jul 5, 26; Aug 9, 23; Sep 27; Oct 11, 2024.
Description:
Experience the greenest part of Croatia! The famous national parks of Dalmatia, like Krka and Kornati, or the nature park of Telašćica, are part of this wonderful tour, as well as the medieval old towns of Šibenik, Zadar and Trogir. We also visit Dugi…
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★★★★★ Jan Mowat 6 months agoGreat people on board!
Our itinerary was derailed by a storm the first day, so we missed a couple anticipated parks and the sights they would have offered. Couldn’t be helped. 🤷♀️ We rode on busy roads more often than we should have for a sight-seeing tour. Being on high alert for traffic and travelling on roads with non-existent shoulders was unexpected and tense. However… we had so much fun!!! The group was great fun, the stops along the way were interesting and the weather cooperated. The food was simply amazing and the staff friendly and helpful. Dora and Pero were knowledgeable and eager to help in any way possible. Our room was below deck and it was great. The beds were comfortable with lots of room to store our stuff. And quiet too! It was a great way to see parts of a very beautiful country.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- One
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Dwaine Souveny 6 months ago
Croatia is certainly not the best or safest place to bike in Europe.
Dora was a wonderful guide. She was well informed & interesting. The local guides were good. The boat was comfortable & the captain was skilled. The meals were good and the service was very good.
However, the main reason we took this trip was for the ebiking & the ebiking did not feel safe. The bikes were basic e-bikes that generally worked ok. The trip itinerary changed due to the weather which of course you cannot control so we missed out on some areas we were hoping to see. We visited only 1 national park. The one swim we did off the boat was fun. The Konoba visit was fun.
There were several incidents and injuries on the first day on an unplanned bike ride. The conditions were very windy & the guides did not know the route. One of the guides had never done this tour before. Instructions were not clear on the first bike ride about people at corners directing other bikers. We were shocked to be riding on busy roads with no shoulders and speeding highway traffic. We were anticipating rural roads (which we had only one day) & good bike trails. The rides were scenic but left people feeling vulnerable. I would recommend a boat trip in this region but would not recommend cycling in Croatia to anyone.
We paid for an above deck cabin & spent many nights looking at other boats parked next to us & listening to their noise which was not what we expected.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
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★★★★★ Michael Parrett 10 months ago
The Best trip ever
Every aspect of our tour was first rate and we would recommend this trip to everyone. From the moment we arrived at the gang plank to a couple of hours after we departed the Magellan, we were treated to first rate service by the land support staff and onboard crew. The tour, the sights and the cities visited were tremendous. The size of the tour (30), allowed us to get to know the entire group of travellers and we were fortunate to be joined by many interesting and enthusiastic adventurers . The single best aspect of our trip were our two guides, Dora and Serge. Their professionalism, enthusiasm and pride in their country made every part of the journey fun, interesting and an experience never to forget.
Regards
Beverley and Mike- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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
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★★★★★ Daria Zubakova 12 months ago
Best Trip ever!
This trip was just an AMAZING experience. It was my first time in Croatia (as well as on the bike&boat tour), and I fall in love with this country. Our beautiful guides were always so positive and supportive - for that we are very grateful.
There were times when I was too tired from cycling uphill (I was using the regular bike), and our guide Srdian was helping me by pushing myself up (with the help of the e-bike) - we made a great team :)
The whole trip was very well planned, every day was reach of diverse experience, new places, amazing views. And the food on board - YUMMY!
I loved EVERYTHING in this trip except of one tiny thing - waking up at 7:30 in the morning was a bit tough as I'm totally not an early person.Thank you for having such a great experience! Hope to see you again!
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 28th - May 5th
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ PegS October 26, 2022
Wonderful Guides, Lovely Tour
Great way to experience Croatia. Our wonderful local guides, Dora and Mario, were cheerful, infinitely patient, organized, and full of helpful and interesting information. Improvements could be made on the boat with the WiFi, which was spotty, and the food, which was bland with lots of white sauce. We were surprised that the rides were so short, typically finished by noon. This was our first bike tour on an ebike, and that was fun. Some days we rode with it completely off to get a better workout.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Johanna H.(Anita) Wood October 6, 2022
Excellent introduction to E-bikes & Croatia; intrigued me to return
Our guides were very professional and conscientious; knowledgeable about cycling, their country and it’s terrain. As a beginner cyclist I would have wished for a more clear explanation of the settings, gears and cadence I was meant to aim for. An individual look at how each cyclist was doing might have taught me how I might improve my posture, position as needed. I was able to have my seat adjusted for my short arms and small stature, and I was comfortable except for the last day’s length of downhill travel. I must have been tense because the following 3-4 days were painful for me in my thighs, in taking stairs especially. I had been forewarned...I should have been more experienced from the outset...I do feel so much more confident now.
It was great to get a sense of the history of Croatia. It helped to understand what we were seeing in the country side, the architecture, the menus. It was important to appreciate what the land and it’s people had been through.
While on-board and cycling, we were kept safe, fed and hydrated. It was regimented...I guess it had to be to insure that the whole group saw as much as we did, and to get where we needed to be, and to afford staff the opportunity for time off/siesta.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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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★★★★★ Carol McDonald September 29, 2022
Beautiful Croatia
This is the perfect way to see this beautiful country! Our bike guides were great - knowledgeable, extremely competent, friendly and helpful. We felt very luck to have them with us.
The food was a combination of very good, and sometimes not quite so good as it arrived luke warm. Salads scrimped on greens and the overly used combination of purple and green cabbage only as our source of greens wasn’t very good, especially since salad greens seemed readily available at our various stops.
Most importantly, we were horrified by the number of plastic bottles used on this trip! My husband and I brought water bottles, as did most of the cyclists, and were happy to refill our bottles from the water cooler. I can’t imagine the tons of plastic waste caused by the number of bottles our ship alone used, and then multiplied by the number of boats over the course of the summer - the numbers of plastic bottles to deal with would be staggering. I am fully aware of the recycle program, but the energy used to do this is also staggering, especially for a small and financially struggling country like Croatia. I strongly urge you to commit to a more earth friendly form of water use.
Lastly, and this is a small criticism, we’ve never been on a bike and boat (this was our fifth one), that charged a premium for tea and coffee. I completely support a charge for premium coffees and teas such as lattes, chai etc, but charging for hot water and a tea bag, or a simple cup of coffee seems very stingy on your part. Especially with a 50E pp charge for water, which again is something we had not encountered in the past.
Overall, we had an incredibly wonderful trip and hope to return to Croatia again in the future!- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Adele McDonald September 27, 2022
Best bike and boat tour we've done!
This was an absolutely fabulous tour. The scenery, the boat, the cycling, and other activities such as park tours, hikes, swimming, paddle boarding and city tours were just perfect. The guides were knowledgeable and made our days safe and fun in what could be fairly challenging cycling. We booked with a group of 22 people and there were another 10 people on our boat. We all had an absolute blast! Highly recommend this tour!
- What was the date of your tour?
- september 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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
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★★★★★ Linda Stephenson Shier September 26, 2022
Beautiful trip
Great way to see Croatia! Our guides were excellent, very knowledgeable, fun, and friendly,
They had their meals with us giving us the opportunity to get to know them. Food and crew were fabulous. Lots of opportunity to explore towns in the islands -
★★★★★ Linda Stephenson Shier September 26, 2022
Beautiful trip
Great way to see Croatia! Our guides were excellent, very knowledgeable, fun, and friendly,
They had their meals with us giving us the opportunity to get to know them. Food and crew were fabulous. Lots of opportunity to explore towns in the islands -
★★★★★ Cathy Faiazza September 24, 2022
Amazing trip with old friends and made many new friends.
From the moment we got on board the Melody in Trogir we felt welcomed and
comfortable. The rooms were spacious and very well maintained. The crew was helpful and very qualified. The food was plentiful and good. Selection of bar drinks were also great. Opportunities to swim off the back of the boat were amazing and much enjoyed. The bike ride was really fun and the e-bikes made it a most enjoyable ride. The guides Ivan and Tara were some of the best we have ever had. Fun, knowledgeable and kept us all safe and informed each and every day. Thank you so very much.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 16 -23
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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
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★★★★★ Keith Fowler September 24, 2022
Great trip
Guides were very good and knowledgeable. Also very concerned for our safety. Food excellent, plentiful and well presented. The bikes are old and have high mileage. We had a few issues Cabins were clean. Beds need upgrading.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 16
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Charles Curtis September 11, 2022
Second great trip to Croatia
We loved the first bike and boat trip to Croatia: Highlights of Dalmatia - that we booked this one. This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip but not quite as outstanding as the first. Not quite as many interesting stops and the food was good but not outstanding which is why we gave it only four stars.
There were hills but not as rigorous as the Highlights rides so several had regular bikes and we ebikers didn’t have to wait too long for them to catch up after a climb. The waterfalls at Krka National Park was a highlight- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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
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★★★★★ Charles Curtis September 6, 2022
Second great trip to Croatia
We loved the first bike and boat trip to Croatia: Highlights of Dalmatia - that we booked this one. This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip but not quite as outstanding as the first. Not quite as many interesting stops and the food was good but not outstanding which is why we gave it only four stars.
There were hills but not as rigorous as the Highlights rides so several had regular bikes and we ebikers didn’t have to wait too long for them to catch up after a climb. The waterfalls at Krka National Park was a highlight- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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
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★★★★★ Vic Wieland August 5, 2022
An amazing experience
Boat bike is the way to see Croatia, the whole experience was fantastic, comfortable accommodation on the boat, fantastic crew who couldn’t do enough for us, and excellent food.
The Captain stopped for us to swim every day after cycling, and at night we explored the gorgeous villages.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- 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
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★★★★★ TinyTW September 30, 2019
Bike/Boating Northern Croatia
We had a Fantastic Time on our Boat/Bike Tour of Croatia. It's a really Beautiful Country and we always love seeing new places on our bikes. Toni are guide was Awesome and was always a treat and fun to be with every day. Our boat Melody was very, very nice, comfortable and Brand new, it was actually nice to come home everyday from biking to the boat. It's not a complaint, but something to consider when going to Croatia. The Croatians are not the most Service Oriented/Friendly people. In fact our guide Toni said at the get go that in America the Customer is always right but that is not the case in Croatia. (In the US, you would NEVER hear that from the main guide). The Staff on the boat was good but not very workable or friendly. I had an incident personally where I asked them to do a Special Birthday Surprise for my husband and a few other people on our trip and I spent ALOT of money on 2 birthday cakes and they totally messed it up and the whole thing did not go as planned and nobody knew that it was a surprise. I was very, very upset about it and I got NO Apology or communication about it. It was Interesting being in a Struggling Country with all of the Tourists there spending ALOT of money and the feeling and experience from the locals was not what we expected at all. The food on the boat was very Mediocre, although we did not go hungry. I'm not sure if that is because the food in Croatia is that way, but we have been on many small boat trips and the food has been much, much better. The biking on this trip is really great if you are not a serious biker. My husband & I took our own bikes as we were staying much longer to bike on our owns. The Electric bikes they provided were really, really nice and top of the line from the looks of it and everyone in our group LOVED them. If you are a biker and want more exercise I would recommend their regular hybrid bikes which are also nice. All in all we had a Spectacular time and loved seeing Croatia and would love to go back and ride the Southern Part of Croatia. Thanks for another Great Adventure!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 7-13
- How many tours have you completed?
- about 5
- 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 Chloe October 1, 2019
Hi, thanks so much for the review. We're sorry to hear the birthday surprise did not go as planned. We know that had to have been very disappointing. To your point, customer service in much of Europe is very different (and sometimes non-existent) when compared to the United States. It can be quite a rude awakening. Thanks again for sharing this experience with us. We're delighted that you loved seeing Croatia and enjoyed the boat, the guide, and cycling.
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★★★★★ Coco September 23, 2019
Amazing Croatian Cycle Adventure
So many positives to share... we did this tour with a group of friends, many of which had not been to Croatia, so it was a new experience. The itinerary was a nice combination of small villages, a fewer larger cities (Zadar and Sibenik) along the beautiful coastline of Dalmatia.
The riding was not difficult, but we live in mountains and ride regularly. Most of the group had eBikes, with the exception of a few of us. Compared to other bike tours we have done, this was predominantly on roads, which is a bit of a bummer, as other parts of Europe have so many dedicated cycle paths. In that sense, Croatia is a bit behind, but the roads were not terribly busy.
Our guides were fantastic, especially Toni, who is the epitome of a great tour guide. Safety first, great sense of humor, conversant in English, German and Croatian, very knowledgeable and plays the guitar and sings - what more could you ask for??? Ziva was new to the company, but her heart was in the right place and she did a great job of bringing up the rear.
Food was very good and plentiful - it was the first bike tour I’ve done where I’ve gained weight! Weather was amazing, sunny and in the 80’s everyday.
Opportunities to make this a better experience are few, but I’ll mention them... bottled water dispersed in the morning could have been cold, hard to drink warm water on a hot ride... hot tub was not filled and when we requested it, it was filled but cold. Funny dichotomy- drinking water was warm and jacuzzi water was cold. The lighting in the dining room was bright and fluorescent, not an issue for breakfast or lunch but it would have been nice to have it on dimmers for dinner. And last but not least, I would have like a bit more riding, but that’s me. Longest day is 20 miles.
Overall experience was overwhelmingly positive.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 7-14, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Cher September 1, 2019
Wow
First time in Croatia first time on an e bike great guides great adventure and well looked after from start to finish highly recommend
- What was the date of your tour?
- August
- How many tours have you completed?
- First
- 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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★★★★★ Merle June 14, 2019
Just right
In the past we have done some European bike trips on our own, this was our first experience with a guided group tour. We were concerned about the level of difficultly (was it a 2? or perhaps a 3 or 4?). We are older (78 and 87), not veteran bikers but fairly active. We chose to rent e-bikes which was perfect for us....no problem at all going up hills, staying with the others and maneuvering through the occasional traffic as we left a town.
Thanks to the expertise of the excellent guides we all stayed safe, blended together well in spite of our different levels of cycling abilities, various nationalities and ages.
We had a wonderful trip, more "social" than our personal trips, but lively, informative, stimulating and enriching in all ways.
With e-bikes it was definitely a level 2, though for those on regular bikes I imagine it would be a level 3 or 3+.
It was luxurious to be on such a high quality boat, very comfortable, good food and an excellent staff.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 11 - 18, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- none, only solo trips
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
