Bike Tour Reviews (page 100)

★★★★★ (5/5) JimJ November 18, 2019

Cycling was fantastic but not even the best part!

· Medieval Transylvania Heritage

This tour will long linger in my memories. The cycling was scenic, varied and truly fun. Much of it was through truly remote areas, such as through a dense forest where we were told the largest concentration of brown bears in Europe still make their home. We waved to farm workers, many of them Roma, on the sides of dirt roads. We passed medieval castles and towering churches.

And on most days we saw far more horse carts than cars.

Other aspects were perhaps even more memorable. The lodging, for example, was unique and wonderful. In Talisoara we stayed in a restored castle and dined in its richly decorated banquet hall. In Cund, we overnighted and dined at Valea Verde Retreat, an endeavor that has brought a dying farm village back to life. Guests get to experience farm life as it had been for centuries—and even go foraging with the chef/owner, Jonas Schaefer.

The traditional cuisine was another highlight. Valea Verde has also become an award-winning destination for foodies across Europe, and our group savored some of the best farm-to-table cuisine I’ve experienced—and it’s especially fun when the table is at the farm.

We also visited Moşna and had lunch at the farm of Willy Schuster, a passionate supporter of the cause of sustainable and organic farming in Romania and abroad. After he introduced us to “the happiest cows in all of Europe,” he and his team brought out tray after tray of fresh farm delights.

Also along the way we also got to watch craftspeople and artisans at work such as brick makers, blacksmiths, and shoemakers.

All this is part of efforts to keep traditional crafts and customs alive.

So this is a tour that truly benefits the people and communities we pass through.

--Jim Johnson, founder and president, BikeTours.com

What was the date of your tour?: September 2017
How many tours have you completed?: 30+
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?: Romania

Video: #WhyIBikeTour--Medieval Transylvania edition

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Deb Fanton November 18, 2019

Andalusia bike ride

· Andalusia: Southern Spain

Accommodations were fantastic; bike equipment very good; luggage transfers flawless. The routes were disappointing compared with Burgundy- many unadvertised hills, lots of highway, rough unpaved off road. We love working with BikeTours and this was our fifth or sixth trip but this particular trip was not communicated well from the beginning-- find it far better to do less cities with loops around the city and two nights at each location. Loved Spain though including our extended visit in Barcelona!

What was the date of your tour?: 10/25/19
How many tours have you completed?: 6
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Do you recommend this tour?: No
Countries included in this tour?: Spain

4/5 Value
3/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
4/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
3/5 Local tour company services
2/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) Timr November 17, 2019

Fun Cycling, Fascinating Area, Fabulous Accommodations

· Andalusia: Southern Spain

We cycled in early November, which was a perfect time for this area, which can be very hot. Loved Andalusia. The routes were lovely. The hotels were very good to excellent. The bikes themselves were solid—a bit heavy, but with occasional stretches of dirt roads and cobblestones, I wouldn’t recommend a lighter bike. The Garmin provided worked fine, but was an older model with non-rechargeable batteries—you may need to buy a few extra AAs.

What was the date of your tour?: November 2019
How many tours have you completed?: 8
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?: Spain

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) Darrell8 November 14, 2019

Beautiful Scenery

· Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula

Excellent service that was provided by the local bike company, the gentleman was very friendly and gave us great information when asked. The bikes were excellent and all hotels were very nice with great breakfasts that was included in the rates. GPS were included so finding the right route was seamless.
There were lot of great sites to see along the way and the scenery was amazing.

What was the date of your tour?: October 5,2019
How many tours have you completed?: 1
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?: Greece

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Wesley November 13, 2019

Beautiful cities and hidden gems of Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary

· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)

I went on this tour as a BikeTours.com staff member. It is a popular option for our members who have already experienced the Passau to Vienna tour. The tour follows EuroVelo 6 along bike paths, quiet roads, and a few sections of gravel and dirt roads. The route starts and ends in two of the great cities of Europe; Vienna and Budapest. But I'll tell you a little secret, the hidden gems of this tour are the picturesque towns and cities that you visit along the way! My favorite cities were Bratislava and Gyor. In Bratislava, it is a must to take the short hike or bike up to Bratislava Castle. A beautiful view of the city and of the Danube river await you at the top. The castle itself is astonishing and it is easy to spend 2 or 3 hours just walking around admiring the garden, the castle, and the views. The old town of Bratislava is another area worth exploring on foot. Make sure you visit St Martin's Cathedral and Michael's Gate. If Wes Anderson was looking for a European city to film his next movie, it would be Gyor. This pastel wonderland of a city is not well known but it may have been my favorite city of the entire tour. Be sure to set aside a few hours to walk around the historic old town where there are many shops, restaurants, and bars to pop into. The dollar greatly outweighs Hungary's currency, the forint, so don't be afraid to take a tour of all the little pubs and restaurants. The local food and beers are great and incredibly inexpensive. The cycling for most of the route is flat and leisurely with a few shorter stretches of more moderate, slightly uphill cycling. Be prepared for a few sections of gravel roads as well as single lane dirt roads which can get a little rough at times. The distances vary from day to day with the longest day being 42 miles and the shortest being 25 miles. On day 6 you cycle to Visegrad from Komárom. If you are interested in getting some extra cycling miles in at this point, my recommendation is to skip the boat ride and cycle the entire route. The cycling is uphill at certain points and it makes for a very long day, about 53 miles, but the last 10-12 miles of the route as you cycle into the town of Nagyarmos are absolutely gorgeous (my favorite section of the entire route)! I highly recommend getting a drink and exploring Nagyarmos before you take the ferry across the river to your final destination, Visegrad. Another recommendation is to add a few extra nights throughout the tour. If you love big cities then think about adding extra nights before and after the tour in Vienna and Budapest. If you are like me and you love smaller cities that are very walkable and have a lot of character, Bratislava and Gyor would be my recommendations for extra nights. It is important to point out that while this route follows the Danube river, most of the time you cycle through the river valley, out of sight of the river. There is a lot of farmland and quaint villages and towns in this part of Europe so for large stretches of the route, this will be your surroundings. If you are interested in cycling along the Danube river, look into our “Danube Bike Path” tours. SHOW MORE

What was the date of your tour?: 09/15/2019
How many tours have you completed?: 2
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?: Austria, Hungary

4/5 Value
3/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
3/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
3/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) WilcoxTandem November 10, 2019

Great Bike Ride with our 20 year old Grandson

· Medieval Villages of Catalonia

Our Grandson is attending a College Semester in Barcelona and had a week off. Since we have done 4 other tours with Bike Tours we contacted them to find the right ride. Right away Taylor did a very good job of directing us to the Medieval Villages Ride. We wanted to take our own tandem and she contacted Lucy and Daniel to make sure it would work on the non asphalt paths.
During the ride Lucy and Daniel did and outstanding job of supporting us even though it was a Self Guided ride. The second day there was a huge lightening/thunder storm with lots of rain. They contacted us that morning and we mutually decided to not ride and they transported us along with our tandem to the next hotel.
The rout, scenery, and historical value was out of this world. Thanks everyone for a great ride---Barrie and Susan

What was the date of your tour?: October, 2019
How many tours have you completed?: 15
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?: Spain

BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe November 11, 2019

Barrie and Susan, thanks kindly for this review. We're delighted you guys got to spend some time with your grandson in Spain -- what a lovely family adventure! We're delighted (but not surprised) to hear that Taylor was very helpful, and the tour operator, supportive. We're so glad you loved the route, scenery, and historical value and that everything went smoothly with the tandem. We can't wait to book the next one!

5/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) Htim November 10, 2019

Beautiful and Fascinating

· South of France: UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Beautiful routes, fascinating history, quaint, picturesque towns, grand castles and walled cities. Lodging ranged from excellent to very good. Bicycles and computer were great—we opted for carbon road bikes. Only negative was that the tour was short—one day had to be cancelled because of very heavy rain, and the last day was just a loop from Carcassonne to Limoux and back.

What was the date of your tour?: October 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?: No
Countries included in this tour?: France

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) julesmcsa November 8, 2019

Great trip

· Castles and Wines of Portugal

What a way to see the castles of Portugal! The history of the country is amazing, and seeing it all at eye level, literally, was amazing. Perfect weather. Our tour guides were fantastic. The food was overwhelming, there was just so much of it! Tasted a lot of wine, but expected more. Thank god for our E-bikes; some of the routes were too high for us. Overall, very enjoyable trip. We did not care for some of the accommodations: the farmhouse was too remote for us (we wanted to be in the city).

What was the date of your tour?: October 19th
How many tours have you completed?: 1
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Portugal

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection
5/5 Guides (if applicable)

★★★★★ (5/5) Lieve v November 8, 2019

Amazing experience!

· Castles and Wines of Portugal

This trip really was the perfect way to explore the region of Portugal. We saw the true heart of the country! The food and wine stops were amazing, the guide (Maria) was exceptional. Riding the bikes was a bit more challenging than anticipated due to the many undulating roads (stretched out hills and climbs), but it was a rewarding experience to have ultimately been able to accomplish it. The trip offered a wonderful mix of history and architecture, food and nature. Our only disappointment was a last minute change to the itinerary, which had us staying at a company owned farm for two nights, about a 20 minute cab drive from Evora. Part of the group had accommodations downtown Evora, which would have been much preferred for us too since the farm was in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do.

What was the date of your tour?: October 2019
How many tours have you completed?: This was the first one!
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Portugal

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection
5/5 Guides (if applicable)

★★★★★ (5/5) RachelB November 5, 2019

Gorgeous scenery and very fun tour

· Stockholm Round-Trip Across Swedish History

This was my first self-guided bike tour, and I was traveling alone. The experience cycling in the countryside and through the smaller cities in Sweden was incredible. Because the tour leaves once each week, most days I was able to enjoy breakfast and short sections of the route with others on my trip. I made a friend out of one of the other solo travelers, and we ended up cycling together the last few days! Sweden is astounding--the rolling terrain, agriculture, and architecture were exactly what I needed on this trip. Everything felt cozy and welcoming to me. The tour documents recommended lunch stops or places to enjoy fika (breaks for coffee and cake!) for each day. Accommodations were terrific as well. I was able to use the turn-by-turn directions, maps, and GPS unit with no issues.

What was the date of your tour?: September, 2017
How many tours have you completed?: 3
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?: Sweden

5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) tricia November 4, 2019

Provence bike and boat tour

· · Provence by Bike and Boat

This trip was a fabulous way to experience southern France. I loved the mix of biking, touring specific sites, and sit down dinners on the boat; I appreciated our guide's flexibility in accommodating various preferences--she was knowledgeable, attentive and fun. The entire crew was outstanding and aimed to please. The food was beyond my expectations and was plentiful and presented beautifully. There was a reasonable balance of "together" time and "alone" time with opportunity to join in group activities or wander off on your own. Very well done! As a casual biker, the e-bike made it possible for me to not only do the trip, but enjoy every minute.

What was the date of your tour?: October 11, 2019
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
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: France

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection
5/5 Guides (if applicable)

★★★★★ (4/5) Hiker Ann November 4, 2019

Self Guided Mosel River

· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz

Wes and the team at BikeTours.com were amazing helpful in planning our self guided trip. We were so lucky too that the weather was pleasant every day of our bike tour. This made the well planned tour even more special! We only experienced one late afternoon of rain in Sept..I would definitely contact Wes if we plan another bike tour in Europe, as he was attentive and friendly throughout our months ahead of planning.

The Mosel is a lovely ,calm river with various birds and river boats, plus vineyards up the hillsides on both sides to admire. The beginning of the tour is more peaceful than the latter part as the highways and roads follow the river and bike paths too and are closer in those parts. The towns in the middle of the tour are smaller and very interesting, and often we wished we had more time to explore them as some are historic and scenic. Faster riders and those with Ebikes may have had more time to visit these villages. The hotels especially Richtershof in Mulheim and Romantik Jugenstillhotel in Traben were places I would have loved to stay longer! .All hotel staff were friendly and helpful. The managers/staff at Hotel Schwarzen Baren in Koblenz were most personable, but please know if lodged there you have a longer distance to the hotel from the bike path and to the river boat and return the next day.

I would recommend that the first day not be the longest distance to bike for this tour. You are getting familiar with the heavier bikes, unlike ones you may own at home, taking multitudes of photo stops, and the hotel, restaurants, and area in Mulheim are a treat to behold after Trier. Getting there late afternoon left us less exploration and relaxation time. Otherwise the mileage per day was adequate for us. Do plan to have time to explore historic part of Cochem. It is a tourist stop and the Hotel Kebler Meyer is not in this part of town. My husband had an Ebike, I did not. Of course this review is personal, and I do prefer smaller villages to cities. Overall, we were most pleased with the tour arranged by BikeTours.com.

What was the date of your tour?: Setpt. 9 through 14
How many tours have you completed?: 4
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?: Germany

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
3/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
4/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Peter and Joyce November 3, 2019

Birthday treat

· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz

The hotels booked were excellent and the luggage transfer was seamless. Bicycles were a little heavy but the range of adjustment allowed an ideal touring position.

What was the date of your tour?: 9th Oct 2019
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?: Germany

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
2/5 Tour documents
3/5 Local tour company services
3/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (3/5) AJNZ November 2, 2019

Hungary

· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)

An interesting adventure, not as scenic as the Danube in Austria, but a different slice of old Eastern bloc Europe. Hotels were good and well-located. Trail was difficult to find in several places, (think an extra 20km on dirt roads..) and is definitely not as well-marked as other Velo 6 routes. It is mostly away from the Danube through farms and small villages.
Some towns were definitely low on charm, but Bratislava, Szentendre and Budapest were terrific, extra time there is recommended.
Back-up from bike company was good - a new bike was delivered quickly when mine suffered a serious problem. E-bikes were good quality and easy to use, and baggage was always there at the hotel when we arrived.

What was the date of your tour?: 22 September
How many tours have you completed?: 2
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists
Do you recommend this tour?: No
Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Hungary

BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe November 3, 2019

Thanks kindly for your candid review. While we're sad you wouldn't recommend this tour. We certainly understand it's not everyone's cup of tea (for the exact reasons you have mentioned). We're glad you had an interesting adventure, experienced some terrific towns, and had a good experience with the tour operator. Thanks again for the feedback.

3/5 Value
3/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
3/5 Scenery
2/5 Ease of navigation
2/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
3/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) Bill P November 1, 2019

Better than I ever imagined.

· UNESCO Sites of Albania

This tour is a great way to experience the beautiful country of Albania- a fascinating country I knew very little about. Our local tour leader was resourceful, knowledgeable, and passionate about both biking and his native country. The bikes were very good; I had and e-bike; even so, the biking was challenging, but definitely worth the challenge. Very good local meals with lots of camaraderie with my fellow travelers- an interesting and lovely mix of people from all ages, countries, and biking abilities. I have long been a passionate biker, but this was my first organized bike tour, including first one in the mountains! It won’t be my last. I can’t wait to go on my next one! Kudos to both Bike Tours and Cycle Albania.

What was the date of your tour?: October 12-20, 2019
How many tours have you completed?: First organized tour.
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?: Albania

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection
5/5 Guides (if applicable)