Bike Tour Reviews  page 139

  • Bruges to Amsterdam
    (5/5) SheRah October 9, 2017

    Amazing teip

    · · Bruges – Amsterdam by Bike and Boat

    What was the date of your tour?
    9/30-10/7
    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
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Belgium, Holland
    • Photo 1 (photo by SheRah)
    • 5/5 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
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • National Parks of Dalmatia
    (5/5) Bob and son October 9, 2017

    Better Than Expected

    · · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat

    This tour was more challenging than I expected but the E bikes more than offset the additional challenge. The tour was very well organized but definitely is an adult tour. I would not recommend for children under 15. The boat was well designed and the cabins very comfortable. The food was great, perhaps a little too much in total. The tour guides were excellent and the itineraries were nicely put together. There was very little stopping and exploring any unusual buildings or industry and there was almost no explanations while cycling. On other tours we would stop several times a day and the guides would explain something about the area. We did have several city tours where we walked through a town. Croatia is a beautiful country and the water was wonderfully clear and clean and the towns were spotless. I would strongly recommend this tour to cyclists who have some experience on a bike.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 30 to Oct 7, 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    7
    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?
    Croatia
    • 3/5 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
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Kelowna123 October 9, 2017

    Once in a life time adventure

    · · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat

    From the first to the last day we loved every second of our adventure. The Melody is exceptionally clean, comfortable and most of all, a safe boat. Staff were courteous, professional and accommodating. Our tour guides quickly became our friends. There were only 26 people in our group - - most we did not know. The guides went out of their way to advise us of what was ahead and set a comfortable pace. It was advantageous to have a sweep in the back. The "plus" side to this trip were the private tours, eating at local restaurants, karaoke night, and the small but significant personal touches. We should mention the food - - unbelievably good. We had menus and were able to choose our dinners/lunches - - The Melody is the only boat that has this option..
    The Northern National Park hills were challenging but so worth it as the views were spectacular. We highly recommend using an ebike. Those that didn't struggled everyday. A few dropped out, some stopped biking on day 3 or 4. At times the 12% inclined hills were 3-5 kilometers long. No joke!! Enjoy the journey.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 23 - 30
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Croatia
    • 5/5 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
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Alsace Wine Country
    (4/5) Croissant Lovers October 9, 2017

    Early Fall Wine Country Tour

    · Alsace Wine Country

    Beautiful countryside, quaint towns, idyllic bike paths along canals, vineyards forever. Lodging was excellent even on the lower priced end. Included breakfasts were excellent. Found that opportunities for lunch were nonexistent or limited so we learned to buy lunch food & wine first thing in the morning. Route finding was challenging at times as we were self guided. Local tour operator provided good orientation. 21 speed bikes were very heavy and awkward with handlebar pack.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 26-October 1
    How many tours have you completed?
    First one
    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
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 10, 2017

      We're glad you had a great time on tour and great advice for future clients regarding lunch along the way! I love the handlebar bag but I understand it isn's for everyone as they can be bulky. We hope to help you plan a future tour.

    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 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
  • Bike Paths of the Dolomites
    (4/5) Slick October 9, 2017

    Wonderful scenery

    · Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)

    Some directions going through the towns were difficult to follow. Also some of the starting points of the bike route were difficult to find and our driver was vague.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 22 to Sept 29
    How many tours have you completed?
    6
    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?
    Italy
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Classic
    (4/5) Bulldozer October 8, 2017

    A cultural deep dive

    · Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)

    Our second Bike Tours trip and this one was as enjoyable as the first. Of the four of us two are experienced bikers and two are entry level. To balance things our two entry level people had e-bikes (and they did better than us!)
    This trip has a good balance of riding and events and if you add to that the dinner package the pressure of finding the right restaurant after a long day in the saddle goes away (especially one of your party is a Coeliac)
    The inclusion of vouchers was a great addition to the package and were well thought through by the team as were the hotel selections (1st & last day the hotel provided a lounge area for early / late arrival which was unavoidable due to long haul flight schedules)
    If you are prepared to explore a little on the journey then getting a little lost is all a part of the day. There are always friendly locals who will help you to get to the next town, that was our experience.

    What was the date of your tour?
    26 Sept - 05 Oct 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    2 with Bike Tours
    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?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • The places you find when enjoying the journey and the destination (photo by Bulldozer)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route
    (4/5) Jeff ak October 8, 2017

    Excellent way to tour Spain

    · Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route From Astorga to Santiago

    So many positives and a few negatives. First the trail was excellent for mountain bikes with a mix of paved roads and dirt trails. Great rolling hills and scenery. Lots of walkers and sometimes we shared trail which could be crowded and sometimes we were on highway. Most people friendly and understood sharing trail with bikes. We were surprised to see hundreds of people a day walking the trail.

    Signage was yellow markers/arrows and was excellent. Most of the time we followed them but bike markers were not too good. My major complaint was our maps were not good. They were google type maps that were either too detailed and small that you couldn't read them or too general and broad that you didn't know where to go. We got lost and had to rely on a book with detailed directions comparing it to a general map. That was frustrating especially when the walking trail and bike trail diverged. If in doubt we followed the yellow markers with the walkers but we got onto some really bad hills and had to push bikes. I suggested to the booking company to provide mid level detailed google maps with major landmarks noted on map.

    Overall it was a good trip and the hotels were small and generally 3 star. The small towns were interesting and excellent. Booking company Tee Travel was very good and responsive to our bike problems - one bike had no front brakes and they had it repaired and delivered to our hotel. Overall our bikes were very good rental equipment.

    I highly recommend someone in your group speaks Spanish as we would have had major problems if no one spoke Spanish. The bikes were delivered to our leon hotel by an employee that only spoke Spanish so he could not answer our English questions. Fortunately we had someone in our group that spoke both languages fluently so she translated questions and answers. Our Spanish translator also helped us with getting directions from locals and ordering food. Most hotel employees spoke adequate English.

    Favorite city was ponferrada due to a huge castle. Our favorite hotel was portomarin due to small cabins overlooking a river and vineyards. Also best service and meal was in portomarin where we got all you could eat veal, salad and dessert for $13 euros each.

    You should be an intermediate biker since sitting on a bike for 53 K a day is difficult for a week. I was a casual bike rider and paid the price on my rear end.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Oct 1st 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    First one
    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?
    Spain
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Danube Four Countries
    (4/5) jfvb October 7, 2017
    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    What was the date of your tour?
    9/24/2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    0
    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?
    Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Mosel Bike Path
    (4/5) Pedalann October 7, 2017

    Surrounded by Vineyards

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

    This was an easy ride along the Mosel River in the heart of the wine country. It was impressive to see the intense grape cultivation on the steep hillsides on both sides of the river as we cycled along, mostly on the flat. The scenery and small towns along the way were lovely even though, at times, you were between the road and or train tracks and the river.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept. 28-Oct. 3
    How many tours have you completed?
    At least 19
    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?
    Germany
    • 1 Fred and Ann in front of Porta Nigra in Trier (photo by Pedalann)
    • 2 Hundreds of steep vineyards line the hillsides of the Mosel (photo by Pedalann)
    • 3 A bicycle-themed sculpture along the trail. (photo by Pedalann)
    • 4 The lovely winegarden at our hotel in Piesport (photo by Pedalann)
    • 5 Coming into Cochem on a rainy afternoon. (photo by Pedalann)
    • 5/5 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
  • Alsace Wine Country
    (5/5) mamacababy October 6, 2017

    One of our best bike tours ever

    · Alsace Wine Country

    This bike tour was way more than we expected. Espace Randonnee gave us wonderful maps, directions, and bikes. I had an ebike for the first time and it was awesome. We rode down beautiful canal paths, and into picture book villages, laced with window boxes of geraniums. The accommodations were good to excellent, and we opted for the meal plan which we love because dinner was always arranged for you, and local specialties were served. The weather was perfect - all things considered, this was one of our top 2 bike tours ever!

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 25, 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    9
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 7, 2017

      We're delighted to hear you had a great time in the Alsace region! We think slow travel is the best way to enjoy the local experiences. Thank you very much for your review and please let us know when you're ready to take another bike tour.

    • 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
  • Algarve Coastal Route
    (4/5) Delane October 6, 2017

    Beautiful Scenery !!

    · Algarve Coastal Route

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 24, 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    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
    Countries included in this tour?
    Portugal
    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Classic
    (4/5) Geoff m October 6, 2017

    Must do ride for most reasonable cyclists

    · Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)

    Having ridden Salzburg to Vienna, this was the second bike tour ride for 2 couples in their late 50's. The guys regularly do low distance triathlons, so they rode normal bikes and their wives rode electric. We chose the 3 star hotel deal that was quite ample but many hotels did not have air conditioners so ok in shoulders and winter seasons but possible too hot in summer. Maps in and out of cities are confusing in places and you can easily miss a sign so you have to be careful.we did the while circuit and average speeds only 13 km hr with many stops. Overall worth doing. Would recommend asking for lower floor rooms in hotels that do not have elevators.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    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?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Coco October 5, 2017

    Biking in Burgundy--fabulous!

    · Burgundy Wine Trails: Beaune to Macon on the “Voie Verte”

    This was a perfect way to spend a birthday with 5 close friends! The bike routes wound through vineyards in the midst of the crush, or on paved paths through forests and alongside canals.

    What was the date of your tour?
    mid-September
    How many tours have you completed?
    5
    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?
    France
    • 4/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 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
  • Split to Dubrovnik
    (5/5) Jake October 5, 2017

    Great Trip

    · Split to Dubrovnik: The Islands and Coastline of Croatia

    4 star hotels were great. Do not see the need to go with 5 star. Luggage transfer was a concern but went off without a flaw. Luggage showed up right on time.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    12 +
    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?
    Croatia
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 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
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (5/5) darylln October 5, 2017

    Best Vacation Ever!

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    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
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 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