Bike Tour Reviews page 154
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★★★★★ 2travelers November 5, 2015Loved every minute
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
This was our first bike vacation and didn't know what to expect, we loved every minute! We chose Bike Tours Direct because they allowed us to change the itinerary to include 2 extr days in Lorch, the town that shares my husbands family name! After all this was his 60th birthday trip. We had a magically stay in Lorch, met the Mayor who gave us the town flag and put our picture on their FB page! Fun.
We never saw the team that picked up our luggage, but sure enough our bags were always waiting for us at our next stop. The entire bike trip was beatiful, historical and we can't wait to go again.
Thanks Bike Tours Direct, you rock!- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, Families with young kids, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Emlaf November 5, 2015Solo trip in Umbria
· Umbria’s Green Valleys From the Pilgrimage Town of Assisi
Very great trip in beautifuls places, with greats accomodations and people, even in november.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, Families with young kids, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Canada November 4, 2015A bit of a disappointment
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We booked the high end tour and in general were very pleased. Most of the hotels were lovely and located conveniently to the bike path. One exception was the Marina hotel we were sent to. We passed by beautiful villages but instead of staying in these lovely locations, we were sent to a marina where there no amenities nearby. We explored through the nearby campsite and located a restaurant much more reasonably priced than the marina hotel restaurant. When we had asked at the hotel about nearby restaurants, the hotel said there were no others nearby. It was also very noisy as they were working on the boats. Also we were disappointed with how little you actually got to bike along the lake. Being as this is a huge vacation area most of the lakefront had homes on them. So we were sharing the road much more than expected with often little or no views of the lake.
The bike tour company was great and the bikes were of a good quality (though with the bumpy terrain shocks would have been appreciated).A lovely touch was the beautiful room at the Hotel Halm in Constance where there was a bottle of wine waiting and a lovely corner room.
- How many tours have you completed?
- Three
- 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, Germany, Switzerland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Lindsay Nash November 5, 2015
Hi Kim! Thanks for your review, and we're glad to hear you were very pleased over all. We certainly appreciate your repeat business. We're sorry to hear about your disappointment with the route and the overnight locations, and we've passed along your feedback to the tour operator. This is one of our most popular tours so hotel availability can dictate those overnight locations. We're glad to hear about the bottle of wine, though. That can certainly help the experience!
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★★★★★ Two Michiganders November 4, 2015
Lost in Translation
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
This was our fourth tour with Bike Tours and the first with an Italian outfitter. Maybe that's where the trouble started.
We're not novices to this kind of travel and expect to spend some time lost and wandering--that's okay--to some extent. The directions for this trip were oddly and sometimes poorly translated, and there were occasions that though we'd asked for the English version, the notes were in German. The sticker signage was missing and incorrect at several critical junctures--crossing into Croatia from Slovenia, for instance. I know we weren't the only people who missed it--others at the hotel mentioned the same confusion.
I think that this part of Italy isn't quite as used to cycling (fewer cycle paths) and there were long stretches where we were riding with heavy traffic on 50-70k speed roads. The last day was very hilly (we were aware of this) and included some long slogs through unmarked Croatian campgrounds/resorts which were not mentioned in the directions. Despite the directions, knowing that you needed to be near the sea for most of the trip was helpful.
Navigation being my only caution, this was a lovely and fun trip. The towns and sites along the way were quaint and it was relaxing when we were off the main roads. I appreciated the towns we stayed in, Sagittaria Concordia, Trieste and Piran were especially memorable for the sites and ambiance of each place. The ruins in Aguilia were amazing. The hotels were all excellent, breakfasts hearty and our bags were moved as promised.
I'd recommend this to someone, but with caution regarding navigation.- How many tours have you completed?
- Four
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Richie November 5, 2015
Hi!
Thank you for bringing the issues with tour documents and signage to our attention. I was on a tour with this operator in August and did not have these issues. However, I was on a different tour.
Part of the tour I was on overlapped with this tour in Trieste. There is quite a bit of traffic getting in and out of Trieste and that is worth being aware of.
I have passed your comments about the tour documents and signage on to the tour operator. It is important that they are aware of the sticker situation so that they can go through the route and fix the stickers where they are missing or incorrect. It is also important that they are aware of the translation issues with the documents themselves. I do know that they go over their documents and make improvements every off season. This information will be useful to them as they are going through this process.
Thank you again for taking the time to provide feedback (and the beautiful photos!)! We are looking forward to helping you arrange your next trip.
—Richie
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★★★★★ Julie November 4, 2015Europe's hidden gem
· Emerald Tour of Slovenia’s Gems
A great trip! Explored big cities and small town! A little bit of everything! Busy city life, quiet cafes, horses, cobbled streets, castles, caves...
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Julie November 4, 2015Cheese, cocoa, windmills, clogs, delft, tulips...
· · Holland by Bike and Boat, Southern Tour
So many things to see that represent the Netherland: cheese, tulips, windmills, cocoa, clogs and delft pottery. It was amazing to see the bike culture there and that bikes have the right of way over everything! The network of bike paths was amazing too! It was a fun combination of boat and bike. Most of our meals were provided too, which was nice after a full day of riding and exploring!
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Julie November 4, 2015
Best family trip ever!
Bike and Boat with Bob and Jeanette along the Danube from Passau to Budapest to Passau
This trip was along the Danube on a paved bike path. It was great for our family, so we didn't have to worry about cars. It went through small towns but also hit the tourist highlights of the area. A great combination of riding and sightseeing! We all loved it!
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, Families with young kids, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
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★★★★★ Sandy November 4, 2015
Great ride with friends of different levels
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
The ride around Lake Constance, (the Boden See) was wonderful fun. There were 13 of us and we varied from level2 to level 4 riders. All enjoyed the ride! The quaint towns along the way were fun to stop and visit and the Lake was beautiful! We saw the Alps one sunny day which was a highlight for us.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Smgds November 4, 2015Austria is a perfect country to cycle in!
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
This was a highly enjoyable tour. I really thought the inns/hotels chosen were nice and friendly. The only think I would recommend is not getting the pre-paid dinner. The set menus got a little monotonous after a while.
- 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?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Alan October 28, 2015
The trip was perfect
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
All the hotel owners were great, the documentation on where to go was sufficient, and I had an absolute fantastic time.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ SusieQ October 22, 2015An Excellent Adventure On Board
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
We just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed our Bike/Boat tour on the Princess Diana.
We had requested an upper cabin and found that all had been filled already. We loved our lower deck cabin. It appeared to be larger with two double berths than the upper cabins.The crew of 9 with only 22 passengers, made for fabulous service. The two guides, a married couple,were very organized and attentive to any needs or concerns. And the E Bikes were really phenomenal.
We are both in our 70's, and fairly active. We found the terrain to be varied with many hills with grades too steep for us to climb, if we had been on regular bikes. It was so much fun to ride through the wine and olive growing areas on a bike and enjoy sightseeing up close.
Meals were really healthy and elegantly served.
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first bike tour.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ MeliBoiles October 19, 2015
This tour was absolutely as dreamy as described!
· Wine & Bike in Hungary’s Balaton Uplands
Our family of four (age 68, 55, 26 and 24) from Nacogdoches, Texas took this tour and will remember it dreamily for the rest of our lives. It was our "last hurrah" before 20-something kids got married and started having kids. Our personable tour directors picked us up in Budapest and took us off to our starting point in Veszprem--a gorgeous medieval town with colorful skyline. Every day we had a manageable ride--even for 68 year old dad--giving us wonderful lunch stop suggestions, and winery options. Take the guides' suggestions--they are awesome places! We were definitely off the beaten path, with villages along cobblestone Roman roads and dedicated bike paths most of the way. Hotels were small but elegant and the breakfasts and dinners very nice with quality local wines included. We were given bikes in good condition and a well-programmed GPS that allowed our son to guide us along the way through the quiet countryside, many times with lake views of Balaton. The trip put this beautiful country on the map for us, along with empathy for its history and people and all the trials they have survived. We chose this tour because it was one of the more affordable ones, but it left us with a lifetime of rich experience.
- How many tours have you completed?
- This is our only one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Hungary
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★★★★★ MarcieB October 4, 2015
Wonderful way to visit the shores of the Bodensee . . .
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We like to book tours in September, but weather can be a concern. We selected the 11-day Bodensee tour and only experienced two days of wet weather! The paths were well marked, the hotels comfortable and well-situated, the daily program manageable, the museum pass wonderful, and the meals and Apfelstrüdel delicious. As two 70+ cyclers, this trip was by far the easiest we have done!
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our 6th self-guided tour
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, Families with young kids, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Marcus k October 3, 2015Fantastic trip through Algarve
· Best of the Algarve by Road Bike
We took the 10 day version in 2014. Absolutely loved it. Paul took great care of us. All equipment was excellent. Hotels were good. Best of all Paul was able to accommodate some changes along the way.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Hildur September 27, 2015
A trip to recommend
Bike and Boat with Bob and Jeanette along the Danube from Passau to Budapest to Passau
Very nice scenery and the paths were both easy and very challenging (hilly). The hotel staff where extremely friendly and changed this trip from average to super
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
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★★★★★ chonaker September 23, 2015
Danube 9- day deluxe tour, self guided
Bike and Boat with Bob and Jeanette along the Danube from Passau to Budapest to Passau
This is a very nice tour. I have done it with my daughter for the 3rd time. (Lake Constance tour twice). The distances are relatively short, and flat. What I relly liked aout this tour is this: Almost every segnent allows for the option to take a boat or train to the next town. A boat ride or two is nice, especially in inclimate weather. Most hotels on Deluxe are airconditioned and the 2 or 3 others are cool enough unless temp over 94. Simon from Bike Tours is extremely helpful and returns all phone calls , if he doesnt answer himself, and responds to all emails. I cant say enough about how helpful Simon is. I highly recommend this tour
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
