Bike Tour Reviews page 26
- Albania
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- England
- Estonia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Holland
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Montenegro
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Scotland
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United States
- Vietnam
- Wales
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★★★★★ David Moody 10 months ago
The fascinating Balkans on bike
· Cycling the West Balkan Triangle
We thoroughly enjoyed our introduction to cycling the Balkans. Dubrovnik was a perfect gathering point. We stayed an extra day to explore and were glad we did. Cycling the hills was challenging for those on road bikes; the views were magnificent. The Adriatic was magical and occasionally confined traffic requiring extra caution. Our guides, Alex and Alex, were competent, hardworking, and especially helpful, answering questions and showing us aspects of these countries we would never would have found on our own. There were 14 of us on the tour from ALL OVER, and getting to know them all over the course of the tour was part of the fun. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro
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★★★★★ Clifford Davis 10 months ago
Great Intro to Slovenia
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Tour offers everything from the Julian Alps area and Bled to small towns to Ljubljana to coastal Italy and coastal Slovenia at the finishing town of Piran. We added extra days in Bled, Ljubljana and Piran and highly recommend doing so. Most of the cycling is on roads shared with vehicles but drivers were generally aware and used to cyclists. We found the GUIBO navigation app somewhat problematic particularly since we didn’t get access until the morning cycling began. Our bike fitting and familiarization was also included in our first cycling morning so a number of items regarding the cycle computer were not covered.
The tour company was responsive to our requests for transport due to inclement weather.
There are wide variations in the quality of the hotels with some very fine hotels and some less so.
That being said the tour features some gorgeous scenery and spectacular sights. The caves in Postonja and the area surrounding Bled are breathtaking. The people along the way were very helpful and we had no trouble communicating even though we don’t speak Slovenian.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Karen Canon 10 months agoContinuing our Danube Journey
· Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
The route took us through four countries and four capital cities. We planned in several rest days which were well needed as the first part of the trio through Czech Republic and Austria were challenging! The route along the Danube would have been fantastic but unfortunately Storm Boris flooded the whole region, making biking the path impassable. The tour company did a good job of keeping us informed of route conditions (we were on a self-guided tour) and helping to arrange alternate transportation when biking was impossible due to heavy rain and flooding.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Unnur Fridthjofsdootir 10 months agoVery nice trip
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
Very nice trip easy to follow the app 😄Great to see italy, Slovenia and Croatia on bike
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★★★★★ Anne Temple 10 months agoBeautiful but given bike with defective wheel and inadequate spares/pump
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
The ride is beautiful, hotels very comfortable with pleasant employees and great breakfast. Our rating would be higher except for our experience with one bike and the repair kit provided by the operator in Innsbruck. Also, if you are not familiar with Garmin, be sure you have a good alternative.
We had two flats in the same place on the inner seam of the back tire. We understand that tire changes were our responsibility and were prepared to handle them. We were provided with only one spare, no co2 cartridge because the operator was out of the attachment needed to use them, and a small inefficient pump. The advice given to us if we were to get a flat was to change the tire, pump it up as best we could with the inefficient pump and then go to a service station where we could then fill the tire up to its required PSI. This is a rural route with few service stations and much time was wasted.
The morning after the first flat we spent a couple of hours locating a bike shop that was open (tried 3) that had the right size spares. In addition we purchased a better pump which we were very glad to have with the second flat. That second flat occurred on the ride to Lofer. A biker who helped us noted that we didn’t have enough tread (profile) on the tires and we were lucky we hadn’t had rain.
Helmut was unable to provide a different bike for the last leg into Salzburg. Rather than spending the time finding a new back tire to buy and thus getting a much later start that we were comfortable with, we elected to take transport to Salzburg.
A special thanks to Helmut for his responsiveness and assistance.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Mary Eaman 10 months ago
Everything was Perfect!
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The itinerary was varied and beautiful, the hotels were charming and clean, the bikes were great, the support both pre trip and during the trip was fabulous. One of the best vacations ever. Thank you!
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★★★★★ Richard Riddell 10 months agoA great time in Alentejo
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
A great self guided tour in Alentejo region of Portugal.
Great e-bikes, accommodation in the pousadas and excellent restaurant recommendations from our guides, and were brilliant making reservations in the restaurants we chose. The staff were on the whole very friendly and helpful and accommodated our extraordinary request on the last day - thank you.
The only reason they didn’t receive 5 stars for us was we thought the farmhouse stay for 2 nights was not necessary, and the owner of the business perhaps shouldn’t front the customers/clients. A tad too direct in her manner which made us feel we were doing her a favour by being there!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Greg Hedges 10 months ago
Stunning
· Camino de Santiago: From Leon to Santiago (Premium)
I can not speak highly enough of this bike tour. It takes you to the spiritual heart of Spain from Roman times forward. The geographical dimensions are equally as spectacular as you follow the Camino de Santiago from Leon to Santiago de Compostela. Say yes when you get asked for an e-Bike. There is some work to do. Just in the same manner as a Peregrino.
The best part is the hosts - Sergio and Felipe. Attentive, passionate about cycling, and a real attention to detail when it comes to making the most of the experience. Best bike ride I have ever been on.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
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★★★★★ Cecilia Firstenberg 10 months agoA fun and educational way to experience Bikbao
· Bilbao Gold Coast E-Bike Tour
Bikes were great, guide was excellent. We learned a lot about the history and culture of Bilbao and discussed many interesting topics with our group of four. Hearing what our guide was saying was sometimes a challenge but it is hard to bunch together on a sunny Sunday in September - people and other riders are out and about too.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Pierre C. 10 months ago
nice trip but some advance planning is required
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Hotels and views were excellent for the most part. A couple of things to note: 1. Bikes are heavy duty and therefore very heavy, we upgraded to e-bikes 3 days into the trip, that was a big help. 2. Trails are not well marked, we met a few different groups during our tour of the lake and everyone was complaining about the written directions and even the gps tracking. Be prepared to have to stop, take an assessment and even back track a few times a day.
Crucial items if you want to use GPS tracking; buy a phone holder that can attach your phone to the bike before leaving on the trip, otherwise you will have major issues setting up your phone so you can see it properly (I tucked mine into the front basket which had a protective transparent cover, however with the glare, it was hard to read). Also, make sure that you bring a backup battery pack as 2 -3 hours of tracking and your phone will be dead.
Be prepared to bike some busy roads and gravel roads. One hotel (Bergenz) was located in a residential neighbourhood, there was ooe other restaurants within 600 meters, the rest were in town, 1.5 km away. Although the hotel restaurant was very nice, we spent more on dinner than we anticipated. Note that in St. Gallen almost all businesses and restaurants are closed on Sunday and many are also closed on Monday. Choices for meals and things to do become scarce if you are there during that time.
Finally, be prepared to spend lots of money in Switzerland $50CAD hamburgers in a sit down restaurant seems to be the norm, not for the faint of heart. If you want to save some money I suggest flying into Germany before and after, accommodations and meals will be a lot cheaper (we spent 3 days inSwitzerland before and three days after, we figure that those 6 days cost us at least an extra $1K compared to what Germany prices would have been).
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Ann Abeles 10 months agoA beautiful and mind expanding tour around Lake constance
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
This tour brought one through beautiful scenery and past interesting sites around Lake Constance. The distances for each day's travel were short enough to allow one to visits sites along the way as well as churches and museums in the destination towns.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 12-24, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- More than 20
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Anne Wood 10 months ago
Four years in the making
· Prague to Vienna via Cesky Krumlov
Our group planned a self guided tour from Prague to Budapest for April, 2020. It was cancelled due to Covid. In September, 2024, we did an abbreviated Prague to Vienna self guided tour. It was well worth the wait even though Boris shut down several days of biking. The Czech Republic is a biking wonderland.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic
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★★★★★ Ann Darby 10 months ago
An adventure
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
Great trip, well planned, great accommodations and support, can't beat the location! Only a challenge was on day it rained!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 2024
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Jon 10 months ago
Save some energy
· Florence to Rome
It’s not that hills are so big, it is that the grade of some of them is intense. We didn’t upgrade the bike and did ok but a lighter bike would have been nice on this trip. Save some energy for the end of each day when cultural treasures will call out to be explored. The hotels were each unique. We highly recommend the tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Wade Cherry 10 months agoThe best way to travel Switzerland!
· Swiss Lakes by E-bike: Lake Geneva to Lake Lucerne
This was our first time doing a bike vacation and it was the perfect way to see Switzerland - the countryside is stunning and we saw so many quaint Swiss villages that most visitors miss. We rented hybrid bikes (not the e-bikes) and while the route was harder than anticipated, we enjoyed the workout and would use hybrid bikes again. But I'm mentioning this to let others know that there are some serious climbs on this trip! One thing not emphasized on the website is that some of the hotels may have heated pools / spas, so bring a bathing suit and plan to enjoy some relaxation time at the hotels. Overall, I highly recommended this trip and we will be doing another biking trip with Bike Tours again!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Switzerland
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★★★★★ Donald Allen 10 months agoImprovisation on the river
· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Due to the flooding of the Elbe river much of the bike pass was under water. The tour company rep, Lukas, did it wonderful job of working out a route for us each day. Unfortunately we had to bike some of our journey on busy highways, there just was no other way. Everything went smoothly, no small matter with the situation at hand, and we were again pleased with our trip. Looking forward to our next adventure with Bike Tours.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic, Germany
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★★★★★ Eric Cole 10 months agoGreat time
· Classic Vienna Bike Tour
Very pleasant and casual way to see the city. The pace was slow with many stops to discuss sights and history. The guide was great - tolerant and enthusiastic.
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★★★★★ Paul Weaver 10 months agoExceeded expectations
· Wine & Cuisine in Girona's Emporda Plain
Bike tours, Catalonia was an exemplary tour operator for us. The entire entire office staff welcomed us and rallied around getting our bikes ready to start out on the tour. Our tour guide and sag wagon drivers were fantastic help, and great company throughout. Girona and the whole Costa Brava tour route Was most enjoyable. The beach resort center were very highly developed, and not the sort of bucolic experience we seek , but we’re nonetheless not unpleasant. We were not overly impressed by the restaurant cuisine, in particular found the Michelin star restaurant to be more pretentious than interesting. We would skip that to Ed in a more representative local restaurant another time.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 14+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
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★★★★★ JP and Shannon 10 months ago
First Bike Trip for us. Was wonderful.
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We loved Austria and biking on this route was great. The route is very well designed. We took traditional bikes and it was no problem at all. We wished it could have lasted longer with another segment. We were very lucky with the weather in September as it was sunny our entire journey but had rain when we arrived and on the day we departed.
Bike rental shop, equipment and all hotels were top notch!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
