Bike Tour Reviews page 9
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★★★★★ Donna Parr 6 months ago
Fun way to see a beautiful area
· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Really enjoyed the trip. Beautiful route getting into rolling hills although not difficult to bike with great off-road bike paths almost the whole way. Hotels were great with plentiful breakfasts.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1st
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic, Germany
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★★★★★ Jane Fletcher 6 months ago
Great to have one hotel as a home base
· Lake Garda (based in one hotel)
Lake Garda was beautiful and we enjoyed staying in Desenzano. Our hotel in Desenzano was in the perfect location, right on the water and close enough to the old town to walk to dinner.
The day trips for biking out of Desenzano were variable in terms of how much we enjoyed them. We really liked Verona but the biking back from Verona was not very enjoyable because of the traffic and a lot of not very scenic areas. However, the day we rode to Brescia, another city, was a good biking day as the route we were on had pretty good cycling infrastructure that kept us separated from cars even though we were entering the city. There was, however, on that day a closed road that we had to navigate around. Luckily with both google maps and ride with gps we were able to find a good alternate route to get around the closure. We used rides with gps to navigate the routes provided by the tour company rather than their app as rides with gps allowed us to enter our individual hotel and ride directly there. It was also better with turn by turn directions. The tour literature said that their app would work on airplane mode if you downloaded the maps ahead of time, we didn’t find that to be the case. Also, their app tended to lose where we were while rides with gps did not lose us.
Our favorite riding day was the day we rode a loop route in the countryside without a city destination. Lots of nice scenic views without having to negotiate city traffic.
One day I had a problem with my e-bike, it wouldn’t change power levels, so I called the emergency number and they wanted me to call the guy who manages the bikes but since we were out on the tour I asked if she could call him for me. She said she would and that he would call me back. He never called back. The next day one of our group decided not to ride so I used her bike. However, there were several other bikes that had been delivered. I called the emergency number again later that day to say that I had not gotten a call back but that several bikes had been delivered and was one of them for me. She didn’t know but again told me to call the guy who manages the bikes. This time I did call him and he seemed to imply that the bike that said reserved was for me. We had a little bit of a language barrier. So, the next day I rode the reserved bike and all was good. All of that to say it would be great if the tour company could work on their communication with customers. The replacement bike for me was apparently there the morning after I called but I didn’t know that.
All in all it was a good trip and we saw some wonderful sites from Lake Garda to Verona to Brescia and in the countryside.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20+
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Jane Fletcher 6 months ago
Good trip - lots of orchards and vineyards
· Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
I enjoyed this trip through the Dolomites but didn’t see as much of the craggy Dolomites as I expected. We were almost always in the flat valley with the mountains along the side of the valley. As we went south the mountains seemed to shrink. I enjoyed the Germanic nature of northern Italy and was very interested to learn more about its history and how Austrian the residents still feel. It didn’t feel like we were in Italy until we arrived in Trento on market day. And then it was almost like a switch flipped and we were in Italy. The architecture as well as the countryside changed and became more Mediterranean influenced. Our ride was generally on bike paths that were very busy with cyclists. Weekends were especially busy but even during the week the paths were busy but it was great to see so many people out riding their bikes. Along the paths we found several bike bars that served drinks and snacks to cyclists and they were perfect places to find a WC. We enjoyed the scenery and marveled at the thousands of acres of apple orchards that we rode through. The hotels were generally fine but the hotel in Riva del Garda was a disappointment. I paid extra for single rooms after a friend had to cancel her trip and this room was a real disappointment, it was more like a cell.
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★★★★★ Jane Fletcher 6 months ago
My favorite bike trip
· Swiss Lakes by E-bike: Lake Geneva to Lake Lucerne
This year I did 4 European bike trips and this was my favorite. The scenery was gorgeous, the emerald pastureland, the craggy mountains some of them snow capped in august were amazing. We also loved all the bright flowers and the chalet style Swiss architecture that was everywhere. We were often serenaded by cow bells as we rode by. The roads were generally very low traffic. I’d do this tour again in a minute! There were significant hills to climb but the e-bikes we rented made the hills very doable for our group of active 67 to 82 year olds. We even conquered the approx. seven mile uphill with relative ease, no walking required. Since we are from florida we were worried about our ability to train for 4,000 feet of climbing but the e-bikes made it all doable. We didn’t take any of the possible short cuts (train or funicular) to eliminate hills as we didn’t want to miss any of the scenery. Instead of using the provided app for navigation we put the route in ride with gps so that we would have specific turn by turn direction to our hotel as well as the daily route. That worked really well for us. We also used the recommended Swiss mobility app and that was a very important tool as it shows biking and walking routes all over Switzerland. Of the many many bike tours I’ve done over the years this was my absolute favorite.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20+
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Switzerland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac October 4, 2023
Wow, those photos look amazing! It sounds like you had an incredible and memorable biking experience in Switzerland! We're absolutely thrilled to hear that it was your favorite and that you thoroughly enjoyed it. The sights and sounds of Switzerland truly make for an unforgettable biking adventure. We look forward to welcoming you back for another incredible biking adventure whenever you're ready to explore more places on two wheels!
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★★★★★ Mickey Shnaiderman 6 months ago
An almost perfect tour
· Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
A very unusual and exciting way to explore to Dolomites. Riding the bicycle through the those magnificent views was truly astounding.
The routes were picked correctly both in terms of distance and terrain.
Also, the provided booklet with the brief information about the routes and food recommendation was great!
All the hotels were great with excellent service, breakfasts were good and had us full until arrival.
The bicycles were good too, although we would expect to have some help adjusting them to our sizes. My girlfriend is very short and we had to find a multi-tool to adjust her saddle horizontal position. If we had all the tools supplied, it would be much easier.
We also had one miscommunication: one of the hotels was changed, so we got the updated list of hotels before the beginning of the tour. Upon arrival, we got all the maps and another list of hotels. This printed list stated that all previous lists were invalid, so we took it for granted. At the second day of riding, which was the longest and the hardest, we arrived exhausted to the wrong hotel, only to realize we have 3 more kilometres to ride to a hotel outside the city. That, in turn, meant that we were left with only one dinner option - in the hotel itself. It was great, though, but quite expensive.
The navigation was a bit tricky too. The app is a bit primitive, sometimes got stuck, drained a lot of battery when navigating with the screen on (compared to Google Maps that takes much less battery). In one occasion it also got my phone so hot it had to shut down. In some several places the app tried to take us on to non existent roads or onto incoming traffic. It was also unaware of road constructions. Other than that, when getting the hang of this app, it wasn't that bad. We managed to find our way without too much of a hustle.
A tip to give to other riders next time: Venice has a secured parking spot for bicycles for a 10€ per bicycles. It is essentially a huge locker for the bike. Also, a big shout-out for Anthony, who called us to help finding the return place of the bikes. He also gave us the tip of riding to Venice and then leaving them in the hotel inserted of in the garage.- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Monika Sorlini 6 months ago
Goldige Reise mit unseren amerikanischen Freunden
· · German Rivers, Wines, and Cycle Paths by Bike and Boat
Zum radeln hervorragend, wir hätten keine Guides benötigt, da uns die römischen Bauten weniger interessiert haben. Wir haben es vorgezogen, zu geocachen.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 17.9. bis 24.9.23
- How many tours have you completed?
- zwei
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Glen Kropp 6 months ago
Amazing bike tour
· Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
The trip was amazing, like riding in a postcard the whole time. Bike touring was the perfect way to experience Austria. Saw so many wonderful places, stayed in different hotels each night and got to experience all the different little towns. We had great fall weather for our trip and made for a perfect time!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Janet Bychek 6 months ago
Wonderful well organized trip
· Bolzano to Verona: Orchards, Mountains, and Timeless Culture
Stefano, our organizer was so helpful. When I forgot something he saved the day.. The routes were stunning. The bikes worked well. The hotels were really nice with great breakfasts
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 16 2023
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Michael Golenberke 6 months ago
Spain Was Wonderful!
· Medieval Villages of Catalonia
Our first trip to Spain was fantastic. This was not our first bike tour we were much better prepared. We had some difficulty navigating the Barcelona airport and train station to get to Girona. Once we arrived however, all was absolutely beautiful. I cannot give enough praise to Daniel. His briefing, preparation of the bikes and tips on stops along the various routes was excellent. He was a joy to work with. The only comment was to possibly reconsider staying one night in Monells instead of two. Monells is a very charming village but very small and limited sites to see. Otherwise, I would not change a thing! You will not be disappointed.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Spain
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★★★★★ John Vasicek 6 months ago
great trip aided by perfect weather
· Danube Bike Path 5-nights (Active)
It was a great trip, very well organized. Did not get lost once in a 250 mile journey. I went in late fall and the weather was perfect each day. I was on the bike an average of 4 to 4.5 hours a day, but was able to break that up by stopping for lunch, a beer or site seeing. I am 59 YO but an active runner. I used an eBike which helped with the headwinds, but I was still pretty tired / sore by the end of the trip. I saw lots of other 'mature' couples that were doing a similar trip as well. Even though the route is labeled as moderate, you are still doing 50 miles a day. I think you need to be in at least average to above average shape to enjoy the trip.
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★★★★★ Kirk R 6 months ago
Beautiful riding in Austria
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
The scenery on the ride through the Austrian Alps was amazing! Bike paths and trails on nearly the entire ride. The bikes we rented were in excellent condition. There was plenty of time to stop and explore the small towns along the route. The transfer of luggage was seamless, with prompt pickup and drop off each morning. The breakfast provided was very good and a great way to start the day. We will definitely consider another European bike tour in the future.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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
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★★★★★ Rich Wilkin 6 months ago
Which way to Santiago
· Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route From Astorga to Santiago
E-bikes review
3 of the 4 bikes were great, they had13.5 ah batteries. They gave me a different larger bike that had a 11ah battery. Out of the 6 days , ran out of battery power 4 days. Trying to pedal uphill on a dead battery on a E-battery was very difficult and delayed us everyday. Not good, we need compensated for faulty eqyuipment. The other 3 batteries, barely had enough power to last throughout the day. We had to charge at lunch the one 11ah battery and still did not last. Either need larger batteriesHad one flat tire. The tread on this front tire had no tread at all. When we replaced , found that the tube had a repair patch that blew out.
The one white bike had missing chain guard. My right pant leg got all grease marks
Which has to be trashed and thrown awayHotel review -
All hotels were excellent, good rooms, good breakfast, great service. Thank you
Customer service review
We had one person who got hurt on a bike crash the second day and could not continue to bike. Venessa at customer service was excellent in coordinating and getting her to next stop for rest of tour
Other concerns -
We got a gps unit, was useless, did not help one bit, not worth renting
We used phone directions when we got off trackAs directions on flip chart several days got us off track and added many miles to the day. Suggestions to add more landmarks to turns
Will definitely use Biketours.com again
This was first time users, and kinda know now what toexpectThank you Rich, Rosemay, Lisa, Francine
- 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?
- Spain
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BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac October 3, 2023
Thank you for taking the time to share a detailed feedback about your recent trip with us! We greatly appreciate your insights and suggestions. Happy to hear that you had a great trip. Thank you for choosing Biketours.com, and we look forward to serving you in the future.
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★★★★★ Michael Pettit 6 months ago
Danube Waltz
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
The bike and barge (SS Swiss Crown) provided the perfect way to experience the beautiful cities along the Danube. The Swiss Crown was very comfortable and the meals provided were delightful. The bar was managed expertly. Phyo behind the bar was always willing to provide valuable tips for our travel as well as keeping the cocktails flowing.
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★★★★★ Richard Rogers 6 months ago
Not as I had expected
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
Not expecting to ride as a group. The riding involved more road riding and realize that a leader was necessary. The riding in Southern France is not as developed as Central Europe.
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ David Baker 6 months ago
First time bike-barge touring
· · Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)
This was our first time doing a bike-barge tour. We chose this tour based on positive recommendations from friends who had been on it before. Their recommendations and suggestions were spot on so when we took the tour we were well prepared. The crew of the barge were very pleasant and accommodating. If you're expecting five star cruise accommodations you'll be disappointed, but the dinners were outstanding and the cabins fulfilled our needs. There was maintenance on our original route so the captain had to take another route which meant all our rides had to be redone by the ride leader. We still had interesting and enjoyable rides. It's important to be a flexible traveler in order to truly enjoy this type of tour. We stayed in Bruge two days before the trip and we stayed two more days in Belgium after the tour and would recommend anyone taking this trip to do likewise.
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★★★★★ Kenneth (Doug) Mering 6 months ago
Good trip but issues
· Balkan Treasures
Trouble with maps provided. Map did always start and stop at lodging location. Not always clear on th route on the map. Did not always feel safe on the road. Scenery was great. Enjoyed it but may not do another biketours trip without a lot more research on the routes safety.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Albania, Montenegro
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★★★★★ Todd Kadas 6 months ago
Italian countryside, Slovenian coast, Croatian beaches. What more could you want?!
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
This trip offered a nice mix of countryside and coastal routes with plenty of options to shorten or lengthen each day's itinerary. We were lucky enough to arrive in the second town on the same night as their annual grape harvest parade. So much fun! Tractors pulling floats, free wine, marching bands, and views from the restaurants on the street.
We chose the self-guided option for this tour and met up with at least a dozen other cyclists who were doing the same. We were never alone, had amazing weather, and every day except for one (when we cycled too fast and didn't stop frequently enough), our bags were waiting for us on arrival at the hotel. -
★★★★★ Corina Santoro 6 months ago
AMAZING! Better than I even imagined it would be.
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
This was our first ever bike trip and we loved every minute of it. The boat was wonderful and the staff was truly outstanding. Each day was well organized with enough structure so we knew what to do but enough freedom to make the trip our own. The rides each day were unique from each other and each one beautiful. The rest days in Budpest and Vienna were magical. The food, service and attention to detail left nothing to be desired. What an amazing trip.