Primarily Bike Paths Tour Reviews page 35
- Argentina
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- ★★★★★ Merry Beckel
Nice trip!
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
The hotel stays were great! We felt the maps could have been much better. Thank goodness for the friendly local people who were willing to help us! Getting in and out of St. Gallen was scarey and difficult. A couple people in our party said they will never do another bike tour!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
- ★★★★★ Lisa Mendis
Magical!!
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
The best ever bike tour!! We biked some of the most beautiful sections of the Danube and we also had other excursions plus the activities on the boat. The Sun deck was lovely - what a treat after biking to sit up there and watch the pastoral sights go by! The food was really good. I am lactose intolerant and the chef always had an alternative for me - even with the multiple course meals. Thank for Biketours.com for finding this fantastic tour!
- ★★★★★ Richard 69
A nice ride
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
This is our eighth time cycling in Europe so we are experienced cyclers. This is the first and only time we had any problems. When we arrived in Strassbourg in the evening and checked our bikes we noticed right off that one of the bikes had a problem. We called Eurobike the next morning to resolve the issue and we were underwhelmed by their response. After several phone calls and two and a half hours taken out of the day we planned to spend sightseeing in Strassbourg I finally demanded that they bring us another bike which they reluctantly agreed to do. If we had not taken an extra day in Strassbourg there would have been no way for us to complete the first leg of our tour. So there was that.
We have always chosen the B level hotels and have always been more than satisfied. This tour the hotels were hit and miss. The Hotel Ibis in Heidelberg gave us a room that was literally the size of a closet nd it was more than a mile walk to get to the historic old town. The hotel Asgard in Worms was also a long way from the city center. I will say that all the hotels served a good breakfast.
The bikes were the typical rental bikes that we always get so they are a little heavy and slow so no surprises there. But we found the road surfaces to be very rough in many places which made for very slow travel and we found ourselves reaching our destinations much later than we planned.
We cycled through forests and lots of farmland which was fine but we really did not cycle along the Rhine as much as we would have liked. The scenery was pleasant enough but not nearly as spectacular as other tours we’ve taken.
The printed directions are always confusing and at times our route was not as well marked as we would have liked so there was a lot of stopping to check our phones. We found the app that we downloaded to be very helpful.
It’s always fun and exciting to be cycling in Europe and we did enjoy ourselves and had many fine meals along the way. Unfortunately this ride did not compare favorably with the other seven tours we’ve taken.
- ★★★★★ Susan B
Best time ever on a bike tour
Nature, Villages & Castles of the Loire River Valley
We had the most wonderful time on this tour. We are 73 and 75 years old, fairly frequent bike riders at home, and were completely capable of doing this easy route. Mostly flat, had to walk a couple of minor hills, very little riding in traffic. The route was beautiful (we were blessed with great weather in late September), the hotels were outstanding (I recommend taking the dinner package option with the tour; we didn't but ate at the hotels because several were in very small towns. The food was absolutely gourmet.) Our bikes were first class; the whole trip was just magic. People at Biketours.com are super easy to work with. Will definitely use them again.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- France
- ★★★★★ Richie and Trish
Gute Fahren im die Berge
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We had an amazing time on this tour. The scenery was breathtaking. It was so exciting to cycle along these beautiful rivers with the alps rising above us on both sides. The days just flew by as we cycled along. This was our seventh European tour and this ride compared very favorably with other rides we’ve taken. When we arrived in Innsbruck we found that we had to walk to a bike shop to pick up our bikes. Normally the bikes are delivered to our hotel but we took the walk and the shop owner was very helpful. Although the bikes were very heavy we found them quite roadworthy. They may have been the best bikes we’ve used in Europe. The hotels we stayed at we all lovely and provided us with great breakfasts. We especially enjoyed the Hotel Post in Zittertal with its rooftop infinity swimming pool. It was amazing. We also enjoyed having a rest day in Zell am see although it was hardly restful. We hiked, took a boat excursion and went to a fabulous spa for a swim. Many reviews of this tour complain about the book that accompanies the tour and now we know why. It’s very confusing and was not at all helpful. Usually the books on these tours are much more helpful and give recommendations for lunches and dinners. This book did none of that. The trail is well marked in most places but not in others. We often found ourselves scratching our heads trying to make sense of the signs on the trail and the directions in the book. We are seniors and found ourselves walking the bikes up hills from time to time but most of the ride was gentle easy riding. When we weren’t on dedicated bike paths the roads were quiet with little traffic. Overall it was an amazing trip that we would recommend to anyone who loves being in the mountains.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 13 - 19 2021
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- 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
- ★★★★★ Stan
An Ideal Vacation
Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat
Riding the Mosel River in Germany is to experience seven days of sheer beauty of countless vineyards planted in a wild geometry on the steep valleys along the river. The villages with the profusion of flowers bursting from every window make you feel you have stepped into a story book. I've done this trip twice. Once with a regular bike and once with an Ebike. The Ebike is easier, of course, but the regular bike was very doable for an 84 year old who is just a weekend rider.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July, 2017 and Sept.4, 2021
- How many tours have you completed?
- Four
- 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
- ★★★★★ mrank
Great trip - highly recommend!
Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
We just completed the 9 day Orleans to Angers segment of this tour and really enjoyed it. It's the first trip we have taken that we would actually take again, but next time complete the entire 13 night tour. We have taken quite a few bike tours but this one provided the best supporting materials we ever had. The turn-by-turn materials and maps were very well done and easy to follow. We never needed the GPS. Of course the trail itself is extremely well marked, which helps a lot. In addition to the great support we received from the local tour company, the Bike Tours support while setting up the tour was also very good.
The bikes were fine, a bit heavy, but comfortable. Our only issue was the tires on both bikes were under-inflated upon receipt, but we were able to resolve that without too much issue. We always carry our own tire gauge and check regularly. One bike had a mechanical issue, but the tour company was excellent at quickly resolving it.
All the hotels were great and were prepared for our arrival. They also had very good facilities for storing the bicycles. Luggage transfer went smoothly and always arrived at our hotel before we did. The only minor issue was that one hotel did not have a lift, which was surprising, but not a big deal for us. I mention it in case it might be a concern to others.
The meals, both breakfasts as well as dinners we purchased were top notch. We only had a complaint about the poor service in the Orleans restaurant. The food was good, but the entire restaurant was served by one person and it took forever to get through our meal. While the meals were all delicious, in hindsight, we may have gone without the supplemental meal package and just purchased dinners on our own. There were so many choices in almost every town that we would have enjoyed an occasional casual meal, like a delicious pizza vs the traditional French food every night. However, you can't go wrong in going with the meal package. It is definitely a French experience!
Finally, the only other suggestion I would give is to alert people in the riding materials that there is a river crossing that you have to manage on your own using a little metal raft that you have to pull to your shore, load the bikes, and then pull to the other side. Its not too difficult, but managing the loading of bikes was a little tricky. I read afterwards there are ways around this crossing but it would have been good to know about it ahead of time.
All in all, a great trip and maybe in the future we will be back to do it again.
It goes without saying that the trails, scenery and points of interest were fantastic with lots of stops along the way. Even with less than great weather, we totally enjoyed this tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 6/25 - 7/5, 2021
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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?
- France
BikeTours.com staff reply from Bruce
Thanks for your review and glad that you had a nice trip! Good suggestion for the riding materials. What wonderful photos!
- ★★★★★ Htim
Historic Cities,Castles and Countryside
Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
Delightful and sometimes challenging tour through southern Chechia, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Good to excellent accommodations. Many old castles, chateaus, and classic walled medieval towns made for an enchanting experience. The tour provider was excellent. The routes were interesting and sometimes challenging. Most cycling was on paved roads but there were several stretches of unsaved roads and even trails. Navigation with the Garmin unit provided proved generally very good, but some independent navigation skills were sometimes needed, such as when there were unexpected detours for construction. Bicycles were adequate.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September to October 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- 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, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
- ★★★★★ Wesley
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
- ★★★★★ Hiker Ann
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
- ★★★★★ Peter and Joyce
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
- ★★★★★ AJNZ
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
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.
- ★★★★★ Mychelle
Do Your Research
Lake Constance Bicycle Path (Upscale Lodging)
My husband and I did the Lake Constance Self Guided bike tour. When we arrived at our hotel we dropped off our bags and we took a taxi to the bike company to pick up our bikes (per our instructions). We were greeted by a man that spoke only German. The maps and instruction he gave us were not clear (some of them were in German as well). The monitor on the bike was not in English (he got a translator over the phone to help him change it). I had upload the suggested Bike app on my phone ahead of time with the trail map but it would not work once we arrived. The first 24 hours of our trip did not go smooth (prior to our ride). I ended up going to the Visitor's Center in town and found someone that spoke English to walk me through the route. I got a much better trail map from them as well. Once we got through the hump of what we felt was very poor planning on the part of this company everything else went well. The hotels were wonderful, the bike trail was breathtaking, the weather was mostly sunny (a little rain) and the trail is well marked. I emailed this company during our trip to let them know about our problems and they were little help.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe
Thanks, Mychelle, for your review and for taking the time to chat with us directly. We appreciate your details about the communication, language, app, and instructions. We understand this made your first 24 hours less than ideal. We will work with the tour operator to improve the experience for future clients as well as consider how we may better prepare clients for their tour. Thanks again for your feedback, we're overjoyed to know the hotels were wonderful, the path was well-marked, and the trails were breathtaking.
- ★★★★★ mb001
Fun trip with lots of biking.
Vienna to Budapest 5-nights (Active)
My friend and I did this trip in early Oct. The first hotel in Vienne is Hotel Arcortel and not near any restaurants or pubs but close to the start of the trip. I would suggest booking a few days before in the city center if you plan on seeing Vienna. We stayed next in Hotel Devin in Bratislava. The hotel here and city were great. Everything walking distance. Next was Hotel Barrokk in Gyor. This was a very nice hotel and city that you could walk to a variety of restaurants and shopping. Then day 3 we biked 124km to Esztergom. There is an option to take a train for half of this trip. We did the biking and found it a very long day, but doable. We had electric bikes and it was a good thing! This day of biking was the most difficult not only because of the distance, but the terrain. You are in remote Hungarian countryside with no one around for hours. The bike trail or paths are poorly marked in some areas you find yourself on dirt farm land. Unfortunately we were lost a lot! The hotel in Esztergom was the Hotel Bellevue. This hotel is set on a busy street with no options to walk to any other restaurants or shopping. We were not aware that dinner must be booked ahead of time. After talking our way into a reservation, we found the buffet was average. If possible stay in the city and not this hotel. On the last day we left and needed to catch the ferry across the river. We were lucky as the week we were there was the last week of the season for the ferry. We rode to Budapest and again found some of the trails or paths poorly marked. We ran into a guided tour along the way and the guide told us about an app called mapy.cz and it has the entire map of the bike path we used and saved us several times. It was great to finish in Budapest as it is a very large exciting city with so much to do! The NH Hotel was easy to get to and situated close to many sites.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 10/6-10/10/19
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Hungary, Slovakia
BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe
Thanks so much for this review - so many great details and suggestions! We're glad you had a fun trip and enjoyed many of the cities. We appreciate your details regarding the cycling terrain and navigation. This section of the Danube cycle path is less developed and more rustic than other sections, as you have noted. We hope future clients will be well informed by your review and perhaps even utilize the app you have mentioned. Thanks again.
- ★★★★★ Bayer55
Vineyards, vineyards, vineyards!!
Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
Great tour for independent traveler. Well marked, easy riding, great maps and assistance if needed. First day was a bit long at 40 miles. Would have liked to have done tour in 5-6 days, to take in more sights and relax a bit more. But we are not seasoned bicyclists, so took a bit longer to travel the route.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 14-18
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4 (but last one was 4 yrs ago)
- 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?
- Germany
- ★★★★★ JCost
Nice ride, great accommodations
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
The ride was beautiful in places, often stunning. The accommodations were amazing. Each one different, all of them lovely.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
