Primarily Bike Paths Tour Reviews page 24
- Argentina
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★★★★★ Jimmie Ring
Self guided tour of the Rhine
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
My spouse and I elected to take a self guided tour of the Rhine from Mainz to Cologne. We could not have been happier with the support, hotels or the route. The daily length of the ride was PERFECT for allowing plenty of time to explore along the way. The hotels were awesome - located always close to the things we wanted to see, comfortable, and breakfasts were fantastic. The support- from the information provided before the tour to the daily pickup and drop off of luggage - was perfection. The bikes were also very good and comfortable. We were very happy with the whole experience.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ David Reynolds
Orleans to Angers - great chateaus
Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
Great tour. Biking route was easy to follow and attractions were amazing, esp for chateau lovers.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ DavidW
Amazing scenery day after day
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We have cycled in most countries in Europe and picked this trip for two reasons. 1) Our adult daughter was traveling with us, and she loves mountains, and 2) I had major knee surgery this past winter and wanted a ride that was fun but not overly strenuous. This trip met both criteria and more! The scenery from day-to-day was unmatched. My wife and I had visited some of these locations in winter, but the summer was a different and wonderful experience. This trip would be great for novice riders because it would be very hard to get lost (mountains on both sides). Also, being able to ride on dedicated bike trails with very few stretches of road is a great benefit. Just enough gentle climbs to keep your heart pumping.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 20-26, 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?
- Austria
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★★★★★ David and Cherie
Highlight of our European trip
Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat
What a fantastic experience. Exceeded all our expectations. Cycling on an e-bike was almost effortless (although after a couple of days we were glad we brought our padded gel seats). The cycling was mostly flat and mostly on dedicated cycle paths. Very rarely wrre you on the road with the cars.
The food was a class above what we were expecting. Breakfast was plentiful and dinner was delicious and well presented.
We received a discount for our room (#227) as it was at the rear of the boat and was affected by engine noise. To be honest the noise when moored was no worse than most aircon units. Our room was also 1 sq metre larger than most others which meant we had a double bed (as opposed to two singles) and had plenty of room for our clothing and luggage in the twin wardrobes and drawers.
Julia, the cruise director, was fantastic at explaining the ins and outs of each up,-coming day and organising the additional shore excursions.
Being the first week of May there were many shops, cafes and restaurants along the way that weren't open but we always found somewhere to stop and rest. It also meant the roads and cycleways were not so busy, as the would be in the holiday season.
Overall a great blend of history, scenery and relaxation. Looking forward to our next trip.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2025
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Dave Carlstrom
On the road again... our third Biketours.com adventure
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Thankfully I’m not unduly worse for wear after almost three weeks and hundreds of kilometers of European cycling… though I did take four tumbles. The most serious (and ignominious) was in an Austrian grocery store parking lot when my pants cuff caught on the pedal and over I went – hard, attracting the immediate attention of several shoppers (“Carnage on lane one”) who with some difficulty got me back on my feet. At first I was pretty sure I’d broken something important, but all limbs are yet attached and seemingly intact… albeit a bit looser.
I pedaled the balance of the day’s distance but at my compatriots’ urging skipped the following day’s segment in favor of bus/train passage to St. Gallen, Switzerland. The next day was a scheduled no biking day so I had two days to recover, sorta. The next day – our last of actual cycling – with some anxiety I got back on my trusty velocipede and, sure enough, one click later fell again… though this time comparatively softly albeit in front of a bus. I made it the remaining 45K to destination without further incident.
Our merry band included Seattleites Curt and Brenda Burnett, Gerry Champagne, and friends until recently from Fairbanks Ron and Jeanine Woolf. Fine folks all, we really did have a good time together.
Our odyssey began with six days at a rental house in Eguisheim, France, followed by an eleven day clockwise circumnavigation of Lake Constance that touched Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Here are a few day-by-day snippets of my adventure:
Sunday, April 30th. Aloft en route to Paris Delta served the worst dinner I’ve ever ingested on an international flight: the “beef” entre was the consistency of spam, reminiscent of the mystery meat of junior high cafeteria days, and dished out in a biodegradable cardboard clamshell.
Monday, May 1st. Having hobbled off the plane I was semi-involuntarily consigned to a wheelchair for the lengthy transfer to the airport train station. Manly hombre that I am, I dared not disclose to the friendly pusher that I had come to Europe for three weeks of cycling. Arrived Colmar, in Alsace, just before midnight via a 180 MPH TGV with a transfer in Strasbourg and, coincidentally, six minutes prior to the Woolfs’ arrival. Settled into our very nice rental house.
Tuesday, May 2nd - Thursday, May 4th. Daily e-bike excursions to nearby picture-perfect towns with eat-in dinners crafted by chefs Burnett and Woolf. Imbibed copious amouints of wine, certainly did our part for the local viticulture industry.
I developed a serious case of ABC – Asymmetrical Butt Chafing – which was ameliorated by liberal bi-daily nether regions applications of Bag Balm – my personal favorite posterior palliative, see https://bagbalm.com/. SHOW MORE
Friday, May 5th. Hung out at the house, pas mal.
Saturday, May 6th. Day trip with Burnetts to the tourist mecca of Colmar where, alas and alack, Curt was pickpocketed! Charge and debit card cancellations ensued, not good.
Sunday, May 7th. Auto trip to a German mountain hiking lodge, an intermediate stop on our way to Konstantz, the starting and ending point of our main event circumnavigation of the eponymous lake.
Monday, May 8th. Had to beat feet to get Burnetts’ rental car back by a 10:30 am deadline… made it with a full five minutes to spare. Checked in at the stunning four star Hotel Halm where the breakfast buffet includes champagne and cheesecake. Woolfs arrived by train, Gerry direct from Seattle via Zurich. Got our e-bikes.
Tuesday, May 9th. Pedaled forty some K to Gailingen, a bit of a shakedown cruise. Great scenery and picture postcard-worthy medieval villages. Adequate lodging, but not a Hotel Halm.
Wednesday, May 10th. Roundtrip to Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest. Second night in Gailingen, first of nearly nightly self-catered hotel room team happy hours.
On previous European bike tours we’ve grumbled about route instructions encrypted by by non-native English speakers. This time the tour operator-provided guidebook was completely devoid of route guidance… we were on our own, taking turns as Google Maps-assisted trail breaking pathfinders with plenty of navigational errors. But we always (eventually) got to where we were going.
Thursday, May 11th. Return to Konstanz for a Hotel Halm reprise. Got soaked during the last couple clicks of the day’s ride.
Friday, May 12th. To Radolfzell via Mainau Island, the latter a facsimile of sorts of Butchart Gardens.
Saturday, May 13th. A mere sixteen K to Ludwigshafen.
Sunday, May 14th. Forty K to Friedrichshafen, home of the Zeppelin Museum to which I made a solo afternoon excursion via city buses. Turns out the Hindenberg was 245 meters from stem to stern, almost three football fields.
Monday, May 15th. Day of my aforementioned parking lot tumble. Overnight in Bregnz, Austria. I was very sore, somewhat bruised, had marginal repose.
Tuesday, May 16th. Having shipped my bike with the luggage I patronized buses and trains to our next destination, St. Gallen, Switzerland. As it happened today was Jeanine’s turn to tumble, hard, while passing a path-blocking truck.
Wednesday, May 17th. Today was a scheduled non-cycling day so while others toured about (monastery, waterfalls chocolate factory, shopping) I rested my bruised corpus in the hope that I might be sufficiently healed for the morrow’s last lap back to Konstanz.
Thursday, May 18th. 14K of almost continuous downhill on the 46 K journey back to our starting point. Celebratory dinner, a bit melancholy to be soon parting ways.
Friday, May 19th. Train to Zurich for a twelve hour Swissair flight to San Francisco and a connection home to Seattle.
Great trip, a good time had by all (despite bumps and bruises).
D. Carlstrom. May, 2023
SHOW LESS- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Debby Schlesinger
First and most certainly NOT the LAST Bike and Boat trip.
Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty
Food: Excellent with varied choices each evening. Sack lunch items provided for along the ride.
Routes: Being my 1st Bike/Boat trip, I signed up for "Easy" rating. Very manageable. Appreciate electric assist. bikes. Route review each evening prior to next day's ride much appreciated. Beautiful routes through scenic areas.
Accomodations: Small rooms, (as stated), but adequate. Appreciated a variety of areas to relax, besides room. (Top deck, "Open Air" Spa pool on top deck, Lounge).
Convenience/Service: Excellent. Assistance with bikes: loading/unloading, set up, fine tuning. Tour director (George) ALWAYS available for questions. Servers were excellent, friendly, & considerate. Bikes/equipment available were of excellent quality.
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★★★★★ Debby Schlesinger
1st bike/boat tour.....best time ever.
Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty
Touring by bike with support from boat was a wonderful way to see the countryside, experience local culture, and sightsee without having to do HOURS & DAYS of research on routes, sites worth stopping at, and logistics of lodging, and biking. The tour was a great value too. It was a wonderful way to have an active vacation....so much better than a cruise or bus tour. Really appreciated the route reviews, maps, and suggestions for the next day's route each evening. It was apparent that the routes chosen offered scenic value, as well as ease of access, and worthwhile sights to see. The crew were very helpful at getting the bikes set up for rider proportions, comfort and preferences. There were even opportunities to meet with local experts and experience a more "in depth" tour with history and background. The food was absolutely sumptuous!! Meals were expertly prepared, featured local cuisine at dinners, as well as "American" favorites at breakfast in addition to "Continental" breakfast foods. The "Picnic" lunches provided for were a bonus too. Cabin accomodations were comfortable, adequate, and served our needs well; albeit the small space. (We had a "lower deck" cabin... the most economical). That being said, there wasn't much time spent in the cabin other than sleeping, and preparing for the next day's ride. Really enjoyed the spa on the top deck to ease sore muscles & relax. Altogether, a wonderful vacation in a beautiful location.
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★★★★★ Traveldeb
A Family Ride on the Danube
Danube Family Tour 7 Nights
I was looking for a relatively easy ride for a group that included two grandchildren. This was perfect. The equipment (trailer and tag along) were just right, the easy paved course let everyone enjoy the scenery, and the accommodations were wonderful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 21 - 29
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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
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★★★★★ LINDA LYNCH
Surpassed all expectations
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Though we "trained" for this trip, (this trip is rolling hills and a relatively level course), there are several long ride days. And in truth, we are more tourists than competitive bikers, so wanted to sightsee the villages, which are rich in history and architecture. So, we connected with Caroline and Natasha at the BikeTours bike partner and were very fortunate to switch to ebikes midway. Truly suggest this option to begin with, as it made the journey more pleasant and our time well spent learning about UNESCO sites, ancient Churches and the area surrounding Lake Constanze. Simply, all the hotels were superior, they provided peaceful settings, clean accommodations and tremendous breakfasts, though Alte Post front desk and breakfast staff and St. Leonard Park Hotel were true overachievers. The Hotel front desk staff in all were great and answered our many questions. At present, we are reading about and studying countries for our next trip with Bike Tours!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ LINDA LYNCH
Stunning Lake, country and villages
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Our first bike tour introduced many picturesque villages, as well as kind hotel staff. The hotels were nicely spaced along Lake Constanze with great breakfasts each morning. First moment, I recognized the absolute quiet of our peaceful settings. The villages and country were not just charming, they were calming and quiet. Day 4 we switched to Ebikes, as they allowed us to visit more of the Historic and UNESCO sites along the route and facilitating the hills. Suggest better cell phone research, as our "just change to new sim card" did not go to plan. It is 3 different countries, so 3 sim cards by the number of phones... Alte Post in Constanze front desk manager was amazing in her ability to answer our many questions, as well as Nadia at the bike company.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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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★★★★★ Dee
Trip was outstanding!
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Every day we were treated to a delicious menu from Breakfast to Dinner and dessert. High Tea every afternoon with treats like Black Forest Cake and Cheesecake after spending a day exploring ancient towns and castles by bike. Our cruise director Reinhold saved the day, and gave us a daily run down on options for tours in larger cities. Staff overall was wonderful and attentive. Bike pathways are lovely along the river, highly recommend this trip!. Plus, the Swiss Crown is in great shape, very comfortable.
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★★★★★ Dennis A
Innsbruck to Lake Garda
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Beautiful is the only way to describe scenery. Only thing difficult about this trip were the directions! Had problems almost every day getting out of cities. Particularly difficult in Merano. Circled city in dangerous conditions trying to get to trail.
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★★★★★ Barbara Dickson
Girls on Bikes
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
The 6 of us really enjoyed our trip. We downloaded the KoMoot App for navigation and so glad we did. The paper instructions were much more difficult to follow and the digital instructions worked perfectly. The hotels were quite nice and the luggage went like clockwork. It was a great trip.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ AmyandBruce
Pretty amazing
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
We especially enjoyed the changing scenery, climate, culture and architecture as we traveled from Innsbruck to Lake Garda. This tour is extremely beautiful. The accommodations were consistently clean and comfortable, a very good value for the price of the tour. The breakfast buffets are nothing like what you get at motels in the United States. They are way, way nicer.
Most of the tour involved low stress biking along well maintained and predominately paved bike paths. Some was along quiet roads or narrow city streets. Twice we had to deal with heavy volume and no shoulder. Once was biking around 3 km uphill to our hotel in Imst, Austria (such a pleasure when we finally arrived), and once on approach to Auer in Italy. Also be aware that the bike paths are more heavily used in Austria and Italy. This is generally not a problem, but there are a number of "sport cyclists" who come up on you quickly and silently, so no automobile traffic does not mean that you don't have to pay attention. Also be aware that while much of the route is flat (or more accurately a gentle uphill or downhill as it follows a river), there are sections that are rolling or even hilly.
In addition, we encountered head winds around 80% of the time. Of course, in other weather conditions, it might have been a tail wind! But the wind does blow through these steep sided, canyon like valleys. Also be aware that it does rain quite a bit in the Austrian Alps, and can get hot as you proceed southward. For the most part, though, we had very nice weather.
The material provided by the local tour company was useful and included sightseeing information. We branched out a bit and did our own research. We found an amazing waterfall in Parcines (near Moreno) that was a bit off the beaten path and a few miles from the bike route.
The bicycles we rented were different from what I'm used to even though they are hybrids and I ride a hybrid for transportation. Much more upright, and I was unable to adjust the handlebar height or change the height of the seat without impacting the position of my legs, which was perfect. So it took a couple of days for my arms to get used to the (what was for me) unusual position. The seat was more comfortable than I feared it would be. I had no problem with that. The partner, EuroBikes, provides a high quality water proof panier and handlebar bag. Also lights (the rear ones had run out of batteries and didn't work well for me or at all for my husband, but the front lights were fine) and an odometer. You also get tools, a pump, and a spare tube. Your riding will be during the day, but I like to use lights when it rains.
The tour company was very prompt and accurate with transporting our luggage, so that was never a problem.
Our only real problem was with directions, and that was mainly due to a communication snafu. Most of the cyclists on this route are German speakers, so the lady that gave the orientation needed to speak to the different groups in different languages, which made it a bit awkward. My husband speaks a little German, but I didn't speak any before this tour. English was not her first language. We are used to more detailed cue sheets or route markings on pavement. The cue sheets are not at all detailed. However, the tour company affixes small stickers to poles at intersections, and this takes care of the problem. All the tour companies do this so you just have to look for your company's sticker. Although we were given an orientation and the material does show the symbol for the company, no one explained that they were tiny stickers on poles. I'm guessing the cyclists in Europe know this, but we didn't. We eventually met another group of cyclists from England and Scotland who explained this to us. After that, it was obvious. So if you take this tour, please be aware of these stickers. It will make life ever so much easier for you and you will not make the wrong turns and add the extra miles that we did. SHOW MORE
All in all, this was not a difficult tour. Most people with at least some cycling experience should be fine with it. But because there are some hills and head winds, do yourself a favor and do a little bit of training if you do not bicycle regularly.
But absolutely take this tour. All things considered (especially if you keep those stickers in mind), it was an incredible experience. I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.
SHOW LESS- What was the date of your tour?
- July 6 to July 13, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- around 15
- 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?
- Austria, Italy
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★★★★★ David Geelong Australia
Perfect 7 Days Easy Alpine Cycling
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
A fantastic way to ride through the Austrian and Italian Alps without the hill climbs. Perfect length of 7 nights, awesome accommodation in beautiful villages and larger cities, nestled right in amongst the activities of the town centres.
Two brothers in retirement rode normal touring bicycles without any training and covered the tracks with relative ease.
The scenery along the route was breathtaking.
The food delicious and easy to search out local cuisine as accommodation was right in amongst it all.
Accomodation was first class (twin share), with large rooms, breakfasts were full buffet and catered for everyone’s tastes.
The touring bikes were in the excellent condition, comfortable seats, pannier and handle bar removable basket.
Routes were 99% cycle only roads fully sealed with a few hundred meters of gravel.
Eurobike staff were also excellent and assisted us as first priority after an incident.
Thank you we would not hesitate to this TO again.
Thank you -
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★★★★★ djmeissner13
Perfect Family Trip!
Danube Family Tour 7 Nights
Our family had an amazing experience. With 2 boys (13 & 15) the distance was easily manageable, and we could focus on the "travel experience" and not just getting there. My first experience with a bike tour company was a good one. Great hotels, good service, super nice people along the route. BikeTours even switched out a malfunctioning bike for us mid-trip. Tour materials were very easy to follow and super helpful. Great memories for sure.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Karin
LIVE AND LOCAL
Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat
Going with my group made a big difference - we didn't always cycle together, but knowing there were others on the trail helped! Scenery, countryside, conviviality were awesome. Accommodations were spartan, but the meals were terrific, the crew excellent and the experience more than worthwhile. Recommended!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 1-8 Sep 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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
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★★★★★ David Thomas
Fabulous trip!
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
What a great way to visit four countries and bike through the lovely countryside. We chose to follow the map on the app ourselves and not have a guide which worked perfectly for us as it gave us more freedom to set our own schedule. We thoroughly enjoyed Leslie, our cruise director, who was full of energy and made each person feel special. The electric bikes were great quality and the crew did all the work moving them on and off the boat for our rides. This is a great introduction for us to the bike and boat world!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ David Thomas
Fabulous trip!
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
What a great way to visit four countries and bike through the lovely countryside. We chose to follow the map on the app ourselves and not have a guide which worked perfectly for us as it gave us more freedom to set our own schedule. We thoroughly enjoyed Leslie, our cruise director, who was full of energy and made each person feel special. The electric bikes were great quality and the crew did all the work moving them on and off the boat for our rides. This is a great introduction for us to the bike and boat world!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
