Primarily Bike Paths Tour Reviews page 59
- Albania
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and H…
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- England
- Estonia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Holland
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Scotland
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United States
- Vietnam
-
★★★★★ Nancy Reid
Surrounded by beauty: Innsbruck to SalzburgA
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
Our self-guided ride was a beautiful ride along the rivers on well marked bike paths and trails. The scenery was amazing and the hotels were very comfortable. It was a wonderful way to experience the Austrian countryside, towns and people. I enjoyed the ride so much, I'd like to do it again!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ JP and Shannon
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
-
★★★★★ Tom A.
Mountain valleys, forests, meadows, pastures, and rivers
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
I believe this has been our 4th trip with BikeTours.com, and this might be the best one yet. If you’re looking for a pleasant ride through a lush green countryside, and generally cool weather (and can tolerate a rainstorm or two), Austria is an ideal place for biking, and this particular tour is one of the very best. This trip was actually a little easier on the legs (we only use “real” bikes!) than the other Level 2 trips we’ve taken, and the overall vibe and scenery were just what we were looking for. While we enjoy the bigger cities of Innsbruck and Salzburg, what we love best are the trails through the countryside, with a nice village every 10 miles or so for a break and a bit of Apfelstrudel. Austrians are so friendly to tourists that it’s simply a delight to be here. The cool weather and lush green vegetation everywhere are a big plus, particularly if you come from a drier climate like we do. We navigated with the provided .gpx file using Google maps. Best navigation experience by far!
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ AJM - Indy
This was the best of my Four European Bike Tours
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We traveled in late-August to early-September of 2025. The scenery was more stunning than I imagined it would be and the weather was perfect nearly every day; sunny skies, mild temperatures, and cool nights. (Most European hotels do not have AC so cool nights were a real blessing.)
Our e-bikes were in excellent condition and all of them worked flawlessly during the entire trip.
The breakfast's were hearty meals including meats, cheeses, eggs, yogurt, fruit, juice, coffee, and some pastries.
Some thoughts about the cycling. Using a GPS app to map your day's ride is critically important if you do not want to get lost. Austria is full of biking and hiking trails so it is very easy to take the wrong trail at trail intersections. We used Garmin's Explore app to navigate the biking trails and it worked really well. (A link with the GPS coordinates will be provided by the touring company.) On a related note, Google Maps worked much better in Europe than Apple's Maps app when walking around towns and villages.
The paper maps provided by the touring company are nearly impossible to follow while riding but they do have a benefit. The night before each day's ride--after studying the map--we would make notes indicating the distance to select villages, bridges, lakes, and intersections, etc. (The maps provide these distances.) Our notes then served as our sign posts ensuring that were were on the correct road or trail during the next day's ride, and also plan our lunch stops.
Though this was not explained in any of the literature I read, at every hotel we stayed we were given a two day "summer card" ("Sommerkarte") free of charge. (We did have to ask for it at one hotel.) These cards are incredible deals. They allow for FREE transportation on local and regional buses and trains, and also provide free admission to select museums, free rides on the Schmittenhohe Cable Cars in Zell am See, and free access to the water falls in Krimml. Not sure why an explanation of this tremendous benefit was not provided.
Just for clarification, the "taxi" that you catch at the train station in Zell am Ziller is a large passenger van pulling a trailer. Your bikes are loaded into the trailer and then everyone piles into the van for a breathtaking 45-minute ride to Krimml. (Your luggage will be in the van as well.) By the way, the bike ride to Zell am Ziller is less than 15 miles and the village is beautiful so I would recommend getting there before noon and then having lunch at one of the restaurants along the river before catching your "taxi" to Krimml that afternoon.
Our favorite activities:
Schmittenhohe Cable Cars in Zell am See- Use your summer card to catch the bus to the cable car facility and then ride to the top of the mountains where you can hike trails and have lunch. The views from the mountain tops are stunning.
Water Fall at Krimml- Again, use your summer card to access that water fall. You can walk up to the base of the waterfall and/or walk up the trail that leads to the top of the falls. There are lookouts about every 200 feet of elevation gain.
The Schloss Tratzberg Castle in Jenbach- It's probably a 10-mile detour on your first day, and somewhat expensive (summer cards do not work there), but well worth it. I believe this is one of the best preserved castles in the world. The current owner of the castle accompanied our tour (we were the last tour of the day) and he embellished much of the narrative provided by our guide.
The Family Gundolf Dinner Show in Innsbruck- A quirky Austrian variety show that includes dinner and a beer. It's kind of a Lawrence Welk meets Hee-Haw fusion for those old enough to remember those programs.
Salzburg- I only mention it because the reviews I read of Salzburg before our trip suggested it was kind of a one-dimensional city. ("Sound of Music.") It was much nicer than I anticipated with many shops, delicious restaurants, and one fascinating "speak easy" bar called Burdoch's Punch and Cocktails. At Burdoch's, you tell the bartender the name of a drink you like and then she creates a similar alternative using all sorts of random ingredients. I like "French 75's"; she made me something that was even better. The bartender and waiters were also excellent conversationalists. SHOW MORE- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Wendy Kercher
Alpine cycle paths in Austria
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We had a great week cycling through Austria. The bikes were in great condition. The bike shop was very accommodating and switched out the handlebar stem to make the bike more comfortable. We found the self-guided navigation easier than on past trips because we downloaded the routes provided to a cycling app on our phones. Family-run hotels in the overnight villages were all nice, however the breakfast at the second hotel in Strasse was disappointing.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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
-
★★★★★ Keith M.
The Best Way to Experience the Countryside Between Innsbruck and Vienna
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
This was a very well organized and well thought out way to experience the beautiful countryside between Innsbruck and Vienna. Chris at the bicycle rental shop in Innsbruck was very helpful and provided us with handlebar mounts for our phones to easily view GPS tracks, bicycle repair tools (including tire levers, spare inner tube, patch kit, hand pump, and CO2 inflator) and lock and pannier bags. Bicycles have been well maintained and were well suited for this tour. My wife used an e-bike whereas I used a 24 speed hybrid bicycle with a triple crankset giving me a wide range of gearing just in case it got hilly. Accommodations were good, mostly lodging facilities intended for winter skiing, with very good European breakfasts and excellent Austrian coffee. Our luggage was always available at the hotel when we arrived. I am 70 years old and have toured by bicycle throughout the United Staes since my teenage years but I found this tour far more enjoyable since the route we took was mostly on paved or crushed stone bicycle paths without auto traffic to deal with (in the United States I have bicycled through many beautiful national and state parks but have always had to deal with automobile traffic making it more difficult to enjoy the natural beauty). On this tour there are a few miles (but only a few miles) where we did need to ride with auto traffic in the cities. There are also some backroads and roads through neighborhoods that have very little auto traffic. There were a few very minor hiccups with the GPS tracks and the bicycle path signage. Although we found the GPS tracks very useful, on very rare occasion there were times that the GPS tracks did not perfectly match with the bicycle path signage which led to a little confusion but this was easily resolved after checking Google Maps. It was great that a shuttle was provided from Zell am Ziller to Krimml since the highway between these two towns is fairly steep and narrow with lots of auto traffic. The shuttle also got us to Krimml in time for us to hike up to the Krimml waterfalls. It was also nice that the shuttle took us to a higher elevation which resulted in a down hill coast on our bicycles the next morning. We were fortunate to have a layover day in Zell am See since it was the only day to rain on this tour. Although we are comfortable riding in the rain it is something we like to avoid which can be challenging to do in Austria. There were also a couple of minor hiccups with our lodging but these were quickly resolved by a phone call to Helmut Wagner, the bicycle tour operator. When we arrived at the hotel in Zell am See there was no one at the reception desk and we later found out we needed to go to the hotel next door to check in. When we arrived in at the hotel in Salzburg we were told by the reception personnel that we would need to pay for our room but again a phone call to Helmut Wagner quickly resolved this issue. I mention these minor inconveniences so one is prepared to be flexible and not to panic since these issues are easily resolved. Overall, the experience was most enjoyable and the scenery amazing. I strongly recommend this tour for anyone that enjoys bicycle touring through very scenic mountain valleys and historic towns. I am thankful that biketours.com has vetted this tour and made it easy and affordable to experience. The personnel at biketours.com were very helpful with the booking of this tour and patiently answered all of my questions. I will definitely book future European bicycle tours through biketours.com. SHOW MORE
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- Dozens
- 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
Email
Mailing Address
Office Hours