Primarily Bike Paths Tour Reviews page 32
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★★★★★ Jason Hartford
Memorable trip well organized
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We had a great experience with Bike Tours. Positive: good communication pre trip and the night before. Good pre-trip description of the hotel locations, hotels, and what to expect from the bikes. Night prior, very good review of what to expect. We rented the premium bikes and glad we did--worked very well. On the tour, very good ideas of what to see, and the distance between towns seemed to be well thought out with the first and last legs the shortest. Hotels were great. A diversity of new and classic and all had more to them than what I expected. Often ate at the hotel restaurants which were very good.
On the negative side, not much. Directions into and out of town accurate except the last leg going into Vienna -- on that one Google maps was much better.
We will definitely do another trip with Bike Tours and even this exact one-- it was memorable and fun and want to experience it with more friends.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- first
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ James Sinnott
Everything I had hoped for!
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
What a great way to see a beautiful part of the world. I had wanted to do this fr nearly 50 years and the E-bikes made it possible. The accomodations were great and bike friendly. Food was always well prepared and tasty. My wife has a very strict vegan diet and all the facilities were aware of it and most helpful. My brother fell and cracked his wrist and the hotel was most helpful and got us to great care. (Note to biker: do not try to take pictures with a phone in the right hand and then try to brake with just the left hand....a go-pro would have been worth it) We extended in Vienna and enjoyed tours there and a day to Budapest.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- one now but 50 years ago my wife and I biked through Southern Norway
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much 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, Germany
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★★★★★ Tricia Hoggan
Amazing
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
It was wonderful. The scenery was spectacular. The hotels were perfect. I can't say enough good things about the trip.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Barbara Owens
The scenery was great. The maps and tour company were not.
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
This was our second tour with Biketours.com and we discovered that there is a huge difference between the tour companies they contract with in Austria. Our first tour was great. This one, not so. The map book and directions provided were just terrible. Rather than say "follow the well marked trail named xx, it was "go to the end of the hamlet and turn right" No street names. No named landmarks or areas. The ENTIRE book was that way. One day we had to be transported by van over a mountain but it did not explain that. It said to be at a train station in a certain town at 2 pm. We got there, thinking we were taking a train but could not figure it out. I called the company and they said a van was coming to get us. Other people on the same route also did not understand and they literally rode over the mountain. Communication from the company was terrible -- and I speak German!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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BikeTours.com staff reply from kirsten
Thank you for traveling with us again, Barbara! We are sorry to hear that the route information provided to you was not clear and detailed. We have passed your message along to our partner to ensure that these issues are addressed, in hopes that future travelers will have an easier time following the maps as well as be made aware of included transfers during the tour. We appreciate you reaching out!
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★★★★★ Earl Naue
Innsbruck to Salzburg Ride
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
This was our first of two bike tours in Austria this year and both were handled by two different tour providers and the services and directions provided by each were significantly different. The lodging choices were excellent for both, but riding directions were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Advise that you go with a tour company that provides an application with directions utilizing GPS.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2022
- 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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BikeTours.com staff reply from Liv
Hi Earl,
Thanks for your comments. I really hope you had a great holiday through this beautiful area. I just wanted to point out that we do offer GPS rental with this tour (see Dates & Prices). I agree, using GPS really makes a world of difference.
Thanks again,
Liv
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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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★★★★★ Scott McCormick
Amazing, awesome time
Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
Really great trip that we would love to do again or extend to other parts of Europe.
A normal day for us:
* Wake up and drop bags at front desk
* Get a casual breakfast
* Ride bikes and take breaks as needed
** We usually went about 15-20 miles/hour
** Took anywhere from 4-6 hours
* Check into hotel & explore
* Usually pretty tired, so not a lot of late nightsYou're following the eurovelo 6 trail the whole time which is well marked. Very little chance you get lost, but there is a eurovelo 6 app which you can use if you're worried. Or just get lost. It's Europe, you'll be fine.
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★★★★★ Janna R Poll
Needs a bit more sophistication
Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
1. There was no GPS. They insisted it was easy and we had maps, but they were in Czech and hard to read and the street were rarely marked.
2. I had two flats within the first mile ( two more to come). They need to put liners in their tires. Our pump was also so bad that after a lot of work it was still too low to ride. Usually other riders would stop and let us borrow their more superior pumps.
They delivered a new bike in Prague because my brakes were also broken. To get to their delivery car I had to go down a wet slope and across a divided highway. I fell on a wet grid and hurt my knee bad and ripped the entire butt out of my only pair of bike shorts for the whole trip ( remember the missing luggage). This. Detour meant we couldn’t ever seem to find the bike bath again and since we had a late start of 3:30, we rode hard for six straight hours. It was extremely dangerous after dark and we had no food out in the farmland. I was using my phone to try to find the towns with path.
I complained about the promise of a GPS and not having one. So they forwarded maps to use on a a special app on my phone, but that took a day to understand where we were on the map. I got a GPS the third day, but it didn’t have a charge and the charging unit didn’t go with the unit I had.
4. Not only did we have flats, but my kickstand didn’t work and more importantly, the fender supports in the front was missing some rubber tips. That meant when I put down my foot when stopping and the wheel was turned at all, the snipped off metal of the support would slash my inside knees badly. This happened a lot and was very painful and bloody.
5. Several of the hotels had some real problems with super warm rooms, (no A/C anywhere over there), loud streets, and no ice. Two at least had fans. the nice hotel in Bad Shandeau put us alone up on the 4th floor and said we were to leave the windows closed because of smoke from the fires, which was blowing the opposite direction. Our attic room was well over 90F w no ventilation. We opened the narrow attic windows anyhow
The best hotel was a little pensioner on the first night. That frog even gave us ice for our water bottles. It was a very hot week.6. The path ran right by a forest fire before Bad Schandau. Breathing was bad and stinky.
They guys were generally responsive, though the main guy was on vacation. We are fairly unde manding most of time, changed our own FOUR flat tires, tried to find our way, dealt w the bike faults, but feel they were tired of us the first day. In fact he said if we were ‘one of their clienta it would be different. If they took the money from you, we WERE their client!
Overall, it was a bit disappointing on the bike side, though the river is lovely and biking is still the best way to see a country! SHOW MORE
Janna Poll Olender
Pic of what the fender was doing. The bruise was from trying to get to their van w new bike in Prague.
SHOW LESS- What was the date of your tour?
- July2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic, Germany
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★★★★★ Cynthia Ord
Loved everything about this tour (except the rental bikes)
Vienna to Budapest 5-nights (Active)
I recommend the Vienna to Budapest 5-night tour, especially as an inter-generational adventure. We were a group of two 30-somethings and a 72-year-old dad, and it was a great fit for all of us. This is really a premier section of the full Eurovelo 6 cross-Europe route. I was especially impressed with bikeways and great signage all along the route. We were impressed by the variety and quality of the hotels, and the destination town or city at the end of each day was well-chosen. It was such a treat to go exploring each evening after getting off the bikes!
Squeezing it all into the four-day sporty/active itinerary, however, was challenging on heavy cruiser-style rental bikes, so I'd advise either slowing it down or bringing your own bike.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2022
- 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?
- Austria, Hungary, Slovakia
-
BikeTours.com staff reply from kirsten
Hi Cynthia!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this tour! We are happy to hear it was a great fit for your group. Your pictures are fantastic and really capture the joy of your adventure! Seeing those smiling faces is why we do what we do. Thank you again for choosing to travel with us!
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★★★★★ Mark Ivkovich
Wonderful bike tour experience
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
The hotels were very nice and morning meals excellent. The cities on the bike tour were all very interesting and offered many historical points of interest. I would highly recommend the bike tour to friends and family.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 6, 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Dorothy Richards
Great Trip!
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
We really enjoyed our trip around the Bodensee! Our bikes were in good working condition, the hotels were nice and typically had great breakfasts. The route took us by many highlights and even some places off the beaten path. I would absolutely recommend this trip and I would use this tour company again.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Robert Hardies
This isnabgreat and fun trip!
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Radweg Reisen did a fantastic job. The bikes were in excellent condition and were great bikes. Luggage transfer was seamless. The hotels and meals were great. The guide books were comprehensive. I feel like I cannot rave enough about how well organized this tour was. Thanks!
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five or more
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Donna Schultz
Ship needs better ventilation in dining room.
Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau
We booked trip 3 years ago. It was cancelled twice. We are fully Covid vaccinated and boosted. The crew wore masks for the first 5 days. On day 7, my husband got Covid. The only place for exposure was the dining room. All the passengers ate together in a dining room that did not have good ventilation. There was no options for open air dining or room dining. We lost 4 days while he recovered.
After waiting so long for trip, it was disappointing there was not adequate controls to avoid virus spread.
After he got sick. I noticed at least 6 other people that were also coughing. No one was ill at beginning of trip.
We will not go on another bike boat trip that does not take precautions to reduce virus spread. There should be changes in table spacing, air flow & circulation, better air filtration, & open air dining option.
The boat was Swiss Crown.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- I have been on inn to inn tours. This was first bike boat tour
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Gary Grellman
Our 2022 Cycling Adventure
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Overall, we had a wonderful time and have mostly positive, if not effusive, things to say about the trip. The upgraded accommodations met and, in a couple of instances, exceeded our expectations. The premium bikes were in excellent condition and performed exceptionally well. For the most part, the route description was accurate and helpful (with a few exceptions as noted below). The luggage transfer from hotel to hotel was seamless. Our bags were always at each hotel when we arrived at the end of the day's ride. The staff was exceptionally helpful when we decided not to ride one day because of particularly inclement weather. They transferred our bikes to the next hotel while we took a taxi.
Minor Critiques:
1) The meeting with the staff member at the beginning of the ride was not helpful. Firstly, he seemed rushed and came across as if he wanted to get the briefing over with as quickly as possible. He only spent 5 minutes with us. He gave us confusing instructions on how to get out of Passau and was not able to answer questions about how to use and reset the odometer.
2) The directions on how to bike to Ottensheim were incomplete which caused us to unnecessarily cross the river twice.
3) There were two different sets of directions to Hotel Schatzkammer. Furthermore, one incorrectly stated that the bus would pick us up in Grein at 4:35 pm. The actual pickup time is 4:00 pm. We almost missed the bus because of this.
4) The odometer on one of the bicycles did not work.- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- 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, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
-
★★★★★ Charles Honaker
Best vacation ever
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
My daughter and I actually repeated this 10 day bike tour from a few years ago and were not disappointed. The daily 25-30 mile leisure rides down the Danube at our own slow pace allowed us to see so much of the small towns along the way, stops at many food and drink kiosks directly on the bike trail , an occasional boat ride with bikes to shorten the ride and enjoy on board snacks and drinks, and then check-in to very nice upscale small hotels in the afternoon. We would have a meal at the hotel or neighborhood and explore the area. The huge breakfast buffets were a great way to start wash day. I’m over 70 but would do it again tomorrow if given a chance. My daughter’s hotel room was usually adjacent to mine. I have booked with bike tours for 10 years and never disappointed. This year Taylor handled all the booking and was unbelievably prompt at responding to email questions and arranging special requests pertaining to hotels , meals , bikes, extensions in Passau, Enns, and Vienna and transfers from airport to a “ start hotel”. Thank you Taylor. We hope to go again somewhere with Bike Tours.! You all are phenomenal and a real pleasure to deal with. Charles R Honaker
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★★★★★ Charles Honaker
Best vacation ever
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
My daughter and I actually repeated this 10 day bike tour from a few years ago and were not disappointed. The daily 25-30 mile leisure rides down the Danube at our own slow pace allowed us to see so much of the small towns along the way, stops at many food and drink kiosks directly on the bike trail , an occasional boat ride with bikes to shorten the ride and enjoy on board snacks and drinks, and then check-in to very nice upscale small hotels in the afternoon. We would have a meal at the hotel or neighborhood and explore the area. The huge breakfast buffets were a great way to start wash day. I’m over 70 but would do it again tomorrow if given a chance. My daughter’s hotel room was usually adjacent to mine. I have booked with bike tours for 10 years and never disappointed. This year Taylor handled all the booking and was unbelievably prompt at responding to email questions and arranging special requests pertaining to hotels , meals , bikes, extensions in Passau, Enns, and Vienna and transfers from airport to a “ start hotel”. Thank you Taylor. We hope to go again somewhere with Bike Tours.! You all are phenomenal and a real pleasure to deal with. Charles R Honaker
