Primarily Bike Paths Tour Reviews page 51
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★★★★★ Larry Mark Robbins
Hotels with Charm?
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
As expected, the tour was beautiful, flat, and easy to follow. This is said to be the most scenic segment of the Rhine and I have no reason to doubt that. The bikes were excellent. We selected e-bikes, a first for me, that were useful since we encountered several cool days with a headwind. We chose the Charme category and travelled between seasons 2 and 3. Unfortunately, we were informed that four of the six hotels advertised were unavailable. Quote "Some of the hotels that were booked (due to availability) only offer Category A, however the highest room category was booked at all the Category A hotels. For Rüdesheim and Cologne we can offer a discount of 20,00 € per person/night." Ok, reasonable we thought and agreed. Here are how the switches worked out:
Mainz: H2 hotel: Brand new hotel, residential neighborhood but walkable to Old Town, overall nice. Room was good (clean & modern) tho not exceptional. More basic hotel than luxury hotel as Favorite Parkhotel appeared in pictures. Differential between the two hotels on Expedia for two nights is €80. No compensation offered.
Rudesheim: Central Hotel: As the name implies, central to tourist area. Room was Ok but not great. Certainly not "the highest room category was booked at all the Category A hotels" as promised. Breuer's Rüdesheim Castle, the brochure hotel, is €60 more expensive per night and pictures appear significantly more upscale. Compensated €40.
St Goar: Schlosshotel Rheinfels: This is the brochure hotel. Relais & Chateaux level hotel. Outstanding. Don't miss dinner in hotel dining room as sun sets.
Koblenz: Diehls Hotel: Located on the other side of the river from Koblenz but this was not a problem for us. Very fine hotel, received an upgraded room. Had an excellent dinner at hotel. Left the next morning from this side of the river. This was not either of the brochure hotels, but was excellent.
Bad Godesburg: Boutique Hotel Dreesen: This was the brochure hotel. Upscale as expected in a beautiful neighborhood. Restaurant Rheinzeit nearby should not be excluded.
Cologne: Hotel Eden am Dom: Top notch location next to cathedral and other tourist sites but just OK hotel. No upgraded room. At least €40 per night cheaper than the advertised Steigenberger per their own individual websites x 2 nights = €80. Given €40 compensation. Again, nothing wrong with this hotel, but not the experience advertised and not adequately compensated. Life isn't perfect but given this was mid-September, there were shortcomings.
NB: The ICE train returning from Koln to the Frankfurt airport is not the Hauptbahnhof next to the cathedral. That train leaves from the Messe/Deutz Bahnhof across the river. SHOW MORE
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Cynthia Cook
Biking Loire Valley
Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
Nice ride, there is a fair amount of riding with traffic, it would be difficult with younger kids. The trail signage needs updated. Some were faded and others covered by trees or brush. There were a few spots on the ride that GPS was needed for sure. Some of the trails were very rough and bumpy. It would be nice to stay in smaller towns, in city centers it was not very nice nor necessary. The scenery was varied, from vineyards to vegetable fields, orchards and quaint towns. The chateau package was nice. We had the dinner package which is nice after a days ride to have your restaurant already set.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 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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★★★★★ Margaret Ann MacGregor
All great—although the weather did not cooperate, but we had rain gear!
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Navigation worked well. Some hotels had great saunas! Breakfasts were all good!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- 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, Italy
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★★★★★ Susan Ferrante-Collier
Girls on Bikes
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
It was an amazing trip, we are very appreciative for the assistance of bike tours in making the trip as lovely as it was. My only complaint is that one of the hotels was in the middle of a huge construction situation and there were unpleasant septic issues. Choosing another hotel would have been preferable
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 4-16
- 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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★★★★★ EDWARD STEGER
Well organized and executed
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
BikeTours did a great job communicating our self guided tour and when one of our party had to drop out due to a sprained hand, BikeTours were flexible in picking up the bike from our 2nd tour hotel stop. The e-bikes were top notch and the countryside was beautiful. The hotels were all clean and ranged from adaquate to very comfortable. I have two suggestions. 1) It took a bit over a week to confirm our trip. This put the six of us in limbo for booking our airfare during this time. 2) The route was beautiful but the markings were unclear. There were a lot of choices (almost 1 per kilometer - lots of roundabouts and choices) and we had to stop, pull out our phones, and check Google Maps. This could have been avoided if the BikeTours had let us know to bring a bike phone mount or better yet, supplied one as part of the tour package.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jan
Apologies for the delay in your booking. Because of the nature of hotel based bike tours (lots of moving parts, bookings to confirm, etc) there is often not much we can do to speed this up. Also, noted on the phone mount. We have been seeing that in reviews more this year and will make sure we update our packing list!
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★★★★★ Marissa
Really great first trip
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Highlights:
- Handy navigation app that usually seemed to work well.
- Really neat variety of hotels with absolutely ridiculous breakfast spreads. Dinners at the hotels were also incredible.
- Staff were very helpful when they could be - this includes rental shop, phone contact, and transfer assistant staff.
- I'd estimate about 60-70% of the route was on dedicated bike trails that were wonderful to bike on, especially compared to terrible US bike infrastructure.
Lowlights:
- We did not use navigation features on the app, just used it as a reference map. As a compulsive mapper, an easy way to export GPX/route info from the provided app would have been appreciated. I was able to download GPXs several weeks in advance, but the routes on a couple of days ended up extremely incorrect and misleading.
- It would have been helpful to have general guidance or resources on alternatives in the event of bad weather. We got fairly lucky on the timing of some heavy rain, but it definitely caused some anxiety.
- Nova Gorica and Trieste were kind of awful and hectic to navigate, but I don't know how you'd avoid them.The route was gorgeous and mostly easy. I'd recommend taking the long and hilly routes to Bled and Trieste if you're physically up for it. As an enthusiastic cyclist, it was hard to adjust to the heavy and clunky rental bikes (obvious solution: bring your own bike) and I can't say we'd have tackled any mountain passes, but they were comfortable and well maintained. I felt like we definitely got value for what we paid and I'd recommend this trip to anyone who wanted an intro to easy touring!
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★★★★★ Fang-Ju Chang
Amazing journey between vineyard and greenways
Burgundy Wine Trails: Beaune to Macon on the “Voie Verte”
Highly recommend for wine lovers and nature! But it’s self guided tour requiring time for foreigners to pick up the familiarity on the navigation app!. After first days’ challenge, thing gets easy and handy. The design of routes is excellent for 5 rides. We could explore different perspectives of the region of Bourgogne. I will definitely come back again !
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/13-19
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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?
- France
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★★★★★ John Zimmerman
Washout
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
So I picked the worst possible week to do this, the trip was canceled by the tour company after 2 days because of flooding. I'm still waiting to hear from them. The bike was very nice, it had fenders, which came in handy in the steady rain I biked in the 2 days I was on the tour. The path was well marked, almost all that I was on was paved. One downside was because of the rain, the restaurants along the trail were closed, so when I most needed a hot drink, none were to be found. I couldn't use the turn by turn app because of the rain, but the trail guide book was very nice, and the directions were easy to follow. Conclusion, September is not a good month to do this, it was around 50 degrees the entire time I was on the cycle path. I want to attempt this again, there is a 99 percent chance that the weather will be better.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- this was the first one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- 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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BikeTours.com staff reply from jan
Your weather event was a highly unusual situation, John. September is our busiest travel month and normally the weather on this trip is glorious during this time. I'm sorry it did not work out that way for you.
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★★★★★ Martha Scott
Perfect trip!!!
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
My husband and I have been wanting to do this cycle tour for 10 years, and finally were able to do it. We chose e-bikes, and it was super enjoyable. There are so many things to see and do along the way. We were constantly exploring and learning new things. And the scenery, beauty, and fresh food if the area is unparalleled!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- 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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★★★★★ Francine Steger
Lake Konstanz Biking in September
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Great time of year to do this trip. Not crowded. Weather was perfect, not too hot and mostly dry. E-bikes were great, even for first-time users.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- 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, Switzerland
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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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★★★★★ Steve Chodat
A "watered-down" cycling trip
Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
No fault of your operator, we arrived in Vienna in midst of Storm Boris, and historic Danube flooding. While the tour operator did great job trying to accomodate for ever changing conditions, we only managed to cycle 3 of 6 days... Flooding made sections impassable, including last couple days. What we did see while cycling was not particularly scenic. And I'd heard that the Vienna/Budapest ride was not the best of sections to ride along the Danube, but my experience was limited. Bratislava was definitely worth a stay over and Budapest is a city we enjoyed very much throughout our extended stay (5 nights).
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★★★★★ Jean Schlier
Mosel Trip Trier to Koblenz
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
Great laid back trip along the Mosel. We stopped for a wine tasting in a quaint winery along the route, enjoyed riding through the many vineyards and along the bike paths. There were a lot of flowers so very beautiful. A few too many areas riding alongside roads but it was usually along a bikepath right next to the road. We had a great time, a lot of laughs and enjoyed the little villages.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ charlotte lenssen
Adventures around the Bodensee
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
It was a super fun trip experiencing the different towns and landscapes. All hotels were acceptable and some were exceptional. My favorites were Lindau and Konstanz. We had 2 rainy days, so got lucky with weather. Austrias Fänder bahn was worth it too.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Bernice Will
Danube Bike and Boat Tour
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Due to the massive rainstorm and subsequent flooding and high water levels, our 4 country bike and boat tour was changed to a two country tour. The captain and tour guide were quick and clear with our options on day 1. Two thirds of the people left the tour the next day to remake their own plans. We decided to stay. Our boat stayed in Passau for 5 days and we used these days to explore by bike the surrounding area. Our tour guide gave us alternative rides to do and the staff on board the boat were amazing and provided us with wonderful food and service. Early on day 6 we woke up in Linz. A bus trip to Vienna for the day was arranged, we decided to explore Linz by bike. Day 7 we were able to bike from Aschach to Engelhartszell before ending the tour the next day. Although this was not the tour we originally booked and expected, we made the best of a situation that was beyond anyone’s control. I commend the staff for doing their best to make our trip memorable.
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★★★★★ James Hutcherson
Flood of decades
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Can’t change the weather. Boat crew and food was excellent. Everyone tried their best to make the trip as good as they could. Kudos to all involved. Bikes were excellent and well maintained.
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★★★★★ Henry Ronald Samuels
Bike with HS Buddies all 83
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Food was great on the ship as was the room. Rain first several days ruined a lot of the trip
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★★★★★ 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
