Primarily Bike Paths Tour Reviews page 64
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★★★★★ Kim S.
Sporty trip down the Danube!
Danube Bike Path 5-nights (Active)
Such a great way to experience this historic river and scenic countryside! An extra day before beginning my journey allowed time to relax and explore Passau. Hannas arrived at the hotel on time and provided information regarding the bike and route, very helpful. The route map provided was my main source for navigation and points of interest. I had some difficulty using the nav app but the R1 route is extremely well marked. A few extra days afterwards in Vienna topped off the trip. I’ll plan to return next year for another section along the Donau (Danube). The tour company made it very easy with prearranged hotels, luggage transport and route planning, will definitely use them again.
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★★★★★ Dan L.
Sausalito Return is a Must
Scenic Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco Bike Tour
The ride down the coast to Sausalito was gorgeous, and the town itself is so charming with its maritime history. We highly recommend taking the ferry back to Fisherman’s Wharf for the amazing bay views.
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★★★★★ Bozena
Authentic Holland trip
Dutch Hanseatic Cities, Harbor Towns & Natural Wonders by Bike and Boat
I absolutely loved this tour! Biking through the historic Dutch Hanseatic cities and quaint harbor towns felt like stepping back in time, and exploring the beautiful natural landscapes by boat was pure magic. The pace was perfect, the scenery breathtaking, and every day brought a new adventure. It’s the kind of trip that stays with you long after you return.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Roxanne
Best ever bike and barge tour!
Exploring the Neckar and Rhine Rivers and Valleys
We have been on five bike and barge excursions in Europe and this trip was by far the best ever experience in so many ways. Fantastic !
Our trip route had to be rerouted shortly before we started because a lock on the Neckar River was not working properly so no boat traffic was allowed. Instead we biked from Wurzburg to Mainz. The crew must have worked overtime to make modifications for our journey and should be commended for this effort.
The Merlijn barge is without a doubt a classy vessel. The barge was remodeled recently and it was truly a pleasure to travel on it. The beds were comfortable and the room spacious. The bathroom as well had nice shower and other upgrades like the lighted and fog free mirror. Plugs for devices were numerous and handy. Storage plentiful.
The crew of five were all very accommodating and hard working. They were a real team and this helped to create a very positive atmosphere. I can’t say enough about how each crew member helped to make the trip so memorable
The food was gourmet. Each day we started with a healthy breakfast ; we received a packed lunch. When returned from biking we had snacks and were WOWED with outstanding dinners. Truly incredible service and hospitality.
The biking paths were mostly paved and our stops in the small towns and villages for breaks and lunches were so much fun because you get the opportunity to see Germany. Thomas our leader was experienced and always concerned about safety. The riders had helmets outfitted with technology so he could communicate as we rode giving directions, cautions and interesting
points of interest. A review of the next days ride was explained after dinner each night. Almost every evening after dinner Thomas took us for an excursion around the town where we were docked. Because our riding route was changed Thom had to scramble to re familiarize himself with the path so he should get extra credit for this effort. There were 24 on this tour and it was well organized with safety a priority. ( I personally prefer smaller groups).
The route itself was fine especially given the last minute modifications. The paths well marked and very few challenges. Cobblestones in the towns we visited do require riders to be mindful.
We loved the trip. Our fellow passengers were very friendly and upbeat.
Thank you to the Merlijn crew for a truly wonderful trip.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 8-15
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Roxanne
Best ever bike and barge tour!
Exploring the Neckar and Rhine Rivers and Valleys
We have been on five bike and barge excursions in Europe and this trip was by far the best ever experience in so many ways. Fantastic !
Our trip route had to be rerouted shortly before we started because a lock on the Neckar River was not working properly so no boat traffic was allowed. Instead we biked from Wurzburg to Mainz. The crew must have worked overtime to make modifications for our journey and should be commended for this effort.
The Merlijn barge is without a doubt a classy vessel. The barge was remodeled recently and it was truly a pleasure to travel on it. The beds were comfortable and the room spacious. The bathroom as well had nice shower and other upgrades like the lighted and fog free mirror. Plugs for devices were numerous and handy. Storage plentiful.
The crew of five were all very accommodating and hard working. They were a real team and this helped to create a very positive atmosphere. I can’t say enough about how each crew member helped to make the trip so memorable
The food was gourmet. Each day we started with a healthy breakfast ; we received a packed lunch. When returned from biking we had snacks and were WOWED with outstanding dinners. Truly incredible service and hospitality.
The biking paths were mostly paved and our stops in the small towns and villages for breaks and lunches were so much fun because you get the opportunity to see Germany. Thomas our leader was experienced and always concerned about safety. The riders had helmets outfitted with technology so he could communicate as we rode giving directions, cautions and interesting
points of interest. A review of the next days ride was explained after dinner each night. Almost every evening after dinner Thomas took us for an excursion around the town where we were docked. Because our riding route was changed Thom had to scramble to re familiarize himself with the path so he should get extra credit for this effort. There were 24 on this tour and it was well organized with safety a priority. ( I personally prefer smaller groups).
The route itself was fine especially given the last minute modifications. The paths well marked and very few challenges. Cobblestones in the towns we visited do require riders to be mindful.
We loved the trip. Our fellow passengers were very friendly and upbeat.
Thank you to the Merlijn crew for a truly wonderful trip.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 8-15
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Nancy Nestler
Beautiful Scenery and Quaint Marina Towns
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We loved the scenery and riding by so many little marina towns. I wanted to have coffee in all of them!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2025
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Regina Zilinski
An excellent choice as first Bike & Barge
Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau
Did not know what to expect but was delighted by the bike routes, the added tour options, the accommodations, the food and the great customer service.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept/Oct 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- My first
- 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, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Tom Courtney
Father and son special time together
Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
My 34 year old son and I (65) did this 6 day bike trip together. Created many special memories for us. Everything was so well organized. Hotels were very good. Many hotels had nice saunas or steam rooms or Thermal baths near by. It was nice to get to know some of the other bike riders even though this was not a group tour.
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Staff member
Hi Tom,
Thank you so much for sharing! We’re really glad to hear you and your son had such a great time and made special memories together. Wonderful that you enjoyed the hotels and met other riders along the way too! Hope to welcome you again on another adventure!
Bozena
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★★★★★ Jim Harvey
Great Time at Lake Constance
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Overall, I was very impressed with the logistical planning, layout, timing of the bike trip around Lake Constance. You folks helped us out when one of the riders who was 86 years old lost his bike computer. I was able to call radwig before the office closed and they brought a replacement out with the bags the next morning.
The hotels were nice, some of the rooms were painfully small, but they were clean, the owners and operators were friendly, spoke English and were very helpful in suggesting good places to eat, etc.
We did have an issue with the Vouchers for the museum in Konstanz itself, as the desk clerks wouldn't honor the admission and wanted us to fork over more money. Two of us simply split after 20 minutes of non-responsiveness. The other museums and experiences were wonderful.
One STRONG suggestion I have is that the ride from Lindau to St. Gallen with the train to Gais really created a problem. First, the book said to follow the signs to the train. Well, I couldn't find any signs, and I had ridden ahead so I basically strolled through the old section of Altstatten and stumbled across the train by accident. I lucked out and got on a train after 15 minutes (good thing since the next one wasn't for an hour), and rode the section from Gais to St. Gallen. I was the only one who completed that day's ride...the others got so lost and had some problems that they simply took the train from Altstatten to St. Gallen. The real issue, however, is that there would have been a real chance of someone getting seriously hurt riding down into Appenzell...I'm a pretty experienced rider...but some of the others would have probably fallen. So, I would recommend having an alternative route (other than simply taking the train) so the more advanced, experienced riders could do the trip through the Alps...without risking an accident on some of those steep downhill rides.
Finally, we had issues with the Kamoot vs. Google Maps directions. Kamoot is VERY hard to configure and understand how to read. Google Maps with the bike directions was accurate. One thing I like about Google Maps is that you could choose routes that were less hilly, etc. The fact that you suggest Kamoot is not something I recommend following. I finally got to the point of following Google Maps since those who were following Kamoot seemed far more likely to get lost or had trouble reading the app's directions.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October of 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- Several
- 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, Switzerland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Staff member
Jim,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such detailed feedback! We’re very happy to hear that you enjoyed the overall organization of the Lake Constance tour and appreciated the quick support from our team and partners when your fellow rider needed a replacement bike computer.
We also appreciate your honest comments about the hotels, the museum voucher issue, and especially the route and navigation suggestions. Your insights about the Lindau–St. Gallen section and the Komoot navigation app are extremely helpful, and we’ll review these points carefully to improve the experience for future travelers.
We’re delighted that, overall, you found the trip well planned and enjoyable — and we truly value your thoughtful suggestions for making it even better.
Bozena
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★★★★★ William Edward
A bucket list adventure
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
The tour was great. I wish that we had a gps with us. There should be an alternate route to St Gallen for less experienced riders. Finding the cog railroad was hard and the downhill decent was challenging for our weaker riders.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- 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, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Lynn S
Magical ride along the Rhine
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
An amazing way to experience the Rhine - beautiful scenery at every twist and turn! The friends we were with had done a riverboat cruise in the same area last year but said that this was such a better way to experience it. Every promise made by the company was kept - bikes were there on time and well-equipped, luggage was ported safely and on time every day, hotels were clean and comfortable and always had great breakfasts to get us ready for the day of biking. Distances were good - shorter distance days were on days when there were lots of places we wanted to stop, longer distance days were still very beautiful but didn’t have as many places where we would have wanted to stop. The app was excellent - it isn’t easy to get lost biking along the Rhine but the app made sure that we didn’t. The only thing that might have made the app better is if it was possible to highlight any of the spots that we wanted to see. We really appreciated the effort made by the company to adjust our trip by one day so that we were able to visit the other couple’s son who was living relatively nearby one of our stops. We wouldn’t hesitate to book with this company again! Thanks so much!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Wade C.
Great tour of 3 different countries!
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
This was our second tour with biketours.com. While we did enjoy this itinerary, we preferred our first one, Switzerland Geneva to Lucerne. That being said, I was certainly happy with this trip, the Dolomites region was great, I particularly liked Dobbiaco, Travisio, and Cividale. We had an extra day in Dobbiaco at the start of our trip, which was a good decision. We opted for only one day in Bled, which we also think was a good decision - the lake and town, while beautiful, are a little too touristy for our taste. The optional climbs, leaving Oberdrauberg and entering Bled, were not as difficult as we had imagined and we were glad to have done them. We also chose the hinterland route into Trieste, which was good. Some of the hotels where we stayed in were in cities that were quite small with not much to do, or in the case of Gradisca, was on busy roads and we had to get back on our bikes to get to a walk-able area of the city, which was not great. Especially once in the flat, wine regions of Italy, it felt like we were on more roads and gravel than bike paths than we would have liked. Regarding navigation, the app was excellent, we had no issues whatsoever. Do pack an extra battery bank to charge your phone. We also brought shoe covers for when it rained which we were grateful to have brought. Despite some caveats, overall a great trip!
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★★★★★ Janet
Brilliant experience
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We had an amazing trip...the logistics worked like clockwork and the bikes were great. Accommodation was all very suitable
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★★★★★ Rochelle and Pierre van Niekerk
Danube 2025
Danube Cycle Path Passau – Budapest
Great adventure and well organized trip.
Hotel were perfect and we had no issues with finding the accommodation. One small issue was the that the published route length is stated as approximate, as it depends on the availability of Hotels for your trip. On one occasion we had to travel two towns further and after a long, bad weather day, this was very uncomfortable. Quickly learned to google the distances from Hotel to Hotel.
Wish we would have ordered e bikes from the beginning, as daily route distances are long for the first week (Section Passau to Wien) with the better pace you travel on a e bike it leaves more time to explore the town you visit overnight and on bad weather days (we unfortunately had plenty) the time spent on the bike in bad weather is less.
Could not fault the tour operators and we thank you for a wonderful experience. Will gladly recommend them.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our 6th tour
- 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, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Theresa H
A treat for the eyes
Danube Cycle Path Passau – Budapest
I did the last tour of 2025, in October. I went with my sister (we are in our 50s) and my daughter (in her 30s) and we used ebikes. The autumn colours along the way were magnificent. We did get a lot of rain on the first day, and a small amount on the second but otherwise we got lucky with the weather. I wanted to do this type of tour in which you are not riding with other people because I prefer to take my time and not have to worry about holding other people up. There was another group of women we saw sometimes along the way, and got chatting to them sometimes, mostly at breakfast but once along the way. That was nice, and my daughter exchanged socials so she may have made friends.
The path from Passau to Vienna is fantastic, and I reckon I could do that again, maybe on my own and maybe even on a regular bike. After Vienna it's a bit rougher, particularly in Slovakia. We were worried about the bikes over one particularly bumpy patch, but we figured they wouldn't be sending the bikes there if they didn't think they were up to the task. And they were, so all was well.
The hotels we stayed at were very good, for the most part. We chose category A due to the higher number of spa hotels. They didn't all have a spa, and they didn't all have lifts either, so bear that in mind when packing. Yes, they transport your bags (chef's kiss on that) but you have to get them to your room. Some of the rooms in Austria were more suited to couples than to mother and daughter due to having bathrooms with glass doors, but we just had to make sure we were in a spot out of eyeline when the other was using the facilities.
I absolutely loved this trip and sometimes get a bit sad that it's over. -
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★★★★★ Donna
Fantastic experience!
Danube Cycle Path Passau – Budapest
Our self-guided bike tour from Passau to Budapest was fantastic! Bike Tours transported our luggage (LOVED that) and provided excellent ebikes and mostly excellent hotels. The bike paths were mostly easy to follow but even with the Pedalo App and map books provided with the bikes, I would have gotten hopelessly lost if we didn't have internet and maps to use too. Especially after Vienna when some paths got so rough I thought they couldn't possibly be part of the EV6/R1... BUT THEY WERE!!! But, most of the paths were great. I absolutely, thoroughly recommend a Danube bike tour. The best part (and I think this is true to most people judging by how many cyclists and guided bike tours were going on there) was Wachau around Durnstein.
We went in Autumn and I think that was brilliant because it wasn't so busy and watching the trees turn golden as we progressed was a beautiful surprise.
Some cycling days were 60km which I believe was too long because we had no time to explore the towns at the end of the day. We just wanted to use the pool and sauna when available. I was SO glad when the hotel had those facilities. Best thing ever at the end of a long day of riding. Especially when it was wet and cold, which, unfortunately we had for the first few days. I definitely recommend paying extra to get more accommodation with saunas. All the hotel staff were used to cyclists and some had excellent storage. Others, didn't, but the staff were always helpful. Pack as lightly as you can, because even though the luggage is transferred for us, some hotels were walk-ups! Not good. Even worse there was a train journey in a town that only had stairs between platforms! With bikes! Awful. IF you can avoid the train, that's probably best.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Staff member
Donna,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed your self-guided tour from Passau to Budapes, especially the e-bikes, luggage transfers, and those beautiful stretches along the Danube. Wachau around Dürnstein is a favorite for many of our travelers, so we're glad it stood out for you as well.
You’re absolutely right about autumn being a wonderful time to ride, and also about those longer cycling days. This is great feedback and something we’ll keep in mind for future route planning. We’re also happy to hear that the hotel saunas were a welcome reward after the colder, wetter days!
Thank you again for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review. We hope to welcome you back on another cycling adventure soon!
Bozena
