Rhine Bike Tour Reviews (page 4)
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★★★★★ jackie20 May 26, 2017Good trip
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
Most hotels were excellent, however two (in St Goar and Bad Godesberg) had our rooms on either the second or third floor and no elevators. Best hotel and service were at the Baron in Rudesheim. In addition, the maps and directions to hotel in Bad Godesberg and Cologne were poor. Lastly, recommend sightseeing trip to Monastery Eberbach include distance, we never found the place after riding 10km. Overall, good trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 14 May 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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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★★★★★ MaryB May 4, 2017Biking Adventure of a Lifetime!
· Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
This was the perfect bike tour for us to combine with a visit with our son and his family who were living in Freiburg for the year. The bike company was very accommodating and let us rent the bikes a few days early so that we could ride around Freiburg with our kids. Getting the bikes early was a good chance to get
familiar with the bikes so that we could exchange one of them when we found out
that it was too big. Although we gave our height so that the tour company could estimate the right size bikes for us, it might have been more helpful to give our inseam length to determine if our legs could swing over the bar or touch the ground from the seat. Estimate your height a little lower than you actually are to get the right fit bike. The bikes were a great weight, had nice sized tires for the type of terrain we rode over, and they shifted very well. The saddlebag was roomy and held all my day gear, but the weight of it tended to tip the bike over on slanted hills. You might want to get a saddlebag on each size to balance out the weight more evenly. There is no mirror or water bottle holder on the bikes. I carried my water bottle in my back pack and trusted the cars and bikes behind me to pass carefully! I loved the countryside and trails through the woods. Riding on the Rhine was awesome. The quaint villages we rode through and stayed in were beautiful. Our hotels were all lovely and had delicious breakfasts. Our luggage arrived every day on time or early and we had secure locations to park and lock up our bikes every night. We did have trouble following the maps and directions given. It was almost like going on a scavenger hunt when you aren't sure that you are interpreting the clues correctly. The map was way too small to read and the written directions were on a separate page from the map so you had to keep flipping back and forth to get the full picture of where you were going. It seems that the directions and/or maps were old and had not been updated recently. We ran into construction along the Rhine River path and had to take a long detour----following the German signs was hard and it added many miles to that day's ride. We also had construction in two other cities and had to find our way on our own as the detour was not obvious. Sometimes there are bike signs at an intersection that say you can go in directly opposite ways to the same place. Quite confusing. One time we were told to turn right in our written directions but according to the map we should have gone left....what to do? We were directed to ride on one way streets going the wrong way. There were no directions to get to the hotel in Strasbourg if you took the new bike path over the river. That was very difficult. We were quite frustrated with having to figure out if we were on the right path or not. My suggestion is to have the tour company check the current directions before each trip and indicate detours and update street names. Definitely provide new directions for getting into Strasbourg over the bike bridge. The German tour company should try following their directions with someone who is not familiar with the route and who does not speak German - then correct each turn where it is confusing. That would saved a lot of frustration and make the trip more enjoyable. Or, provide GPS devices for everyone. If we had had one, it would have been easier. It costs $10 per day to use our smartphone as a GPS device so we opted not to. It might have been worth it. I think adding an option of staying an extra day in Strasbourg and Colmar would be nice...a break from biking every day and a chance to see more of the cities. Other than the directions, we loved the trip and felt a real sense of accomplishment when we were done. Our kids and grandkids were very proud of us for going on such an adventurous bike tour! SHOW MORE- What was the date of your tour?
- April 24 - 30, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was the first.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- 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?
- France, Germany
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★★★★★ Zacthecat June 28, 2017
Great fun rolling down the river
· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
As a group of four, 2 couples in our early 60s, we self-guided down the Rhine. Three of us had e-bikes and one did it the old fashioned way. We all loved the riding and we were lucky with the weather, which was fine and mostly sunny.
The information provided was very good, but we recommend a better description of how to find the hotels. In two cases the hotel wasn't on the map, so that needs to be improved. Perhaps draw a coloured line from the bike path to the hotel, with a different colour for each hotel.- What was the date of your tour?
- 12th - 17th June 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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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★★★★★ Elizabeth Schlosser 2 months agoCharming tour
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
Good bikes, lucky it was cool weather for most of the trip, charming hotels . We had some small problems following the maps, the day into Koblenz was boring along a highway.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July, 2024
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ fudledudle September 26, 2016
Allsace wine route
· Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
This tour is fairly easy to do, great scenery particularly on the French side of the Rhine, some minor detours due to missing signage, all in all a great tour
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 10/16
- 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 teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France, Germany
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★★★★★ Biabattistella September 18, 2017
A great trip
· Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
The trip was great, the landscapes are fantastic, the little villages are very charming, well preserved! What could be better is having gps files for the path. The orientation, sometimes, are not clear and cost some kilometres more!
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★★★★★ Leonard72 June 23, 2019
Beautiful French Wine Countryside
· Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
The bikes, the hotels, the French Wine Country Scenery were beautiful, the German side was very uninspiring. We cycled through Agriculture farm country on the German side. Freiburg a wonderful, beautiful shopping town is geared to hiking in the Black Forest.
- What was the date of your tour?
- MAY 13, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- Completed four, this was #5.
- 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?
- France, Germany
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★★★★★ Stephen Graham 11 months ago
Great area, careful with cars in France
· Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
Fascinating area, half German half French. French side has the cutest towns, German side the safest biking. Beware biking on the French side on weekends, as locals drive to the vineyard towns for lunch or overnights, and they drive fast. Often no shoulder or bike path, drivers not always courteous, a lot of energy on avoiding catastrophe for less-experienced riders instead of enjoying the scenery. Support was good, replacing a bike with brake problems mid-trip. Navigation had one major error, sending us to a small bridge across islands in the Rhine near Strasbourg that had in fact been closed for months. A bit stressful at the end of a long day riding, but we found another way across. Minimal guidance as to where to stop for cafes, lunch, etc.; could use a more detailed list of suggestions. Some of the budget hotels are not in charming locations or walking distance from restaurants. The Grand Hotel in Strasbourg has seen better days.
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★★★★★ MaryF June 21, 2018Strasbourg France to Mainz Germany
· Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
Great value. Would have appreciated option for rooms with AC even if it meant a higher cost. Would have appreciated a sticker with the arrow and the E in order to see the actual size. The signage was much smaller than we expected and did not find any until the second day. Also, the instructions need to be rewritten by a native speaker who is actually biking the route. The instructions appear to be translated from another language. Much was lost in translation. The instructions were confusing. We originally thought the instructions were in British English until we met up with couple on the same tour from Manchester who found the instructions as confusing as we did. (There was a brand new app for navigation this year but none of us were able to get it to function on our trip. Once the bugs are ironed out, I suspect this will help a lot. We used Google maps to assist in navigation.) I would suggest giving stickers to actual bicyclists to place over top faded stickers or to add stickers in areas of confusion. Overall, it was a good experience and am very glad we did this tour.
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★★★★★ Martin June 5, 2019
Lovely trip along the Rhine
· Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
This trip starts in France and crosses into Germany on the first day of riding. The bicycling was very pleasant; the towns were interesting; the locals helpful and friendly. The written cycling directions were only marginally helpful, but the signage in both France and Germany is excellent. It helps to have google maps. Download the google map in your hotel the night before with hotel WiFi, or have a data plan. The hotels were fine. Ibis has very small but adequate rooms. It is somewhat generic. The non-ibis hotels were definitely more interesting and rooms were larger.
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★★★★★ Rob Gage August 4, 2022
Great, but different from expectations
· Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
The mapping software was essential in staying on the recommended path, as sign posting wasn't always clear. The whole trip was more variable than we had expected, both from road quality and scenery.
One suggestion is that the instructions on picking up the bikes could have been sent out ahead of time and made clearer. -
★★★★★ William Sholten September 20, 2022
Our Alsatian Bike Trip
· Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
We have enjoyed 2 other bike trips in the past. This route was not easy to follow without GPS. We used a Garmin GPS to help confirm our path along the way (and highly recommend this). There are many intersecting bike paths around towns, so we had to stop often to determine which route/path to take. There were several detours due to construction (not indicated on our route plans) which made travel both longer and more challenging to navigate.
We cycled on gravel roads in addition to the bike paths, making the ride somewhat longer than anticipated.Hotels were comfortable, but not all hotels in Category A had air conditioning. Hotel staff and breakfasts were first rate!
Rental bike performed well but were heavier than expected.
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★★★★★ Anna September 17, 2016
Mosel bike Tour
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
The tour was planned good. Very nice landscape and picturesque small towns.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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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★★★★★ Musse Pigg August 8, 2017
A very beautiful trip
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
- What was the date of your tour?
- 17/7-2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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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★★★★★ MandyG August 11, 2017
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
- What was the date of your tour?
- 5/8/17
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Nicky August 11, 2017
Great group holiday
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
Perfect way to see a country and get some excercise at the same time however compared to other bike tours I have done we were disappointed that we were not met by local company at beginning of trip, the bikes didn't come with helmets or water bottle holders or a place on handlebars to put the maps
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 5 207
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Pedalann October 7, 2017
Surrounded by Vineyards
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
This was an easy ride along the Mosel River in the heart of the wine country. It was impressive to see the intense grape cultivation on the steep hillsides on both sides of the river as we cycled along, mostly on the flat. The scenery and small towns along the way were lovely even though, at times, you were between the road and or train tracks and the river.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 28-Oct. 3
- How many tours have you completed?
- At least 19
- 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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★★★★★ Crew dog November 11, 2018
Wonderful white wine .
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
- What was the date of your tour?
- 14 - 20 Oct 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- Over 15
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ BJohnson August 14, 2017
Very nice vacation
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
We had a really nice time biking the Mosel Valley. This area is great for beginners or families.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 17th July 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Thomas Bailey 12 months ago
Good trip
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
I will give you the positives and then areas I think you could improve upon. 1. The route along the Mosel is absolutely fantastic. And the boat ride down the Rhine was a very pleasant surprise. 2. We stayed in the upscaled lodging, and they were all very, very good. 3. The bikes were some of the best we have rented in Europe. They were very clean and I think almost new. Areas for improvement, 1. Your representative in Germany is, at best, average. Almost no discussion about the route or functionality of the bikes. He was very anxious to get the bikes in our hands...and leave. He also stated the route is so straightforward I did not need gps, and recommended I leave it a home. That might be true if I lived there and spoke the language. Regardless, I took my garmin and was very happy I did. The written directions were extremely imprecise - and since we had upgraded our lodging, our hotels had very bad directions to get to them. I even asked about this before we left and there was little effort to make them more clear. Not sure what your quality control is for your representatives, but we have been on several biketours.com and the quality of service when you get there is very, very inconsistent. Belgium was good, France not so much. 2. I would build in more time to see some of the beautiful small towns we visited along the way - at least give that as an option for people looking for a more relaxed schedule.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
