Slovenia Bike Tour Reviews
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★★★★★ Two Michiganders November 4, 2015Lost in Translation
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
This was our fourth tour with Bike Tours and the first with an Italian outfitter. Maybe that's where the trouble started.
We're not novices to this kind of travel and expect to spend some time lost and wandering--that's okay--to some extent. The directions for this trip were oddly and sometimes poorly translated, and there were occasions that though we'd asked for the English version, the notes were in German. The sticker signage was missing and incorrect at several critical junctures--crossing into Croatia from Slovenia, for instance. I know we weren't the only people who missed it--others at the hotel mentioned the same confusion.
I think that this part of Italy isn't quite as used to cycling (fewer cycle paths) and there were long stretches where we were riding with heavy traffic on 50-70k speed roads. The last day was very hilly (we were aware of this) and included some long slogs through unmarked Croatian campgrounds/resorts which were not mentioned in the directions. Despite the directions, knowing that you needed to be near the sea for most of the trip was helpful.
Navigation being my only caution, this was a lovely and fun trip. The towns and sites along the way were quaint and it was relaxing when we were off the main roads. I appreciated the towns we stayed in, Sagittaria Concordia, Trieste and Piran were especially memorable for the sites and ambiance of each place. The ruins in Aguilia were amazing. The hotels were all excellent, breakfasts hearty and our bags were moved as promised.
I'd recommend this to someone, but with caution regarding navigation.- How many tours have you completed?
- Four
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
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★★★★★ Julie November 4, 2015Europe's hidden gem
· Emerald Tour of Slovenia’s Gems
A great trip! Explored big cities and small town! A little bit of everything! Busy city life, quiet cafes, horses, cobbled streets, castles, caves...
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ SWTA November 6, 2015
Slovenia: Europe's hidden gem!
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
We did this trip as a family of 4, including a 13 and 15 y/o. We have traveled extensively and we all found Slovenia wonderful. We all agreed this was one of the our best trips ever. Modern enough to be comfortable but still having a lot of old world charm. The hotels were comfortable and we had no trouble finding a good meal. The other positive is that everyone spoke English and we had no language barriers.
The biking was moderately challenging even as a 2 rated trip. But every day was was really great and different. From the mountains to the sea. We rented the bikes from the base company - Helia - and didn't have any equipment failures!
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Alpskier November 14, 2015
I've Done 8 Trips. Here's My Favorite!
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
It's simply a magnificent ride. You begin in Venice, ride along the coast, passing beautiful beaches, going inland through rural farmland, and finally reaching Trieste, an old city that has a lot to offer. And that's just the Italian portion. The ride then takes you into Slovenia and ends in Croatia. For me, the century-old towns of Piran, Slovenia, and Porec, Croatia were magical - adult Disneyland. They are well-preserved and inviting as you aimlessly walk through narrow streets with stunning architecture. Locals were great. The ride is well-marked and the road book you're given is easy to follow. The local tour operator is most helpful. Most of the ride is easy, flat, doable miles per day - about 35. Once you get into Slovenia, you follow a beautiful paved bikeway along the rugged coast that brings you through one picturesque town after another. Finally, the last ride is a bit challenging as you reach hilly, yet doable terrain. I loved the hotels as they all were family-run and charming beyond belief. I guess it's the diversity of the journey. And riding a bike through a country is simply the best way to connect to the culture, people, and the land. Book this one. You won't be disappointed.
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★★★★★ Alpskier November 14, 2015A Great Trip Across a Great Country
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Loved cycling through Slovenia. Warm, friendly people, terrific accommodations, and spectacular scenery made it very, very special. The ride begins in the majestic Julien Alps and courses its way through verdant farm lands, remote villages, the capital city of Ljubljana, and ends on Adriatic sea at the beautiful & ancient town of Piran. Accommodations were fine, some were truly charming, featuring architecture unique to Slovenia. The meal plan was a bargain and the foods and beers were delicious. The 9 day ride largely followed low-trafficked roads, where drivers were courteous. The well-devised road book made navigation manageable, as the route isn't as clearly marked the way it's done in most of Western Europe. Still, there were no worries at all, even as a solo rider. Surprisingly, English was widely spoken. The route featured rolling hills, none of which were too strenuous, nor was mileage an issue. There were lots of downhills as the trip starts high in the Alps and descends to the sea. The local tour operator was very helpful and the bikes were well maintained. Starting out in the fairy-book town of Lake Bled with its famous island church was a reward in itself. Here's a good tip: It's worth the 15 Euro to have a van bring you to the top of the mountain on the second day. Biking it seemed absurd. The capital city was accessible and having dinner near the famous three bridges confluence still brings a smile to my face as I remember the sea of young people going from bar to bar. It's all good, not to mention one of the great travel bargains in the Biketours universe.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Richie November 24, 2015
Diverse cycling through three countries
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Diversity is the theme of this tour. From the Dolomites, to the Julian Alps, to the dreamy Lake Bled, to the Friuli Italian wine country, to the Adriatic Coast, this tour has it all. Riding in three countries in one day is an awesome experience as well.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy, Slovenia
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★★★★★ Pedalann December 28, 2015
Interesting Tour around Part of the Adriatic Sea
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
This tour gave us a chance to see much of the coastal region of the old Venice/Roman Empire. We enjoyed the lovely towns, pastoral countryside and views of the Adriatic. We sometimes had difficulty navigating as the cue sheets. maps and route marks did not always agree. The tour operators had warned us that some of the routes were being revised. However, we are good navigators and did find our way without too much back tracking. Concordia, Grado, Trieste, Piran and Porec were wonderful to visit. The new sections of bike trails were joys to ride.
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★★★★★ artnscience December 30, 2015
Wonderful Coastal Trip around the upper Adriatic Sea
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
The route, maps, bicycles, accommodations and weather were perfect for our self-guided trip. We were lucky to be able to attend a Vivaldi Concert at the Cathedral in Grado. It was a one night only performance and our hotel host provided us with tickets. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOVdH6klghY5LXY0xRnJXgs3V22UOQqIrSTQtIZk-iBfOPD-HVh2ajAjWPV0rspkQ/photo/AF1QipMEguGCko9YGrAFg6YkROa7LLFyKdtTuGCFsTg?key=MEQzNXNiWEVwM2MwSV8ycVExcWg4ZmFUU2kzM3h3
Crossing the borders between Italy and Slovenia and between Slovenia and Croatia by bicycle was a fun experience as was seeing Piran and Porec. A car rally was going on in Porec which made it even more interesting.
We had one confusing route situation. The arrows and cue sheet had us going right and then left onto a farm road (see linked photo) when it should have said left and then right. Other than that our directions were perfect. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOVdH6klghY5LXY0xRnJXgs3V22UOQqIrSTQtIZk-iBfOPD-HVh2ajAjWPV0rspkQ/photo/AF1QipP8bWrmMDfBuhWBGxWQjo53m6mNt4CmrDNpQfs?key=MEQzNXNiWEVwM2MwSV8ycVExcWg4ZmFUU2kzM3h3- How many tours have you completed?
- 14 European, 1 Canadian and 8 US
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
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★★★★★ Zephyr February 17, 2016
Excellent.
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Beautiful scenery, mostly on cycle tracks, three countries, cultures and languages, nice weather, pleasant lodging.
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★★★★★ Curt October 18, 2016Great trip
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
First bike trip like this for my wife and myself. The route was spectacular. Had everything from mountain scenery, beautiful river valleys, charming village, seaside rides, and ended in the wonderful city of Trieste. Got a taste of 3 countries and their cultures and food. Met lots of great people along the way who were doing the same trip as us. Everything went fairly seamlessly from the hotels to the transports to the bikes and the information provided. On a few occasions had some confusion with the directions, but nothing that wasn't able to be figured out.
All in all an excellent trip and would do another trip with this organization without question. -
★★★★★ hhhh October 19, 2016
Slovenia,,Wonderful Country
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Good bikes, maps, reliable drivers, everything we needed...well organized..overall very good, mostly nice hotels a very good value
two exceptions...
1 we paid for the A hotels and 2 hotels were particularly bad...
Vila Andor and M Hotel in lbjuana.
2 do not get the meal package..they often gave us special menus with lower end meals....you are best just to use restaurants and meals of your choice- What was the date of your tour?
- october
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20
- 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?
- Slovenia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Lindsay Nash October 20, 2016
Hi, thanks very much for sharing your experience! I just wanted to note that this tour only has 3- and 4-star hotels available (no Category A or B options), and it looks like our tour advisors also chatted with you further about this in an e-mail. But, as this local tour operator said, Slovenia is a very small country and staying in small hotels and guesthouses adds to the wonderful experience of the country and its local people. Thank you again for your feedback, and we're happy that overall you had a wonderful experience.
Kind regards,
Lindsay
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★★★★★ kiki1970 October 21, 2016
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
The overall experience on this bike trip was good. The rain that occurred on 4 of the 7 days of the trip was unexpected. The locals informed us that it hadn't rained in 2 months so it caught up to us. The accommodations and food were excellent. The real problems were the maps that were provided. They need to be more tour specific. When arriving in the destination city, specific directions should be included in finding that hotel. We spent too much time looking for our hotel for the evening. Also the written instructions are a translation from the German guide. In some cases the instructions didn't match what we saw on the ground or what the sign posts indicated. In general, the people that we dealt with in the States and Italy were great. I only wish that we would have taken a day break some where in the middle(Trieste?) to refresh and recuperate. We didn't know we could do it. I highly recommend this before heading into Croatia.
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★★★★★ Nancyhj May 15, 2017
Beautiful ride through three countries
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The scenery was ravishing, the directions got us where we needed to go, the breakfasts and hotels were delightful. We opted to rent e-bikes which allowed us to keep up with the stronger riders on our group. The main drawback was the lack of directions for getting from the train station in Trieste to our hotel. Not knowing the lay of the land, which streets were apt to be steep or major thoroughfares, it took us 3 times what it should have to get to our hotel. Also Bled is a charming little town, but had we realized it is a major tour bus destination we would not have opted to spend the extra night there.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 5-12, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy, Slovenia
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★★★★★ dmshimizu May 24, 2017
Amazing trip!
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Great way to explore the boarder region amongst Italy, Austria and Slovenia. The scenery is amazing, and it is a great opportunity to enjoy some towns and places that are not widely seen by regular tourists.
Travel documentation supplied by the local tour company is very good with complete information about the route. I'd recommend the investing on the GPS too, as it helps a lot with navigation activity.
The accommodations and the included meals were really good, perfect for those who would like to spend some days away from crowd and large cities.
In summary, it was a great experience, I'm looking forward for another bike tour like this one.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 6th, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy, Slovenia
Video: Cycling in Austria, near Thal
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★★★★★ Nancy May 26, 2017
Beautiful ride through three countries
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The scenery was ravishing, the directions mostly got us where we needed to go, the breakfasts and hotels were delightful. We opted to rent e-bikes which allowed us to keep up with the stronger riders on our group. One drawback was the lack of directions for getting from the train station in Trieste to our hotel. Not knowing the lay of the land, which streets were apt to be steep or major thoroughfares, it took us 3 times what it should have to get to our hotel. Also Bled is a charming little town, but had we realized it is a major tour bus destination we would not have opted to spend the extra night there.
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★★★★★ TheVerns June 5, 2017
Slovenia seems like an undiscovered jewel of a country!
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
We chose this tour because we knew that Slovenia was beautiful but we did not expect the country to be so friendly, the food was excellent, the hotels were very comfortable. Bled is like a fairy tale and likely the most famous of the stops it was not our favorite. It truly is difficult in hind-site to pick a favorite but we really loved Piran at the end! Maybe we just needed to see the ocean?
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 15th
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Garbo 55 June 17, 2017
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
With this being our very first bike tour, and we had chosen the self-guided option we found the adjustment to the directions a little difficult (some vital information was lost in translation) but having said that, there was an incredible sense of accomplishment after completing each day. We also were not prepared for the climate we encountered, we had looked at the temps. before we left and it looked like 22/24 C., but ended up being in the high 20's and low 30's, this really depleted our energy levels. The destinations could not have been more diverse with each one having its own unique quality we really enjoyed. They all had an amazing breakfast to start the day with and were very helpful with storing the bikes etc... The journey through the countryside and along the coast was so spectacular, our only wish I guess would have been to have had more time to enjoy each day. After our first couple of days we were a little overwhelmed with trying to stay on track rather then enjoying the moment. Having been home for a couple of weeks now however and looking back we would challenge ourselves again in a different place.
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★★★★★ TriaT July 10, 2017
Hillier than described
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
This was our third family trip booked through Bike Tours Direct. The previous two were in Austria (Danube and Salzburg loop). We have two daughters, age 11 and 13, who are physically fit and mentally strong. This trip, lovely as it was, was too challenging for them. There is some serious climbing required and it should be rated at least a 3. It doesn't necessarily look like much on the profile but with the scale it's very deceptive. After 6 days cycling we needed a rest day so gave in and the bike company helped order a taxi that could take us and the bikes to Lipica. Overall the route took us through some wonderful scenery, starting in the Alps, then the Karst hills, and finally to the Adriatic coast. But most of it was on roads rather than bike paths, often with busy traffic. We're experienced road riders but found the Slovenian drivers to be rather aggressive and none of the roads had shoulders.
We also were a little disappointed in the destinations each night. The trip started in a fantastic place, Lake Bled, and ended in a very different but equally picturesque town, Piran, but too many of the overnights in between were in nondescript towns with little to explore. The distances weren't huge each day so we took our time and ate lunch along the way. Typically we arrived at the hotel around 2pm so had plenty of time to explore the new location but in 3-4 of the locations there was nothing to see, which was a real shame as on a trip like this part of the excitement is getting to the new place each day.
The hotels were of mixed standards. Some were modern, some very old and tired. Air conditioning seemed to be a challenge in all of them, though sorely needed. Wifi was spotty at best. Bathrooms are universally tiny.
We did some but not all of the side trips. It was raining at Lake Ribcev so we didn't do the waterfall or swim in the lake, which was a shame. Indoor Aquapark at the Eco Hotel was a godsend, given the rain that afternoon. Predjama Castle is a must. Also the Postojna caves. The Lipica stud farm was lovely, though the show a little underwhelming.
The food in Slovenia was a pleasant surprise. It's heavily influenced by Italy so every other restaurant offers pizza and pasta, plenty of salads, grilled meat and fish. Local wines were good. And everyone we encountered along the way spoke excellent English.
If you're looking to explore a new country, this is a great way to sample Slovenia. But the infrastructure and culture geared towards cycling just isn't there yet in the same way that it is in countries like Austria, Germany.
There were a few times where the directions didn't match the odometer readings and we had to rely on Google maps for cross reference. If you don't have an international data plan on your phone I highly recommend it. Overall though the directions were pretty good. And Helia, the local bike company, was very appreciative of any suggestions for improvement.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson July 11, 2017
Thanks so much for your detailed and thoughtful response! That's one of the many aspects of our clients that we truly treasure: You give feedback not to complain or simply be critical but to improve the experience for future clients. We know that Helia will also take your feedback to heart. For 2018, we will change the tour to a Level 3 and add more information to the "Surface and terrain" part of the tour page.
Again, thank you for being a part of the BikeTours.com "community!
