Bike Tour Reviews page 123
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★★★★★ charlotte lenssen 2 months agoAdventures 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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★★★★★ Elizabeth Denniston 2 months agoSpectacular
· Cycling the West Balkan Triangle
An amazing way to see the most stunning scenery. I had no idea what each day would bring, and the trip unfolded as one magical day after another.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 14
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro
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★★★★★ Bernice Will 2 months ago
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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★★★★★ Henry Ronald Samuels 2 months ago
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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★★★★★ Brian Deutscher 2 months agoSouth of France Tour
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
A great way to review, cities and the countryside in the south of France. Our group of six enjoyed each day. E bikes allowed as to cover significant distance and enjoy the sites without having to exhaust our selves. Winds were particularly high the first couple of days.
Unless your a person who regularly bikes 50 kms, I would recommend the ebikes.- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Nancy Voorhees 2 months agoIdyllic landscape
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
I have never seen such beauty as along this trail in the Austrian Alps. Our accommodations were comfortable, breakfasts were delicious and our luggage was alway there before we arrived. My suggestion for making the trip more enjoyable is to make sure the Garmin has each day's route. Our's had many routes on it and that made it confusing. It would make more sense if only our routes were on it. Also, everyone should have a Garmin or use their google maps. Using the printed route map was impossible. Our ebikes were very comfortable and our trip was awesome! Thanks.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Kristin Ackerman 2 months ago
Different but still great
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Unfortunately, our riverboat cruise was unable to move due to flooding on the river. The staff did the best they could with making sure we had food, drinks, and entertainment. I would definitely check out this company again and hopefully the plans go as is. At least we were stuck in Vienna so I cannot complain about that.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Boris Erlank 2 months agoDespite terrible weather and floods, we had a good time
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Given the effects of climate change, I think the local operators, will have to work on contingency plans for a good customer experience when the weather is bad. We sat in Passau for 4 of the 7 days and then managed to sail as far as Linz. No Vienna, no Bratislava, no Budapest.
We managed to have two days of cycling which were great. The cruise director, Juergen, went out of his way to come up with alternatives on the fly. The food was excellent, the staff friendly, and the accommodations very good. But, mainly due to weather, this was a far cry from the dream holiday we had hoped for.
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★★★★★ Kristin Reese 2 months ago
First time to Europe
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Only reason this wasn’t a 5 star rating is because of the crazy flooding. Despite the challenges Leslie and crew did an AMAZING job coming up with fun things for the group to do. The crew was super helpful, and polite. I truly felt spoiled. Thank you for making my first boat tour and first time in Europe a great experience.
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★★★★★ Silvia Guillemi 2 months agoGreat trip
· Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
This was a good bike trip . Perfect amount of time and length of bike days.
The hotels overall were good , although some of them were located outside of the towns /cities and made it harder to visit them .
There was very little or almost no instructions when we receive the bikes from the local supplier- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Donald Allen 2 months agoImprovisation on the river
· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Due to the flooding of the Elbe river much of the bike pass was under water. The tour company rep, Lukas, did it wonderful job of working out a route for us each day. Unfortunately we had to bike some of our journey on busy highways, there just was no other way. Everything went smoothly, no small matter with the situation at hand, and we were again pleased with our trip. Looking forward to our next adventure with Bike Tours.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic, Germany
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★★★★★ Pierre C. 2 months agonice trip but some advance planning is required
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Hotels and views were excellent for the most part. A couple of things to note: 1. Bikes are heavy duty and therefore very heavy, we upgraded to e-bikes 3 days into the trip, that was a big help. 2. Trails are not well marked, we met a few different groups during our tour of the lake and everyone was complaining about the written directions and even the gps tracking. Be prepared to have to stop, take an assessment and even back track a few times a day.
Crucial items if you want to use GPS tracking; buy a phone holder that can attach your phone to the bike before leaving on the trip, otherwise you will have major issues setting up your phone so you can see it properly (I tucked mine into the front basket which had a protective transparent cover, however with the glare, it was hard to read). Also, make sure that you bring a backup battery pack as 2 -3 hours of tracking and your phone will be dead.
Be prepared to bike some busy roads and gravel roads. One hotel (Bergenz) was located in a residential neighbourhood, there was ooe other restaurants within 600 meters, the rest were in town, 1.5 km away. Although the hotel restaurant was very nice, we spent more on dinner than we anticipated. Note that in St. Gallen almost all businesses and restaurants are closed on Sunday and many are also closed on Monday. Choices for meals and things to do become scarce if you are there during that time.
Finally, be prepared to spend lots of money in Switzerland $50CAD hamburgers in a sit down restaurant seems to be the norm, not for the faint of heart. If you want to save some money I suggest flying into Germany before and after, accommodations and meals will be a lot cheaper (we spent 3 days inSwitzerland before and three days after, we figure that those 6 days cost us at least an extra $1K compared to what Germany prices would have been).
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- 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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★★★★★ Richard Riddell 2 months agoA great time in Alentejo
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
A great self guided tour in Alentejo region of Portugal.
Great e-bikes, accommodation in the pousadas and excellent restaurant recommendations from our guides, and were brilliant making reservations in the restaurants we chose. The staff were on the whole very friendly and helpful and accommodated our extraordinary request on the last day - thank you.
The only reason they didn’t receive 5 stars for us was we thought the farmhouse stay for 2 nights was not necessary, and the owner of the business perhaps shouldn’t front the customers/clients. A tad too direct in her manner which made us feel we were doing her a favour by being there!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Karen Canon 2 months agoContinuing our Danube Journey
· Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
The route took us through four countries and four capital cities. We planned in several rest days which were well needed as the first part of the trio through Czech Republic and Austria were challenging! The route along the Danube would have been fantastic but unfortunately Storm Boris flooded the whole region, making biking the path impassable. The tour company did a good job of keeping us informed of route conditions (we were on a self-guided tour) and helping to arrange alternate transportation when biking was impossible due to heavy rain and flooding.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Clifford Davis 2 months agoGreat Intro to Slovenia
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Tour offers everything from the Julian Alps area and Bled to small towns to Ljubljana to coastal Italy and coastal Slovenia at the finishing town of Piran. We added extra days in Bled, Ljubljana and Piran and highly recommend doing so. Most of the cycling is on roads shared with vehicles but drivers were generally aware and used to cyclists. We found the GUIBO navigation app somewhat problematic particularly since we didn’t get access until the morning cycling began. Our bike fitting and familiarization was also included in our first cycling morning so a number of items regarding the cycle computer were not covered.
The tour company was responsive to our requests for transport due to inclement weather.
There are wide variations in the quality of the hotels with some very fine hotels and some less so.
That being said the tour features some gorgeous scenery and spectacular sights. The caves in Postonja and the area surrounding Bled are breathtaking. The people along the way were very helpful and we had no trouble communicating even though we don’t speak Slovenian.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Nancy Nestler 2 months agoLoved the area!
· Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
We loved exploring the area. There was a lot of variety going in different directions each day. We found the paths and day trips to be different enough that we felt like we were exploring a new place every day. Well done!
One comment - don't do the Toblach to Lienz ride on a beautiful weekend day, especially at the same time the train arrives. The route was too crowded to enjoy for about 1/3 of the ride.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Elizabeth Hinz 2 months ago
Great adventure!
· Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
Given the conditions of Danube flood and its aftermath, this was a bigger adventure than expected in problem solving logistics. People along the way were welcoming and helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Al Coop 2 months ago
Wonderful Experience
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
My wife and I went on a self guided tour and had a wonderful experience. We feel so fortunate to have found biketours.com. Overall I would rate the tour company good to excellent. The only suggestions I have are that my wife’s e-bike frame was not fit properly for her smaller body size. Secondly, we initially used Google Maps which guided us on more main roads than we expected. Not until a couple of days in to our tour did other cyclist suggest downloading a cycling app which their tour company suggested. Their app guided us on more scenic off-road trails. I now understand why when the booklet says 30 km to 40 km the shorter distance is on more main roads and not off roads. As a first timer I think biketours.com could be clearer in their correspondences or booklet and possibly suggest such apps. Overall everything was first class and we had a fantastic and memorable experience. Thank you and hopefully we will use biketour.com for future trips.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first
- 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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★★★★★ S. Chilton 2 months agoA few issues
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
We have riden with BikeTours in the past, and loved it. This tour had some pros and cons. Pros: The hotels were great. The bikes were in good condition, and the in-country staff were responsive and easy to get in touch with.
Cons: We used Google maps on our last tour. It’s useless here except inside the major cities. The provided app is a battery killer. Make sure you have a portable charger or are with others who can use their phones when yours dies. The maps also stop at the city gates. Since they know your hotels when they make the map, they should include your hotel and all of the mentioned attractions. We wasted a ton of time trying to get to sites that weren’t on their app.
Avoid Mosonmagyaróvár. If you’re doing an independent tour, you could bike to it and then take the train to Györ. There is a lot more to do there.
Finally, we rode this a week or so after the record-setting flood. We were prepared for some issues, but were told “you
won’t even be able to tell there was a flood“. The bike paths are fine“. There was an area about 15 km outside of Vienna that was impassable were it not for a kind farmer with a tractor that made a path. People were sliding out in slick mud. Another area before Esztergom had trees for several km in the path that was listed, and a place where it told us to walk our bikes over a weir. There was actually a dry, paved and debris-free path just above it that wasn’t new. I was wondering why the in-country rental company didn’t know about these. It seems as though the map hadn’t been updated for some time. They also say that there are no places to get food between some of the towns. We saw restaurants or grocery stores every 6-10 km.All in all, we did have a great time, but I think it would be hard for first timers or slower cyclists. I would recommend additional days in Bratislava and Budapest.
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★★★★★ Colin Mable 2 months agoUNESCO Sites Albania Bike Tour
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
The Tour was very good. The Tour guide was excellent. Spoke perfect English and was very informative with sites along the way. His Assistant who followed us from behind was also excellent. The electric bikes were Giant in good condition and we had no problems and travelled 450km on the roads of Albania. My only issue was the meals at some locations were a bit light on and we felt hungry after the meals. It would have been good to supply some snacks along the rides each day. I was very glad I did the ride with an electric bike as there were lots of very big hills to travel through Albania. The electric bikes made the ride very enjoyable and gave you opportunity to observe the scenery rather than pushing hard to get up the hills.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
