Bike Tour Reviews (page 127)

★★★★★ (4/5) Gecko June 13, 2019

· · Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat

Beautiful countryside, quaint villages. Food on the boat (Patria) was excellent. Crew was very friendly and engaging

What was the date of your tour?: May 4, 2019
How many tours have you completed?: 5
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat easier
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Germany

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) LMOC August 21, 2019

Challeging and beautifull tour

· Umbria’s Green Valleys From the Pilgrimage Town of Assisi

Umbria is beautiful and we loved to visit the old and historical towns throughout the tour.
However, there were a bit more steep climbs than what we were expecting and the 40 degrees made them more challenging :/
Paolo and Petra were very helpful and friendly and the overall tour was well thought out.

What was the date of your tour?: 20 of July
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?: Italy

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) William Loewe October 17, 2024

Italian jaunt

· Bolzano – Verona – Venice

Great way to see northern Italy. Accommodations were fine, except for the last, where the room was difficult to access and the bathroom downright dangerous. Disappointing end to an otherwise lovely ride.

What was the date of your tour?: October 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 6
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?: Italy

4/5 Value
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) ol_lo October 22, 2017

Romantic Road - Bavarian Loop

· Romantic Road and Bavarian Lakes

My family and I chose this trip for our annual biking trip due to its location and timing. We were able to catch Oktoberfest at the beginning of the trip prior to starting our ride. The paths, roads, and trails were great! Absolutely beautiful countryside and scenery. In previous years we chose level two trips. These were more rolling hills with lots of flats. This particular trip was noted as a level 3. We found it to be challenging on some days and a little more of a work-out then we were hoping for. But we literally pushed and pedal through the steep parts and had an overal amazing trip! We will continue to use BikeTours for our yearly European Bike trips!

What was the date of your tour?: October 1, 2017
How many tours have you completed?: 2
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Who is this tour suitable for?: Families with teens
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Germany

5/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Louise C van Vonno July 20, 2023

Fantastic but more challenging then we are used to!

· Tuscany and Umbria: Cycling in the Heart of Italy

My husband and I have done over 10 bike tours around the world and this was by far the most challenging. If we had received the itinerary earlier than 6:30pm the day before we started we might have requested some route adjustments but there just wasn't time. We were assured by the local cycling company that provided the excellent e-bikes that we should be careful about battery usage but we would be OK. We were ok but truly exhausted at the end of most days. The route was excellent and we wanted to go back to some of the towns we visited when we weren't so tired.

What was the date of your tour?: June/ July 2023
How many tours have you completed?: 10+
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Much harder
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Italy

5/5 Value
2/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Slick October 9, 2017

Wonderful scenery

· Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)

Some directions going through the towns were difficult to follow. Also some of the starting points of the bike route were difficult to find and our driver was vague.

What was the date of your tour?: Sept 22 to Sept 29
How many tours have you completed?: 6
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Much 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?: Italy

5/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Luis Ricardo June 18, 2023

As good as expected

· Danube Bike Path 5-nights (Active)

Was an incredible experience. Good hotels and the path is easy to follow however a GPS is always recommended cycling the last mile. Next time I will choose an ebike.

Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Germany

★★★★★ (4/5) Larry Warshawski September 14, 2024

Great trip Bolzano to Venice

· Bolzano – Verona – Venice

We enjoyed the bike trip. The GPS courses were very good as were the tour descriptions in Ride with GPS. Unfortunately there was not enough time to see many of the sites. The hotels overall were average with some below average and a couple that were above average. They were all outside of the main old town vicinity and we missed out on the wonderful ambiance of the historical towns.
The 5 hour ferry ride on Lake Garda was too long and we arrived after sunset in late August. It was dark when we arrived at the hotel, which again was away from the downtown area and we had difficulty finding it.

What was the date of your tour?: August 21
How many tours have you completed?: 30
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?: Italy

4/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
3/5 Hotels or boat
4/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Mally July 8, 2018

· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

What was the date of your tour?: 16 to 22 June 2018
How many tours have you completed?: 1 to 5 (there were 5 in our group)
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Germany

3/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
3/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
1/5 Ease of navigation
1/5 Tour documents
3/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Kassandra DiMaggio April 29, 2024

It was fun

· · Holland’s Super Tulip Tour

What made it really fun was renting the whole boat and biking with a bunch of friends and being able to share the experience. The employees were very friendly and accommodating. Our guide was very sweet and tried really hard but had difficulty navigating the route, which became frustrating at times

What was the date of your tour?: April 18
How many tours have you completed?: None
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?: Holland

5/5 Value
3/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
1/5 Ease of navigation
1/5 Tour documents
3/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection
2/5 Guides (if applicable)

★★★★★ (4/5) Jiggy September 23, 2018

Fun time was had by all

· · Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat

Our group of 29 people had a wonderful time enjoying the scenery and relaxed atmosphere of the Patria. Although the cabins are quite small we made the best of it....and felt it was good value for the money. Was surprised with the lack of safety talk regarding the bikes and also the boat

What was the date of your tour?: sept 1, 2018
How many tours have you completed?: 3
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

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
3/5 Hotels or boat
4/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection
4/5 Guides (if applicable)

★★★★★ (4/5) Margaret October 17, 2023

Beautiful arrangements, somewhat difficult cycling

· Canal du Midi: Carcassonne to Sete, the South of France and the Sea

Carcassone is stunning. All of the hotels were good to excellent. The terrain is quite varied. The cycling was more difficult than I expected -- there are some serious climbs on the first two days, and most of the route is on public roads so you have to deal with cars. The tour company did their best to avoid traffic but they can't create a bike path where there is none. Fortunately, French drivers are used to bicyclists. I would recommend this trip to experienced cyclists but not to newbies.
The preparatory material was good. We were given printed maps and also an app for our phones. Both were good but the app was great because you could use it while you were on the bike, and it gave you an audible warning if you got twenty meters off the trail. The app also kept track of the percentage of the daily ride you had covered, and had a few more features. This was the first time I'd had an app and I really appreciated it.

How many tours have you completed?: 4 counting this one
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat harder
Who is this tour suitable for?: Solo travelers, Families with teens
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: France

5/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
3/5 Local tour company services
3/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Bikers September 25, 2017

Passau to Budapest

· Danube Cycle Path Passau – Budapest

A great way to explore parts of the Danube and its environs including historical and present day influences. Good hotels with local cuisine, culture and friendly hosts. A great way to meet like minded fellow travellers and get lots of fresh air with exercise.

What was the date of your tour?: 2 - 15 September 2017
How many tours have you completed?: Nil
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?: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia

4/5 Value
3/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
4/5 Scenery
2/5 Ease of navigation
1/5 Tour documents
2/5 Local tour company services
3/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Lynn M July 31, 2019

Daube Bike Path 7 nights

· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

The staff were great and the hotels were up to expectations. On commencing the instructions for the first 2 days were good but the bike tracks should be labelled eg R1 or No 6 - this would be helpful. Also with the instructions we were given - you would need a GPS. We rode 10km out of our way because we missed a sign and directions were not helpful. Locals did point us in the right direction ..but we had to resort to "google maps" Some people had assisted with spray painting the track with directions...so our confusion wasn't a one off.

What was the date of your tour?: July 2019
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?: Austria, Germany

5/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
2/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Harry Williamson August 5, 2022

Well done

· · Bike and Boat Croatia’s Dalmatia Coast

I thought that the tour was very well organized. The guides (Ivan and Jelena) were excellent. Ivan's command of English and tour guide experience were especially valuable. Jelena's upbeat personality and cycling experience added even more joy to the tour. Island hopping did a great job of organizing each day's rides and events and the San Snova's crew was excellent, especially Andro (Saloon manager and bartender). The Capt. and crew were very efficient and friendly.
Frankly, 2 weeks was a bit too much for me to do basically the same thing each day, I would have preferred a 1 week tour with less time spent in Split and Dubrovnik (crowded tourist towns). I do realize that most of the people on the tour were fine with the itinerary. I think that the tour information guide should more accurately describe the rigor of the tour. By the time we were barely getting started, virtually everyone (except 2 incredibly strong riders) had requested or later opted for Ebikes during the tour.
Otherwise a good tour. Also helpful that Jim Johnson was there to add his experience and fellowship.

What was the date of your tour?: July 15- 29
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?: Croatia

4/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
4/5 Ease of navigation
4/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection
5/5 Guides (if applicable)

★★★★★ (4/5) Heather 3 months ago

Classic River bike ride

· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

Hotels exceeded expectations…except 1 palace.

Pedalo app was excellent….a few small errors.

Unable to get a proper fitting helmet. One size does not fit all. Ended up buying a large helmet.

What was the date of your tour?: August 2025
How many tours have you completed?: 4
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

4/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
4/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
2/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) melwood August 24, 2017

Great trip due to the scenery, companions, and beer.

· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

Overall this was a great trip. I have a few complaints, though.
1. The bikes. We asked for hybrids and what we got were heavy cruisers (24 # or so) with 21 speeds and barco lounger seats. The seats were comfortable for about 20 miles the first day, then they were downright painful. Next time I'll bring my own saddle if I have to use these bikes. Also two of my companions are well under 5 ft tall and the bikes were big for them and hard to handle.
2. The distance. We told the company we wanted to do about 40 miles a day but it averaged 56 miles per day (with hot weather and heavy bikes and a headwind the entire way) for 4 days. We thought were spending 5 nights in hotels but it was only 4. I could have sworn I saw 5 days on the itinerary they sent before we left, but I guess i mis-read it.
3. The directions book. It was a little confusing arriving at the hotel and leaving it daily, as we had to pick out our directions from everyone one else's who were doing a similar ride but staying at different hotels or different villages.
A better approach would have been individual instructions. Especially when we arrived in Vienna. Once we were in town it was still an hour to our hotel through the city at high traffic. I could have kissed the hotel desk personnel when I finally arrived.
4. Accommodations: 3 out of 4 were great. The breakfast meals were great and plentiful. I would have liked to stay closer in the whatever village or town we were in (for those hotels that weren't) as it'd been nice to have a choice for dinner other than the hotel. Once we arrived, were too tired to bike any further, and we didn't want to spend $ on a taxi. Just a
suggestion.

What was the date of your tour?: Aug 12-16th, 2017
How many tours have you completed?: 6
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?: Austria, Germany

5/5 Value
5/5 Included meals
2/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Heather July 5, 2016

Alsace Cycling Vacation

· Alsace Wine Country

Bike Tours Direct is a very organized company that has good connections in the area. They provide a consultation on the first day of the trip to go over maps, routes, lodgings, and recommendations (for self-guided tours). They also spend some time making sure the bike is in good condition and is adjusted to fit you comfortably. We upgraded to road bikes, I would strongly recommend this as there are some steep hills on days 3-5.
We chose B hotels. The accommodations were comfortable.
The first 2 days of cycling are peaceful and flat, riding along a canal. Starting in Colmar, the ride is along the Alsatian wine route. It becomes hilly, and this is where the picture book starts. We cycled up and down hills, though vineyards, and medieval towns. Each town has beautifully preserved architecture, historic monuments, cobble stone streets, not to mention delicious local food and wine. The Alsace region is a perfect mix of French countryside, and small medieval towns with rich history and culture.

What was the date of your tour?: June 2016
How many tours have you completed?: 2
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Who is this tour suitable for?: Solo travelers
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: France

4/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
3/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
4/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (4/5) Wiederholen September 12, 2017

A great tour with good friends

· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)

Overall, a wonderful trip. Highlights included the Engelzell and Melk Abbeys, the towns of Dürnstein and Tulln, and the finish with an extra night in Vienna. The best scenery was in the Wachau, where we cruised through beautiful vineyards and lovely villages. On a couple of days the scenery was rather ordinary, and made the short rides seem longer out of boredom. Although the route was very flat, we did have a couple of short but steep climbs, the biggest being out of Melk to cross the bridge. This being our third bike tour in this region, I'm not sure the "upscale" lodging was worth the extra cost - some of the hotels were great (Schloß Dürnstein and Steigenberger Vienna) but most were not of any better quality than the standard tours. Biggest disappointments were the Hotel am Domplatz in Linz (where they charged us 20€ to garage our four bikes) and the Diamond City in Tulln, which was not "upscale" at all. The local tour operator was great - they provided us with a face-to-face briefing the night before we started riding - and the bikes were solid. We had a great time on this trip, despite two days of steady rain, but if I had to do it again I'd seriously consider the 7-night standard tour and save a few hundred Euros.

What was the date of your tour?: 31-AUG to 6-SEPT 2017
How many tours have you completed?: This was our third in this region
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?: Austria, Germany