Bike Tour Reviews page 161
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★★★★★ Francisco Averhoff May 6, 2024Great location- tour operator lacking
· Cycling Paradise of Provence - to and from Avignon
Recommend the trip, with another tour company, not Walk Inn. Service and access to assistance was very poor
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Francisco Averhoff May 7, 2024
Great location- tour operator lacking
· Cycling Paradise of Provence - to and from Avignon
Recommend the trip, with another tour company, not Walk Inn. Service and access to assistance was very poor
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Fred Inglis November 7, 2022The hotels were first class and the staff very helpful. The trip itself was away from the Danube for most of the mileage covered and there were too many rough parts along the trail , i.e. tractor tracks with gravel ruts that were uncomfortable to traverse and longer than comfortable sections of heavily used roads. We took a day of rest in Gyor and this was a very pleasant place to spend time touring on foot. Vienna and Budapest are wonderful cities to explore on foot and via trams also.
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
Biking is a wonderful way to explore a different country and there were pleasant surprises in a couple of restaurants we came across in small towns along the way.
Unfortunately our maps were in German as they had run out of English versions, which made it more difficult to orient oursenves. -
★★★★★ Ginny50 June 8, 2016· · Neckar & Rhine Rivers by Bike and Boat
This was an enjoyable bike/boat tour. The crew and staff were very nice. The riding days were usually short and manageable. The rainy weather was an issue which made for slippery riding on cobblestones. Due to the rains the Neckar River was closed and our ship was diverted. The company handled the diversion to the best of their ability and these detoured riding days were okay. We ended up in the town of Speyer, which was our favorite stop of the entire tour. One major complaint was the rooms on the ship were very small. They did state that in the promotional information, but we were not expecting that tiny. Everyone complained about the tiny rooms. We just laughed and dealt with it but it did make for close quarters. If you travel in May bring rain gear!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May/June 2016
- 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 teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Ginny50 June 8, 2016A Challenging and Rainy Ride
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
This was a good tour and we enjoyed the adventure, but I can honestly say I would not recommend it to a beginner. Many of the reviews said this was a good ride for beginners. My husband and I started riding 2 years ago so we are slow but steady riders. We rode the Danube path (Passau to Vienna) last year with no problems so this one sounded like a good tour for us.
We booked this ride based on the level 2 status and the few reviews we saw. In my opinion it is more of a level 3-4. The gently rolling hills were very steep on the first 2 days. It would have been easier with an e-bike but for beginners it was almost impossible with a regular bike. Most of the time the paths were paved but several sections were packed “gravel.” These paths were well maintained and easy, but often a bumpy ride. The biggest problem was these paths were not much more than 2 feet wide so if you are a slow rider you tend to collect 30 faster bikers behind you with no way to pass.
The Lake Constance cycle route is one of the most popular bicycle routes in Europe.
This just about sums it up - the most popular path in Europe. It was over-crowed almost to the point of being dangerous in many sections. We wondered about the high level of bike traffic during the month of May, until we were enlightened that we were enjoying “Pentecost Holidays” with the throngs of locals.
The bikes provided by the company were wonderful. I highly recommend this tour company/bike shop and crew. My husband was not happy with his first bike and they quickly swapped it out with no question.
When we received our tour documents we noticed one day stated that the ride was 35miles/55km. Most of those miles were on a shared road with cars - Not a dedicated bike path. Cars whizzing past you on a busy road is not fun for us. That day our bikes took a train ride! FYI - When I asked one of the tour guides if many people ditched this ride mid-way he did say that quite a few riders just gave up. I can see why!
Each hotel was fabulous. The rooms were lovely and the food excellent.
We really did enjoy this trip and we pushed ourselves more than we ever thought we could. We had 2 good days of seeing the lake and views, but missed seeing the beautiful scenery because of the incessant rain and many detours. Better rain gear will be on our wish list before we ride again. It was a challenge that we were proud to complete.- What was the date of your tour?
- May, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ JG2017 August 9, 2017
Lost in Europe: Vienna to Budapest
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
The English directions were poor. Please insert photos when you say bike bath is hidden and hard to find so we have some idea of what we are looking for. Sometimes we just took the main road since we couldn't find the bike path.
The same goes for bridges and statues. Eg Bratislava ends at the big statue. Which statue? Even at our hotel they didn't know where you meant. We rarely found the exact end point so the next day we also couldn't find the starting point and that put our mileage off for the day.
Also, a bit misleading to show pools as part of a hotel in the hotel booklet and then find when we arrive there is a €15 charge if we want to use them.(Hotel Thermal, Mosonmagyovar) Either include the pools in the price or leave them out of the hotel photo. Also the luggage on our last day arrived long after us, at around 5:00. We want our bags when we get to the hotel since we are hot and sweaty and need a change of clothes for after a shower. It was no fun sitting around waiting for our bags in 37C weather.Having said all that, the scenery was great, especially the fields of sunflowers. Most of the hotel rooms were fine with comfortable beds and excellent breakfasts. The Hotel Forras in Komarom was a real treat with the most amazingly pools and grounds all included. Also don't miss the fort in Komarom. The bikes were sturdy and easy to use. Overall a good trip but could have been better if directions were clearer or more photos inserted. It is stressful getting lost in a country where you don't speak the language.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 23, 2017
- 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?
- Austria, Hungary
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★★★★★ nunn August 28, 2016Glad we went
· Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
We vacillated on taking this tour because of age and stamina. We called Biketour and asked about the tour. They said we could do it. The cycling is not difficult/technical, it is the pace that was difficult. We had to cover 800+ miles between cycling and bus in 9 days. There is a time-line that had to be kept to get us to the each destination. It was not a leisurely pace for us. One of us could not have done the tour if it were not for the guide suggesting to get an e-bike. It saved the trip. The Baltic tour company did a great job with logistics and getting us through the Baltics and the guides were awesome. We enjoyed meeting and making new friends on the tour. It was our first guided tour and took some adjusting on our part. We enjoyed the trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 7/31/16
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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?
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
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★★★★★ Icebiker1 August 22, 2017· Wine & Bike in Hungary’s Balaton Uplands
- What was the date of your tour?
- 1. week of July
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Hungary
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★★★★★ William McGill II August 3, 2022Lake Constance Up Scale Lodging- +’s and -‘s
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path (Upscale Lodging)
We enjoyed the scenery, weather, bikes and the people we met on the trail. The local bike company provided maps and directions were lacking organization, accuracy and specific detail for our trip. As an example they did not include directions to the route from the starting hotel nor to the ending hotel. One of the “upscale”hotels was far from the lake in an area with undeveloped, unkempt grass like a vacant lot. Only after painful and time consuming negotiation did the local bike company agree to deliver the bikes to our starting hotel. We previously took a Danube and Mosel upscale lodging bike tours and received great customer service from the local bike companies. I recommend that until the local company selling this tour significantly improves its customer service Bike Tours stop selling this tour.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Brent September 30, 2018Beautiful scenery
· Split to Dubrovnik: The Islands and Coastline of Croatia
Excellent support
Really challenging cycling
Doublecheck that inner tubes have been properly fitted before you start- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug. 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Dre22 June 15, 2019· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 30 thru June 5
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Jackie10 June 14, 2019Recommend with caution
· Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option
This bike tour is through the most beautiful Austrian countryside. The accommodations are great, luggage transfers flawless and great breakfasts included. The directions are horrible, especially the 1st and 3 rd days. Make sure you have a GPS with you. The poor directions added unnecessary frustration to the trip. The bikes are up right commuter bikes and uncomfortable for the mileage involved. If you are accustomed to a decent road bike you probably won't be happy. Most cyclists we saw were on e-bikes which makes the poor ergonomics more tolerable. This tour would be a 5 star with accurate directions and decent equipment. So bring a GPS and your own bike and have a blast!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- Two
- 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
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★★★★★ Jen D 4 months agoBeautiful Scenery
· Romantic Road from Würzburg to Donauwörth
We found the first half of this tour fabulous. Wurzburg was a highlight, especially since we were there during wine festival - it was very lively. For the first 3 days we enjoyed riding through lots of little towns and took our time enjoying coffee/lunch stops. It was interesting to see the scenery change during the second half (more rural farms). We found, however, that there were fewer little towns to stop in or explore. This made stopping for coffee/lunch challenging or impossible. Luggage transfer was totally reliable. Hotels were a bit of a mix. GHotel in Wurzburg was nice, but basically a big box hotel by a busy road. Hotel Gerberhaus in Rothenburg was quirky - the room was small and hot, the shower didn't work well. Hotel Sinas Brettl in Nordlingen was quite disappointing - they seemed to be building the hotel as they ran it. We arrived early afternoon and there was no one present except a construction worker. We killed time at a coffee shop and came back. The same construction worker called the hotel owner who explained where our key was. We stepped over cords etc. to get to our room which was set up for just 1 person. It was loud. Hotel Zu den Drei Kronen in Donauworth was fine, not special. Our room had 2 twin beds - looked like a university dorm room. It was also set up for just 1 person. Staff quickly addressed that. I will also note that we were worried about the weather for a few days, so rushed more than usual. We wondered what we would have done had we been caught in a lightening storm with no towns nearby. Overall we enjoyed our trip, but the hotels need more attention and some of the routes should consider stops for lunch/rests. Bikes were excellent.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much 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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★★★★★ Diane Griffin November 21, 2023Disappointing - don't go during shoulder season
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
I've done four self-guided trips and this trip was my least favorite. The marketing material pitches "storybook villages" but most days are spent riding through corn fields. The hotels were outside of towns and hard to walk to restaurants. Because it was shoulder season, there were very few restaurants open.
First day's hotel was outside of town and front desk advised that we go to the mall for lunch. Fortunately we found a fun restuarant down on the river. The initial meeting with the bike company was disorganized and very brief. He barely talked about the tour, he didn't have tools to swap out pedals, there were too many of us attending the meeting and he said he didn't have time to answer questions - only 60 minutes alotted. We asked for spare tubes for the two road bikes but never got them. Skinny tires get flats!!
The "castle" we stayed in one night was not nice. It was clearly getting renovated - the rooms were nice but there were only five rooms. The property was overgrown and rundown, and with only five rooms it felt very creepy and unoccupied.
Breakfast at the castle - no protein - no eggs, no yogurt. We're on a bike tour and need energy! No fruit, no granola. Breakfast was just six slices of cucumbers, 10 cherry tomatoes, hard rolls, deli meat/cheese. Bar wasn't open for post-ride beer/wine.
Donauhotel Letternof - 11k from Enns, very remote, had to walk to a campground for food. Closest restaurant is cash only, need reservations. Front desk tried to make res but couldn't get through. The ONLY local taxi was working in Linz, not available for us. It was due to rain very hard. Hotel loaned us umbrellas and we went back to the campground for dinner.Day 3 - arrived at Cafe Braun (the meeting point) at 4:30 and called for shuttle (runs 3-6pm) told to go to a camping store(?) and get the bus as they don't have anyone to pick us up. One guy in our party was willing to make the 3k very steep climb to get us a ride. This hotel was nice but since it was past high season everything in this cute village was closed. Only one restaurant was open.
Last day - Vienna - hotel was so far from center city and far from anything interesting. Very long and confusing ride through busy city. Very limited restaurants. Shortest riding day and yet our bags didn't arrive until 5pm. -
★★★★★ Dmendrop July 2, 2019
Vikes on Bikes
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
This tour was not exactly what we expected. We brought our own tandem, but were often on dirt or gravel roads for miles, which was difficult with our tires. The directions were confusing and not clear often, a GPS option would be so helpful. Sometimes there was construction on bike baths, obviously not new, which caused us to take alternate route. Accommodations were excellent, I loved seeing all the small towns along the way. Don’t be fooled, you are not often on the Danube.
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★★★★★ doedoe June 12, 2016Know what you are getting.
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Princesse Royal
Mostly older folks (50 and up). Nice and comfortable ship. Not luxury. Small but adequate room, like any cruise room. Towels were rough/worn. Put out daily the following in the am scrambled eggs, bacon, bread, condiments, lunch meat to make your own lunch (tomatoes and cucumbers), fruit, greek yogert, cereal, coffee , tea, 1 bottle of water. Dinner food was excellent, no choices, given plates of food at dinner (including appetizer and desert), no seconds but it was adequate, nobody complained. Tea/coffee before dinner 4pm to 5pm and at breakfast but none after dinner like Americans usually do, but you could buy some at the bar. We took this cruise because they advertised that you would be given maps and directions if you wanted to do the route yourself rather than go with the guide. The guide discouraged this and said if you got lost the ship would leave without you if you were late. The directions were really not adequate to do it yourself. He was a bit rude at times throughout the trip. Consequently the pace was fast without time for pictures, seeing the sites, enjoying the scenery. Just a fast paced ride through beautiful scenery with occasional brief predetermined stops. The routes were very scenic but can't say I fully enjoyed them. Stressful to worry about losing the group if you stopped to take off your coat or take a picture. Rest of crew was very nice but very overworked. Not bad for the price but not what we were looking for and they should advertise more truthfully. Would not have done it if we had known. Also $50 extra for gluten free but not much extra was provided (just gluten free bread and I had to ask for it most days). Bring your own bread and save $50.
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★★★★★ Kenneth (Doug) Mering October 2, 2023Good trip but issues
· Balkan Treasures
Trouble with maps provided. Map did always start and stop at lodging location. Not always clear on th route on the map. Did not always feel safe on the road. Scenery was great. Enjoyed it but may not do another biketours trip without a lot more research on the routes safety.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia, Albania, Montenegro
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★★★★★ Anne Stanek October 11, 2023Challenging but interesting tour.
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
This was a particularly challenging trip for us as we biked in 92 degree heat every day of the tour. The rides were long, there were many hills and it was extremely dry. Luckily, a couple of us used EV bikes which made a big difference. I think this trip would feel very different with cooler weather. All the folk who we dealt with were so warm, welcoming, helpful, etc. We visited some very cool towns - Evora and Monsaraz were my favorites. We stayed in some lovely hotels - ancient buildings fixed up comfortably with modern conveniences and a working farm. We ate fabulous breakfasts. We stopped at some interesting sites - monoliths, pottery factory, marble quarry were three favorites. It was a good trip despite the challenges.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Annik Stahl September 11, 2023Could have been better
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
The tour leader (Helmut) was great, as was the boat crew. There were some fun times biking but the miles and miles of harsh gravel was not in the description of the trip. (This was not "country roads" -- this was ROCKS and my back ached for days afterward.) Had I know, I would not have chosen this trip as I just had surgery. I found the food to be absolutely awful. The dinners were beond strange and hey, maybe something besides HAM HAM HAM every day for lunch? I lost 4 pounds during that trip.
While I know there are some great trips to be had with this company (my dad has been on several and said this one was the worst). this was not one of them. Like I said, some fun time biking but not enough to recommend this trip.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Joseph Tevaarwerk May 13, 2024Nice trip, but some issues.
· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
The trip overall was good. The hotels were from very nice to adequate, and the weather was good for biking. Luggage handling was perfect.
The issue we had was with the bikes. In our case the bikes we rented were delivered to our hotel. I had emailed specific instructions about my wife's bike set-up regarding saddle height and handle bar height. When the bikes arrived we noticed that the saddle could not be adjusted low enough for her comfort. We had to call the AVE rep and he had to bring a different saddle stem to fix that problem.
Another problem was with my bike. The frame size was too small for me, and the handle bars were too low for comfort. Since we had already lost time to get my wife's bike corrected, I decided that I could manage with the bike that was delivered. That was my mistake!
Half way into the trip the front telescopic forks collapsed and I had to ride nose down, which was very uncomfortable and outright dangerous. We managed to get it pumped up at a bike shop, but they lost pressure again while biking.Last year we had none of these problems. The big difference was that last year we had to collect our bikes at the rental shop the day before. This gave us the opportunity to have both bikes adjusted to the right settings, and to make sure that they were of the correct frame size.
I don't need to stress how important a reliable and well fitting bike is for these bike tours. I suggest that you make it essential that the bikes are collected at the rental site the day before the trips start. This will give the participants the opportunity to make essential corrections.
Myself, for our next trip I will insist that we will collect the bikes at the rental shop the day before the trip starts, and that they are reliable and well fitted bikes.
I think it is wise if you make this part of your overall policy as well.Joseph.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Czech Republic, Germany
