Bike Tour Reviews page 83
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★★★★★ Mick September 18, 2017Three Countries, One Lake
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
A relaxing tour with some good cardio the second day getting to the hotel. Plenty of scenery for us photographers and lots of cafes for morning coffee breaks and afternoon beers.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 4-10
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Bill12345 September 18, 2017Loop tour mallorca
· Majorca: A Loop Tour of the Beautiful Balearic Island
The trip was fantastic, Euro Bike were alway available. The hotels were all 4 star. Every town we stayed in had points of interest. I have done a lot of biking in Europe & would use Euro Bike again. Only thing I would change is the option to be billed in Euros on my visa without a visa sèvice fee, other companies do this.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 10-17
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- 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?
- Spain
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★★★★★ Jane Fletcher 7 months agoGood trip - lots of orchards and vineyards
· Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
I enjoyed this trip through the Dolomites but didn’t see as much of the craggy Dolomites as I expected. We were almost always in the flat valley with the mountains along the side of the valley. As we went south the mountains seemed to shrink. I enjoyed the Germanic nature of northern Italy and was very interested to learn more about its history and how Austrian the residents still feel. It didn’t feel like we were in Italy until we arrived in Trento on market day. And then it was almost like a switch flipped and we were in Italy. The architecture as well as the countryside changed and became more Mediterranean influenced. Our ride was generally on bike paths that were very busy with cyclists. Weekends were especially busy but even during the week the paths were busy but it was great to see so many people out riding their bikes. Along the paths we found several bike bars that served drinks and snacks to cyclists and they were perfect places to find a WC. We enjoyed the scenery and marveled at the thousands of acres of apple orchards that we rode through. The hotels were generally fine but the hotel in Riva del Garda was a disappointment. I paid extra for single rooms after a friend had to cancel her trip and this room was a real disappointment, it was more like a cell.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20+
- 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?
- Austria, Italy
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★★★★★ Badger biker October 24, 2019
Good ride with a couple of asterisks
· Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
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★★★★★ Susana September 5, 2018Family trip
· Danube Family Tour 7 Nights
This trip is perfect for a family with small children. We have 2 kids, 6 and 8 years old and they have enjoyed everything! The bikes, the swimming pools at Mauthausen, the swims in the Danube, the playgrounds alond the way...We hired a one tag along bike (carried by his father :) and a children bike in order to change during the trip and make it easier for them.
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★★★★★ klrea October 23, 2019Touring Provence
· Provence Getaway: The Secrets of Southern France (4 nights)
This is an amazing and beautiful part of the country to visit, and our bike tour organizers set up a really great agenda. However, we don't feel that bicycling was the best way to see the area, and next time we will rent a car instead.
We opted for the self-guided tour because we wanted to be in control of when and where we stopped. The tour organizers were super helpful and friendly and did everything possible to set us up and get us on our way. However, the bikes were extraordinarily heavy, much heavier than what we are used to riding at home, and, for the amount and type of riding that was on our schedule, made the touring harder than we expected it to be. Also, this was my husband's first bike tour, and the first self-guided tour for me. I found that having to watch the GPS and navigate detracted from being able to enjoy the countryside as we rode through. Finally, while, the little towns along the way were lovely and a delight to see, we were not accustomed to the provincial French practice of closing up shop in the afternoon until opening back up for dinner at 6pm, and so were often without food for the day. It was hard to time the riding to arrive in time for lunch when we didn't know how the riding would take.
One more unexpected event was the arrival of the Mistral winds on the last day of our ride, which came blustering in at 30 mph. So, while the weather was nice otherwise, the strong and cold wind made riding heavy bikes uphill something we took a pass on. Fortunately, we were able to find transportation by car into the area that we wished to visit.
For these reasons, although I think this is a great company, I think there are some places that are best visited by car, even though I am an avid and strong cyclist at home.- What was the date of your tour?
- 4 October 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Visitor42 July 4, 2019Unexperienced rider review
· Venice to Trieste and Istria
That was nice and fun tour for me, however my girlfriend struggled a bit. It is not completely 2 stars. For example, last day is not plain at all and could be challenging for newbies without some experience (like myself).
It would be nice to have shortcuts for every day of this tour.
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★★★★★ Ray1 September 5, 2018great trip, though not for everyone
· Berlin – Copenhagen
A "self guided" trip, it's not for everyone, even with guide book you will get lost in the almost 400 miles, and unless traveling with a companion might be alone for long stretches. It was August, among hottest in many years in Germany and Denmark, no hotels with AC. First night my room was a converted attic with spiral stair case like a light house (not easy with luggage) and quite hot. For most part hotels were fine, food good. I enjoyed the ever changing scenery, small villages, friendly people.
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★★★★★ Coasters September 18, 2017A glimpse of the Loire valley
· Loire Valley Châteaux & Gardens Tour
A fabulous way to experience the countryside around the Loire valley. GPS maps made this trip very pleasurable
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 11-17
- 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?
- France
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★★★★★ travelprodtw October 18, 2016
Lovely week in the Loire Valley
· Loire Valley Châteaux & Gardens Tour
The perfect time to go on this tour is shoulder season; would be much too hot in the summer months; especially since some hotels did not have A/C. The local operator had great bikes (Treks) but we did experience a wheel problem on day 1 which they were not quick enough to address (we were on a self-guided tour). It was as if they did not believe us when we reported the problem. We had to be insistent they address it on day two rather than them wanting to take care of the problem. In all it cost us about 3 hours delay the first day and 2 hours on Day 2; missed two chateau visits as a result Loved the unusual routing for the tour but since it was off the beaten bike path, could have used more precise directions and maps. It would help if they said something like "After 3.2 miles go right on the gravel road" instead of "then take A32 right" because there was not always a sign for "A32".
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- France
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★★★★★ Jane Fletcher 7 months agoGreat to have one hotel as a home base
· Lake Garda (based in one hotel)
Lake Garda was beautiful and we enjoyed staying in Desenzano. Our hotel in Desenzano was in the perfect location, right on the water and close enough to the old town to walk to dinner.
The day trips for biking out of Desenzano were variable in terms of how much we enjoyed them. We really liked Verona but the biking back from Verona was not very enjoyable because of the traffic and a lot of not very scenic areas. However, the day we rode to Brescia, another city, was a good biking day as the route we were on had pretty good cycling infrastructure that kept us separated from cars even though we were entering the city. There was, however, on that day a closed road that we had to navigate around. Luckily with both google maps and ride with gps we were able to find a good alternate route to get around the closure. We used rides with gps to navigate the routes provided by the tour company rather than their app as rides with gps allowed us to enter our individual hotel and ride directly there. It was also better with turn by turn directions. The tour literature said that their app would work on airplane mode if you downloaded the maps ahead of time, we didn’t find that to be the case. Also, their app tended to lose where we were while rides with gps did not lose us.
Our favorite riding day was the day we rode a loop route in the countryside without a city destination. Lots of nice scenic views without having to negotiate city traffic.
One day I had a problem with my e-bike, it wouldn’t change power levels, so I called the emergency number and they wanted me to call the guy who manages the bikes but since we were out on the tour I asked if she could call him for me. She said she would and that he would call me back. He never called back. The next day one of our group decided not to ride so I used her bike. However, there were several other bikes that had been delivered. I called the emergency number again later that day to say that I had not gotten a call back but that several bikes had been delivered and was one of them for me. She didn’t know but again told me to call the guy who manages the bikes. This time I did call him and he seemed to imply that the bike that said reserved was for me. We had a little bit of a language barrier. So, the next day I rode the reserved bike and all was good. All of that to say it would be great if the tour company could work on their communication with customers. The replacement bike for me was apparently there the morning after I called but I didn’t know that.
All in all it was a good trip and we saw some wonderful sites from Lake Garda to Verona to Brescia and in the countryside.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20+
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Marcus September 17, 2017Better than I expected.
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Bike trip was quite an experience. Gorgeous country and villages. BikeTours.com was very accommodating to our needs. In a few places, especially near towns, some more green "tour" signs would have been helpful.
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★★★★★ Jonathan Barker August 27, 2022Beautiful towns, safe cycle paths, one bike was poor.
· Romantic Road from Würzburg to Donauwörth
We enjoyed visiting the Romantic roads stunningly beautiful and well maintained towns. The hotels very varied, some modern others traditional which was great. The cycle paths were mostly off road, away from traffic and passed through moderately pretty agricultural countryside and small villages. One of the bikes was manual and was very heavy. I was told I would get 24 gears but it only had a basic 3-5 gear mechanism operated from one side of the handle bars. This meant I had to get off and push the bike up steep hills which was disappointing..
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- 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, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Sandy Anderson November 8, 2022Lake Constance Upscale
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path (Upscale Lodging)
This trip was good overall, yet we made a mistake by choosing Upscale Lodging because most of the hotels were not in the old towns, and we had to go through the city at rush hour with unclear directions. We would have preferred staying along the river in the old towns. Upscale lodging was not necessary.
Secondly, the KaMOOT app that we bought and tried to use was a disaster. It lead you along any trail that came up...whether it was for hikers, or a dog path, so we were constantly rerouting on the first day, until we gave up on it and used the written guide.
The bikepaths were wonderful and scenic and we loved that part of the ride.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2022
- 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, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Donna Schultz August 27, 2022Ship needs better ventilation in dining room.
· · Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau
We booked trip 3 years ago. It was cancelled twice. We are fully Covid vaccinated and boosted. The crew wore masks for the first 5 days. On day 7, my husband got Covid. The only place for exposure was the dining room. All the passengers ate together in a dining room that did not have good ventilation. There was no options for open air dining or room dining. We lost 4 days while he recovered.
After waiting so long for trip, it was disappointing there was not adequate controls to avoid virus spread.
After he got sick. I noticed at least 6 other people that were also coughing. No one was ill at beginning of trip.
We will not go on another bike boat trip that does not take precautions to reduce virus spread. There should be changes in table spacing, air flow & circulation, better air filtration, & open air dining option.
The boat was Swiss Crown.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- I have been on inn to inn tours. This was first bike boat tour
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Pattio October 22, 2019
Danube recycle
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
A delightful way to see the Danube. Many exceptional views of castles and cathedrals along the way.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 4-11
- How many tours have you completed?
- Four
- 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?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Megan15 July 4, 2019Fantastic Experience
· Best of Holland South: Canals, Windmills & Historic Towns
We wanted to experience The Netherlands without the hustle and bustle of big cities, transport hassles, and finding hotels. For the four days of riding we followed our GPS map and rode through farming areas, alongside canals, and into beautiful historic towns where the courier had already delivered our bags to lovely small hotels. We did find some days a bit hard riding due to the 'Dutch headwind' and if we were to do another tour we would look for less kilometres per day to give us time to explore the towns along the way, and at the destination town and find coffee spots!. E-Bikes might have made this easier.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 17-21 July 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- None
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Peter Keithly November 8, 2022Well Organized Bicycle Tour of Dalmatia Coast
· · Bike and Boat Croatia’s Dalmatia Coast
Very well organized and comprehensive adventure. Probably best for those who want to use E-Bikes. Guides were energetic and fun to be around. Waiter was wonderful and very entertaining. Food was well prepared and plentiful. Our room was comfortable and kept cool for sleeping with A/C. Top deck could have been a bit more user friendly as there was no shade provided.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Medium October 18, 2016Very good trip with a couple glitches.
· · Danube Discovery: Bike and Boat through Enchanting Capitals
A week can only touch on the highlights of what the Danube has to offer for bikers, and this tour accomplished that, leaving us with ideas for more in-depth exploring. The boat was fine, the meals were good and the crew was great, but the WiFi access was almost nonexistent; had to go to Starbucks or other coffee houses in cities to check email. The cruise director was a last minute replacement with insufficient English to answer most questions... a nice guy but not well organized. Fortunately, the routes had been well planned, though the slide shows provided scant info, so we could have benefitted from a handout each day describing the route specifics, sites of interest and perhaps suggestions on restaurants.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 1-8 Oct 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Linda Vied August 28, 2022My First Bike Trip
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique IV (and reverse)
This was my first bike trip and whilst i am not an "avid" cyclist i do consider myself to be a regular cyclist and having paid attention to some prior training i thought i would be OK to do this trip and keep up with everyone. However, i found the pace to be difficult and was unable to keep up with most of the group due to the fact that at least 50%/60% of them were riding E Bikes!!
This trip would have been more enjoyable for me if the group had been split between regular and E Bikers.
The boat was above expectations in every respect and the captain and crew were amazing and created a very comfortable, warm and inviting atmosphere. The chef is a wonder and served some truly wonderful dishes. I thought i would return from this trip having lost some weight but instead i have gained!!!
