Bike Tour Reviews page 160
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★★★★★ Mark Anderson 11 months agoWell Organized!
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
Tour Date (wk beginning Sep 7, 2024)
Our chosen tour was the self guided tour and my wife and I rented a tandem for the ride. the weather was the only thing we would have hoped to of had different. We started out in the 80's F and ended in the low 40's with all day heavy rain.
Bike Tours and their local providers/coordinators did an excellent job of coordinating all the parts and pieces from the bike shop where we picked up the tandem in Innsbruck and including all of the accommodations and luggage movement along the way. Everything worked perfectly.
One comment I have heard in many other reviews was that the map book is difficult to follow. We decided to also rent a GPS as well to help with navigation. That was a good move as the GPS was easier to manage in the rain and then we pulled the map book out when we needed additional details.
The map book directions were hard to follow initially, but that got easier with familiarity after the first day. When you receive the GPS it's not preloaded with the route. We didn't realize this ahead of time, but after loading the Garmin app in our phone we would load each day's route from the map book into our phone and then transfer to the GPS the night before. We both grumbled a bit as we completed this process the first night, but this became much quicker after the initial run as well.
I would definitely do another tour with Bike Tours!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sep 7, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Bill Allured 11 months agoA great way to experience Puglia in Italian
· Learning Italian from the Saddle: Language Classes & the Coast of Apulia
The bicycling was magnificent with varied and spectacular views. A vary civilized break for coffee and Italian language every day, along with delicious lunch stops (with more Italian) really illustrated the concept of “Slow Tourism”, which the local partner specializes in. Our teacher and guide, Giovanna, was a gentle and excellent teacher as well as guide. When thunderstorms were predicted, she anticipated possible stopping places so we were confident in our ride. The only down side was that we don’t know what to follow it up with next year, except maybe do it again!
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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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★★★★★ Kim Wasik 11 months agoBiking, Vinyards, and Castles
· · Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat
Biking along the beautiful Mosel River with a view of the Reisling Vinyards, and a warm reception aboard our floating hotel was a wonderful experience.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 7 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Linda Barone 11 months agoExcellent trip but GPS needs some updating
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
This was a wonderful trip. The bikes were excellent, most of the scenery was stunning, the hotels were good for the most part. The one challenge we had was many of the directions have not been updated to reflect bike path construction and restaurant closures. The other issue was the distances we actually traveled did not match the distances on the downloaded GPS. One day we rode ~100 km, when the GPS said we would ride ~ 65 to 70 km.
Still, we had an amazing, nicely challenging adventure and saw some of the most beautiful countryside that we wouldn’t have seen if we weren’t on bicycles. We would recommend this trip. -
★★★★★ Michael Hallowell 11 months agoLayers of history
· Danube River and Black Sea
We have done dozens of bicycle tours around the world so we have a good idea of what a good tour looks like. This one met our expectations. Lots of local history and culture, reasonable biking distances, good hotels and knowledgable guides. We also stopped and foraged along the way, eating everything from walnuts to peaches for fun. The bicycles were well maintained and appropriate for the surfaces we traveled (perhaps a third of the trip was on dirt farm roads, cyclists with gravel or mountain bike experience-like us-will have no trouble, that said, the two people on our trip without such experience did just fine.)
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 46
- 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?
- Bulgaria, Romania
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★★★★★ Jodi Ready 11 months ago
Great trip!
· Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
My friend and I did the tour on one of the upgraded regular non-electric bikes and I was very happy with the quality. You should be already quite comfortable with bicycles as they were handed over to us with no instruction. A phone mount was not included, and between the two of us, we only got one handlebar bag. There were no water bottle holders either.
The route was excellent and, as promised, was mostly on non-motorized, paved, well marked trails. You have the option of being driven over some of the bigger hills, but my friend and I opted to ride them ourselves. Of the paper forms provided, the written directions were much more useful than the maps, and I found the app useless and intrusive so I deleted it and used the downloads of the routes they provided ahead of time into my chosen app (Gaia for me and OnX for my friend) for the map. It worked much better, especially in combination with the written directions on the papers provided.
The accommodations and food in the hotels were excellent. our bags seem to always arrive before we did and there was a clean dry place to park our bikes.
I loved biking along the Drau river with beautiful views of the amazing dolomites.
The route brought us by interesting museums (we went to a chocolate museum, as well as history museums), pretty lakes, and we were informed of good food stops, and interesting viewpoints. I also enjoyed biking through some of the small hillside villages where you could see how some of these remote communities live.
I enjoyed the camaraderie of others doing the same program. We would see each other at breakfast, sometimes at dinner and occasionally on the route.
We chose to spend an extra day in Bled. We thought we would need a break from the cycling. We found that wasn’t the case, but enjoyed the lake and the castle so we’re glad we stopped. Because we took the extra day, they gave us an alternate route to the last hotel, but we decided to follow the one that the rest of the group took because it went through some beautiful places that we wanted to see. It really didn’t change our average daily distance to do that.
There was one area that required taking a train. We called to find out the logistics while we were on the tour because it wasn’t clear from the material, but I was impressed with how it worked. Someone from the tour group met us at the station, had tickets, and helped us and our bikes onto the train. Then someone was at the other end to pick us up and make sure we got to where we needed to start our ride again. They were easy to identify and very friendly and helpful.
I had a great time and would look to this company again for another tour.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- 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, Slovenia, Austria
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★★★★★ susan mcbryant 11 months agoThe best!
· Amsterdam to Bruges: Cycling through South Holland and Zeeland
Thoughful bike routes, great accommodations, beautiful scenery. This trip was seamless and we would highly recommend it to anyone.
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★★★★★ Andrew Brooks 11 months agoA chill informative cycle along the coast of Brighton
· Brighton Coastal Bike Tour
Duncan was a great guide on our cycle around Brighton, he was super friendly and very knowledgeable on the local area. We had originally booked on the South Downs tour, but were not feeling up to going up and down hills. Duncan was happy to accommodate, and so took us on the Coastal Route which was mostly flat. The weather was great for a casual cycle. Clear skies and a calm breeze. Would highly recommend for anyone wanting to explore and learn a bit more about Brighton.
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★★★★★ Robert 11 months agoGreat great trip
· · Pearls of Dalmatia by Bike and Boat, Romantica
What a great trip. Except for the condition of the "hybrid" bike I had (did not use e-bike), everything about this trip was beyond expectations...cabin, food, support, guides. My wife and I have been on other bike trips and have loved them. This trip was truly the best we have done. Everything was done to make the trip 5 stars. Modifications, when needed, were made with consideration for providing the best experience possible. For the casual rider or not in top notch condition
individual, an e-bike, is a must and will make the riding experience way fun. The islands are beautiful. The ride routes have challenging climbs. Guides were extremely knowledgeable, and supportive. The Romantica is charming and seemed the perfect match and vibe for the itinerary.
There are newer and more "glamorous" ships we encountered, but was glad to be on the Romantica.Highest recommendation.
As noted above, my only negative was the non e-bikes provided us. I am an very experienced rider and the bikes provided (the first one was not in acceptable riding condition, and the second provide was just slightly better) were poorly maintained, with shifters not working properly, rusty chains, etc., the wrong size for me, and the rides would have been way more enjoyable on a "good" bike. E-bikes appeared in good condition and well maintained.
In spite of this, I loved this trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3rd bike tour
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ MHK 11 months agoLots of fun! Well organized!
· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Loved the accommodations especially in the smaller towns. Breakfast was wonderful. Bikes were in good condition. Our local contacts responded very quickly to any questions we had along the way. Would use them again. 😊
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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
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★★★★★ Maggie Stapleton 11 months agoAbsolutely Wonderful!
· Along the Rhône River from Geneva to Lyon
I had a terrific time on this tour. Everything was extremely well organized, from orientation at the beginning of the trip, to the daily route navigation, and luggage arrival at accommodations. The scenery was beautiful, and each town and hotel had a lot of charm! Highly recommend.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- France, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Faye Gilraine 11 months agoVery good tour
· Medieval Villages of Catalonia
The tour was great, Daniel was extremely helpful, and the accommodation was very good. However, the tour should not be rated as easy. The first two days were easy, and it was no problem using a normal bike. However, for the next four days we should have rented electric bikes - it would have made the trip much more enjoyable. It was obvious the seventh day was over the mountains and would be difficult, but did not ever plan to cycle that day, as we only had six days available.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- At least 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much 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?
- Spain
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★★★★★ Karen Wickett 11 months ago
A wonderful adventure - just what I needed
· Danube River and Black Sea
Thank you to the BikeTours.com team for introducing me to Deyan and his team. They were superb hosts and guides sharing stories and beautiful places in their stunning Bulgaria. Deyan changed the lunch stop so I could swim in the Black Sea. The bikes were good, food superb, places we stayed were exceptional. This is a must do trip for those who want an adventure.
Also a shout out to Mariam at Biketours. They always answered my emails quickly and reassured me. I was anxious booking an American tour from England, but thankfully I had nothing to worry about. Planning and paying was easy with Mariam's guidance. Thank you.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- My first tour
- 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?
- Bulgaria, Romania
