Bike Tour Reviews page 36
- Albania
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- England
- Estonia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Holland
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Montenegro
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Scotland
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United States
- Vietnam
- Wales
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★★★★★ Guy Levy September 11, 2023Great trip with some annoying snags
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
We were a group of 8 members who did a self guided tour with e-bikes. the route of the tour exposed us to Albania's beautiful landscape, heritage and lovely and warm people. The route is quite challenging due to the mountainous terrain and we were glad that we chose to use e-bikes. All in all we really loved it. Yet, we encountered a few troublesome matters that with due attention can be solved.(i) we had numerous problems with the e-bikes, mostly related to chain falling w/o any reason, back cog-wheel that became loose etc., that ended with replacing two of our bikes and a number cases where on road assistance was required. We understood from comments made by the local agents that these had been common problems with the type of bikes we had been given, hence either bike maintenance needs improvement or a different bike brand should be used. (ii) A much greater portion of the tour then described in the website was on main roads with heavy traffic, which we felt made cycling not very safe and certainly not relaxing/enjoyable. (iii) The maps provided together with the e-files of the routes were not always consistent with actual conditions. A more frequent adaptation, of especially the e-routes, to actual roads conditions seems in order. (iv) the hotels provided could be somewhat upgraded. In many cases they were not up to a par with 3 star hotels in Europe (this had been our 9th cycling tour in Europe so we do have some experience).
- What was the date of your tour?
- August-September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Paul Crisafulli September 13, 2023Beautiful beaches, caves and countryside!
· Algarve Coastal Route
The perfect way to see all that Portugal offers! Great people, great food and beautiful sights. Tour guide company provided best hotels, great towns to explore and great service.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Michael Burkardt September 16, 2023Beautiful Countryside
· Tuscan Wine Classic: Pienza to Castellina via Siena
Our Bike Tour Company Cicloposse was exceptional, the best we ever had. There was not a single detail they missed, providing a booklet covering highlights for a given day of each town we'd pass through and as well as where to eat. We had a minor issue that was no fault of their own and the customer service was top notch. They're professional and knowledgeable. The only hiccup was a closed bridge that added a hour to our ride that day. Warning: unless you are a very strong rider get an E bike. Some climbs are miles long with a 14% grade.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ john saunders September 16, 2023Interesting and friendly country, beautiful countryside
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
This was a very good trip to explore and see various parts of the country. Overall, the trail markings were good. Good use of smaller roads with less traffic, but some roads were Busy with no shoulder and cars appearing to drive too fast. Accommodations were well-placed, except for Ljubljana Where the hotel was placed too far from the historic District where you would prefer to spend most of your time there. It was over 30 minute walk from the historic district. The bikes were durable, and we experienced no mechanical problems, but they were of a low quality, heavy, and not suited to some of the climbing that was required. We opted to purchase the route and map booklet for 30 euros which was poor quality and not useful or worth the money spent. Most of the important information was already provided in the materials. The Maps were useless in that you could not read road names, or city names because the font was too small and the poor print quality. On our last day in Piran, We had confirmed with bike tours, that we could schedule a late day transport back to Ljubljana so that we could spend a full day in Piran but apparently the local operator, Helia, only transports at 9 AM. Bike tours did a good job of arranging alternative late day transportation for us, but the Helia Representative was rude and unaccommodating And refused to discuss the matter.
Again, as to the bikes, which were basically “city bikes”, where the mileage each day is 25 to 35 miles, we believe most people would prefer better quality bikes, and we certainly saw other tour operators in the country that were utilizing higher quality bikes that were not electrically assisted. We would recommend that better quality bikes be offered or at least an upgrade to a higher quality bike that is not electric assisted.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20
- 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?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Carol RALEY September 17, 2023Awesome trip
· Emerald Tour of Slovenia’s Gems
Slovenia is an absolutely beautiful place to visit especially by bike! We spent time in Bled before the trip so we felt like we saw a great deal of the country. Some difficulty withe Guibo and signage was hit and miss. Ebikes functioned well but had some issues with plastic parts falling off (chain guard and rear fender stabilizer ) Nothing critical but just annoying. End of summer tired bikes I suppose. Otherwise great trip!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Timothy Ricks September 18, 2023Spectacular beauty
· Swiss Lakes by E-bike: Lake Geneva to Lake Lucerne
Outstanding vistas! Spectacular beauty!
Pros: 1. Some really fine hotels, many with great views. 2. Reliable luggage transfers. 3. Reliable bikes. No mechanical problems with either e-bike or regular bike.
Cons: 1. Eurotrek’s maps and gps often do not match up with the routes you need to take to navigate each day. Result is that it is essential to bring your own Garmin device AND your smartphone in order to navigate when your hotel may not even be in the same town as the gps would take you. 2. Most Swiss hotels have no A/C, and with climate change, they are too hot. Open windows bring noise and insects, so not great sleep. 3. Eurotrek’s non-electric bikes are sturdy, reliable, heavy and slow. Be prepared for a good workout and slow riding.- Countries included in this tour?
- Switzerland
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★★★★★ DOROTHY STEIMKE September 19, 2023Lakes tour
· Munich & the Bavarian Lakes
Accommodations were good. GPS used way too much battery ran out of battery after 2 to 3 hours. Odometer on my bike was not set correctly. Wife’s E bike odometer correct. Scenery and lakes were stunning.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Tom Hawkins September 19, 2023Trip postponed
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Fluvius (and reverse)
We were unable to do this fantastic trip due to an injury. We are how every very excited about doing it next year. It sounds like a fantastic experience!
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★★★★★ Glen Field September 20, 2023Very scenic biking tour
· Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
The trip was very good, excellent bike paths, great scenery, very good hotels, excellent breakfast at all the hotels. A few communication problems stop me from giving this a 5 star review.
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★★★★★ Blain M Archer September 20, 2023Wonderful adventure around Lake Constance
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
we were three on this tour with one being a novice who had difficulty riding an ebike due to inexperience. He got better after the first 2 days.
we got lost a bit nearly every day but never felt real lost as we knew where the lake had to be most of the time and we were always going in the right direction. The reason for this was the signage was not always understandable.
we always found help from many nice people who were eager to assist.- What was the date of your tour?
- sept 10 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 11
- 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, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Beverly Langsch September 20, 2023Ups and downs
· Sardinia: A Mine of Memories
We had A hotels and it was wonderful to have a swim after a hot (+30°C) day of riding. But, these hotels were often away from town centers. Route was very doable on ebike, but riders do need instruction from local operater, regarding battery range. Several in our group had to do last 10 km, uphill, without battery assist. Only GPS instructions were provided; no maps or written navigation cues for backup, so cyclists need to be used to this system. The heat was difficult, so I would never consider this ride in summer. I loved the long downhills, generally low traffic, views to coast on day 5 and 6. Day 4 was a slow, easy day with 2 ferries, but was much appreciated after the hill climbing and heat on days 2 and 3.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 9, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- Many! Probably 15 or more
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Carol RALEY September 22, 2023
Easy to Love Slovenia!
· Emerald Tour of Slovenia’s Gems
We did a self guided Emerald Tour. For the most part directions were good. Went through a bit more road construction than was expected. Guibo was OK. Once you figured it out. We had not used it previously. Good Ebikes with Bosch motors and Shimano shifters. Disc brakes.
Slovenia itself is an absolutely beautiful, friendly and welcoming country! From top to bottom (Bled t0 Piran) It did not disappoint. Tour was well planned and our tour rep had lots of helpful hints about the trip.
We had enough time to do all we wanted and still get some rest time . Good trip!- What was the date of your tour?
- September 23
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7+
- 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?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Dean Ross September 23, 2023A big slice of Greece
· Sparta and the Mediterranean Coast
A great way to explore some of the smaller towns in Greece. There was a little more riding on roads with narrow or no shoulders than we had expected but drivers were generally courteous. We were not advised of a hotel change on the first day the ride which caused some unnecessary confusion.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
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★★★★★ Jacquelyn Burles September 23, 2023Scenic and easy
· Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
Well organized tour, bikes ready and in great shape. The maps provided were a little out of date and twice the written instructions were wrong. At one point our hotel was a the top of a steep hill and the instructions led us to a staircase we felt unable to lug electric bikes up. Might not be a hotel used regularly. Otherwise, scenery was amazing, very little in road cycling although because of the terrain a lot of it was close to a road. The wine tasting was particularly interesting.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Timothy Ricks September 23, 2023Spectacular Scenery Along Lakes and Over the Alps
· Lake Constance to Lake Maggiore
Easy riding through gorgeous countryside for the first few days, then some serious climbing in the mountains for a couple of days, a long descent and then beautiful Locarno on Lake Maggiore. More gravel road and trails than expected. Sturdy but slow and heavy bikes provided were up to the task—just made for more work. Hotels varied in quality. The hotel in Horn (Hotel Bad Horn) was very nice. Others—mostly just okay.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 16
- 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?
- Switzerland
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★★★★★ Desmond Barnett September 23, 2023Nice way to see parts of Italy
· A Taste of Italy: Emilia-Romagna
Self guided, hotels generally good but thought the hotel in Reggio Emilio was poorly sited. One restaurant fully booked little opportunity without taxi’s. Accomodation needs to be located in a town.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4-5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Paula Zoccano September 24, 2023
Beautiful trail
· Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Pros:The hotels were very good. Wonderful cycle routes. Lovely towns.
Cons: In Riva I would have preferred to be in the old town beside the water. We had 2 hotels who did not have all our group booked. Unfortunately one couple had to stay by the airport a taxi ride to join us in Innsbruck (still trying to get reimbursed for hotel and cabs) and in Riva another couple were not booked but the hotel was able to give them a room. We also learned in one town we were not booked in the same hotel, our group of 5 couples were split up. I found that strange.
The meet and greet at the beginning was not at the hotel the company booked us to stay. We were expected to go to another location to get our briefing and bikes. I’ve never had that when booking with other cycle companies. We missed that in our notes and not until 7:00pm when the hotel gave us our booklets did we realize we should have been somewhere else. As a result we never had a meet and greet and bikes fitted to us. My husbands bike had a brake dragging and he needed a torque head screw driver to make adjustments and no torque head screw driver was supplied. He had to find one. The bikes should have been tested,
No water bottle cages on the bikes. -
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★★★★★ Patricia ONeill September 24, 2023
Albania September 2023
· UNESCO Sites of Albania
Good guides and routes. Somewhat unsatisfactory accommodations because on Day 5 and Day 9, there were not enough reserved hotel rooms, so 2 x I and another solo traveler had to share a room [and bathroom] because the hotel had given 1 of our rooms away. One night was tolerable, but not really acceptable 2 x. It was a large group with the majority of people on e-bikes but we spent a lot of time [sometimes almost an hour] waiting for the non-e bikers [no fault of theirs]. This put pressure on the non-e bikers, guide, and meant that we arrived at the hotels later than expected, with less downtime to enjoy the destination. Our guide was very good, but our group would have enjoyed more cultural and historical conversations since this was billed as the UNESCO tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Albania
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★★★★★ Elizabeth Levine September 25, 2023Seeing the Netherlands on 2 wheels
· Best of Holland South: Canals, Windmills & Historic Towns
The Netherlands are a cyclist’s dream- bike lanes and biking infrastructure everywhere- in villages as well as cities. This was amazing to experience- and to hop on 2 wheels and join in! The bicycles provided by Tulip cycling were top notch Dutch bicycles with automatic lights that turn on while pedaling. It was great to have our luggage shuttled to each hotel every day, so our bags were waiting for us when we arrived at each hotel ready for a hot shower and a change of clothes. Most of the hotels were 4- star and all had great breakfasts and all were walkable to the historic city centers with the market square, restaurants, cafes etc.
Unfortunately the weather was poor during our cycling trip- very high winds and frequent heavy rain almost every day of our mid- September journey- this made the cycling much more difficult than we anticipated with the need to frequently stop to pull on rain gear- and the GPS device did not work well during storms so the navigation was also more difficult than expected. Several of the locals told us that frequent high winds and rain are typical in autumn and that the best months for cycling are May, June and July.
Despite the bad weather we enjoyed the countryside, the lovely hotels, the friendly locals , the delicious food and the pace of life on the bicycle tour.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Dean Ross September 25, 2023
A big slice of Greece
· Sparta and the Mediterranean Coast
A great way to explore some of the smaller towns in Greece. There was a little more riding on roads with narrow or no shoulders than we had expected but drivers were generally courteous. We were not advised of a hotel change on the first day the ride which caused some unnecessary confusion.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
