Bike Tour Reviews (page 84)

★★★★★ (5/5) Traveling Jackie November 28, 2018

Cycling doesn't get more beautiful than this!

· Swiss Lakes by E-bike: Lake Geneva to Lake Lucerne

I can still hear the cowbells! I thought I knew what to expect coming into this tour, but I completely underestimated almost everything about this trip. The scenery blew my mind every second, the hotels were MUCH better than I realized they'd be (Category A all the way), the hills were steeper, the fondue tastier, and the rejuvenation and "reset" for my well-being... I just didn't even realize how GOOD I would feel just from saying yes to this experience.

I loved it and would recommend making it longer if you can, add a day to the middle somewhere (possibly Lucerne) to allow yourself more time to soak in the beauty that is Switzerland. My only complaint is that it went too fast.

I've been on 3 bike tours and used a hybrid touring bike for each of them (I opted NOT to use an e-bike on this trip). This was definitely the most challenging itinerary I've experienced with a hybrid bike, but I would choose a hybrid again if given the chance to do it again, because I loved the challenge. If you aren't a strong rider, definitely get an e-bike, we are talking about the Swiss Alps!

I also recommend buying a picnic lunch everyday (there is a store called Coop that is found all along the route) because timing your hunger with open restaurants and backcountry trails is almost impossible. And the picnic views are unbeatable.

Also, be sure to download the Swiss Mobility app and I also recommend Maps.me, both work offline and with the two of them we found our way just fine. Definitely choose Category A hotels, don't think twice! Also I would skip Zug and stay in a different town instead. Find more tips and stories from my experience at https://travelingjackie.com/swiss-alps-by-bike/

What was the date of your tour?: October 2018
How many tours have you completed?: 3
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?: Switzerland

Video: Swiss Alps by Bike: A MUST-DO For Adventure Lovers

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

★★★★★ (5/5) eb53 June 17, 2018

extraordinary trip across Austria

· Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option

This trip was truly stunningly beautiful. We were amazed at how much beauty and variety could be packed into one trip. Even though the directions were sometimes confusing, it was easy to figure your way around--the signage is fantastic and people are exceedingly kind and friendly. We really loved the self-guided option--it increased the sense of adventure, freedom and self-reliance. All accommodations were splendid as were the breakfasts. We were amazed at how great the bike infrastructure is in Austria--way better than in the US. Everyone bikes and cyclists are respected. Motorists were very considerate of cyclists. Temperatures in Austria were WAY ABOVE NORMAL this year. The lakes part of the trip was some of the best riding we have ever done; we also loved the Wachau region. We wished that
this part had been longer. If we had it to do over, we would add a day to the lakes and maybe take a train over sections of the Danube. . . Do not miss the ecological gardens in Tullin! We wished we could have spent a day there.

What was the date of your tour?: June 2018
How many tours have you completed?: this is our first long tour
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Austria

5/5 Value
5/5 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
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) Booboo August 8, 2017

New friends, new places

· · Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty

Nice boat, although older. Very good meals. Great, helpful staff. Bikes we're good, all worked very well. Tour I'm Bratislava, Slovakia. We didn't research our day in Vienna very well, but we saw lots of stuff anyway. We will probably stay in touch with our dining table mates and do another trip

What was the date of your tour?: July 10 or so
How many tours have you completed?: 12 or more
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
5/5 Included meals
5/5 Bikes + equipment
5/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
5/5 Ease of navigation
5/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
5/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) Mully July 14, 2016

Great way to experience Europe

· Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option

A wonderful experience. I have traveled to Europe many times, but this was the best way to see it in my opinion. I would recommend taking an extra day here and there along the ride to spend some additional time in areas that you have interest in so the focus isn't always.getting to the next destination. I think what makes this type of trip unique is that you are better immersed in the local sights and culture...you are on a bike, not in a bus or car. The countryside trickles by at a comfortable rate that encourages exploration. The lake portion of this particular trip involved considerable road travel which was a bit unexpected, but drivers were courteous and we quickly became used to it.

What was the date of your tour?: June 25
How many tours have you completed?: 1
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

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

★★★★★ (5/5) Amy Dosser 11 months ago

Beautiful River

· · Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau

A lovely boat and lovely people. Great book and app to guide you on your biking. Food was wonderful.

What was the date of your tour?: May 2023
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
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia

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

★★★★★ (5/5) Daniela Veludo 8 months ago

A Must Vienna tour for bikers

· Classic Vienna Bike Tour

Perfect way to know Vienna. The guide was very good, well prepared, and a nice guy. Being a very small group, we enjoyed and followed well every stop.

★★★★★ (5/5) JO ANNE REID 6 months ago

An excellent way to experience the landscapes , culture , history and the people.

· Cycling the West Balkan Triangle

Our guide Alex was most vigilant for our safety, checking the bikes, quick repair of flat tires if necessary, conveying briefings with road conditions and expected grades.The trip was beyond my expectations : the beauty, the snacks and meals, comfortable accommodation.

Countries included in this tour?: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro

★★★★★ (5/5) Old Traveler September 13, 2019

Great biking adventure

· · Provence by Bike and Boat

Loved our bike and barge trip through Provence. Our guide was knowledgable, funny and managed to keep us all together. The food and wine were excellent. The cabins are tiny and cramped but we spent most of our time outdoors or on deck, so we weren't especially bothered by this.

What was the date of your tour?: August 24-31
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
2/5 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
5/5 Guides (if applicable)

Cycling Spain’s Land of the Conquistadors

★★★★★ (5/5) Brad2008 November 28, 2018

very nice lodging and service

· Cycling Spain’s Land of the Conquistadors

Great places to stay and eat. Great service. It was definitely hilly but beautful.

What was the date of your tour?: November 2018
How many tours have you completed?: 15
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?: Spain

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

★★★★★ (5/5) Ottermom June 15, 2018

Best bicycle tour company to date!

· Castles and Wines of Portugal

This was our 5th self guided tour to date and Portugal's Best Cycling company was the best we have had in customer service. The bikes were perfect for the terrain. We felt safe on all of the routes even the ones that had more traffic than anticipated. All of the hotels were excellent although our personal preference is to stay away from the ones that cater to the large motorcoach tours (we had 2 that fell into that category.) Self-guided is for the adventurous and that is what we got. The dirt tracks were not for the inexperienced. Area had a rough winter and it took some technical riding to manuever safely on them. There were alternative paved routes but where is the fun in that? We added an extra 20 miles on one of our days to ride out to a fortress that was not on our itinerary. It was worth it. I would add pictures but it keeps telling me images are too large. Recommend adding 2 full days in Sintra just to enjoy.

What was the date of your tour?: May 29, 2018
How many tours have you completed?: 5
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat easier
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Portugal

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

★★★★★ (5/5) bobt July 13, 2016

easy rider

· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)

took a chance with the weather, did get wet. but had path to ourselves .

What was the date of your tour?: april30-may6,2016
How many tours have you completed?: three
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?: Austria, Germany

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

★★★★★ (5/5) John Gallagher 11 months ago

Better than I had hoped

· · Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau

Everything about the ship was five star. The food was shockingly good. I had been on other bike tour companies with the food was very good for almost twice the price. The staff were all wonderful especially our waiter Samir. The boat was very comfortable and exceedingly well-maintained. We booked through Biketours.com who did an excellent job. The tours can be booked directly with rad and risen an Austrian company but it was the same price. It was an excellent value and I’m already daydreaming about a river cruise with bike in barge in the future.

What was the date of your tour?: May 2024
How many tours have you completed?: 7
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, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia

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

★★★★★ (5/5) M 6 months ago

Great guides!

· · South Dalmatia Bike/E-bike and Boat, Magellan

Charming small towns, amazing antiquities, gorgeous coastlines! The e-bikes made the climbs easy and there was was only one very rainy day and one very windy day. Otherwise we got lucky with the weather in late October. Mario and Kristopher were knowledgeable, engaging, funny and personable. Throughout Croatia we were treated well. Split and Trogir had good restaurants and nice places to stay before and after our time on the boat. The food on the boat was plentiful, fine. Beds were comfy and private bathrooms worked well for us. The ship’s captain could have taken more direct action when several guests got caught in a current while swimming but our guides prevailed in assisting them. One regret, we were not able to visit Vis due to stormy weather.

Countries included in this tour?: Croatia

★★★★★ (5/5) Pearl June 15, 2018

Danube Bike 8 Day w/upgraded lodging

· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)

What was the date of your tour?: May 25, 2018
How many tours have you completed?: 2
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?: Austria, Germany

5/5 Value
5/5 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 Guides (if applicable)

★★★★★ (5/5) krpete July 12, 2016

60th Birthday Celebration

· Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne

My wife took me on this beautiful Rhine bike ride for my 60th birthday. What a great way to experience Germany first hand! All of the bed-and-breakfast-style hotels were wonderful, clean and well-apportioned. Breakfast in the morning always had a great selection of foods, leaving us well-energized each day to hit the trail. We rode at our own pace every day, stopping on a whim to look at this, that, and the other thing. We toured castles, Roman ruins, shopped (the panniers were large enough to accommodate most items we bought), ate snacks and lunch, and took advantage of any and all photo ops. At the end of each afternoon we had time to do a walking tour of each town we stayed in, eat a stellar dinner and then have a hot shower and a good night's rest. The weather and temperature were very cooperative, just perfect. We absolutely cannot wait to do this again next spring. We are already planning another BikeTour.com trip to another destination. Best vacay ever!

What was the date of your tour?: May 17, 2016
How many tours have you completed?: 1
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
5/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 Hotels or boat
5/5 Scenery
2/5 Ease of navigation
3/5 Tour documents
5/5 Local tour company services
4/5 Route selection

★★★★★ (5/5) Margaret Steyn October 4, 2022

Fun cycle trip in an area new to us

· Andalusia: Southern Spain

The trip was a wonderful introduction to Spain. We enjoyed the challenge of the cycling, especially the wonderful dirt trails in the parks, Via Verde etc. There was a good mix of gravel roads, sand trails & urban cycle lanes. The Spanish motorists are very courteous & there is a wonderful bike trail system especially in bigger cities. The hotels (other than the one in Jerez which was a great disappointment & was not actually in the direction book or on the GPS!!) were excellent. We would have loved to have spent more time in Arcos del la Fronterra & less in Jerez. All other places were delightful & will have us returning. We definitely found having the GPS made a big difference. Bikes were okay & when we needed help (as a key got stuck in the battery ), we had good assistance.

What was the date of your tour?: September 26th to 30th.
How many tours have you completed?: 4 cyclists in our group.
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: As expected
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Spain

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

★★★★★ (5/5) Kris Krause 11 months ago

Great way to see Belgium and Netherlands!

· · Bruges – Antwerp – Amsterdam by Bike and Boat

Being our first bike tour, we didn't know what to expect going into the tour, but we had a great time. The whole team was amazing from the first day to the last day. Having dietary restrictions, they were more than accommodating and didn't make it seem like a burden. All the stops along the way were great and our guide was so knowledgeable. Can't wait to do another one!

What was the date of your tour?: May 2023
How many tours have you completed?: 0
Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?: Somewhat easier
Who is this tour suitable for?: First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
Do you recommend this tour?: Yes
Countries included in this tour?: Belgium, Holland

4/5 Value
4/5 Included meals
4/5 Bikes + equipment
4/5 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)

★★★★★ (5/5) Jay Penner 8 months ago

Great Ride!!

· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers

This was a great ride along well marked trails. The E-bikes were in great condition and easy to ride. We spent several extra days in Prague and rode to Karlštejn Castle. The ride to Karlstejn was a good segue into the ride from Prague to Dresden.

The hotels were all very nice even though several were not air conditioned most had fans that made the stays comfortable. Each of the stopover towns had their unique charm and points of interest. Several of the shorter ride days were filled with great options. Once we got to Litomerice there was plenty of time to explore Terezin Fortress. The day we rode to Bad Schanda we spent most of the day in Hřensko and hiked to visit the largest natural land bridge in Europe.

There were ample places to stop along the entire route for breaks and refreshments. We met many wonderful people from all over Europe doing the same ride and had a great time visiting with them. The package was well put together and fun to ride.

What was the date of your tour?: August 2023
How many tours have you completed?: This was an our 8th bike tour. Always doing self guided.
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