Staff Picks Bike Tour Reviews (page 9)
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★★★★★ Jessica Phelan September 12, 2022Beautiful Scenery!
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
This trip was absolutely stunning. The views were beyond beautiful form everywhere. For the most part you are riding along the river and the ride is very relaxing. Most days are fairly flat with a few small hills and many downhills. The trails are well marked and the map by the guide company is pretty easy to follow. Our group did the trip with hybrid bikes, but if I were to do it again, I would definitely get an e-bike. There is one day with some really big climbs and an e-bike would have made the whole a thing a bit more leisurely. We also did not pack helmets since they wouldn't fit in our suitcases and the bike shop ran out of rentals. I would advise bringing one with you.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- 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?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Megan Lunde October 4, 2022
Lovely Ride through the Alps
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
Overall, this was a very good trip. The itinerary is top-notch along well-marked trails, through a variety of landscapes - farmland, ski towns, narrow gorges, along a lake. I recommend the route with the rest day in Zell am See - we had a great day there!
We did have a few concerns with the local tour company. The quality of the bikes rented from the bike shop was not great - my bike was too small for my body but they had run out of bikes, so I was stuck with it for the week. Some of our group had arranged for bikes to be delivered to the starting hotel. It's a good thing others went to pick up in person, because the bike shop had no record of delivery and half our group would have been stuck without bikes for 2 days.
As others have mentioned, the guidebook is hard to follow. However, the general routes are along bike trails that are well marked. We did pretty well by following the path signs to our destination each day.
Our biggest mishaps were with the hotel and luggage transfer. We were a group of 4. About half the time, we had two adjacent rooms in the same hotel - no problem. Other nights, we were split across two different hotels. One night, we had a really strange configuration - 3 of us had a triple in one hotel, while 1 person was assigned to a different hotel across town. Every time we got split up, some luggage went to the wrong hotel. It didn't help that the tour company only provided 1 luggage tag per room. Seems like an easy fix to include an adequate number of luggage tags per traveler. Our final night in Salzburg, our hotel had no record of our reservation. It took awhile to figure out the issue - our reservations had been made against the wrong name.
On the whole, this is a lovely trip. Unbeatable scenery and value for the price.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- 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?
- Austria
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★★★★★ gerald murphy 10 months agoTauren bike path
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
The ride through this part of Austria was great - the snow capped mountains, green countryside and friendly people made for a great cycling adventure - the only disappointing aspect was the poor detailing in the maps that were provided.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ DORIT AVIELI 10 months ago
Beautiful area
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
We disappointed from the bikes, very heavy, not comfortable not properly handling .
Hotel das berau was a shame to your company!
All other details were taken care of perfectly- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ DORIT AVIELI 10 months ago
Beautiful area
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
We disappointed from the bikes, very heavy, not comfortable not properly handling .
Hotel das berau was a shame to your company!
All other details were taken care of perfectly- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Stacey Davey 7 months ago
Beautiful countryside and charming hotels
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
I thoroughly enjoyed the villages and sights along our six day Tauren/Salzburg self-guided trip. The countryside was breathtaking, our hotels were charming and our hotel bookings and luggage transfers were seamless. The route also took great advantage of the amazing bike routes and on our 300 kM journey, I think only 10 or 15 kM was on a major highway. The trip was considered “moderate” and involved some climbs on the first few days of our trip—particularly if you wanted to visit some of the suggested sights along the way. The one detracting factor to our experience was the quality of the bikes. They were extremely heavy and cumbersome and did not help with navigating some of the hillier terrain. The bells and the odometers (essential for way finding) did not work properly on the two women’s bikes. The vast majority of the people we came across were on e-bikes and while the route was doable on what I would consider steel townies, it limited some of the sights we visited as after we climbed the almost 4 kM hill to visit the salt mine, we started considering elevation gains before deciding which sights to take in. However, I will say that the seats were comfortable! All in all, I enjoyed the trip and would definitely recommend it to others.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ carlye5 July 2, 2017Beautiful country sides!
· Croatian Vineyards and Villages of Undiscovered Istria
We had done a 4 week trip to Croatia and surrounding countries, and our bike trip was the last week of 4. It was beautiful weather and we had a great time!
Biketours.com did a great job organizing everything for us, and taking care of our needs.The third party tour company fiore tours was only average. We still had a great time, but there was plenty to improve on. The tour company gave us very poor instructions as to where we were meeting for the tour, and the emails given to us were incorrect. It was an adventure to get to the starting hotel to say the least. But we rented road bikes and they were great bikes. Very light, and the company offered many pedal types.
My only other concern was that the "itinerary" listed on the site mentions all these great things, but in reality you have to do a lot of work researching and planning where to stop each day. Many of the options they give us are only open in the afternoons, and are very close to where we were starting, so even if we started around 10am which was rather late, many wineries were still closed. After the first two days of being disappointed by not being able to find the suggested stops, and then finding them closed, we realized we had to do some leg work as far as finding stops along the route. Then the tour improved immensely.
My boyfriend and I are 23 and 25 and fit people, although not big cyclists. We chose an "easier" route so that we wouldn't be exhausted after each day. However, we were complete toast every single day. So if you aren't in good physical condition, I do not recommend this. Most of the route was rather hilly, especially day 3.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Mid June 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- only this one.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ DickZee August 12, 2017Dalmatian Coasts up close
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
This trip met my expectations. Ebike made it easy (I'm 86) Well planned itinerary as trips started easy and progressed in difficulty.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 29-Aug 5, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- over a dozen
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Patty October 10, 2017
Awesome experience!
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
I was very impressed with the Princessa Diana, she was a beautiful vessel and commanded a lot of attention when we came into port. The guides were phenomenal. Very informative, friendly and helpful. The itinerary was awesome and presented some challenging rides, but the views made it all worth while.
Food onboard was good and plentiful.
Would like to see the option of included wine and coffee/tea with dinner and coffee/tea for lunch. (Or offered as an optional add on to the base package price).- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 30, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ TinyTW September 30, 2019
Bike/Boating Northern Croatia
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
We had a Fantastic Time on our Boat/Bike Tour of Croatia. It's a really Beautiful Country and we always love seeing new places on our bikes. Toni are guide was Awesome and was always a treat and fun to be with every day. Our boat Melody was very, very nice, comfortable and Brand new, it was actually nice to come home everyday from biking to the boat. It's not a complaint, but something to consider when going to Croatia. The Croatians are not the most Service Oriented/Friendly people. In fact our guide Toni said at the get go that in America the Customer is always right but that is not the case in Croatia. (In the US, you would NEVER hear that from the main guide). The Staff on the boat was good but not very workable or friendly. I had an incident personally where I asked them to do a Special Birthday Surprise for my husband and a few other people on our trip and I spent ALOT of money on 2 birthday cakes and they totally messed it up and the whole thing did not go as planned and nobody knew that it was a surprise. I was very, very upset about it and I got NO Apology or communication about it. It was Interesting being in a Struggling Country with all of the Tourists there spending ALOT of money and the feeling and experience from the locals was not what we expected at all. The food on the boat was very Mediocre, although we did not go hungry. I'm not sure if that is because the food in Croatia is that way, but we have been on many small boat trips and the food has been much, much better. The biking on this trip is really great if you are not a serious biker. My husband & I took our own bikes as we were staying much longer to bike on our owns. The Electric bikes they provided were really, really nice and top of the line from the looks of it and everyone in our group LOVED them. If you are a biker and want more exercise I would recommend their regular hybrid bikes which are also nice. All in all we had a Spectacular time and loved seeing Croatia and would love to go back and ride the Southern Part of Croatia. Thanks for another Great Adventure!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 7-13
- How many tours have you completed?
- about 5
- 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?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Charles Curtis September 6, 2022
Second great trip to Croatia
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
We loved the first bike and boat trip to Croatia: Highlights of Dalmatia - that we booked this one. This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip but not quite as outstanding as the first. Not quite as many interesting stops and the food was good but not outstanding which is why we gave it only four stars.
There were hills but not as rigorous as the Highlights rides so several had regular bikes and we ebikers didn’t have to wait too long for them to catch up after a climb. The waterfalls at Krka National Park was a highlight- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Charles Curtis September 11, 2022
Second great trip to Croatia
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
We loved the first bike and boat trip to Croatia: Highlights of Dalmatia - that we booked this one. This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip but not quite as outstanding as the first. Not quite as many interesting stops and the food was good but not outstanding which is why we gave it only four stars.
There were hills but not as rigorous as the Highlights rides so several had regular bikes and we ebikers didn’t have to wait too long for them to catch up after a climb. The waterfalls at Krka National Park was a highlight- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Carol McDonald September 29, 2022
Beautiful Croatia
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
This is the perfect way to see this beautiful country! Our bike guides were great - knowledgeable, extremely competent, friendly and helpful. We felt very luck to have them with us.
The food was a combination of very good, and sometimes not quite so good as it arrived luke warm. Salads scrimped on greens and the overly used combination of purple and green cabbage only as our source of greens wasn’t very good, especially since salad greens seemed readily available at our various stops.
Most importantly, we were horrified by the number of plastic bottles used on this trip! My husband and I brought water bottles, as did most of the cyclists, and were happy to refill our bottles from the water cooler. I can’t imagine the tons of plastic waste caused by the number of bottles our ship alone used, and then multiplied by the number of boats over the course of the summer - the numbers of plastic bottles to deal with would be staggering. I am fully aware of the recycle program, but the energy used to do this is also staggering, especially for a small and financially struggling country like Croatia. I strongly urge you to commit to a more earth friendly form of water use.
Lastly, and this is a small criticism, we’ve never been on a bike and boat (this was our fifth one), that charged a premium for tea and coffee. I completely support a charge for premium coffees and teas such as lattes, chai etc, but charging for hot water and a tea bag, or a simple cup of coffee seems very stingy on your part. Especially with a 50E pp charge for water, which again is something we had not encountered in the past.
Overall, we had an incredibly wonderful trip and hope to return to Croatia again in the future!- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Johanna H.(Anita) Wood October 6, 2022
Excellent introduction to E-bikes & Croatia; intrigued me to return
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
Our guides were very professional and conscientious; knowledgeable about cycling, their country and it’s terrain. As a beginner cyclist I would have wished for a more clear explanation of the settings, gears and cadence I was meant to aim for. An individual look at how each cyclist was doing might have taught me how I might improve my posture, position as needed. I was able to have my seat adjusted for my short arms and small stature, and I was comfortable except for the last day’s length of downhill travel. I must have been tense because the following 3-4 days were painful for me in my thighs, in taking stairs especially. I had been forewarned...I should have been more experienced from the outset...I do feel so much more confident now.
It was great to get a sense of the history of Croatia. It helped to understand what we were seeing in the country side, the architecture, the menus. It was important to appreciate what the land and it’s people had been through.
While on-board and cycling, we were kept safe, fed and hydrated. It was regimented...I guess it had to be to insure that the whole group saw as much as we did, and to get where we needed to be, and to afford staff the opportunity for time off/siesta.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- 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?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ PegS October 26, 2022
Wonderful Guides, Lovely Tour
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
Great way to experience Croatia. Our wonderful local guides, Dora and Mario, were cheerful, infinitely patient, organized, and full of helpful and interesting information. Improvements could be made on the boat with the WiFi, which was spotty, and the food, which was bland with lots of white sauce. We were surprised that the rides were so short, typically finished by noon. This was our first bike tour on an ebike, and that was fun. Some days we rode with it completely off to get a better workout.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- 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?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Dwaine Souveny 6 months ago
Croatia is certainly not the best or safest place to bike in Europe.
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
Dora was a wonderful guide. She was well informed & interesting. The local guides were good. The boat was comfortable & the captain was skilled. The meals were good and the service was very good.
However, the main reason we took this trip was for the ebiking & the ebiking did not feel safe. The bikes were basic e-bikes that generally worked ok. The trip itinerary changed due to the weather which of course you cannot control so we missed out on some areas we were hoping to see. We visited only 1 national park. The one swim we did off the boat was fun. The Konoba visit was fun.
There were several incidents and injuries on the first day on an unplanned bike ride. The conditions were very windy & the guides did not know the route. One of the guides had never done this tour before. Instructions were not clear on the first bike ride about people at corners directing other bikers. We were shocked to be riding on busy roads with no shoulders and speeding highway traffic. We were anticipating rural roads (which we had only one day) & good bike trails. The rides were scenic but left people feeling vulnerable. I would recommend a boat trip in this region but would not recommend cycling in Croatia to anyone.
We paid for an above deck cabin & spent many nights looking at other boats parked next to us & listening to their noise which was not what we expected.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Jan Mowat 6 months ago
Great people on board!
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
Our itinerary was derailed by a storm the first day, so we missed a couple anticipated parks and the sights they would have offered. Couldn’t be helped. 🤷♀️ We rode on busy roads more often than we should have for a sight-seeing tour. Being on high alert for traffic and travelling on roads with non-existent shoulders was unexpected and tense. However… we had so much fun!!! The group was great fun, the stops along the way were interesting and the weather cooperated. The food was simply amazing and the staff friendly and helpful. Dora and Pero were knowledgeable and eager to help in any way possible. Our room was below deck and it was great. The beds were comfortable with lots of room to store our stuff. And quiet too! It was a great way to see parts of a very beautiful country.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- One
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Fizz November 2, 2017· Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
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★★★★★ happyPedals November 5, 2018
Interesting, varied, a great trip
· Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
You will see different landscapes, from the more mountainous interior to the coast. There are chances to see many historical sites. The GPS is a must for the trip, you will get lost if you don't have it. I strongly recommend bringing your own small pump which can handle both Presta and Schraeder. The pumps we were given were a bit dodgy, and handled only Presta although we had some Schraeder valves on our tires and just one spare tube (Presta). We came across some aggressive stray dogs but weren't attacked. I carried a stick on my bike just in case. As a woman I would have been a bit anxious doing this ride alone, I was happy to have a partner with me. The hotels were mostly family-run or small and felt friendly and welcoming. There were many great restaurants in the destination towns. Staying 3 nights in the final town with 2 loop trips was great - the hotel was good and you didn't have to keep packing and unpacking. You *must* carry the hotel list with you - the GPS will not lead you directly to the hotels and the hotel names are not part of the map binder. You will see some beautiful scenery and also some abandoned and derelict buildings and piles of garbage. Some days you ride on somewhat busy roads with very narrow shoulders, but we found that drivers were courteous. If you are going to use the Metro in Athens, do some research about the level of organized pick-pocketing there and take precautions. This was a rewarding trip for someone who loves biking and history and exploring.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
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★★★★★ ArmannI July 25, 2019
Wonderful trip
· Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
Pros: The perfect way to experience this part of Greece. The Greek people were very friendly.
Cons: One of the bikes broke down resulting in minor injury of one of the person in the group. When we were leaving the local tour company intents to claim us (without result) for the bike and driving the injured person to the nearmest hospital. The companys "clarification" for the claim for the bicycle was "careless" and/or "speedy" cycling even though we only followed the provided cycling routes. This resulted my in "one" star rate to the company. My "one" star has nothing to do with the people from the company that were wery helpful and nice. Regarding the bycicle I thougt such biking company would have its insurance to tackle such "incedent".
- What was the date of your tour?
- 6.7.2019 - 12.7.2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece