Staff Picks Bike Tour Reviews
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★★★★★ SusieQ October 22, 2015An Excellent Adventure On Board
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
We just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed our Bike/Boat tour on the Princess Diana.
We had requested an upper cabin and found that all had been filled already. We loved our lower deck cabin. It appeared to be larger with two double berths than the upper cabins.The crew of 9 with only 22 passengers, made for fabulous service. The two guides, a married couple,were very organized and attentive to any needs or concerns. And the E Bikes were really phenomenal.
We are both in our 70's, and fairly active. We found the terrain to be varied with many hills with grades too steep for us to climb, if we had been on regular bikes. It was so much fun to ride through the wine and olive growing areas on a bike and enjoy sightseeing up close.
Meals were really healthy and elegantly served.
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first bike tour.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Julie November 4, 2015Europe's hidden gem
· Emerald Tour of Slovenia’s Gems
A great trip! Explored big cities and small town! A little bit of everything! Busy city life, quiet cafes, horses, cobbled streets, castles, caves...
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ 1961flyer November 11, 2015Great ride through Austria.
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We had a wonderful time on this ride. The hotels mostly had nice saunas to relax and enjoy. The markings on the trail were very good and it was easy to navigate. We enjoyed the day in Zell am See to recharge and see the sights, (we also got a nice massage in Zell am See). We would recommend an extra day in both Innsbruck and Salzburg as both cities have numerous things to see.
In preparation for the trip we reviewed Rick Steves books on Bavaria/Austria which offered insights and hints to our vacation.
The riding was easily done each day and was very comfortable with numerous options to stop and eat and drink along the way. The country side was delightful as we rode.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ erinmargo April 26, 2016Best vacation ever
· Cycling and Cooking in Tuscany
There were so many positives on this trip. We were fortunate to have a fun group of like minded people on our tour. The villa is spectacular, Pometti was a fabulous, down to earth host, the food awesome, wine so good I shipped a bunch home and every location we visited was special. Marco & Guiliana are such a great team and excellent tour leaders. I have told many people about this wonderful experience and recommended to many.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ sandyp May 2, 2016Wonderful family vacation!
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
Our self-guided tour lived up to our expectations and provided us with a great family vacation. They tour company did an excellent job of responding to our questions and requests. The countryside was beautiful, the bike ride was the right level of both challenging and gentle hills, and the people we met were friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend this tour if you want to chill out....
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Whatever May 15, 2016
Castles and wines
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
The company Turaventur was one of the best that we have worked with anywhere. The bicycles we rented were excellent with front suspension and a suspension seat post they were perfectly suited to the varied terrain (dirt roads, asphalt, lots of cobblestone) we covered. I also appreciated the female specific gel seat. The routes they chose were really beautiful countryside, small towns and directions were well written and easy to follow. Their support was outstanding, they were available by text, email or phone seven days a week and were always very responsive The castles we visited were just phenomenal and though it was hard to believe after one gorgeous site after another, they just kept getting better! I was only able to do one of the wine tastings and enjoyed it a lot. my suggestion is to be sure to sign up earlly as they seem to fill up ahead of time.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Lgoeller May 19, 2016
First Bike Tour
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
My husband really prepared for this trip, and I was glad he did. Biking is the only way to go if you want to experience every second of your adventure. We both like to participate, so we thought touring in a car was not a good option. The things you see, people you meet, and experiences you have are great! Be prepared for rain and thankful when it does not. The directions were good, but the English version was not always correct. If you are worried that you won't be able to make it on a bicycle, rent an e-bike!
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Jannykae May 19, 2016
Unbelievably fabulous!
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We were surprised at how lovely the week long trip was for us a first time bike vacationers. It had just the right amount of challenge and comfort combined. The weather was lovely and the landscape perfect for this kind of biking.
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Pedalann June 6, 2016Beautiful, green Holland
· Best of Holland North: Dutch Villages, Landscapes & the Keukenhof
We combined this tour with Ancient and Medieval Cities of Holland, South and rode this tour in reverse, Leiden to Amersfoort. We were impressed with the route as we skirted the Amsterdam sprawl. Instead we spent our days cycling through small villages, lovely nature areas, past polders and along scenic canals as we rode from Leiden to Haarlem, Eden, Weesp and finished in Amersfoort. The tour information, equipment and the GPS were perfect and the hotels, especially those in Edam, Weesp and Amersfoort were especially lovely. We were constantly impressed by the fact that bicycles were the major form of transportation.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 22 - 27, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- More than 15 of this type
- 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?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Isaac June 7, 2016
excellent guided bike trip
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
I am participating bike trip almost 30 years and this was the best one .
The service , very good guided tour explanations in every spot we visited .
The food ,restaurants are great. Worth every penny.- What was the date of your tour?
- 21May ,2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 15
- 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?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Nicsteiner June 9, 2016
Amazing trip and guides
· · National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
Everything was great!!! The trip, the guides, the tripulation, the food one of the best trips ever!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- This is the first
- 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?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Cramaz September 11, 2016The Great Tour of Salzburg
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
This ride took us through some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. While there were a couple of difficult hills, the majority of the ride was quite manageable and structured so that there was plenty of time to sightsee on the way and at each destination. The towns we stayed in all had something a little different to offer and all had plenty of good places to eat and relax. As a self-guided tour, this would be hard to beat. The Tauern bike path is a great way to see this part of Austria.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 28th August to 5th September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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
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★★★★★ diane g September 18, 2016
Salzburg to Salzburg has fantastic scenery but directions provided are unbelievably poorly developed
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
Salzburg to Salzburg over 6 days is higher than a level 2. The terrain is hilly. I do not recommend this self guided tour because the german-speaking outfits they contract with provide totally inadequate self-guiding instructions. They do not know what a cue sheet is. They do not provide any directions as to north, south, east, west; they do not provide any street names. AND, the directions in English are very obviously translated very poorly from the German. In addition, there is no way to find your hotel once off the bike path. You have to depend upon good route finding skills for this hotel finding as well as the entire trip. We had this same experience with bike tours.com 7 years ago and thought they might have gotten better at directions. We gave bike tours feedback at that time, and our friends gave feedback on their german-speaking directions on their self-guided tour, and nothing changed. Hence I am writing this review without making a customer complaint becaue I do not believe bike tours will fix this problem. AND, THIS TOUR REQUIRES ONE TO CONSULT 3 SETS OF INSTRUCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE TRIP. 2 sets of friends had exactly the same experience. 2 stars are for getting our luggage to each hotel before we arrived; and the hotels were gracious and accommodating.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson September 19, 2016
This is a tour with one of our most popular operators—we send hundreds of clients with them each year—and they get routinely positive reviews. The Tauern Bike Path is also one of our more popular and long-standing tours.However, this is a new routing of a long-standing tour (that had also received good reviews), and it’s obvious they cut some corners on the directions and tour materials. We apologize for this.
I’ve actually ridden the Tauern Bike Path three times since its opening about 20 years ago. In fact, my first tour on it was before I started BikeTours.com, and it was part of my inspiration for starting the company. So it saddens me when anyone has a negative experience on it.
We also apologize for the level of difficulty, which should have been a level 3. In its previous form (the tour actually went mostly in the opposite direction), the tour was a level 2.
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★★★★★ paula12 September 19, 2016
I Would Go Back Tomorrow...
· Tauern Bike Path (Salzburg-Salzburg)
I've been to Europe a dozen times, but seeing the Salzburg
area by bike was the best trip yet. Such beautiful scenery.
Loved the e-bike!- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 12-19
- How many tours have you completed?
- no others
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ beyeKur November 5, 2016
Downsized tour, questionable difficulty rating.
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
Overall we are all glad we did this tour, but we agreed that an honest review was required. Our group of 4, downsized the tour to 3 days of unguided cycling in the 4 star hotel option. Two of our group had, one month previous to this tour, completed a 7 day bike tour in France that was rated as a 1-2 in difficulty. So, expectations were to have a comparable tour since the difficulty rating was the same. This was not our experience however. Our contact person for the Alentejo tour was really great during the first day orientation, answered all our questions, checked us out on the bikes and gear and left us with her personal phone number in case of problems. Terrific! Our group range in age from 66-76, all fit (2 active bikers one runner) and ready for the challenge. The first 6 miles or so were on the main highway to Lisbon (fast drivers and trucks closely along side the shoulder used for biking). Then when we turned off to the quiet roads as in the suggested option, the dirt roads were not in the 1 or 2 difficulty category rating as outlined in the tour. These unpaved roads were more like 4-5 difficulty as they were often like mountain bike roads for at least 1/4 of the days' 35 mile route. Steep upgrades, deep ruts from recent rain, many rocky and sandy roads impeded travel. It rained much of this, the first day. Even though our tour operators could not control the rain, they should have reassessed the level of difficulty and road conditions and report honestly about current road conditions status of deteriorated due to recent rains. Two of our group opted out for day 2 due to exhaustion and lack of faith in level of tour difficulty, but the two who continued enjoyed the quieter country roads which were less harrowing than the dirt roads, but more trafficked and still above level 1-2. Day three was great, though still there were several long, lowest-gear slopes more of a 3-4 rating and still on medium trafficked roadways. This days' outlined tour was also changed--we walked the 3 miles each way to the top of the hill town, as the 'road' very steep and all jarringly cobbled (in the level 9-10 difficulty range). Safety concerns: due to roads with traffic, tour company should supply high viability vests and warning lights. Hotels were great, maps good. The personnel we dealt with was great!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 11-15
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson November 6, 2016
We're sorry for the misleading ratings and characterization of the terrain. We've increased the difficulty level to 3. For clients who are interested in this tour and would like to see detailed elevation profiles for each day, please contact our tour advisor team at info@biketours.com.
This is a great tour operated by a top-notch Portuguese bike tour company.
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★★★★★ Nancy N November 6, 2016
Very Educational and Interesting
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
We started this tour as "self-guided" but had difficulty with the maps. The tour company was able to provide a guide for us and what a difference that made. Not only did we not get lost, but we learned so much more than we would have on our own. Our guide was very knowledgeable and having someone translate for us was a big help. Plus we no longer had to waste time looking at maps.
We upgraded to the "charm hotels" which was amazing. Everyplace we stayed was just indescribably beautiful and serene. I highly recommend the upgrade and a guide.
We learned so much about the cork, olive, and wine harvests. We particularly enjoyed the leather and pottery factories.
Portugal is a great country with an incredible old world charm.- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 18, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4 international, many U.S.
- 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?
- Portugal
-
★★★★★ Dennis June 15, 2017
Austrian Springtime
· Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
Everything went very well. The tour operator met all the schedules for baggage transfer and mountain shuttle with no difficulty. We particularly enjoyed the half-board meal arrangements which provided some contact with other travelers.
The trails are paved, in good condition, easy to follow, and provide an abundance of local scenery. However, if you do not speak German, be sure to bring your phrase book! Most of the people speak at least some English but the road and warning signs are not often translated.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 28 - Jun 03, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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
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★★★★★ Giro June 22, 2017Great ride and amazing archaeology
· Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
The routes have nice variety and excellent scenery. The hills are moderate. There are nice opportunities to swim on a couple of the stages. The cave at Kapsia and The sites at Mycenae and Epidavros are really great. The hotels were the best we have had on a bike tour. The Greek people are remarkably friendly. Finally, the Arcas company is great. The bikes were Treks, the nicest we have had on a tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 11
- 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?
- Greece
