Switzerland Bike Tour Reviews (page 7)
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★★★★★ apitzer October 19, 2017Cycling in Switzerland is Way more Accessible than you think!
· Aare Cycle Route: Along the Jura, Aare, and Rhine Rivers
I went on a portion of this tour from Thun to Bern to Biel/Bienne as a BikeTours.com staff member. The route was super easy to follow, very flat, and almost always on bicycle paths. We covered the daily distance quickly and were rewarded with more time to explore the perfectly-preserved and lively medieval town centers each night. The northern part of Switzerland is on a plateau, so it is not at all like the Alps. I missed the mountain views, but I definitely appreciated the more flat terrain.
Don't miss the Old City, the Clock Tower, the Rose Garden, or the bizarre, centrally located Kindlifresserbrunnen (German for "Child Eater Fountain") in Bern. Allow time to explore Biel/Bienne's old town. It is smaller than Bern, just as charming, and with a more local vibe. The nightlife in Biel/Bienne was more lively than expected, and there seemed to be a large student population. This is a fully bilingual German-French city. Very unique!
I visited Konstanz for one day at the end of this tour, and it was beautiful! Very charming, red-tiled buildings dominated the historic district. Be sure to climb up to the top of the Cathedral in Konstanz, and definitely visit the Island of Mainau, which is a beautiful botanical garden.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 3, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was my first!
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- 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?
- Switzerland
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★★★★★ apitzer October 19, 2017· Swiss Lakes by E-bike: Lake Geneva to Lake Lucerne
I went on a portion of this tour as a BikeTours.com staff member from Geneva to Lausanne and Vevey. The Lavaux Vineyards, on the Swiss side of Lake Geneva, are a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site. The wine has been produced in this region since the 11th century. Alpine views and the stunning, clear Lake Geneva are other highlights. This level 2 tour is relatively flat with a few hilly sections up by the vineyards. You can experience Switzerland without having to pedal up mountains, and an e-bike makes the journey even more accessible for all. The Schweiz Mobil national network of cycling paths is well-maintained and clearly marked. In my 8 days of cycling, we were confused about signage only a handful of times. Be sure to plan for lunch or attractions before you begin cycling, as restaurants are generally only open from about 11:30 - 2:00 for lunch and they may not be able to serve lunch at 2:00. We had to do a lot of research ourselves about site-seeing, lunch stops, and directions to each point of interest along the way. Don't miss the Old City in Geneva, the Promenade du Lac with the famous Jet d'Eau (Jet of Water), the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, or Charlie Chaplin's estate in Vevey. The combination of the lake, vineyards, mountains, French-inspired cuisine and culture, and well-marked bike route make this tour a wonderful first tour in Switzerland.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 3, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was my first!
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Switzerland
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★★★★★ apitzer October 19, 2017Enjoy Mountain Views, Lake Geneva, Swiss Villages, and Geneva
· Rhône River Route: Oberwald to Geneva
I went on a portion of this tour as a BikeTours.com staff member from Geneva to Lausanne and Vevey. The Lavaux Vineyards, on the Swiss side of Lake Geneva, are a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site. The wine has been produced in this region since the 11th century. Alpine views and the stunning, clear Lake Geneva are other highlights. This level 2 tour is relatively flat with a few hilly sections up by the vineyards. You can experience Switzerland without having to pedal up mountains, and an e-bike makes the journey even more accessible for all. The Schweiz Mobil national network of cycling paths is well-maintained and clearly marked. In my 8 days of cycling, we were confused about signage only a handful of times. Be sure to plan for lunch or attractions before you begin cycling, as restaurants are generally only open from about 11:30 - 2:00 for lunch, and they may not be able to serve lunch at 2:00. We had to do a lot of research ourselves about site-seeing, lunch stops, and directions to each point of interest along the way. Don't miss the Old City in Geneva, the Promenade du Lac with the famous Jet d'Eau (Jet of Water), the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, or Charlie Chaplin's estate in Vevey. The combination of the lake, vineyards, mountains, French-inspired cuisine and culture, and well-marked bike route make this tour a wonderful first tour in Switzerland.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 3, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was my first!
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Switzerland
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★★★★★ Bulldozer October 8, 2017A cultural deep dive
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Our second Bike Tours trip and this one was as enjoyable as the first. Of the four of us two are experienced bikers and two are entry level. To balance things our two entry level people had e-bikes (and they did better than us!)
This trip has a good balance of riding and events and if you add to that the dinner package the pressure of finding the right restaurant after a long day in the saddle goes away (especially one of your party is a Coeliac)
The inclusion of vouchers was a great addition to the package and were well thought through by the team as were the hotel selections (1st & last day the hotel provided a lounge area for early / late arrival which was unavoidable due to long haul flight schedules)
If you are prepared to explore a little on the journey then getting a little lost is all a part of the day. There are always friendly locals who will help you to get to the next town, that was our experience.- What was the date of your tour?
- 26 Sept - 05 Oct 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2 with Bike Tours
- 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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BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 9, 2017
We're glad to hear you all had a great time on tour. I love eBikes for the same reason- everyone can cycle together! I agree that exploring and being comfortable with getting a little lost adds to the journey!
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★★★★★ Geoff m October 6, 2017
Must do ride for most reasonable cyclists
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Having ridden Salzburg to Vienna, this was the second bike tour ride for 2 couples in their late 50's. The guys regularly do low distance triathlons, so they rode normal bikes and their wives rode electric. We chose the 3 star hotel deal that was quite ample but many hotels did not have air conditioners so ok in shoulders and winter seasons but possible too hot in summer. Maps in and out of cities are confusing in places and you can easily miss a sign so you have to be careful.we did the while circuit and average speeds only 13 km hr with many stops. Overall worth doing. Would recommend asking for lower floor rooms in hotels that do not have elevators.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ darylln October 5, 2017Best Vacation Ever!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
My wife and I have travelled extensively mainly on our own to remote places of the world for extended periods of time; however decided due to the shorter duration, to go with a self-guided tour so that our Hotel accommodations and meals and luggage would be taken care off and we need not have to hassle about it while we cycled for the day.
This was that perfect holiday. The communication with Bike Tours was excellent despite our several questions and they were extremely patient with us. The accommodations was top notch and we were glad that we added the meal plan to the package as it save us all the hassle from trying to find places to eat after a day of cycling and then trying to figure out the menu at a restaurant as we don't speak German.
Highly recommend.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 27th, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 6, 2017
We're glad to hear you had a fantastic time on your tour! We hope to help you plan another relaxing tour in the future.
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★★★★★ Mountain GaGa October 4, 2017
Beautiful lake with great trails!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We really enjoyed the extensive bike trails. Loved see families of all generations biking together.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/18
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ BenO October 3, 2017
Nice Hotels and great bikes.
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Nice trip but a better cycle guide would help a lot. Spent about 40% of out time lost. Trail signs were difficult to find in places.Not recommended for families with small children.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 12 to September 27
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 4, 2017
Thank you very much for your review. It's valuable information for us to understand that the directions didn't meet your expectations on this self-guided tour. We'll work with the tour operator evaluating the directions for our future clients.
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★★★★★ Merry Manitobans September 25, 2017
First Timers at 60
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 17-Sept. 26
- 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 young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ MarcieB September 23, 2017
So good the first time, we repeated the Bodensee circuit a second time!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Two years ago, we opted for the 11-day self-guided Bodensee Bike Tour . . . complete with museum vouchers, boat rides and suggestions for side trips. We enjoyed it so much, we decided to look at the 6-day self-guided tour because it followed a slightly different itinerary. We were not disappointed! We discovered new towns, restaurants and bike paths. Truly a cultural patchwork between Germany, Austria and Switzerland!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 21-27, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was bike tour #7!
- 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, Switzerland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, Founder and president September 24, 2017
Thanks for the great report and photos, Marcie! We love repeat clients, but it's especially gratifying when clients like a tour so much they do it again!
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★★★★★ go pro September 22, 2017
team frogs
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
- What was the date of your tour?
- september 15
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Wally September 22, 2017
Slow way to see the life of Southern German, Austria and Switzerland
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- First
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ POOM September 22, 2017
Great relaxing bike tour around Lake Constance
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
The trip was well organized and hotels we were in were very good and clean and easily reachable from the bike route. We were there in mid-September which is very nice because the weather was cool and tour groups were rare at every stop.
The only suggestion is that there is really not much to do in Sank Gallen and the trip could have easily be cut one day shorter and not lose anything.
One hint in Konstanz : Go have Tapas at a small restaurant called Sabores. Best Choriso. We ended up going there 2 of the 3 nights we spent iin Konstanz.- What was the date of your tour?
- 11-22 September 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ JannieB September 19, 2017
Great family trip
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
A wonderful adventure for us with our adult children. Beautiful scenery, awesome food, nice people!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 13-19,2017
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Mick September 18, 2017
Three Countries, One Lake
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
A relaxing tour with some good cardio the second day getting to the hotel. Plenty of scenery for us photographers and lots of cafes for morning coffee breaks and afternoon beers.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 4-10
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Beanz September 12, 2017
First Bike Adventure
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
The bikes were very good and the bike company most helpful. Accomodation and breakfasts were also good. Only issue is the maps provided especially around towns and attractions were not very good - definitely could be improved. In summary great trip, with the locals very helpful when we were lost.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 5th September 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
