Switzerland  Bike Tour Reviews (page 3)

  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) Mark Krueger July 18, 2023

    Our First E-Bike Trip

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    Lake Constance is a beautiful lake with many quaint towns, varied terrain and an active boat scene.
    Our E-bikes performed flawlessly with more than enough battery life. Each hotel provided secure overnight bike storage and battery charging.
    We are seasoned long-haul cross country hikers but experienced daily logistical issues in that using maps and GPS we were unable to follow the bike paths; we often stopped to ask for directions.
    Not sure why this route is advertised as family friendly. During our journey around the lake we did not see any young children riding with parents; certainly this route is not appropriate for pulling a child-trailer behind a bike.
    I’d recommend renting the E-Bike and enjoy the journey as we did.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 2023
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    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, Germany, Switzerland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Classic
    (4/5) Wes G October 2, 2019

    Lake Konstanz Bike Tour

    · Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)

    My first bike tour in Europe. The area is beautiful to ride through and each city had its own uniqueness. We really enjoyed sampling local beers and wines along with our favorite snacks and dinners. Generally, our accommodations were satisfactory with some better than others. Thankfully, mid-September is not too warm because many small hotels do not have airconditioning. The bikes from Radweg Reisen were in excellent condition and never once gave any of us any concern.

    Just a few suggestions that would have made the trip more memorable. First of all, our tour was self-guided and we used the maps provided by Radweg. Because of some areas that had poor signage, we could have used a GPS with the routes loaded into it. There was a lot of road construction and repairs going on. We got lost several times and ended up way off course and walking our bikes up steep hills to get to our destination.

    Second, although all four of us are in excellent condition, two of us are not regular cyclists. So, we trained with spin classes. Even then, we were wishing on many occasions that we had opted for the e-bikes,especially on the St Gallen to Konstanz segment (absolutely crushing)!

    Third, the hotel in Manzell was too far away from Friedrichshafen and absolutely nothing to do in that area. The only saving grace was the restaurant.

    Overall, a lovely ride, although I would caution against novice cyclists doing the eleven night tour without e-bikes.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 13-25
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Classic
    (4/5) Merry Beckel August 2, 2022

    Nice trip!

    · Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)

    The hotel stays were great! We felt the maps could have been much better. Thank goodness for the friendly local people who were willing to help us! Getting in and out of St. Gallen was scarey and difficult. A couple people in our party said they will never do another bike tour!

    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
  • Lake Constance Classic
    (4/5) Jo Ribordy-Christofferson 8 months ago

    Not for the inexperienced traveler

    · Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)

    The trip itinerary was very good, the bikes were good, the motels were good, the luggage transport was good. The biking instructions were terrible. We only received a very small undetailed map for each day. We needed to use Google maps to navigate for most days of the trip and we were definitely lost on many occasions. International phone service is a must for this trip! Cycling along the lake was easy but getting in and out of towns was very challenging.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    10+
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Families with teens
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) colrip7 October 11, 2019

    Great area for a bike tour

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    6 of us made this tour. None of us were "experienced" riders, but we all had fun. A couple of things I would change if it were up to me - the ParkHotel St Leonard in Uberlingen is a little over 2km, all uphill from the main town. The hotel is very nice, but we didn't like the uphill ride and all of us wanted to go into town, but none of us wanted to redo the uphill ride. The other thing is the third day ride from Uberlingen to Lindau was too far for us to do in one day while trying to see all the sights along the way. We cheated and took the ferry from Friedrichshafen to Lindau.
    All of the hotels were very nice, clean and very accommodating. Our luggage was always at the hotel before we were.
    The bikes were in fine shape and we had no trouble with the bikes. We had a mixture of regular bikes and ebikes.
    All in all we had a great time and would recommend this trip, but I would look for a slightly different itinerary.
    Liv at BikeTours was extremely helpful and we are grateful to her for her help.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 17, 2019
    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?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 2/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) ireneski October 5, 2019

    Great trip except for first destination.

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    This is the second time I've taken this tour with my friends. We liked it so much 6 years ago that we were interested in returning. All the destinations and accommodations were better than previously except for the first destination. Instead of stopping in Stein am Rhein, a beautiful medieval town, they booked us into Gailingen, a town that took us another hour to get to, and was not the charming experience we had to forgo. The trail up the steep hill was more suitable for a mountain bike, not the hybrids that we had. As we came down the steep hill the next morning one of our group had a nasty fall and had to rent an ebike to complete the trip. The hotel staff was also not friendly. They refused to serve us tap water and would only offer bottled water at 6 euros/bottle. This was a terrible way to start our trip. If you go around this beautiful lake, insist on staying in Stein am Rhein.
    Also, we stayed an extra night in Uberlingen. Definitely worth an extra day to spend time at the thermal baths.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept. 12, 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    6
    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
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 6, 2019

      Thanks kindly for this review. We're sorry to hear about the hotel experience in Gailingen. We'll be sure to inform the tour operator this is not the preferred choice when booking this tour. (But sometimes, it may be the only option available.) We hope that your group member has recovered! And we're so glad they were able to complete the tour via ebike! Thanks again for your feedback, and we're overjoyed you had a great trip.

    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Susan Ferrante-Collier 7 months ago

    Girls on Bikes

    · Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)

    It was an amazing trip, we are very appreciative for the assistance of bike tours in making the trip as lovely as it was. My only complaint is that one of the hotels was in the middle of a huge construction situation and there were unpleasant septic issues. Choosing another hotel would have been preferable

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 4-16
    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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) nunn July 28, 2019

    Wunderbar

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    The tour was as described. The ferry came in handy one of the days. Directions were a problem. Once we got our of Konstanz and figured out what we were to follow it went better. Thanks to all the people who helped us along the way. Very helpful and friendly. The lake was delightful to swim in and cycle along. The scenery was delightful. We had ebikes and that's the way to go.

    What was the date of your tour?
    6/30/19
    How many tours have you completed?
    10+
    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?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 2/5 Value
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Pierre C. 7 months ago

    nice trip but some advance planning is required

    · Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)

    Hotels and views were excellent for the most part. A couple of things to note: 1. Bikes are heavy duty and therefore very heavy, we upgraded to e-bikes 3 days into the trip, that was a big help. 2. Trails are not well marked, we met a few different groups during our tour of the lake and everyone was complaining about the written directions and even the gps tracking. Be prepared to have to stop, take an assessment and even back track a few times a day.

    Crucial items if you want to use GPS tracking; buy a phone holder that can attach your phone to the bike before leaving on the trip, otherwise you will have major issues setting up your phone so you can see it properly (I tucked mine into the front basket which had a protective transparent cover, however with the glare, it was hard to read). Also, make sure that you bring a backup battery pack as 2 -3 hours of tracking and your phone will be dead.

    Be prepared to bike some busy roads and gravel roads. One hotel (Bergenz) was located in a residential neighbourhood, there was ooe other restaurants within 600 meters, the rest were in town, 1.5 km away. Although the hotel restaurant was very nice, we spent more on dinner than we anticipated. Note that in St. Gallen almost all businesses and restaurants are closed on Sunday and many are also closed on Monday. Choices for meals and things to do become scarce if you are there during that time.

    Finally, be prepared to spend lots of money in Switzerland $50CAD hamburgers in a sit down restaurant seems to be the norm, not for the faint of heart. If you want to save some money I suggest flying into Germany before and after, accommodations and meals will be a lot cheaper (we spent 3 days inSwitzerland before and three days after, we figure that those 6 days cost us at least an extra $1K compared to what Germany prices would have been).

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 2024
    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, Germany, Switzerland
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 1/5 Route selection
  • Three Lakes Tour
    (4/5) gsf1 August 8, 2017
    · Three Lakes Tour: From Geneva to Annecy

    What was the date of your tour?
    7/9/17
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France, Switzerland
    • Stage 1: Near Ft. L'Ecluse (photo by gsf1)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Becca August 8, 2017

    Savoie self-bike

    · Three Lakes Tour: From Geneva to Annecy

    Taste the cuisine and drink the wine of Savoie, swim in pristine lakes, visit medival villages, castles, and vineyards.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Jul 30
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    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?
    France, Switzerland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Three Lakes Tour
    (4/5) sacman July 12, 2018

    Organized Adventure

    · Three Lakes Tour: From Geneva to Annecy

    Well organized trip down to the street. While normally I stay in design hotels, due to the nature of the trip and the remote locations, the team did a superb job in accommodating us. The Chateau was certainly the highlight.

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    7
    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?
    France, Switzerland
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 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
  • (4/5) 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
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 2/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 2/5 Local tour company services
    • 2/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) Marta72 August 23, 2016

    Perfect family trip

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    Very recommended trip for families with kids that can bike. Km per day were not demanding (around 30km). You can stop to visit, to have a bath in the lake, to take a boat...very nice environment, very safe and relax way to travel. All roates are well indicated.

    What was the date of your tour?
    6-12 August
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much 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
    • 3/5 Value
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Three Lakes Tour
    (4/5) Brooke Bushman 11 months ago

    A fun trip

    · Three Lakes Tour: From Geneva to Annecy

    We enjoyed this trip but it was not our favorite tour we’ve done. We had a few minor issues with the e-bikes and in general did not like them as well as e-bikes we’ve had before. We messaged the operator about one of the issues while there and never got a reply. We paid for upgraded hotels and overall were pretty disappointed with the quality of them. We especially did not like the hotel in Saint Helene. The countryside was beautiful and it was a great route.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 2024
    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?
    France, Switzerland
    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 2/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) Female solo traveler August 6, 2016

    Incredibly scenic

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    What was the date of your tour?
    July, 2016
    How many tours have you completed?
    4
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat 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?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 3/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Three Lakes Tour
    (4/5) Damon Di Florio 10 months ago

    Fun Way To See Europe

    · Three Lakes Tour: From Geneva to Annecy

    Nice routes to get to each hotel, plenty of time to add in any extras, lots of pretty towns and villages along the way. Great breakfasts each morning at the hotels, very comfortable beds to sleep in and just enjoyable riding each day.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    This was my first self guided (solo) tour but have done 4 European group tours
    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?
    France, Switzerland
    • Beautiful Seyssel (photo by Damon Di Florio)
    • Lake Bourget near Aix-Les-Bains (photo by Damon Di Florio)
    • Cruet - Saint - Laurent (photo by Damon Di Florio)
    • Lake Annecy (photo by Damon Di Florio)
    • Beautiful Annecy (photo by Damon Di Florio)
    • Beautiful Annecy (photo by Damon Di Florio)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 3/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) 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
    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
    • 3/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) 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
    • Typical bike path. (photo by Mick)
    • Break time and a beer. (photo by Mick)
    • Crossing the lake (photo by Mick)
    • Canola Fields (photo by Mick)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) 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
    • Photo 1 (photo by JannieB)
    • Photo 2 (photo by JannieB)
    • Photo 3 (photo by JannieB)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents