Top Rated Tours Reviews page 37
- Albania
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★★★★★ Reigh Walling November 8, 2022A rich historical past and a vibrant and diverse present. That's Portugal.
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
If you told most people that you were going to cycle Portugal, they would only think of Lisbon. Well, that is a beautiful city, but an hour's train ride took us from coastal topography to a totally different landscape of rolling hills topped with cork trees and vineyards. The tour was a nice mix of ancient walled cities and rural rolling roads. Cows graze amid the monoliths. Sheep browse for grass under the olive trees, each wearing a tiny tinkle bell around its neck -- their movement producing a melodious windchime symphony. Accommodations ranged from a rustic farmhouse to an actual palace, and the route and attributes of the tour also bridged history and modern culture. But it's Portugal's people who are the real stars of the tour. And of course, the food.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- 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
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★★★★★ Ashley Douglas October 18, 2023
Awesome Trip and No Shame in Using Ebikes!
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
Thoroughly enjoyed this trip in spite of not riding bikes at all at home. Having ebikes allowed us to enjoy the scenery and navigate without overextending our physical capabilities. Hotels were excellent and perfect for the areas we were visiting. Some of them were in buildings thousands (?) of years old so don't expect elevators in all, but amazingly they all had swimming pools which we enjoyed after a hard day peddling ebikes!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Richard Riddell September 30, 2024
A great time in Alentejo
· Castles and Wines of Portugal
A great self guided tour in Alentejo region of Portugal.
Great e-bikes, accommodation in the pousadas and excellent restaurant recommendations from our guides, and were brilliant making reservations in the restaurants we chose. The staff were on the whole very friendly and helpful and accommodated our extraordinary request on the last day - thank you.
The only reason they didn’t receive 5 stars for us was we thought the farmhouse stay for 2 nights was not necessary, and the owner of the business perhaps shouldn’t front the customers/clients. A tad too direct in her manner which made us feel we were doing her a favour by being there!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ hhhh October 19, 2016Slovenia,,Wonderful Country
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Good bikes, maps, reliable drivers, everything we needed...well organized..overall very good, mostly nice hotels a very good value
two exceptions...
1 we paid for the A hotels and 2 hotels were particularly bad...
Vila Andor and M Hotel in lbjuana.
2 do not get the meal package..they often gave us special menus with lower end meals....you are best just to use restaurants and meals of your choice- What was the date of your tour?
- october
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20
- 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?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ psteckler October 22, 2017
Good sampler for western Slovenia
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
No one told me about the cows. On the riding first day, in a rural area, I encountered a trio of cows blocking the road. I wasn't sure about the protocol for dealing with them, but we all managed to get by one another without any injuries.
I really lucked out with the weather. I started in mid-October, and every day ended in sunshine. There was no rain at all. For the first few days, most mornings were chilly and overcast, sometimes even foggy. By the end of the ride, I got full days of sunshine. Don't expect this weather every October!
For the most part, I liked the route. The climb on the second riding day would have been a nice challenge on my road bike; on the rented touring bike, it was pretty hard, and I had to walk much of it. The Helia truck came by and offered me a lift, but I was determined to get to the top under my own power. There were some gravel sections, and a couple of stretches along busy roads that were unpleasant. Much of the route was on lightly-traveled roads, and many roads were nearly-vacant farm or forest roads. With a couple of exceptions, the drivers gave me a wide berth.
The rented bike was predictably sturdy and heavy. I had no mechanical issues during the ride, other than a squeaky back brake.
The accommodation was very good, for the most part. Yes, I found a cockroach in one room; that gives me a story to tell. The electricity went out at Hotel Tartini in Piran on the final morning, but breakfast was already prepared; another story to tell. The hotel staff was very helpful everywhere. The breakfasts were all good, perhaps too good. Too bad I don't like to ride after eating a lot.
There were some confusing bits in the cue sheets, and I got lost a couple of times. I've written to Helia about the issues I found. For the most part, the cue sheets were adequate. Asking locals and Google Maps set me straight.
I flew in and out of Ljubljana. To get to Bled at the start, and back from Piran at the end, I used ordinary commercial bus services, which worked well.
I really enjoyed Slovenia, and hope to visit again to see more of the country.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9 October 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- Over 20
- 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?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Purple Sneakers September 9, 2018
Slovenia is wonderful!
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
an excellent tour around western slovenia, though too little time in Ljubljana which deserves more than a full day. by the same token the tour could lingered in the mountains as well, which are breathtaking. an extra day would enhance the tour enormously. on the other hand, Hela Tours are the worst. our bikes were not properly fitted; required a bike shop on the second day to adjust the derailleur, the brakes, add air to the tires and adjust the seat post and handlebars. the description for the route was in general adequate, but there were far too many wrong turns or simply bewilderment, indecipherable language. a GPS would have eliminated these nuisances.
- What was the date of your tour?
- july 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- numerous
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ Audrey Block November 7, 2022
Great way to experience Slovenia
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Overall, we really enjoyed the trip. Hotels were nice with the exception of one, which was so-so. Route was interesting and showed off the beauty of the country. Beware -- one should be in good shape and expect to face a few steep hills, some on gravel backroads. Most of the roads were low traffic but even on busier roads Slovenians are courteous to cyclists.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6-8
- 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?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ Harry Dobrowolski June 9, 2023
Best of Slovenia
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
11 days was perfect to enjoy the beautiful bike tour of Best of Slovenia. Food and Hotels had been outstanding. It’s worth to book hotel upgrades. Standard rooms are very small.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May/June 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- more than 20
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ john saunders September 16, 2023
Interesting and friendly country, beautiful countryside
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
This was a very good trip to explore and see various parts of the country. Overall, the trail markings were good. Good use of smaller roads with less traffic, but some roads were Busy with no shoulder and cars appearing to drive too fast. Accommodations were well-placed, except for Ljubljana Where the hotel was placed too far from the historic District where you would prefer to spend most of your time there. It was over 30 minute walk from the historic district. The bikes were durable, and we experienced no mechanical problems, but they were of a low quality, heavy, and not suited to some of the climbing that was required. We opted to purchase the route and map booklet for 30 euros which was poor quality and not useful or worth the money spent. Most of the important information was already provided in the materials. The Maps were useless in that you could not read road names, or city names because the font was too small and the poor print quality. On our last day in Piran, We had confirmed with bike tours, that we could schedule a late day transport back to Ljubljana so that we could spend a full day in Piran but apparently the local operator, Helia, only transports at 9 AM. Bike tours did a good job of arranging alternative late day transportation for us, but the Helia Representative was rude and unaccommodating And refused to discuss the matter.
Again, as to the bikes, which were basically “city bikes”, where the mileage each day is 25 to 35 miles, we believe most people would prefer better quality bikes, and we certainly saw other tour operators in the country that were utilizing higher quality bikes that were not electrically assisted. We would recommend that better quality bikes be offered or at least an upgrade to a higher quality bike that is not electric assisted.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20
- 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?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ Barbara October 8, 2023
Beautiful country with lots to see and do
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Slovenia ranks as one of my favorite countries to cycle. Friendly, hard working people. Roads are in great condition ( minus a few construction zones due to recent flooding), and the routes offered are interesting and varied. From high mountain vistas and zigzagging descents to flat bike trails along the sea, each day brought a new adventure to the senses. We enjoyed getting off the bikes to explore caves, castles, waterfalls, and towns. Most of us opted to cycle and climb the first day to the high plateau of Pokljuka. It actually seemed like an easier climb than the second day to the high plateau of Jelovica. Two people used the shuttle the first day and were not particularly pleased at where they were let off on the route. Had they known better, they would have also cycled to Pokljuka with us. (they were on electric bikes).
The hotels were good. Regardless of the size of rooms, the beds were comfortable and the breakfasts were bountiful and varied. The hotel in Ljubljana was a 45 minute walk to the city center, but it allows one to see the sites and restaurants along the way. We downloaded the maps on our devices and they were adequate for navigation. It was helpful to have 3 navigators in our group of 8 people.
Bikes that we used were hybrid ones. They were a definite plus with all the climbing involved with this tour. Sometimes, the small towns we entered had short ascents of 10-12% grade, so it was helpful to have the low gears to pop into. There were a few problems with the bikes. One of the hybrids was not in good condition for riding and was replaced before we started our tour. It was helpful to have the bikes at the hotel the night before ( Day 1) so we could adjust and test ride the bikes. The one electric bike had a problem the first day while riding the hills. It was discovered that a sensory cable was not connected after going to a local bike shop to have it looked at after the second day of riding.
Bike Tours, the company, there were some problems with communication regarding bike choices. There were problems with obtaining the bikes that were unnecessarily stressful. Overall, they were good enough to use, and eventually the issues were resolved. Also, I'm not a big fan of putting a 75% deposit down 9 months before the tour date which is unusual from the other 6 self guided tours that I've done. Make sure to read the fine print regarding the tour. Extra luggage other than one piece is charged extra. Also, we opted to find our own transport options to and from airports/towns, which were cheaper than what is offered. Staying a night in Kranj after our arrival from Ljubljana airport, before going the next day to Bled, worked out wonderfully.
Discovering the Best of Slovenia was a treat. I would recommend this tour to anyone who is adventurous and curious. The food, the culture, the people, and the sites were incredible! SHOW MORE
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- many
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ John Murray April 10, 2024
Immersive Slovenia
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
A great way to experience the country from the mountains to the coast. Recommended . Nice trip.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- 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?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ Lisa Ayton May 31, 2024
Excellent Trip
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
We chose the unguided version, using the Guibo Ap on our cell phones. Definitely worth bringing an extra power bank, as the power available on the cell, was our only concern in terms of getting from A to B. Sometimes the Ap, if there was a criticism, was almost 'too detailed' ie) a slight turn might be described in so much detail, that you think you are to do a much larger turn. Overall a very helpful ap and it corrected our direction a few times. The sites we saw from Bled to Piran 10 Bike Day Bike Tour were amazing and the distances were well planned. You did have to do some cycling on major roads at times, but the drivers seem quite used to cyclists. I recommend taking hotel upgrades when available, as we did not do this, but definitely wished we had, when it came to seeing Ljubjana and staying closer to the city. We felt all the hotels were what we expected (we had chosen a mid-range trip) with 1 major exception, that was a three star hotel. We also felt there were at least two stays that were excellent or above a mid-range feel, one with beach views and another with wine tastings. The country is amazing with views and greenery everywhere you look. At times reminding us of the Alps and at others like our home in BC, Canada and then finally the unique beauty of the Adriatic seaside to enjoy at the end. Our Electric Bikes were excellent, my chain came off twice but we got it back on and my husband ran out of brake fluid on the very last day. There were friendly, helpful people in all hotels and bike shops. We would all highly recommend this trip to others. Take an extra day in the City and by the seaside if you can. We also appreciated that help was only a phone call away at all times, we felt very safe and well served.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ Gareth Laws September 16, 2024
From Mountain Tops to Ocean Views
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Do this now, before Slovenia is spoilt. Lake Bled our starting point was amazing. Some steady climbs, luckily on e-bikes made the challenges in the early days more comfortable! A mix of accommodation, but one night in most of the places, was ok. We broke the journey with 2 nights in Ljubljana, definitely worth it.
A mix of off road, paved tracks, some roadside cycling ( but the cars were very good to us) grunty uphills and screaming downhills.
The App was easy to use and didn’t chew through the battery too much.
Overall we had a great time. The people are very friendly and welcoming. The hotels varied from top notch to “OK”. The bikes were comfortable and good condition, no problems there. Would recommend if you have some cycling experience.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ Clifford Davis October 1, 2024
Great Intro to Slovenia
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Tour offers everything from the Julian Alps area and Bled to small towns to Ljubljana to coastal Italy and coastal Slovenia at the finishing town of Piran. We added extra days in Bled, Ljubljana and Piran and highly recommend doing so. Most of the cycling is on roads shared with vehicles but drivers were generally aware and used to cyclists. We found the GUIBO navigation app somewhat problematic particularly since we didn’t get access until the morning cycling began. Our bike fitting and familiarization was also included in our first cycling morning so a number of items regarding the cycle computer were not covered.
The tour company was responsive to our requests for transport due to inclement weather.
There are wide variations in the quality of the hotels with some very fine hotels and some less so.
That being said the tour features some gorgeous scenery and spectacular sights. The caves in Postonja and the area surrounding Bled are breathtaking. The people along the way were very helpful and we had no trouble communicating even though we don’t speak Slovenian.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ margaret c 2 weeks ago
nice trip, beautiful countryside
· Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
beautiful countryside, cycling nice, trip about 3 days too long, some of the places we visited though pleasant had little of interest. the accommodation was 3 star quality all the way apart from perhaps Piran and Bled. the M hotel as mentioned in many previous posts is a disappointment in Ljubljana as it is too far out of town which ruined the evening there.
- What was the date of your tour?
- sept 25
- How many tours have you completed?
- over 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ PDBB May 17, 2017Challenging and Beautiful Trip across Costa Brava and Baix Emporda
· Medieval Villages of Catalonia
Just completed this cycle trip. Scenery was stunning, as promised. Weather (May) was also very good (showers on 1 day only); temps mostly in mid-teens celsius. Bikes of excellent quality; maps could have been better (larger scale of font, better readability). Cycle routes were mostly well marked; but you can never have enough signage. I would not agree that the routes wind "gently" through the region. Hotels (even the 2-star) were very good; breakfasts Good to VG. The regional food is delicious; local bike company provided useful recommendations for restaurants and advice. This was our second cycling trip (4 seniors), and it was definitely more challenging (even with shorter daily distances) than the last (Danube) trip.The terrain is not "mostly flat with few hills to climb"; some hills were daunting/steep and long. We completed the tour but were never able to do the suggested/offered "optional extra cycling rides" after the day's cycling; simply too much for us to tackle. Others might be more accomplished or fit, but we rarely rolled into the next destination before 6 PM. We choose self-guided; but local cycling company was always available to assist if needed (we emailed regularly). This was not a Level 1 tour; nor does it claim to be. But it may not even be a Level 2 tour? Scenery of Mediterranean coast was stunning and the medieval villages were beautiful. All of us are glad to have taken the tour, and to have finished the cycling challenges. It's a beautiful part of Spain.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1 previously (Level 1)
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
-
★★★★★ Carol Keys 12 months agoBeautiful and varied tour taking in 3 fantastic countries
· Cycling the West Balkan Triangle
This was our first time visiting Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina & Montenegro and the tour provided a good flavour of all three countries.
We booked an extra day at the start of the tour to take in the sights of Dubrovnik. This was well worth it, with the highlight being a walk around the city walls in the old town and a boat trip out to Lokrum Island. On the downside, Dubrovnik was very crowded and prices were comparable to the UK. The rest of the tour was mainly in much quieter places, sometimes in the middle of nowhere and prices were very cheap in Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Our hotels varied from fairly basic to very nice but all of them met our needs.
The tour itself did include a few very busy roads which were not ideal but probably unavoidable. However, it did include some lovely stretches along the coastline in Montenegro and the ride in B&H along an old railway line was predominantly traffic free.
We did feel a bit under time pressure a couple of times when we were required to meet the van with our luggage at a border crossing, as it was difficult for us to estimate how long it would take us to get to the rendezvous.
Our only real frustration was with the one Garmin we were given to navigate. This was quite dated, not intuititive to use and didn't seem to recognise some of the new roads. We often found it difficult to get the correct information displayed on the screen at the right time. We had written notes but in places where navigation was tricky, the notes didn't help either.- Countries included in this tour?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro
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★★★★★ Mikay July 5, 2017Beautiful, Romantic, Historic, Adventurous
· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
This trip was a blast! It was especially cool to see how the geography and culture changed as we moved out of Czech Republic and into Germany. This tour has a little bit of everything to satisfy everyone's tastes. Our favorites were the last two days: Hrensko, thermal bathes in Bad Schandau, Fortress in Koenigstein (well worth the hike to the top), and Bastei in Oberrathen (do the hike and visit the medieval fortress). Also, as far as navigation, we used the maps.me app and mounted our smart phone to the bike, which made getting around super easy. We had turn by turn directions throughout the tour.
A couple tips I wished the tour company had provided, major sites along the route are closed on Mondays. We traveled from Litomorice to Decin on Monday. Unfortunately the Strekov castle and restaurant was closed (we found that out after climbing to the top of the hill). Additionally when we reached Velke Brezno to visit the brewery we found out it also is closed on Mondays. Therefore, if a day of your tour falls on a Monday it would be good to prioritize scheduling one of the hiking days (e.g. Decin to Bad Schandau or Bad Schandau to Dresden). In general, it would be nice to know in advance what days the points of interest are closed, so the group can manage their time at other sites better. If the tour company does not provide this info, I would recommend looking it up in advance.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 23, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic, Germany
-
★★★★★ Mandy July 16, 2017
Prague to Dresden Along the Vitava and Elbe Rivers July 30-July 7th 2017
· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Overall great trip! Guides were great. Needed better handouts (not self guided for guided tour) and would cut the brewery where you pour your own beer.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 1-July 6th
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic, Germany
-
★★★★★ Brian1624 September 17, 2018
Wonderful Bike Tour
· Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Easy Route to fallow with 90% bike paths. Good notes on what to see along the way. Hotels were good but WiFi was average.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug 20-26th 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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?
- Czech Republic, Germany
