Bike Tour Reviews UNESCO Sites Of Albania
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Guided from EUR € 1390
Self guided from EUR € 990
Description:
The highlights of this magical bike tour include three UNESCO sites, snow-capped mountains, inviting beaches on the Albanian Riviera, a genuine, untouched subsistence culture, and exceptionally friendly local people. Some say that visiting Albania is as…
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★★★★★ WSTraveler October 22, 2019An Unusual Experience Not to Be Repeated
The sag driver was great despite limited English in that he was always available to help in any way possible. The tour guide was good and worked very hard but was not good at listening to understand problems with the bikes and was at times totally dismissive. The difficulty of the ride was enormously underrated and BIkeTours was evasive about providing advanced information. The road conditions were in areas extremely poor and the advertised grades were just lies. BikeTours advertised the trip as a max of 16 riders, although there were 20, considered a small group by the guide. Again, less than honest disclosure.
The experience of the country was worth the trip. It was a fun collection of international participants. The accommodations were varied but appropriate to the locale and part of the fun. Food was good and the guide worked to arrange options for dietary restrictions. The sag support was excellent and eager to support the riders. The guide did a good job of keeping the group together and providing navigation guidance despite lack of any cue sheets or gps routes.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 23 - Oct 2
- How many tours have you completed?
- lots
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
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★★★★★ Rhonda Peckham 6 months ago
Sampler of Albania's beauty
The tour itself was well organized and lodging overall was pleasant and comfortable. While instructions and direction for the ride were made clear by the guide, the UNESCO sites were not explained as to their significance and designation. Understandably, the guide appeared fatigued and distracted with this the last tour of the year for him. Technical support for and repair for some of the equipment seemed to be an issue. One safety concern noted from the trip: Medical supplies and first aid skills that would adequately address injuries related to cycling seemed to be lacking and was a cause for concern in the event of an emergency.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ David19 September 29, 2018
A vigorous adventure
This is an excellent tour for anyone who wants to do a lot of climbing far from the beaten tourist path with the leadership of an excellent, superbly organized cyclist.
On the other hand, it is not a great way to get to know a lot about Albanian culture or history. Even though we went to some sites of great historical and cultural significance, we didn't have much time there, and promises that we would have a guided tour were not always kept. I'd have liked to have had a rest day in Gjirokaster; it has a lot of history to explore.
This tour has lots of climbs, some of them quite steep. The bikes provided by the operator didn't have low enough gears, so most tour members walked some of the climbs. The tour operator has told me he has recognized this problem and has already ordered more suitable bikes for 2019.
The food was excellent in both quality and quantity, with very few exceptions. Most eating was family style. There were vegetarian options.
Our group was large--22 participants, six more than advertised--but so well organized that meals moved briskly.
All 22 of us regrouped several times each day on the road. This, plus the attentiveness of the guide and the sag driver, made it almost impossible to get lost, but it also meant the faster riders often waited for the laggards to arrive.
I liked the other riders. I think few whiners choose tours in the mountains of Albania.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 13, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- More than ten.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ psteckler September 15, 2019
Excellent tour with lots of climbing
This was my second tour booked with biketours.com. My first one was a self-guided tour in Slovenia, which was great, so I thought I'd try this one, which reviews raved about.
The route and scenery were just great. We had superb meals with Mediterranean-style cuisine, either in restaurants or in our hotels. Each day featured a coffee stop, where we snacked on peanuts, bananas, and chocolate.
The tour guide was very knowledgeable about his home country, super well-organized and thoughtfully attended to the needs of the participants. The support van was there when we needed assistance.
There were a couple of thrilling long descents with stunning vistas. The price of those descents was lots of climbing, some of them long, some a bit steep.
A few of the days were extremely hot, around 100F. I had heat stroke symptoms one day, and had to get a lift in the van for the last part of the ride. We had only a few minutes of light rain on our side trip to North Macedonia to see the monastery on Lake Ohrid. Not much the tour operator can do to control the weather, of course.
The bikes had front suspension and a rear rack with an Ortlieb pannier. We did have some gravel and cobble sections where a road bike would not have worked. These bikes were on the heavy side, making the climbing more difficult than it could have been. My one suggestion to improve the tour would be to use lighter bikes. I think the current generation of "gravel bikes" with fat tires, without suspension, would work well, and save a few pounds. Instead of the rack and pannier, a frame bag or seatpost bag would have enough capacity and also save some weight.
The participants on e-bikes seemed to be having a good time of it, though, as they passed me up the climbs!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 26, 2019
- 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
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★★★★★ BabyBoomer June 27, 2019
Albania-Review by a Baby Boomer
I feel that the trip was right on he money as described. Cycling is a great way to experience a country. The food was terrific and the accommodations ranged from adequate (but best available) to reasonably decent. The bikes were well maintained, and I appreciate that the disks were replaced on the major downhills for the last few days. The route is challenging, and, if you have any doubts on your capability, go for the ebike option. Made all the difference for me. The support for water and sag, if required, was superb.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 13
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Stephanie H 11 months ago
Such a beautiful country!
We had wonderful support from our guide and our driver. The food was delicious and it was a treat to experience the amazing terrain and sights. The hills could be strenuous at times and the diesel fumes unpleasant.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Lady Di October 9, 2019
Interesting trip
We had a wonderful international group with ages from early 40es to one man turning 78 on the trip. Learning about the history of Albania was very interesting and cycling to sites from BC era was fascinating. It was like someone turned the clock back in time. We stayed in a wide variety of places and all okay with several being very unique in a good way. Food was very good but watch out for the wine in small towns as it’s homemade and not very good but the beer was good. Bikes were okay and front shocks very appreciated. If in doubt get an ebike. Our leader,Ted, and the sag/bike driver were very skilled at leading us and taking card of the bikes.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 23-October 1st.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Colin Mable 7 months ago
UNESCO Sites Albania Bike Tour
The Tour was very good. The Tour guide was excellent. Spoke perfect English and was very informative with sites along the way. His Assistant who followed us from behind was also excellent. The electric bikes were Giant in good condition and we had no problems and travelled 450km on the roads of Albania. My only issue was the meals at some locations were a bit light on and we felt hungry after the meals. It would have been good to supply some snacks along the rides each day. I was very glad I did the ride with an electric bike as there were lots of very big hills to travel through Albania. The electric bikes made the ride very enjoyable and gave you opportunity to observe the scenery rather than pushing hard to get up the hills.
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★★★★★ Helayn October 7, 2019
More than I expected
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 23
- How many tours have you completed?
- 15
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ David Hodgson October 17, 2023
Challenging cycling
Physically challenging; 14 of 18 folks on our tour used an e-bike and were glad they made that choice. The guide was excellent and I would recommend the guided package rather than self guided, especially as the meals were included. Excellent scenery. We traveled in mid-September and the weather was comfortable, not too hot. The bikes were of good quality compared to those provided on other European bike tours.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Mary Patno 6 months ago
Great Bike Tour
The bike tour brought us to places I would never have visited, so it was a great way to see Albania up close and personal. The hotels were a mixed bag and you never knew what to expect. Being a single I tended to get shorted; a room that smelled badly of wood smoke and not clean, another with no windows (and we were at the beach), another I had to share b/c of a shortage of rooms. Not entirely what I was expecting. However, the meals were great and healthy. Our guide was excellent and offered much history about Albania. The support guy was fantastic too, always at the ready when needed. I would recommend this trip, just don’t expect frills.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept-Oct
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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
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★★★★★ Bradford Pickett 6 months ago
A Great bike ride
You might add an extra day in the middle of the ride for some R & R. But it was a great bike ride. The end of the tourist season everybody in Albania was a little tired. Or may that is the Albanian way. The hotels were ok we had scratching all night in the country when we stayed at the log cabins.
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★★★★★ Maureen Lander 6 months ago
Albania is Beautiful!
As far as the biking in Albania, I'd give five-star, A-plus all the way. Beautiful scenery, nice roads with twists and turns to keep things interesting. Lots of uphill -- negated by e-bike -- but rewarded with fun, exhilarating downhills that went on forever and ever. Our fellow bikers were the best, interesting, fun people from all over. It was a true experience being in a country that's emerging from decades and decades of communist rule. They have a ways to go, I'd say, as far as customer service/attitude about tourists, but it looks like they're trying.
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★★★★★ Patricia ONeill September 24, 2023
Albania September 2023
Good guides and routes. Somewhat unsatisfactory accommodations because on Day 5 and Day 9, there were not enough reserved hotel rooms, so 2 x I and another solo traveler had to share a room [and bathroom] because the hotel had given 1 of our rooms away. One night was tolerable, but not really acceptable 2 x. It was a large group with the majority of people on e-bikes but we spent a lot of time [sometimes almost an hour] waiting for the non-e bikers [no fault of theirs]. This put pressure on the non-e bikers, guide, and meant that we arrived at the hotels later than expected, with less downtime to enjoy the destination. Our guide was very good, but our group would have enjoyed more cultural and historical conversations since this was billed as the UNESCO tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Guy Levy September 11, 2023
Great trip with some annoying snags
We were a group of 8 members who did a self guided tour with e-bikes. the route of the tour exposed us to Albania's beautiful landscape, heritage and lovely and warm people. The route is quite challenging due to the mountainous terrain and we were glad that we chose to use e-bikes. All in all we really loved it. Yet, we encountered a few troublesome matters that with due attention can be solved.(i) we had numerous problems with the e-bikes, mostly related to chain falling w/o any reason, back cog-wheel that became loose etc., that ended with replacing two of our bikes and a number cases where on road assistance was required. We understood from comments made by the local agents that these had been common problems with the type of bikes we had been given, hence either bike maintenance needs improvement or a different bike brand should be used. (ii) A much greater portion of the tour then described in the website was on main roads with heavy traffic, which we felt made cycling not very safe and certainly not relaxing/enjoyable. (iii) The maps provided together with the e-files of the routes were not always consistent with actual conditions. A more frequent adaptation, of especially the e-routes, to actual roads conditions seems in order. (iv) the hotels provided could be somewhat upgraded. In many cases they were not up to a par with 3 star hotels in Europe (this had been our 9th cycling tour in Europe so we do have some experience).
- What was the date of your tour?
- August-September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ David Loukras 6 months ago
Great trip highly recommended
What a great way to see Albania. Each day brought new sights, history and great roads. Perfect weather in mid-October. Accommodations were clean and well equipped. Food was nutritious, traditional, plentiful and delicious. Bikes were good for most with a couple of small breakdowns for some. Most were on e-bikes and there was always enough batteries for everyone everyday. Great guiding to ensure everyone knew where to go, but not so much to burden the flow of the ride. Most of the roads were exceptional twisty winding roads with minimal amount of “highway” with truck traffic. Views of the mountains and Ionian Sea were breathtaking. We downloaded the map files provided and uploaded them to Komoot so we always knew where we were and where we were going.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 7 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was my first guided bike tour. I will do more.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Kathy Dudley 6 months ago
Eye opening tour
Biking through Albania was certainly an eye opening experience. Observing the development of the country following so many years of communism was eye opening for us. Riding through villages with donkeys and wheelbarrows onto major highways with tourist buses was quite a juxtaposition. The country is beautiful yet full of trash. The people were warm amd welcoming and made the trip a wonderful experience. Our guide amd driver were fun and efficient. We would recommend better bike repair equipment or back up bikes and a first aid kit. It would be nice to have tours with e-bikes separate from those with manual bikes to decrease the waiting and the pressure of those riding manual bikes to keep up.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Tom Gihring 6 months ago
Wonderful views riding through this mountainous landscape
One of the best value cycle tours to be found. First class meals provided, including fresh prepared local dishes. Guides take good care of the bikes and give daily briefings before each ride. Wish there were more cycle paths to relieve riders from dealing with motor traffic.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Beth W. 6 months ago
Great experience!
This was my first bike tour and time spent in Albania! Overall great experience with a wonderful group. Our guide and driver kept us on point each day to see the beautiful Albanian countryside including mountains and beaches. The food was healthy and good. Several of the routes were on busy roads with narrow shoulders for cyclists. The daily rides were challenging with a lot of rolling hills and climbing. Would be smart to highly consider an e-bike. Albania has a lot of opportunity to welcome tourism post-communism.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Paul Banken 9 months ago
Awesome trip
I rarely post reviews but wanted to share my experience with a recent cycling tour; the 10 day UNESCO tour of Albania. The tour was led by Armand and Mario. It was a fantastic experience. The tour was well organized, really well run, fun, the country beautiful, the local people friendly, the food incredible and quite varied. Our group of 19 were from many countries but really bonded well. The last days ride was unnerving for some due to strong winds and large vehicles; but the sag van was usually close behind if someone wanted to take a break. Not everything went perfectly, but Armand’s upbeat, energetic, and positive attitude in quickly handling the issues made things go quite smoothly. All in all; one of the very best, most enjoyable tours I have taken out of the 20+ to date.
