Bike Tour Reviews Vienna To Budapest (Classic) (page 2)
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★★★★★ Donna Reyes October 2, 2022Overall great trip
Bikes were phenomenal, hotels were great. Only complaint was all our paperwork was in German. So then we got online English versions which could not be printed to put in the map holder. AND the new printed materials did not match the route maps. It was very confusing!
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Biketours Admin October 4, 2022
Thanks for your feedback, Donna. The German paperwork issue will be fixed next year as we are making significant changes in this part of our system. Thanks for your business. We hope you will travel with us again.
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★★★★★ Mike Corney September 21, 2022
Vienna - Budapest
I rate the tour over 6 attributes: Terrain, Scenery, Bikes & Equipment, Hotels, Directions / Maps and Cycling Infrastructure over the toute.
Terrain - was as advertised - mostly flat
Scenery - was disappointing. I expected to be cycling along the Danube. For large parts of the route the Danube was nowhere in sight.
Hotels - Hotels and the food that they provided were very good.
Directions / Maps - These left something to be desired. The directions were in English, but the maps were in German. It was often difficult to match up the written directions with the maps. Finding our way into and out of towns and locations of hotels was particularly difficult.
Cycling Infrastructure - This was often poor. The designated route often had us on busy roads. We had to traverse unpaved portions of the route that were often little more than tractor ruts in a field. Paved paths were often in poor condition with many uneven patches and bumps. Very poor.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- 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?
- No
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BikeTours.com staff reply from jan September 25, 2022
Thanks for the feedback. The directions / maps issue will be fixed in next years version of this tour. Our apologies for that but this year we simply didn't have the time or resources to provide our own branded concise and consistent tour directions. Your route feedback is also very useful and will be carefully reviewed at the end of the season. Thanks for traveling with us as we and the rest of the tourism industry slowly reboot from covid.
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★★★★★ Colleen Mcintyre September 6, 2022
Ride is awesome! Assistance could use some assistance
The ride is one of the most amazing experiences I have had. Having the bags transferred is priceless and went very well. The hotels - both quality and location - also excellent. I got an e-bike and so happy I did because two days had a lot of dirt, gravel, and mud that bike helped power through.
The maps?!?! A book that has copied step by step from a bike app. This is great for walking, but if you never stop or detour, or in the city where there are multiple turns rapidly, it doesn’t function. The other book has pictures - excellent - except where there are multiple rapid turns or irregular intersections. They also don’t indicate the charge for necessary ferries on the map. They company needs to have someone who has never ridden it, use the book, and make indicators, or tips in it. Going between the books is nearly impossible. I reviewed both books, google maps, and a bike app (I don’t have a subscription) the night before. That with the signs that are not always available helped a lot.
Last, upon my early arrival in Budapest, my bags were not there yet. I checked in to shower and change into my spare outfit. When I returned, the bike was gone. No notification …I assumed the company. I would have assumed I had the bike, like the hotel room, through the end of the tour.- What was the date of your tour?
- August 24, 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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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★★★★★ Scott McCormick August 14, 2022
Amazing, awesome time
Really great trip that we would love to do again or extend to other parts of Europe.
A normal day for us:
* Wake up and drop bags at front desk
* Get a casual breakfast
* Ride bikes and take breaks as needed
** We usually went about 15-20 miles/hour
** Took anywhere from 4-6 hours
* Check into hotel & explore
* Usually pretty tired, so not a lot of late nightsYou're following the eurovelo 6 trail the whole time which is well marked. Very little chance you get lost, but there is a eurovelo 6 app which you can use if you're worried. Or just get lost. It's Europe, you'll be fine.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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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★★★★★ Wesley November 13, 2019
Beautiful cities and hidden gems of Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary
I went on this tour as a BikeTours.com staff member. It is a popular option for our members who have already experienced the Passau to Vienna tour. The tour follows EuroVelo 6 along bike paths, quiet roads, and a few sections of gravel and dirt roads. The route starts and ends in two of the great cities of Europe; Vienna and Budapest. But I'll tell you a little secret, the hidden gems of this tour are the picturesque towns and cities that you visit along the way! My favorite cities were Bratislava and Gyor. In Bratislava, it is a must to take the short hike or bike up to Bratislava Castle. A beautiful view of the city and of the Danube river await you at the top. The castle itself is astonishing and it is easy to spend 2 or 3 hours just walking around admiring the garden, the castle, and the views. The old town of Bratislava is another area worth exploring on foot. Make sure you visit St Martin's Cathedral and Michael's Gate. If Wes Anderson was looking for a European city to film his next movie, it would be Gyor. This pastel wonderland of a city is not well known but it may have been my favorite city of the entire tour. Be sure to set aside a few hours to walk around the historic old town where there are many shops, restaurants, and bars to pop into. The dollar greatly outweighs Hungary's currency, the forint, so don't be afraid to take a tour of all the little pubs and restaurants. The local food and beers are great and incredibly inexpensive. The cycling for most of the route is flat and leisurely with a few shorter stretches of more moderate, slightly uphill cycling. Be prepared for a few sections of gravel roads as well as single lane dirt roads which can get a little rough at times. The distances vary from day to day with the longest day being 42 miles and the shortest being 25 miles. On day 6 you cycle to Visegrad from Komárom. If you are interested in getting some extra cycling miles in at this point, my recommendation is to skip the boat ride and cycle the entire route. The cycling is uphill at certain points and it makes for a very long day, about 53 miles, but the last 10-12 miles of the route as you cycle into the town of Nagyarmos are absolutely gorgeous (my favorite section of the entire route)! I highly recommend getting a drink and exploring Nagyarmos before you take the ferry across the river to your final destination, Visegrad. Another recommendation is to add a few extra nights throughout the tour. If you love big cities then think about adding extra nights before and after the tour in Vienna and Budapest. If you are like me and you love smaller cities that are very walkable and have a lot of character, Bratislava and Gyor would be my recommendations for extra nights. It is important to point out that while this route follows the Danube river, most of the time you cycle through the river valley, out of sight of the river. There is a lot of farmland and quaint villages and towns in this part of Europe so for large stretches of the route, this will be your surroundings. If you are interested in cycling along the Danube river, look into our “Danube Bike Path” tours. SHOW MORE
- What was the date of your tour?
- 09/15/2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ AJNZ November 2, 2019
Hungary
An interesting adventure, not as scenic as the Danube in Austria, but a different slice of old Eastern bloc Europe. Hotels were good and well-located. Trail was difficult to find in several places, (think an extra 20km on dirt roads..) and is definitely not as well-marked as other Velo 6 routes. It is mostly away from the Danube through farms and small villages.
Some towns were definitely low on charm, but Bratislava, Szentendre and Budapest were terrific, extra time there is recommended.
Back-up from bike company was good - a new bike was delivered quickly when mine suffered a serious problem. E-bikes were good quality and easy to use, and baggage was always there at the hotel when we arrived.- What was the date of your tour?
- 22 September
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe November 3, 2019
Thanks kindly for your candid review. While we're sad you wouldn't recommend this tour. We certainly understand it's not everyone's cup of tea (for the exact reasons you have mentioned). We're glad you had an interesting adventure, experienced some terrific towns, and had a good experience with the tour operator. Thanks again for the feedback.
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★★★★★ Karen5 October 21, 2019
Hungary countryside
Fortunately I always have fun. If the group had not taken lunch from breakfast buffet we would have been without food until lunch. Route directions could have bern clearer.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/30 - 10/5
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 22, 2019
Hi, Karen. Thanks for your review. We're glad to hear you're a person who always has fun! Thanks for letting us know about the need to be cognizant of lunch stops and/or availability of options and the directions. We will pass your feedback onto the tour operator so they can improve these aspects of the tour. Thank you again for this feedback.
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★★★★★ Bike and ski October 17, 2019
Trip review
The ride was somewhat boring, lots of farm lands. Not as scenic as I had hoped for
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 1
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 18, 2019
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We're sorry to hear that this tour was not as scenic as you had hoped for. There is a good bit of country and farmland cycling as you have mentioned. We find that many clients enjoy the contrast of the destination cities and the more relaxing and rustic cycling. Thanks again for sharing your feedback!
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★★★★★ BobW October 12, 2019
Great Tour
Yes highly recommend this. Mostly off road on good or at least reasonable paths. Bikes were heavy but sturdy and quite fun to ride. The geometry of the bikes means that you can get a good view of the countryside as you pedal through it. The standard of the hotels was good and we had no language problems. The guides and maps were pretty good but we also used a supplementary map we purchased. It is usually a bit tricky getting out of towns back on to the trail. My favourite place was Gyor which was unexpectedly really nice - great central old town. We added on days at either end so we got to see Vienna and Budapest properly - worth doing. We only had one significant problem which was the bikes were incorrectly sized - not sure whether our fault or theirs - but this was swiftly rectified on Day Two.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 21st Sept 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- first of this type
- 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
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★★★★★ Spain October 12, 2019
An Adventure
We selected a self guided tour which we have done several times in the past. Unfortunately the gps link did not work for us so we used the cue sheets and map. We got lost several times which was an adventure but difficult on the larger mileage days and in bad weather. There were many more miles on roads than we expected. Often the traffic was heavy and fast and the cycle paths in poor condition.We managed as we are experienced riders but it was not what we expected. We were glad to have the suspension of hybrid bikes. However when by the river on a good cycle path the ride was beautiful. We enjoyed the ferry rides. We were 15 riders and all liked the accommodations!
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 1, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 13, 2019
Thanks very much for your review. If you have been on several tours, this one may feel more rustic than others (less developed paths, more adventurous - as you have noted). We're sorry to hear that the GPS link did not work for you. We know that can be frustrating. However, we appreciate that you were able to use the maps and cue sheets. We'll be on the lookout for further reviews denoting frequent heavy traffic. We've not heard that this was occurring outside when in Budapest and upon entering/leaving cities. We're glad to hear there were some enjoyable aspects and everyone liked the accommodations. Thanks again for your feedback on this tour.
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★★★★★ Middle Europe October 2, 2019
Mighty Danube
We enjoyed the experience of cycling from Vienna to Budapest through 3 different countries. The people were lovely as was the ever changing scenery along the mighty Danube. All the hotels chosen were excellent. We appreciated that our luggage was always there when we arrived usually in the late afternoon. Distances were very manageable. Loading the electric bikes on the trains in Slovakia and Hungary was a challenging feat. Locating our hotel in beautiful Budapest was somewhat difficult due very busy traffic and not much cycling infrastructure. The reward of a lovely hotel with thoughtful staff soon eliminated any angst we may have had. Overall this is a trip I would happily endorse.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- over 20
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Eric September 3, 2019
Lackluster field tour!!
Hate to be the negative Nelly,but this tour was nowhere near where i'd hoped it to be...It really shouldn't be listed as a Danube River tour,as the only day i saw the river all day,was the last.Several days of riding through corn and sunflower fields on unmarked trails with poor direction. Let me be clear,I chose to follow the map and directions given,as I had no cell phone service in Europe. The last tour I did was Prague to Dresden.Clearly marked trails,with a GPS that wasn't great,but sufficient. Apparently I got my hopes up too high after that one.Spent most of my time checking and double checking Km markers in the guide Vs. Km markers on the bike. Not the relaxing ride I had hoped for.I,along with several other riders,spent some extra time looking for the actual trail. I was watching many people do the same as me...looking for the trail!! Too many unmarked junctions,this trail is really undeveloped in this part of Europe,which was unfortunate-this is what i went for,the ride.A lot of off road time,which would be fine,if I wasn't so busy checking and double checking maps.Really stressful when it should've been relaxing. The positive is the towns were great,the hotels were all very nice,the bike was better than I expected and handled everything-including the off road,and my luggage was always where it was supposed to be.I just so badly wish the ride would've been more relaxing....As i said when i began-the last day of the tour was what I had hoped for the whole length of the tour,relaxing and enjoyable.Unfortunately,it was the only one...
- What was the date of your tour?
- 8-13-19
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe September 4, 2019
Eric, thanks kindly for your review. We're sorry to hear that this tour was not what you'd expected. We hope that your feedback may serve to educate future clients. As you have noted this tour is quite different from the Danube Bike Path from Passau to Vienna, as it doesn't follow the river. And, it's a more rustic trail that requires navigating, as opposed to the Prague to Dresden tour. We're glad to hear you enjoyed the towns, hotels, bike, and that the luggage transfer was well executed. Thanks again for your feedback - we appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts.
