Bike & Hotel Tour Reviews page 108
- Albania
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and H…
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- England
- Estonia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Holland
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Scotland
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United States
- Vietnam
-
★★★★★ Geoff m
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
-
★★★★★ Gerard Hickey
Fun four days of biking
Three Lakes Tour: From Geneva to Annecy
Highs were the bicycle paths that for most of trip were separate to roads and vehicles. It really allowed you to relax
Surprises: the videos had indicated that a bike computer would b provided with the tour directions. We were told the first day that is no longer the case and we were told use our phones. I had brought my garmin 1050 and would have liked to download the trails to it but the file was not compatible and cyclomundo could not provide directions
Other surprise was some if the not being open until 4.30pm. This was a problem when you arrived wet after being riding in the rain.- Countries included in this tour?
- France, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Mountain GaGa
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
-
★★★★★ Tom Gihring
Wonderful views riding through this mountainous landscape
UNESCO Sites of Albania
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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
-
★★★★★ Yeenie
Bolzano to Mestre, Italy bike trip
Bolzano – Verona – Venice
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 11th -- 17th, 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- Nine
- 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?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Glen Field
Very scenic biking tour
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
The trip was very good, excellent bike paths, great scenery, very good hotels, excellent breakfast at all the hotels. A few communication problems stop me from giving this a 5 star review.
-
★★★★★ Geri Lincoln
Wonderful trip
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We had an amazing time, our accomodations were eclectic and diverse which we appreciated. Tour book was well researched and informative. The ground handler that gave us our bikes was not very well informed and did not give any options, tools or advise for fitting the bikes correctly, we had no issues but some others, especially those on ebikes were not well served. GPS routing would be an excellent addition to the books provided. Hotel Donauschlinge seemed to be having a bad day and the restaurant staff was obviously rude to those of us without German language skills. All in all, very well done. Having only two experiences that were less than perfect for an 8 day tour is a job well done!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- 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, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
-
★★★★★ happyPedals
Interesting, varied, a great trip
Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
You will see different landscapes, from the more mountainous interior to the coast. There are chances to see many historical sites. The GPS is a must for the trip, you will get lost if you don't have it. I strongly recommend bringing your own small pump which can handle both Presta and Schraeder. The pumps we were given were a bit dodgy, and handled only Presta although we had some Schraeder valves on our tires and just one spare tube (Presta). We came across some aggressive stray dogs but weren't attacked. I carried a stick on my bike just in case. As a woman I would have been a bit anxious doing this ride alone, I was happy to have a partner with me. The hotels were mostly family-run or small and felt friendly and welcoming. There were many great restaurants in the destination towns. Staying 3 nights in the final town with 2 loop trips was great - the hotel was good and you didn't have to keep packing and unpacking. You *must* carry the hotel list with you - the GPS will not lead you directly to the hotels and the hotel names are not part of the map binder. You will see some beautiful scenery and also some abandoned and derelict buildings and piles of garbage. Some days you ride on somewhat busy roads with very narrow shoulders, but we found that drivers were courteous. If you are going to use the Metro in Athens, do some research about the level of organized pick-pocketing there and take precautions. This was a rewarding trip for someone who loves biking and history and exploring.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
-
★★★★★ Stephen Graham
Great area, careful with cars in France
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
Fascinating area, half German half French. French side has the cutest towns, German side the safest biking. Beware biking on the French side on weekends, as locals drive to the vineyard towns for lunch or overnights, and they drive fast. Often no shoulder or bike path, drivers not always courteous, a lot of energy on avoiding catastrophe for less-experienced riders instead of enjoying the scenery. Support was good, replacing a bike with brake problems mid-trip. Navigation had one major error, sending us to a small bridge across islands in the Rhine near Strasbourg that had in fact been closed for months. A bit stressful at the end of a long day riding, but we found another way across. Minimal guidance as to where to stop for cafes, lunch, etc.; could use a more detailed list of suggestions. Some of the budget hotels are not in charming locations or walking distance from restaurants. The Grand Hotel in Strasbourg has seen better days.
-
★★★★★ Grasshopper
Amazing Trip on an e bike through Switzerland
Swiss Lakes by E-bike: Lake Geneva to Lake Lucerne
We really loved this trip. We were very concerned at first as the maps we received were not well marked and the information from the help line contradictory. Then out of the Blue our savior Rudie came along and we managed to hitch onto the group he was guiding. From there all was well. Thank you again Rudie for your help. The guide book was not provided in English. Apparently there are limited editions. The hotels we were booked into went from fantastic to three start ordinary. The bikes were good enough and did the job. I loved this trip and would recommend it but it needs refining ...
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2018
- 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?
- Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Christopher Attwood
The Coast and Medieval Catalonia
Medieval Villages of Catalonia
What a lovely cycle tour. Mostly on cycle tracks that avoid the hustle and danger of busy roads. We were in an exclusive group of 10 which does add to the flexibility and fun of the ride. Riding with GPS is a game changer. So easy and allows for "self-guided" tours. I do think more variations should be incorporated on the routes to allow one to tailor make the ride for distance and substance. All the suggested restuarants and photo opportunities were spot on. If "Unguided", a better backround pack of stops and their historical significance could be prepared. Great holiday and experience.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
-
★★★★★ Christine Comi
Lovely look at rural Italy
Florence to Rome: Bike through the Heart of Italy
Of the tour group of 15 people, only 3 of us spoke English. We didn't know this tour was actually being executed by Rotalis, a German touring company. It was still a wonderful experience but not what we were expecting. Also, most of the group was using e-bikes. This meant that the cruising pace was much faster than I think it would have been if everyone was riding on their own power. I was one of 3 people riding on my own power and found it a real work out every day.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 20-27, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- none
- 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?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ CHRISTOPHER DRAIKIWICZ
Great trip
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Biking through the countryside was a great way to experience Austria. I hope to do another bike trip again. However I wish that the operator provided helmets, we instead purchased them in Passau before starting biking.
-
★★★★★ MB
Albania welcomes you!
UNESCO Sites of Albania
This was an enjoyable ride with some absolutely gorgeous mountain ranges and coastlines. There are no bike baths on this ride except for the first day. The rest of the time you are on roads with varying degrees of vehicle traffic. Rarely a car in sight in the country but they are constant along the coast and towns. Accommodations were relatively modest but clean. If you are looking for 4 star hotels and amenities it won't be on this trip. Every lodge had a continental breakfast, some were definitely better than others. The visit to the monastery of St. Naum was worth the extra ride the first day. 2nd day ride to Korçë was decent not overwhelming. However, thanks to a tip from Lilliana at the Hotel we had dinner at a delicious steak house called "Repulika". Off a little side street with not so great signage. Best meal of the whole trip. The best part of the day 3 ride to Sotire was the last 3 or 4 mile climb up into the forest. The cabins were a treat and being way out in the country was delightful. The ride to Permet was when the mountains came into full view. Beautiful ride. Would recommend riding to the Stone Bridge to check out the thermal pools which are about 4 miles past the lodging. The word thermal is a misnomer. If you have time, take a long walk past the bridge up through the canyon to get away from the crowd around the bridge. The ride to Gjirokaster was manageable and relatively car free. However when getting closer to town the vehicle traffic increased. Gjirokaster is a pretty touristy enclave. The castle is worth the visit if only for the views. Sarande & Himare were beautiful seaside towns. Sarande was larger and had more bustle to it. If you are planning a layover day you can take a day ferry over to Corfu. We prefered Himare, but the city center was a short bike ride from the hotel. All in all I would recommend this trip. It had a great range of topography from farmlands to forest to mountains to coastlines. I would highly recommend an ebike unless you are in superior shape. No fun pedaling with your head down for hours on end. Do your work outs at home. You're on vacation! Go now because in 10 years this will be a very different country
- What was the date of your tour?
- September
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
-
BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac
Thank you so much for your detailed and thoughtful review — it’s a wonderful overview of the trip! We completely agree with your advice: now is the perfect time to visit, as the region is developing rapidly and will surely look very different ten years from now.
-
★★★★★ Charlotte F
Wonderful sightseeing of the Burgundy countryside
Wine, Dine and Electric Bike in Burgundy
We knew the standard of the trip was going to be high considering what we paid for it but most hotels exceeded our expectations as they were really the best of the best. The exception was only Maison Philippe Le Bon in Dijon, which was very quaint but was definitely a step down from the other hotels when it came to the room and breakfast standard. They also seemed totally unaware of the deal with activetours until we showed then the voucher (didn't happen anywhere else).
The electrical bikes worked great but I would recommend to bring a cushioned seat cover if you're not used to biking regularly. If you are planning to bring a small bag to put on the rack behind the saddle, I would consider bringing en elastic strap or two to secure it on the bike as the straps on the bike are very tight and probably not elastic enough to hold anything bigger than a purse or an extra jacket.
The navigational app was quite a hassle to get used to (we had not used it before) and we could not get the resume function after we had breaks but had to restart the whole route for the day every time and then "reconnect" to the route. Also, we would have appreciated a heads up that the routes provided were not exact. For example:
1. The stops at wineries on the way were not exactly ON the route but in some places required quite the map reading skills to access. Even google maps struggled to find the right way.
2. They did not always show the route to our hotel but to another hotel in the city. For example in Dijon we were about 1km off. We checked the routes before leaving but if we would have gotten a heads up to check our destination as we approached our destination, that would have made our lives a lot easier.
3. Sometimes the routes were very illogical and for example when we biked along the Canal de Bourgogne it once wanted us to go to the other side of the canal for a few kilometres (a road with cars) instead of just continuing straight ahead on the walking/biking path, which we ended up doing. Getting out of Dijon we also struggled a lot as we had to go through, to bring up the most extreme examples, an alleyway that barely were wide enough to fit the handlebars of the bikes and an overgrown dirt path that was close to a stone wall on one side and had branches on the other side. Close to Chagny, a bridge we were supposed to cross didn't exixt anymore and was possibly under re-construction. This makes me question when these routes were last tested by the company.
All in all though, we highly enjoyed our adventures but I'd encourage the company to send someone out to test the routes before ech season and also to be more clear when you present the routes that they don't exatly lead to the door step of either the wineries or your next hotel. Especially the route to Domain Duchemin needs a thorough description (don't trust google maps!).
As for the difficulty level, some days were easier than expected and some harder. The route from Domaine de Rymska to Sainte Sabine is very long and we had a hard headwind for the last 20-30 km which made us almost empty our bike batteries that day. We are in average/good shape but appreciated A LOT that we had opted for e-bikes instead of traditional bikes. SHOW MORE- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first bike tour, probably not the last.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
-
★★★★★ Halloran911
Awesome trip
Prague to Vienna via Cesky Krumlov
Best way to see Czech Republic. Guides could not have been better. Total knowledge, kind and considerate and always following up on everything. Luggage always made it to the room. The tour company AVE is awesome and is not frilly but high quality. Rooms were great. No AC in rooms but not really a problem. Clean. Bring your own washcloths. One complaint. 2 hour heavy lunches were silly. Give us a snack and let us move on so we can have more time to relax when we get to the next village.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 5-13
- How many tours have you completed?
- 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?
- Austria, Czech Republic
-
BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, founder and president
Charles, thank you very much for your feedback. I'm glad you had a great time on your tour. We'll pass along your comments about the lunches. I'm in total agreement on that!
-
★★★★★ charlotte lenssen
Adventures around the Bodensee
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
It was a super fun trip experiencing the different towns and landscapes. All hotels were acceptable and some were exceptional. My favorites were Lindau and Konstanz. We had 2 rainy days, so got lucky with weather. Austrias Fänder bahn was worth it too.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2024
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Cheryl A Erlandson Erlandson
We needed more information.
Sardinia: A Mine of Memories
Day 2 was awful. The road is full of rocks and sand, not easy to bike on. Plus Marco told us to use eco or tour not to bother with sport or turbo which would have been good on the steep incline. Needed more information about how to use an ebike would have been very helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ S. Chilton
A few issues
Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
We have riden with BikeTours in the past, and loved it. This tour had some pros and cons. Pros: The hotels were great. The bikes were in good condition, and the in-country staff were responsive and easy to get in touch with.
Cons: We used Google maps on our last tour. It’s useless here except inside the major cities. The provided app is a battery killer. Make sure you have a portable charger or are with others who can use their phones when yours dies. The maps also stop at the city gates. Since they know your hotels when they make the map, they should include your hotel and all of the mentioned attractions. We wasted a ton of time trying to get to sites that weren’t on their app.
Avoid Mosonmagyaróvár. If you’re doing an independent tour, you could bike to it and then take the train to Györ. There is a lot more to do there.
Finally, we rode this a week or so after the record-setting flood. We were prepared for some issues, but were told “you
won’t even be able to tell there was a flood“. The bike paths are fine“. There was an area about 15 km outside of Vienna that was impassable were it not for a kind farmer with a tractor that made a path. People were sliding out in slick mud. Another area before Esztergom had trees for several km in the path that was listed, and a place where it told us to walk our bikes over a weir. There was actually a dry, paved and debris-free path just above it that wasn’t new. I was wondering why the in-country rental company didn’t know about these. It seems as though the map hadn’t been updated for some time. They also say that there are no places to get food between some of the towns. We saw restaurants or grocery stores every 6-10 km.All in all, we did have a great time, but I think it would be hard for first timers or slower cyclists. I would recommend additional days in Bratislava and Budapest.
-
★★★★★ Chloek1234
Great trip for leisurely bikers seeking variety and leisurely travel
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
I went on this tour as a BikeTours.com staff member, and I think this is a great tour for a variety of folks. There are big cities, forests, small towns, ancient ruins, vineyards, and more. The cycling is very easy and simple to navigate. The directions and maps are basic, and leave you to discover things on your own. The tour is 95% or more on bike paths. You do have to leave the bike path oftentimes to venture to the night's accommodations. All of the accommodations were quite lovely, and breakfast ranged from adequate to delicious! I think I could take my entire family on this tour, from my grandma to my baby cousin and everyone would love it. It's really is the quintessential European bike tour experience.
-
Email
Mailing Address
Office Hours