Bike & Hotel Tour Reviews page 121
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★★★★★ Love2ride
Great way to see Greece!
Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
Overall, we were highly satisfied with our experience on this self guided bike trip. The scenery was great, starting in the (relatively cooler) mountain town of Vytina, cycling down into Tripoli. We enjoyed the day trip to the Kapsia Caves. The ride from Tripoli to Astros was scenic, with a very noticeable flora change as we dropped over the pass and started to head down to the (much warmer) seaside. The dip in the Aegean to cool off after the day's ride was exultant. The ride along the coast to Nafplio was beautiful, and we enjoyed the ancient sights along the way (Agros). Nafplio is a charming town, absolutely worth staging out of for the final few days.
Pluses: Hotel and staff in Vytina, Tripoli, Nafplio. The ancient sights to visit got better and better with each day (Argos, Mycenea, Epidaurus). The charming towns, intimate small lanes and shops, late night restaurants out in the squares or along pedestrian streets in Paralion Astros, Vytina, Nafplio were a delight. Dips to cool off in the Aegean a joy.
We found the Greeks, those with the local tour company, the shuttle pick up and drop off, the Hotels and well, just about everywhere along the way, to be friendly and eager to engage and to help. Also, the relative cost of goods, meals, etc. were quite affordable.
Specific to the bike tour company...friendly and prompt pick up at the airport, and the GPS units provided (50 EURO refunded deposit) had each days routes preloaded and worked out quite well (given the routing had a lot of zigs and zags at times, I don't think we'd have been able to follow the route with a paper map/sticker process common to other bike company rides). Baggage transfers went without a hitch. Very accommodating for our request to switch bike types at the start of the ride.As for 'room for improvement'...there were a few items. Relative to the info we were sent, this tour was a bit thin on details on where and when to expect to see some of the sights...just that 'we'd bike by them' (and we did, but at the 10 mile point, 15 mile point or ? - the GPS path did not indicate that type of info). One minor irritation, was our third day leg (Tripoli to Astros). We found the ancient site and museum at Tegea per the route description, only to find it was closed on that particular day we were routed to bike thru it. Also, the GPS, as stated it was overall very useful (only steered us off in a minor way once, and we were able to figure out where to go well enough). But the unit would tell us we'd be at the destination...and we'd look around and not see our hotels. We'd spend time walking around, circling about to find it (and the small hotel in Paralion Astros had the hotel name in subtle letters on a glass door...we walked right by it). Similar experience in Nafplio, I had to plug in the name of the hotel in my own smartphone to have it navigate us down side street alleyways to the hotel entrance. So a bit better directions on how to find our hotel upon arrival would have saved us some time out of the sun (already tired after a hot day cycling). And finally along those lines, there was a switch in our hotel in Nafplio versus our stated first night destination (we'd not been told this). That killed time trying to sort that out. Again, more a nuisance level...folks at both hotels quickly helped us figure out the slip up. SHOW MORE
As for any general observations about the tour. Unlike some other countries we've ridden thru, there really are no bike trails. However, much of this route is on back roads, where traffic was sparse. In the more congested (streets are narrow) towns, they were pretty small, and so we'd be thru them pretty quick and back on rural side roads. We had no issues with Greek drivers, even got a few friendly honks and waves (other cyclists were few and far between). We did note a lot of stray dogs, but fortunately the only times we encountered any aggressive barking, those dogs were behind fences. We switched to the tours hybrid bikes (I had originally booked road bikes, not knowing the details of the roads and routes), and we were glad we did. There were sections of (flat) gravel roads, particularly on the second bike day, more easily handled with wider tires and upright stance vs narrow tires and drop bars of a road bike. My partner appreciated their better climbing gears, not that the hilly sections weren't beyond our expectations, but in July, the combination of hills and heat (unfortunately, we hit it during a bit of a heatwave) made for slower paced riding. Regarding temperatures, full disclosure, towards the end of the tour, it was forecast to be well over 100 degrees F....we elected to hire a car and guide versus riding (no regrets, it actually hit 105 F that day). We knew this was going to be a hot time of year for this tour (my partner is a public school teacher, though, which limits our major vacation times). If we were not otherwise constrained, this tour in May or in September would be ideal.
SHOW LESS
To summarize, our glitches were minor, and we thoroughly enjoyed this tour and we're glad we did it.- What was the date of your tour?
- First week of July, 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?
- Greece
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★★★★★ MichaelandErin
Spectacular Scenary
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
We thoroughly our cycling trip between Innsbruck and Salzburg. Day one was a nice scenic warm up ride mostly along a river. The second day ride, heading 'up' another valley (still fairly flat in valley, with beautiful mountains on either side) was enjoyable....but the highlight of that day was after the ride. Our transfer minibus picked us up (promptly) that took us up and over to another valley to the town of Krimml. Fortunately, we had enough energy left to hike up to the top of the Krimml falls (tallest series of waterfalls in Europe). Spectacular. Down another valley the next day to Zell am See, where we spent our rest day. Lot's to do there, if it's sunny....but alas, we were rained out (which we were relieved we were not cycling that day). Our highlight day followed, with the combo of stops...one heading inside an extensive cave network (trails inside for the public to travel a fair distance into the mountain), and another stop after that one involved a short hike trail up into a narrow gorge (bring rain gear, waterfalls and mist made it like walking thru a shower in places). Again, unexpected and very, very scenic. Our wrap up in Salzburg we were glad we tacked on a extra day to see some of the local sites.
Overall, we had a great time. The accommodations were just the right fit to our tastes...friendly, cozy and comfortable. The rental bikes sturdy. The route is mostly bike trails, usually paved, but not always...and with only modest time on side roads. The self guided bike map book was pretty good (although we did have to pull out our smartphone map app to clarify some directions at times). The distances were long enough to feel like we'd traveled someplace, but short enough that we still had time to enjoy the sights.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2, 2018
- 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 teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
-
★★★★★ Michael Drake
Baltic immersion!
Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
What a fun way to experience the Baltics! We thoroughly enjoyed our trip, getting a taste of each country and its capital. We normally do self guided tours, but in this case, the guided option was the way to go. Not only did we get non biking guided walking tours of each capital, the bike guides were always there to fill in the history and background of sites and scenes along the way. They were very, very well informed and helpful. There are a LOT of bus transfer segments on this ride, but being able to bike ride the 'gem' segments, and have a bit more time (due to the bus) to enjoy the towns and cities, was a good trade off. The quality and proximity to town of the hotels exceeded our expectations. We gave ourselves an extra day at the end to really experience Tallinn. Another could have been made good use of. Our day in Riga there was the option to ride out to the beach, or just keep walking the town after our tour guide was finished with us. There is so much there, we elected to just spend the day exploring the town (no regrets). If there was any downside to this trip, it was the group size was a bit large. Again, perhaps because we normally do self guided we were sensitive to that. Although we did enjoy the diverse company (NZ, Australian, Canadian, Irish, US), the bigger group did make getting going and stopping, and riding, a bit more of a herding cats feel at times.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5 for one of us 7 for the other
- 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?
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
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★★★★★ Michael Schwartz
Great Exposure to a Slovenia not seen by tourists
Emerald Tour of Slovenia’s Gems
The bike tour of the Gems of Slovenia afforded us a glimpse into the hidden life of the country, at least the part we saw. The hotels were comfortable, especially the M Hotel in Ljubljana. Breakfast at the M Hotel and the Hotel Piran were great; the others middling to OK. The luggage delivery to each hotel was excellent. The routes from Ljubljana to Piran were good, although our navigation system failed us after the second day. The company faxed us paper directions but they were in black and white and were repeat documents of what we had already.
A few suggestions for change:
1. Provision of a cell phone holder (the plastic bag with velcro strips did not work)
2. A better GPS app
3. Two, not one, but two panniers
4. A way to ensure the charger for the E-bike does not fall out or be removed (someone removed my charger whether accidentally or intentionally I don't know)
5. A way to do laundry, either in town or at the hotel with turn around time to keep the momentum of the trip goingI would also consider making a town in Slovenia a central location with day trips to the surrounding environments.
Good job!
Michael
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 4 - 11
- How many tours have you completed?
- Two including this one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
-
★★★★★ Michelle Franks
Absolutely fantastic!
Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
We are so so impressed with everything about this trip! The planning, attention to detail, the hotels, the local guides, etc. Everyone was so helpful and the trip went off flawlessly. We did it in July during a heatwave and ended up switching to e-bikes halfway through, which was a great decision. ARCAS, the local bike company that took care of us in Greece, was absolutely wonderful and extremely accommodating. I did this trip with my 16 year old daughter, and it was perfect. This trip was a resounding 10/10!
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- just this one!
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
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★★★★★ Michele B
Fantastic first e-bike tour experience for retirees
Wine & Cuisine in Girona's Emporda Plain
We did a self-guided supported bike tour from Girona to Figueres. The reserved hotels were all very well located, friendly and clean with arrangements for battery charging. Our bags were picked up and delivered to our next destination before we arrived and often the hotels were able to check us in early which was nice after a hot day of riding. Biketour personnel were all so friendly, helpful and responsive whether in the store in Girona or via WhatsApp when on the road. Joan was terrific! For example, one day we ended up using both the provided bike tubes to repair flats. Unfortunately, the next day was a national holiday and there was no way to get new tubes, so we had to take the risk of riding without a spare tube. We felt secure doing so because our Joan assured us that they would provide road assistance if required. The very next day we were provided with 2 new bike tubes.
We would recommend Biketours as a dependable provider of self-guided bike tours. We had selected Biketours and would have preferred to arrange the package directly with them, however they do not include theft or damage insurance and we weren't able to buy that insurance privately through our travel or home insurance. So, we ended up using a third party,who included that insurance, and booked us with Biketours as their local provider.
While loss or damage is very rare in that part of the country, it was important to us to have insurance. We would have preferred to book direct with Biketours so that all our funds supported the local business.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2026
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was my first
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
-
★★★★★ Michele Riley
Wonderful biking in the islands!
Split to Dalmatian Islands
This tour is a wonderful way to ride as much or as little as you want to. The self guided tours are very easy to follow using the app, and the bikes were in excellent condition. Taking the ferries out to the islands each day was very easy, and the islands themselves are very beautiful, with little traffic. Our tour contact, Michael, was very responsive and took care of the minor problems we had very quickly. The lodging was excellent.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Michele Wittels
Fabulous trip and experience!
Umbria’s Green Valleys From the Pilgrimage Town of Assisi
Everything about this bike trip was perfect. The communication creating our trip, the bike route, the accommodations, the GPS provided - it could not have been better. We look forward to doing another similar trip with BikeTours.com in the near future.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October, 2025
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Mark Birch and Michelle Taylor
Easy and scenic
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
gREAT trip, excellent accommodation but to improve accommodation we would recommend having tea/coffee making facilities in every room and preferably a small fridge that guests can keep cool drinks in. Especially important at end of a day if guests arrive hot, tired or thirsty
- What was the date of your tour?
- APRIL 2026
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0 WITH YOU
- 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, Switzerland
-
★★★★★ Chelle
Baltic Capitals: Historic Cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn
Our guide was excellent. The trip was as advertised, and very enjoyable. I think we should have spent an extra day in Tallinn and one less day in the previous location. The stairs in the Riga hotel were difficult for some people.
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★★★★★ mikie
Very nice ride. Seeing the pilgrims on the trail was heartwarming. Our guides were outstanidng.
Camino de Santiago: From León to Santiago
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/15 to 9/24
- How many tours have you completed?
- 30
- 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?
- Spain
-
★★★★★ Miles
Exceeded our expectations!
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
With perfect weather, my wife and I had a great ride. The first three days, about 44 miles each, was tiring but the last couple of days were just about right. Be warned that about 15-20% of the bike paths/roads next to the Danube were shared with cars and no designated bike lanes. They were more like side access roads to properties on the Danube but cars don’t slow down for bikes.
The rental bikes looked like they were new and performed flawlessly. We used one regular bike and one e-bike and charging the e-bike at each night at the hotels wasn't an issue. Although the entire ride was essentially flat, there were a couple of hotels (Maria Talferl and Hotel Steigenberger in Krems) which required quite a bit of effort to get to because they were up on a hill.
Each of the selected hotels were an added special experience as they were surprisingly high quality and provided a great breakfast.
Of special note on the hotels, the Schloss castle in Aschach was quite an experience with 15 foot tall ceilings and a main residence floor which was a museum. The hotel in Maria Talferl, which is up on a hill, had spectacular views of the Danube and the valley below.
We took our first bike trip with Biketours.com last year down the Neckar river where we ate and slept on a boat each night as we rode our bikes down the river. Although this time we were on our own when it came to lunch and dinner, we preferred this type of trip over the boat as you get to sleep in a nice, comfortable hotel at night and eat where you want in each town. Looking at Yelp reviews, we were able to find great restaurants in each destination town and that really added to the experience of getting to know the local environment.
Overall, this was a memorable and very enjoyable trip and one which we would highly recommend.- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug. 25-31 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2 including this one
- 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
-
★★★★★ Jacqui M
Superb!
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
Absolutely perfect, could ride at your own pace all day, stopping where ever you needed. Scenery spectacular and it was also lovely cycling around the farms as well listening to the cow bells and birds. Bikes were fabulous, practically new and surprisingly comfortable! Hotel was fabulous and amazing food every day. Highly recommend.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2025
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Manuel and Maria
Great way to explore hidden gems of Greece!!!
Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
We love feeling like locals, eating like locals, seeing the country the way locals do. Mostly away from touristy places. This was exactly what this tour was about. Combining Greek history, mythology, archaeology, authentic Greek food in authentic tavernas, experiencing warm Greek hospitality, revelling in the natural beauty of the mountains and the warmth of the sea. What more can I say? It was an incredible trip made possible by the Arcas team, local to Greece, coordinated thru bike tours.com. Thank you so much!!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 13 to 20th, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- Several
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- 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?
- Greece
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★★★★★ Melissa
Amazing trip
Dolomites to Venice Along the Old Dolomites Railway Track
We had such a great time cycling from the Dolomites to Treviso. The scenery was great and the towns so cute! Directions were good though the fun approve app was very glitchy. Had to reload it several times. Luggage was always delivered to the next hotel. E bikes were amazing and made a 50 mile day easy. The only complaint is with a few of the hotels which could have been nicer or located more centrally especially in Belluno.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
-
★★★★★ Sierralover76
Wonderful Adventure of Gorgeous Beaches, Unique History, and Amazing Food
Apulia and Basilicata: Alberobello to Lecce
Our adventure through Puglia was unforgettable! This region offers so much history, culture, and beautiful scenery. Every day of the bike tour is unique and different. It's especially nice to explore this amazing region that I imagine most Americans are not familiar with.
To begin, the staff at both Biketours.com and Girolibero (the local operator) are outstanding, super helpful, knowledgeable, and very responsive. Everything was smooth and easy.
Regarding the trip itself, Matera (day one) is just spectacular. Walking through the ancient stassi is a very special experience (we recommend hiring Nadia Garlatti for a guided tour to really get a feel for it (nadiagarlatti@tiscali.it). If you are planning on spending an extra night in either Matera or Lecce, we absolutely recommend you do so in Matera (not Lecce). The hotel is also wonderful, and it's just so special staying in the stassi of Matera.
One of the best parts about this trip is how you get to experience so much. Literally every day is very different. From the ancient stassi of Matera, to the trulli of Alberobello, the unique history of Otranto, the gorgeous beaches, lovely olive groves, vineyards and fig trees, this trip really covers a lot. Beyond the highlights, you will also visit very charming towns like Locorotondo and Gallipoli.
The biggest challenge for us was to see and do everything we wanted to do. It may not seem like much to bike 35-45 miles per day, but there is just so much to see and do. Each day was very packed so that we could enjoy the sites along the way, have a great meal in our destination, and have a stroll to explore our destination as much as we could. The nightlife in each bustling town was awesome as well.
The guidebook offered by Girolibero is very thorough and super informative. Their tips on where to stop and where to eat are spot on. All the restaurants, gelateria, beaches and other specific recommendations were great. In fact, the Pugliese cuisine was the best we had in Italy. Every meal was outstanding (and very reasonably priced). In America, "antipasto" is usually not really memorable. However, do yourself a favor and order the antipasto dishes when dining in Puglia -- for a very affordable price, you get a wonderful assortment of very tasty and unique dishes.
We could go on raving about this trip. We also need to mention the hotels were great as well (especially San Martino in Matera). And you have a complete and delicious breakfast included every morning.
Basically, from start to finish, this trip was just perfect. We have no complaints, and look forward to another bike tour in the near future. This was a wonderful way to experience an amazing region of Italy. Grazie!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ MAURICE
It was absolutely wonderful!
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We biked around lake Konstanz and were so lucky to have perfect weather. The bikes were excellent and so were the hotels and luggage transfer. We felt the maps could use a little bit of improvement, that would be our only minor complaint.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 6, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- just this one
- 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
-
★★★★★ Matthew Waterbury
Perfect way to experience the Alps and the Tyrol Region!
Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
Fantastic experience. Great scenery with great back paths throughout the trip. Every day was unique enough that you felt it was a new experience. All our hotels were fine. A little noisy in IMST from road traffic. A great view from our Hotel room in St. Valentin. Great location in Riva del Garda. Each breakfast provided by the hotels were outstanding (sliced meat, cheese, eggs, etc.). Assistance from Stefano when required was readily available. We had not issues with bikes (better than mine).
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★★★★★ Kate
A great trip with lots of memories
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
My husband, two teenage grandsons and I did this trip. It was marvelous. The beautiful Austrian towns were so bike friendly. We are not fast bikers, so we did feel like some parts we did not have time to explore adequately. It would have been nice to stay some place more than one night. We took the deluxe tour version and the hotels were fabulous. Would absolutely recommend this trip for anyone, but especially families.
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★★★★★ Melinda Moore
10/10 recommend
Florence to Rome: Bike through the Heart of Italy
We biked with Rotalis and had two amazing guides. Our stays were beautiful and the ride through the Italian countryside was amazing. I had a scary fall off my bike and our guides helped me to the hospital and were there to make sure I was comfortable through the whole process. Even with needing stitches and bandaging, the trip was so so fun and I would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in a different kind of travel experience.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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