Family Friendly Bike Tour Reviews page 5
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★★★★★ Jim M
A ride on the river
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
A great trail averaging 30 miles/day for 7 days of riding. Most of the trail was well marked , paved and no cars. Most along the river but some going thru cobblestone streets in small towns, farm fields, orchards , vinyards or woods. The accommodations were mostly first class . Rooms in Tulln Best Western were tiny but Great hotels in Vienna and Durnstein. Large, very good breakfasts everywhere we stayed. We looked at both barge and hotel based trips and were very glad we chose hotels as it allowed us to more easily see the towns we were staying in. Most of the people we saw were on electric bike but 5 in our group had pedal bikes with no problems. We were fortunate as the weather was cool with no rain.
Our hardest time was navigating thru Vienna streets, bike paths to get to our hotel which was great location and worth the hassle.
Highly recommend this trip. Already looking for another trip a year from now.
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★★★★★ Anne-Marie S
So Great That I Came for Seconds
Bicycle Paths of the Dolomites (based in one hotel)
We did this trip a few years back and the rides, the sights and the accomodations were all so wonderful that we signed up a second time, this time with our best biking buddies.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
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★★★★★ MHK
Lots of fun! Well organized!
Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Loved the accommodations especially in the smaller towns. Breakfast was wonderful. Bikes were in good condition. Our local contacts responded very quickly to any questions we had along the way. Would use them again. 😊
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Czech Republic, Germany
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★★★★★ MHK
Lots of fun! Well organized!
Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Loved the accommodations especially in the smaller towns. Breakfast was wonderful. Bikes were in good condition. Our local contacts responded very quickly to any questions we had along the way. Would use them again. 😊
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- 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?
- Czech Republic, Germany
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★★★★★ Michele
Awesome Scenic Ride
Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
This easy ride provided scenic views of castles and countryside along an easily marked trail and river without a lot of car traffic. The City stops a long the way were quaint and friendly and there was always a place to stop for beer with fellow travelers. I would highly recommend this trip especially on an E-Bike!
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 24 to June 1 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic, Germany
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★★★★★ Michael Mccutcheon
Wonderful bike trip
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Glad we added days in melk and durnstein. It helped us enjoy the towns more. We also stayed a few days in Passau, before our bike trip which we really enjoyed. Did not like Goldenes Kreuz in Grein. Hotel would not let us check in even though we were wet. Favorite hotels were Schloss Durnstein and Gierlinger in Schlogen, Zur Post in Melk.
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★★★★★ Marcia Orbelian
Lovely countryside tour
Amsterdam to Bruges: Cycling through South Holland and Zeeland
Was so enjoyable biking through the green landscapes and farmlands! The GPS bike routing worked great. We felt safe and comfortable on the paved bike trails. All hotels were just fine; we particularly enjoyed our houseboat accommodations. Three cheers for Tulip Tours excellently planned trip!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 26 to June 3, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- four (4)
- 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?
- Belgium, Holland
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★★★★★ mrank
Great trip - highly recommend!
Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
We just completed the 9 day Orleans to Angers segment of this tour and really enjoyed it. It's the first trip we have taken that we would actually take again, but next time complete the entire 13 night tour. We have taken quite a few bike tours but this one provided the best supporting materials we ever had. The turn-by-turn materials and maps were very well done and easy to follow. We never needed the GPS. Of course the trail itself is extremely well marked, which helps a lot. In addition to the great support we received from the local tour company, the Bike Tours support while setting up the tour was also very good.
The bikes were fine, a bit heavy, but comfortable. Our only issue was the tires on both bikes were under-inflated upon receipt, but we were able to resolve that without too much issue. We always carry our own tire gauge and check regularly. One bike had a mechanical issue, but the tour company was excellent at quickly resolving it.
All the hotels were great and were prepared for our arrival. They also had very good facilities for storing the bicycles. Luggage transfer went smoothly and always arrived at our hotel before we did. The only minor issue was that one hotel did not have a lift, which was surprising, but not a big deal for us. I mention it in case it might be a concern to others.
The meals, both breakfasts as well as dinners we purchased were top notch. We only had a complaint about the poor service in the Orleans restaurant. The food was good, but the entire restaurant was served by one person and it took forever to get through our meal. While the meals were all delicious, in hindsight, we may have gone without the supplemental meal package and just purchased dinners on our own. There were so many choices in almost every town that we would have enjoyed an occasional casual meal, like a delicious pizza vs the traditional French food every night. However, you can't go wrong in going with the meal package. It is definitely a French experience!
Finally, the only other suggestion I would give is to alert people in the riding materials that there is a river crossing that you have to manage on your own using a little metal raft that you have to pull to your shore, load the bikes, and then pull to the other side. Its not too difficult, but managing the loading of bikes was a little tricky. I read afterwards there are ways around this crossing but it would have been good to know about it ahead of time.
All in all, a great trip and maybe in the future we will be back to do it again.
It goes without saying that the trails, scenery and points of interest were fantastic with lots of stops along the way. Even with less than great weather, we totally enjoyed this tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 6/25 - 7/5, 2021
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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?
- France
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★★★★★ Mary Rankovich
Great trip in spite of challenges
Royal Zealand and Copenhagen
We thoroughly enjoyed,this,trip in spite of illness, injury and weather challenges. While we were not able to complete the entire bicycle tour, the days we did ride were very good. The local tour company was outstanding, going above and beyond in time of need. While some hotels were better than others, all were very comfortable, and we had some outstanding meals along the way. Route guidance material was good, however the maps were a bit difficult to read because they were a bit small. We would definitely recommend this tour to others.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- 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?
- Denmark
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★★★★★ Mamusia
Wine, Sun and Castles
Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
Great trip! Wonderful experience! Enjoyed biking through wine country and stopping at castles along the way!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 7/18-7/23 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Meg S
Great family fun
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We had such a fun time cycling through Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The food was delicious and the hotel selection was amazing
- 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, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Mully
Great way to experience Europe
Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option
A wonderful experience. I have traveled to Europe many times, but this was the best way to see it in my opinion. I would recommend taking an extra day here and there along the ride to spend some additional time in areas that you have interest in so the focus isn't always.getting to the next destination. I think what makes this type of trip unique is that you are better immersed in the local sights and culture...you are on a bike, not in a bus or car. The countryside trickles by at a comfortable rate that encourages exploration. The lake portion of this particular trip involved considerable road travel which was a bit unexpected, but drivers were courteous and we quickly became used to it.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 25
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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
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★★★★★ MungovanAJ
Awesome experience!
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Our bicycle trip from Passau to Vienna was absolutely wonderful. BikeTours performed flawlessly for which we were very thankful.
We purchased the "Upscale Lodging" which was well worth the money. Some of our hotels were stunning chateaus, others ultra-modern glass edifices, but all were very nice and located in desireable locations.
The bikes are big and heavy but ride comfortably and smoothly.
Some advice to first-timers.
1. The bikes are very big. If you are not at least 5'8" you should probably consider getting the women's bike as the cross bar on the men's bike is unusually high compared to the typical American bike.
2. Bring a little pen light to help you find the bathroom at night without waking your partner. Staying in a different hotel each night can be a little disorienting, especially at 3 AM.
3. Bring good rain gear, gloves, and a layer of warm clothing. Our last day's ride into Vienna was cold and rainy and we were all freezing by the time we reached our hotel.
4. European hotels do not typically provide sheets. Instead, you get a single plush and very warm comforter. However, if the hotel room is warm it is hard to get the covers situated so you are not too warm or too cool. I would recommend packing a small sheet--or better yet a sleeping sack--to provide that "just right" sleeping temperature.
5. BikeTours will provide you a packet of maps and directions for your trip. Study them thoroughly before each day's ride to avoid making wrong turns, especially in the bigger towns or cities. (We made some wrong turns in Vienna.)
6. You will not have access to washers and dryers. To wash your underwear and socks bring a two gallon plastic storage bag and some liquid laundry detergents. (I used Woolite.) At your hotel fill the bag with water, detergent, and your dirty laundry. Agitate, soak, agitate, soak, agitate, soak, rinse, and then hang dry. If something is still wet in the morning affix it to your bike rack and let the wind and the sun dry it while you ride. It works perfectly.
7. Be gracious. Germans and Austrians are kind, friendly people. Compliment the many things they do well, they will be very appreciative.
8. Be excited, because you'll love the trip.
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★★★★★ Mylen Huggins
Great family bike trip
Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
Our trip was from Orleans to Tours, 4 total days of great biking, seeing the country side and visiting small villages. Biketours made it easy for us to navigate our route, sights and hotels. Having great information about the trip prior to our arrival and at our arrival was very organized. It was worth it to get the castle tour and dinner package. We would use Biketours again.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 9-14
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
-
★★★★★ Pekka60
Hot hot hot
Lake Garda (Based in One Hotel)
We knew that things can get very hot in Italy on august, so in 2012 me and my wife decided to book a Tour, where it is possible either cycle, or just spend time on the beach, if its too hot. We have heard that Lake Garda, and the hole area is very nice, so this Tour seemed perfect.
We flew from Helsinki to Milano, then we had a train, approximately 2 hours, from Milano to Lake Garda. Our hotel was nice little family hotel in Desenzado, with a nice little own beach. On the first day our tour-operator came to meet us and brought our bicycles, maps and other equipment.
As you know, it can be very hot, but its never too hot to cycle. Every morning we started from the hotel, and we had a nice cycling in the area. One day we took a train to Torino, and we cycled back, 80 km, temperature was 38 C, 100 F.
Best day we had, was when our tour operator took us with a van to Trento. From Trento we cycled to Riva, in the north part of Lake Garda, and in Riva we took bicycles to a ferry, witch took us back to Dezensano.
This is very easy Tour to recommend for anyone. If you don"t want to cycle, you can just relax and enjoy your holiday, good food and wine, and atmosphere.- 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?
- Italy
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★★★★★ Peter Wiedenbeck
Wonderful week of biking in a beautiful place
Mosel Bike Path: Dreamy Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz
I’d like to give a 4-1/2 star rating because, although it was wonderful and we definitely recommend it, there is still room for improvement
Pros: Wonderful route – the vast majority of the time you are biking on paved dedicated bike paths along the river, separate from the roadway and train tracks. There are a few areas where the bike path is adjacent to the road (especially along the Rhine from St. Goar to Koblenz) and at least one short stretch on packed dirt through the woods. Most of the routes are extremely well-marked. You have to be watchful for turns in towns, where it can be easy to miss the small sign with the arrow to turn, especially when looking at all the sites in the towns. We did better when we stopped at each signpost and made sure we were headed the right way. The Hotels were all very nice and had generous breakfast buffets, which made for a great start every morning. Note that hotels in Germany don’t have AC and often don’t have fans. I had a spray bottle to mist myself while riding and that helped at night, too. Next time, I’ll bring a small fan to help on those hot nights. We didn’t opt for the dinner plan, but did eat in the hotels several times and had excellent meals and service. The organized wine tasting was fun and we did a few more on our own. Luggage transfers all went very well. We added an extra hotel night at each end (Trier and Koblenz), which we would do again. Trier has an amazing amount of Roman history and fabulous restaurants. The extra day also gave us time to ride the other way (upstream on the Mosel) to Saarburg. In Koblenz, we spent an entire day at Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (take the cable car up and across the Rhine to get there). The map book was very helpful and detailed the type of trail for each section. But, oops, one page on the Rhine was replaced by a duplicate page along the Mosel. The specific directions packet included detailed distances between towns and possible sites to see. But…. See cons below.
Cons: Bikes: we had conventional bikes (not ebikes), and they could have been better maintained. The chains were a bit dry and downshifting often didn’t work. That was not a huge issue on the flat trail, but in towns, it was a problem. The odometer on one of the bikes quit working after 3 days. The seats are not touring seats – they are wide and therefore chafed. Despite doing lots of riding in prep and wearing padded shorts, we were painfully chafed by the end of the trip. We couldn’t figure out how to use the pump without letting out air, but were able to use a pump at one of the hotels. Detours: Our biggest issue is that it is clear the route was not checked early in the season and the directions adjusted. There was a lot of construction in many of the towns that invalidated the directions in the packet. Construction that clearly would be going on all summer. For example, Day 1, leaving Trier, the booklet says: “Start at Kaiser-Wilhelm bridge and cycle along the left bank of the Moselle” Well, the bike path itself is being reconstructed beneath the bridge - it is down to dirt, covered with equipment and bike path entrance blocked off. No detour signs giving you an alternate route. It took us an extra 10 km of going one way then another over a frustrating hour before we were on our way. Not a great start to the trip. There were similar long-term construction issues in at least two other places (Karden and Koblenz). If the route had been checked, a single sheet in addition to the bound booklet could have provided alternate ways to leave town/get to hotels with much less frustration.
All that said, it was a wonderful experience and we highly recommend it. It is beautiful country, well-maintained bike paths, lovely vineyards and great wine. Being able to have the hotel reservations and luggage transfers all done for us was a pleasure. When there was an issue with the ferry to St Goar, customer service was very responsive and got things straightened out right away. Transportation to Trier and from Koblenz was very easy to arrange on the regional German trains. SHOW MORE- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ The mangles cycle group
Story book stuff
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
What a fantastic way to explore the German/ Swiss border area. Absolutely fantastic to see so much with no stress of driving or timetables. Brilliant
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much 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, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Philip Weickhardt
Highly enjoyable and well organised
Cycling Spain's Ebro River
We greatly enjoyed the beautiful and ever changing landscapes we rode through. The e-bikes we chose were greatly appreciated as there was quite a bit of climbing at some points each day. The routes chosen were good - mostly the roads we rode on were quiet with few cars. The hotels were mostly small and rural, but the hosts were excellent, the food good and the accommodation comfortable. The quality of the bikes, the orientation briefing and the collection at the end of the trip left nothing to complain about. The route guidance maps provided to preload onto the Ride with GPS App worked really well.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
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★★★★★ Phil
A great ride around beautiful countyside and Lakes.
Salzburg Lakes Tour: Around the Lakes within the Foothills of the Alps
Overall this was an excellent bike tour. The routing past beautiful lakes, small villages, delightful farms, and overnight stays in great locations made it highly enjoyable. The issues that I would note for possible improvements are:
1. The E Bike + Hike naviagation App was good but certainly not great. Not nearly as capable or helpful as the "Ride with GPS" App we have used on another BikeTours.com trip in Europe. The App provided was not programmed to navigate us to, or from, the hotels which had been booked for us, so one had to resort to using another navigation App like Google Maps for the finish and start to each day's ride. The App recommended didn't show at the start of each day's ride, the total distance to be covered, nor during the ride the distance travelled, nor the distance to go. The Ride with GPS App we had previously used was also programmed to give advice about scenic highlights as we got to them, and verbal as well as written descriptions of options to look at along the route.
2. The "Your Trip Itineary booklet provided with information and maps about each day's ride was unnecessarily complex and at times confusing, and the step by step instructions would be almost impossible to follow while riding, from just using the book. This booklet was claimed to be personalised for our trip but it contained a lot of irrelevant and unnecessary information relating to other riding options and accommodation other than the places which had been booked for us.
3. An overall map of the whole trip with reasonable scale (the one provided was too small) would have been useful. We eventually found a map independantly "Salzkammergut Radkarte" which was much better than the maps provided in our folder, which showed the overall route very well. I would recommend that this map be included in future folders.
4. About 10% of the route specified was on very busy roads. Options to avoid these (if at all possible) would have been welcomed, and obviously in the future as more dedicated bike tracks are developed, these would greatly improve the overall enjoyment of this tour.- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Patti Hinsdale
Perfect
Royal Zealand and Copenhagen
A few mistakes with our booking. The last night Comwell Portside did not have our booking. They straightened it out fortunately.
The downloaded electronic trail quide was incorrect for two of the hotel locations we were to stay at.Still the trip was more than I expected Absolutely, lovely!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Denmark
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