Primarily Bike Paths Tour Reviews page 18
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- ★★★★★ Charles Eberhard
Fabulous Ride, Scenery and Hotels
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Just a fantastic ride down the Danube. The river valley scenery was especially beautiful, but we all also enjoyed riding through the small towns along the way. Great choice of hotels which all had excellent breakfasts to start us on our day. The only real disappointment we had was the introduction to the tour and bikes by the representative of the tour company. He was late, didn't seem too interested in helping us, and didn't check that the bikes were adjusted correctly for each of us. We had to do some additional adjustments ourselves the next day which caused some problems and could have been totally avoided if he had just checked each of us and had tools to make final changes. That wasn't a good start, but after that, the ride, directions and hotels were all great. Also glad we did an unguided tour as we really didn't need a guide for this trip.
- ★★★★★ Marek Hartleb
Alpine pastures
Innsbruck to Salzburg: Through the Alps Along River Cycle Trails
Although we went through all climate zones during our ride we find this vacation awesome. Selection of hotels and planning of bike routes was very good. Riding 40 to 65 km each day with e-bikes took 2-3 hours, therefore we had enough time to walk alpine pastures taken up by cable cars in Zell am See or Lofer. You may believe me that alpine meadows settled only by Milka cows is something that gives the best break from noisy and busy life.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
- ★★★★★ 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
- ★★★★★ Johann Hjaltdal Thorsteinsson
The perfect bike holiday
Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Everything was as good as described. Beautiful bikepaths, easy navigation, sturdy bikes and good quality hotels. I can recommend this trip for others to enjoy. Thank you.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2024
- 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
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic, Germany
- ★★★★★ Jay Bonitt
Easy But Hard
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
The App for the bike path route was VERY GOOD. However, at the end of each day the app and map took us to the city for that day's destination, NOT to our hotel. The hotel in Aschach was not near where the app ended the day; and the hotel in Enns, while on the bike path, was several miles (and across major highways). If the hotel was on he bike path, why didn't the app take us directly to it? Finally, when entering Vienna the end of the app was no where near the hotel (a 20 minute taxi ride in heavy traffic). This glitch could easily be fixed by the tour operator by guiding riders directly to their hotel each night. As it was, after a good day of cycling, the day often ended in confusion and nowhere near the destination hotel. The bikes (one a road bike the other an e-bike) were excellent. If the app took us directly to our hotel each day instead of guiding us to the center city, I would rate the trip excellent. Unfortunately the hotel destinations were left to us to figure out, and Google maps did not always work.
- ★★★★★ Greg Scheurich
??
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
The App was great Difficult to locate hotels. Many hotels resturants were closed
- ★★★★★ Leanne Rosenbower
Nice biking route
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
The biking paths are great and we easily biked the routes. We did not use e-bikes and were fine. The routes were scenic and varying. The cities we stopped in were charming. The suggested lunch spots were all tasty. I would only consider two of the hotels to be upscale. The rest were just average. Most did not have AC and it was extremely hot when we biked. It was often hard to find water so might be good to pack two water bottles. We had one navigating issue where we got to the center of the city and put in our hotel as instructed and we had to bike back 40 minutes the way we had just come. The bikes have two storage areas which is sufficient for carrying what is needed. I think this was a great way to see Austria. We loved ending in Vienna and staying an extra day to tour around. I would recommend this trip but don’t expect upscale lodging.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
- ★★★★★ Euro24
Wow, let's keep pedalling
Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty
Great trip. These people understand good service...by everyone, in all areas, and it's pitched at just the right level. Combine that with great food at every sitting, with plenty of choice, and that fuels you for a ride that is one that everyone should do at some point. The river and its many villages is beautiful and the cycleways are in perfect condition. Our group ranged from 'haven't ridden in 30 years' (an e-bikes) to 'regular road cyclist' (on regular touring bikes) and the ride was enjoyed by all...we'll be back for more. Highly recommended.
- ★★★★★ Glen E.
a nice way to see authentic Czechia
Prague to Vienna via Cesky Krumlov
I enjoyed it! I got what I view as an authentic look at the Czech landscape with a Czech guide. Jitka took us to obscure places that I would have never found on my own, and even with a GPS, I wouldn't have known the significance of some places without her there to describe them. Henry was great as a driver and rest stop provider, etc, and went above-and-beyond the call of duty, even finding obscure screws when my bike broke down in a small town of 800 people. (Note, I was riding my own bike; from what I saw with the other people, they had no problems with the rental bikes.)
We had a group of 6 people + ride leader + driver. Everyone was easy to get along with.
The one thing that surprised me about the trip was that we all rode together; there was no breaking up into different groups based on riding speeds (as I have experienced on other bicycle tours I have done). There were times when I would have liked to go a little faster. Occasionally, I did get ahead of the group and would wait in the next town or when we were coming to a turn. I would just say, this is a trip to see the Czech countryside, not to race and finish the riding day fast. But overall, it wasn't a big problem and I enjoyed the tour.
The tour was about 35-40 miles per day and was fairly hilly. It wasn't monstrously hilly, but every day except one had a few significant climbs. Cyclists either need to be accustomed to hill-climbing, or else rent an e-bike. Our group was split half-and-half between normal bikes and e-bikes. The e-bike people sometimes tried to make less use of the "e" part, but they had the security of knowing they could turn up the dial and go up any hill easily if they wanted to.
One comfort I was missing from the USA was air conditioning in the hotels. Most days weren't that hot (avg highs were low 20s Celsius, though a couple days got into the high 20s, maybe even 30); but even so, in the evenings it can be stuffy and a bit humid in a hotel room. 1 or 2 hotels had AC, 1 or 2 had a room fan, and the other 4 or so were, just open a window. I don't fault the bike tour for a lack of hotel AC, I think most hotels in Czechia are that way.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- about 60
- 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, Czech Republic
BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac
Thank you for your thoughtful review! We're thrilled you enjoyed an authentic look at the Czech landscape with Jitka's expert guidance. Also, it's great to hear Henry went above and beyond to assist you. We look forward to welcoming you on another tour soon!
- ★★★★★ Kate Richardson
A trip we will never forget!
Danube Family Tour 7 Nights
We recently returned from this tour and can say on behalf of our entire family that we were completely WOWed by the experience. Austria is really special and we were so happy to be able to explore it by bike. I don't think we would have enjoyed it in the same way if we had simply rented a car and toured around. We did find that the average mileage each day was a bit longer than we had anticipated. With a 7- and 9- year old, it really put them t the test but they were proud of themselves each evening when we reached our destination. We will absolutely recommend this to others!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- this was my first!
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- 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
- ★★★★★ Hedda Othilie Hagen
Over all expectations
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
We had self guided trip and we had so fun experiancing the different countries. It was the perfect way for us to travel. Its the best way to see italy, slovenia and austria
- ★★★★★ Patrick McHugh
Awesome trip from Passau to Vienna
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We had a great time. Glad we spent an extra night in Passau before starting the trip. Bikes were in great shape and we had no mechanical problems. We spent an extra night in Melk and added a stopover in Enns. We wish we had spent an extra night in Linz. The last day ride from Tulln to Vienna was the least attractive part --- and there was a strong wind in our face --- so that was a challenge. Those in our group who elected the ebike had no problems... I would highly recommend this trip....
- ★★★★★ John Swanstrom
I've been waiting many years to take this trip... definitely worth it!
Burgundy Wine Trails: Beaune to Macon on the “Voie Verte”
The perfect way for me to experience the French wine country. Beautiful scenery, all bicycle trails and country roads with very little traffic, quaint villages, interesting places to see along the way, and the hotels and meal packages were superb.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was my first bicycle tour in Europe
- 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?
- France
- ★★★★★ joe eberly
Nice Ride
Lake Constance Bicycle Path
This is a very easy ride with mostly flat land around a beautiful lake. We had e-bikes which made it very easy. Hotels all very nice, but no AC for hot weather. June can be risky with the weather. We had two days of five with steady rain. This is our 3rd trip with Bikes.com and was my lest favorite. We never met our local tour operator, even when we picked up our bikes. There was substantial flooding due to heavy rains and some road construction that we didn't know about until we came to it. It was at that time we had to figure an alternate route. A little heads up would have save a lot confusion, especially during our rainy days. On previous trips, the tour operator spent time going over the route with areas we needed to pay attention to. The fact that none of us spoke German didn't help in trying to understand road signs. The route is well marked but makings change from country to country, so pay attention.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Mid-June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
- ★★★★★ Susan Radtke
First time with a company organized bike trip
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
My husband and I have done a fair amount of biking in the U.S. and in Europe and this was the first time we used a company to plan and support the trip. The good: Some of the hotels that were booked were terrific - especially in the more rural places. The navigation app when it worked was really useful and when it didn't work it seemed to be more of an issue with our phones than the app itself. There was confusion over the timing of our bus transfer over a mountain pass and the woman at the help center worked really hard to sort it out. Also, the luggage transfer was always efficient. The not so good: The bikes were pretty beat and heavy. We had to have one replaced. Although the directions said we would have at least one handlebar bag per room, we had none. Also, we understood that we would have a handlebar mount for a phone and would have brought one from home had it been more clear that we would not. The worst thing was our final day biking into Trieste. The route put us on a road that was absolutely harrowing - no shoulder at times, fast moving traffic including busses and trucks. It felt decidedly unsafe and I would never have put cyclists on such a route. So all in all, we had a good time and saw some beautiful country but moving forward we decided we would go back to planning our own trips where we have more control over the quality of the bikes and the route, plus obviously it's cheaper to do the planning yourself.
- ★★★★★ Shayne palfreyman
Beautiful scenery - well organised
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Cycling is an awesome way to see some beautiful scenery and experience the area. The tour itinerary is great - very achievable daily rides and the app showing the routes worked well though a couple of recent changes to the path need updating.
The luggage transfers and accommodations all were very well organised - ★★★★★ Kathleen Wilford
Scenic and interesting
Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava & Elbe Rivers
Overall--a great trip.
There was some confusion at the beginning, as we were given a different hotel name than the one we were actually scheduled to stay in. Also, connecting with the taxi driver took several calls and emails. Things went smoothly after that--we were met by the tour leaders for an informative meeting.
The maps and information were basically good. But the information should stress more strongly that riders should look for the little yellow signs. This works much better than trying to follow the maps. We also found the GPS app NOT helpful. The turn by turn uses too much battery, and the downloaded maps are no better than the paper maps.
The route was well set up, with appropriate biking distances each day and good tips on sights to see along the way. We loved the Czech Swiss national park.
Hotels were reasonable except for the U Zamku in Melnik. The room was primitive and smelled musty, and the breakfast was terrible.- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Czech Republic, Germany
- ★★★★★ Gayle Owens
Exceeded my expectations
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
The natural scenery was beautiful. Our hotels were charming, and they outdid themselves with breakfasts consisting of fresh loaves of bread, fresh fruits galore,fresh yogurt and nuts, meats and eggs.
At first I was skeptical of the road bike because it was heavy, but sturdy turned out to be a good thing, and it was comfortable to ride all the way.- What was the date of your tour?
- June 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, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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