Scandinavia Bike Tour Reviews page 2
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★★★★★ Robin Jones
Brutal weather but a great ride nonetheless
Berlin – Copenhagen
This was the trip I had wanted to go on since the first time I came across Bike Tours. The trip was filled with wonderful trails and scenery and although the length was quite long it was very doable, sans the weather! It happened that during our ride (7 of the 9 days) there were extremely high winds and rain several of the days. The wind made it so difficult to ride as most days had sustained winds between 20-30 mph (ALL DAY LONG). Thank the Lord for e-bikes. I never could have done this ride without one. That being said, it was still enjoyable. It was very easy to connect with the ferry to cross from Germany to Denmark and the small bike ferry we took to Bogo was smooth as well. On a couple of days we made our own route on google maps and ride with gps to shorten the days a bit. I would definitely recommend the trip and we all know we just deal with the weather given us. I was incredibly impressed with how well the trails are marked and maintained. We met some really nice travelers along the way and although we do self guided rides we seem to see the same people at the hotels at night. The young man who met us at our beginning hotel did the most thorough hand over of bikes than any other company we have worked with. The bike was a perfect fit and I was very happy with the local tour operator.
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★★★★★ Lois Basham
Island dreams
Stockholm Round-Trip Across Swedish History
A lovely cycle tour along quiet roads connecting idyllic hrabourside towns with many ferry rides to enjoy being on the water.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Sweden
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★★★★★ Phyllis Bressler
Bike tour in Denmark
Royal Zealand and Copenhagen
First, the positives - and there are many. The route took us through some beautiful historic towns and gorgeous countryside. We even took the ferry over to Sweden on the first night so that we could add another country to our list. The bikes were very good. Comfortable and sturdy on the somewhat bumpy gravel roads. The hotels we were booked at were all fantastic and in great locations to enable us to explore each town at night.
We do have some comments about things that might be improved:
- we arrived in Copenhagen on Thursday, 3 days ahead of the start of our bike trip, and were told our bikes would be delivered ~ 7pm on Sunday. They arrived on Thursday afternoon - with no advanced notice. It was fine, it just would have been nice to know to expect them.
- We received absolutely no orientation on the bikes, the route maps, etc. On prior trips we've had people quickly walk through the route, pointing out some recommendations, etc. Only when I asked were we given the opportunity to check the fit of the bikes before the delivery person left them. Fortunately, we've been on 6 or 7 other bike trips with biketours.com, so we were familiar w/ the operation of the bikes, and how to read the directions. We were lucky that we reviewed the daily routes before the start of our trip - otherwise we would not have known that on 3 of the 6 nights we were booked at hotels other than the ones listed in the daily directions.
- There were no 'addenda' to the bike routes to provide directions to the alternate hotels so we had to find them on our own.
- On a similar trip in Portugal we had the opportunity to use a GPS mapping system. Using that, we could immediately tell if we were, or were not on the proscribed route. On multiple occasions this trip the bike routes were overlapping. We went many kilometers without seeing the route number that was listed in the directions - never knowing for certain if we were on the correct path. On the last day, between Roskilde and Copenhagen, we somehow lost the trail just before the start of the C99 superhighway and spent ~ 2 hours trying to find that route again. Fortunately after asking several people we found an individual who knew exactly what we were looking for and put us back on the right track. Using the GPS system that one time enabled us to know in real time whether we were, or were not on track.- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7 self guided and 1 guided
- 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?
- Denmark
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★★★★★ Sweden
Stockholm and beyond
Stockholm Round-Trip Across Swedish History
Cycling in the area south of Stockholm was very pleasant. Empty roads and beautiful scenery, lakes, forests, rocky hillsides and the occasional herd of deer. Route directions were generally clear and easy to follow and the hills mentioned were far less intimidating than we had expected. Some of the gravel roads were ‘interesting’, but nothing that the hire bikes couldn’t cope with. The local rep, Frank, was excellent both for his briefing and for seamlessly transferring our luggage every day. I would have added some photos but unfortunately this part of your review specification doesn’t seem to work!
- What was the date of your tour?
- 10 June 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Sweden
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★★★★★ Bruce Kozarsky
Terrific trip under unexpected circumstances
Best of Northern Zealand
One week before our trip was to start, something happened that made it impossible for my wife to bike. The tour was non-refundable at that point, and while we had purchased travel insurance, we weren't sure what they would cover. So we went ahead anyway and in retrospect, we're glad we did. Thanks to Denmark's remarkable rail network, it was very easy (and cheap) to go from hotel to hotel via train. We decided that I would bike for two of the five days and the local tour operator, Ruby Rejser, was wonderfully accommodating, delivering my bike at the start of my two biking days and picking it up at the end. Whether riding or not, the luggage transfer was seamless. The destinations were great, specially the Louisiana Museum, Helsingor (Elsinor), the day in Helsingborg, Sweden, and the Fredericksborg castle in Hillerod.
On the two days that I rode, the routes were great, combining seaside vistas with forests, parks, farmland, small towns and castles. Most roads have dedicated bike lanes and the bike trails were great, too.
My only complaints were two: the bike I rode was OK but not in optimal shape because the gears occasionally slipped, and the Garmin didn't always work properly. Written cue sheets would have served well as a backup but there were none -- just some printed maps. Still, I was able to get where I needed to go with just a few wrong turns and confusing moments. Nothing wrong with a couple of extra miles given the short routes on this tour.
All the hotels were great except for one (Best Western in Hillerod, though that was still fine). And the breakfasts were great.
Overall, we had a great time and I want to give a special shout-out to the Ruby Rejser representative in charge of the tour who was exceptionally flexible and accommodating to our unusual circumstances.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Denmark
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★★★★★ Bryan Whited
Beautiful scenery along popular tourist areas (except the last day)
Best of Northern Zealand
This tour was a lot of fun and we got to see a lot of interesting places. The hotels were amazing and you get to stay in some very interesting towns/cities. The scenery along the trail was nice, although for many portions the view was blocked by either privacy walls or thick foliage on one or both sides of the trail. Most of the areas are popular with tourists, so don't expect to see many "hidden" gems or explore backwater areas off the beaten path.
I highly recommend the tour, but there were a few things that could be better.
First off, the GPS worked 90% of the time with the remaining 10% very wrong (with directions to go round in circles, pull into random driveways or repeatedly make u-turns). Unfortunately the 10% where it was wrong was often in the areas where you needed it the most (like dodging traffic in the industrial part of Copenhagen or where the trails were confusing)
Second, the last day just wasn't much fun at all. It was one of the longest days, the scenery wasn't all that great and and much of the trail was along highways and roads with heavy traffic. The paths were still nice and safe but the constant noise and exhaust got old and I got frustrated with how confused the GPS was. (Also the weather was bad that day and the path was covered in slugs and snails.)- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- This is our fourth unguided bike tour
- 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?
- Denmark
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★★★★★ Joseph Braun
Scenic journey but you better know how to read a map
Royal Zealand and Copenhagen
The bikes were excellent and the company representative was helpful, knowledgeable and more than willing make sure we had a good trip. The hotel in Copenhagen was an average room but noisy and poor ventilation. Other hotel rooms were mostly average. Breakfast was excellent at all the hotels. Directions were average but confusing. It would be helpful to include city maps with the information so tourists can find street names instead of following the directions. Also, be warned that several routes are on gravel paths, not paved.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Denmark
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★★★★★ Vegacat
Enjoyable tour but poor organisation
Best of Northern Zealand
Although we booked this tour through biketours.com the tour is actually operated by Bike Denmark. Things got off to a bad start when we arrived at the first hotel (the Scandic in Copenhagen) to find the hotel had no record of a reservation in our name. Fortunately, the hotel did have a free room and after several phone calls to Bike Denmark the situation was sorted out. Our bikes were to be obtained the next morning from Bike Denmark at the rear of the hotel. What we found was a fairly chaotic situation with one Bike Denmark representative trying to set up bikes for twenty or so cyclists. Whilst the bikes were reasonable touring bikes, they had not been cleaned and were very dirty. There was a shortage of bike locks so we only got one between two. The helmets were old and in poor condition. Similarly, the bike map holders were torn and certainly not waterproof. Altogether it was a poor start to the tour. Bike Denmark could have done a much better job by ensuring that all bikes were set up and fully equipped prior to the 9.00am pick up time.
We were provided with two route books, one with maps one with turning instructions. Both were printed only on one side of the page so it would have been much better if they had been combined so as you could see the map and instructions side by side. The instructions were not always clear leading to a couple of wrong turns and the need to resort to Google maps. (We found that others on the route made similar errors). It would be better if the route book provided more detail of what you are passing between turning points as a cross check that you are on the right route. Also detail could be provided of dining options in overnight towns.
The bike tour itself was most enjoyable. Very pleasant and safe cycling along the coast to Helsingor (a highlight in itself) and then back by an inland route with some undulations. The hotel in Helsingor was very good (right on the beach) whilst the other hotels were adequate. However the hotel in Hillerod was unfortunately some way out of town so we didn't get to enjoy much of this interesting looking town itself.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2017
- 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?
- Denmark
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany Williamson
Thank you very much for your feedback. We're delighted to hear you had a great time overall, but we're very sorry to hear of the lack of organization from the local tour operator upon your arrival. We will follow up with our Danish partners to discuss this situation along with better-translated maps for future clients.
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★★★★★ Xavi
We had a really nice northern zealand tour
Best of Northern Zealand
The landscape was beautiful, and the route quite easy to find, though sometimes the indications weren't that clear,besides that, very comfortable hotels,and a real pleasure cycling across awsome forests and paths.The assistant contact there was quite efficient, You shold replace the electric bikes with modern models
- What was the date of your tour?
- 24/6/2017 29/6/2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4/5
- 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?
- Denmark
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★★★★★ EDWH
Denmark Sights
Best of Northern Zealand
Pretty good tour with lots to see along the way. Best bike paths in all of Scandinavia. Bikes in good condition, except for my computer which never worked, but could have used more detail or up to date information on guide sheets. Fairly flat with lots of pretty seaside scenery.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- 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?
- Denmark
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★★★★★ Chris
Nice tour
Denmark and Sweden by Sail and Bike
Pros- beautiful sailing ship, attentive crew
Cons- paced for e-bikes, rides through urban areas
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★★★★★ Robbie Scott, Booking number 121270.
Exactly what I was looking for in a biking tour
Berlin – Copenhagen
The equipment worked well, the route was well planned, and the accommodations were good. The in-country partner was excellent and very helpful.
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★★★★★ GM
Could be better
Berlin – Copenhagen
Overall this was an amazing trip. However, there were some frustrating aspects as follows:
1. Route instructions were terrible. I stopped getting lost once I downloaded and used the GPS routes
2. I missed many sites of interest as the layout of the guidebook was pretty awful as well. For example, descriptions of sites of interest were several pages before or after the maps of specific towns. The company would benefit from starting over with their guidebooks and find a user experience expert to change layout.
3. Most lodging ranged from good to very good. However, several were either too far from town to find a decent place to eat, or more importantly very noisy making a restful night next to impossible. This factor of itself was enough to consider whether I would recommend this trip.
4. The last day was not an unpleasant way to end the trip given I had the choice of over 100 km or ride next to a busy highway for most of the day. The end point could be better through through.
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★★★★★ Robert Runo
Expectations met
Denmark and Sweden by Sail and Bike
The weather could have been better, but our guides, Elize and Simone, and the Atlantis staff were most accommodating. The food was good and plentiful.
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★★★★★ Jennifer Keen
Berlin to Copenhagen interesting and okay
Berlin – Copenhagen
This tour could have been so much better if we had better bikes that were better maintained. Additionally, we had to convert all the gpx files to Ride with GPS ourselves. The routes were good but it would have been nice if more places to stop and eat or grab something were indicated along the way. Also more things to see should have been available. The books and maps were cumbersome.
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★★★★★ Leslie
Best bike/sail trip yet!
Denmark and Sweden by Sail and Bike
We had 30 bikers, so the group was divided into two, and eventually evolved into three biking groups. Since many had downloaded the app, some people set off on their own. The e-bikes were wonderful and welcome since the winds off the coast could be strong! Although it rained on arrival day, it was sunny and 60’s every day thereafter. The biking varied- from urban streets to rural farm areas with few major inclines. Amazing traditional and contemporary architecture, climbing roses, peonies, and poppies everywhere. Danish and Swedish locals were friendly and helpful as needed.
The ship had 4 comfortable areas for people to hang out in; two inside and two outside. The sailing crew (all young women) were fabulous: friendly, helpful, and strong (!) when putting up the sails! Chef Pete was phenomenal- gourmet meals and fika daily at 4:00. The Captain was friendly and entertaining - very proud of his boat and crew, understandably.
The tour guides were friendly, fun, and incredibly helpful as bikers fell or had tire issues. In past bike/barge tours, the program guides provided more history, info, etc about each city, but we googled/translated info as needed.
I’ve been on 3 other bike/sail trips so assumed the compartments would be small; there were complaints among new tour participants expecting more room.
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★★★★★ Joe E
Fantastic Trip
Denmark and Sweden by Sail and Bike
This was our 5th bike trip and by all measures, the best. Denmark and Sweden are beautiful this time of year with everything blooming. We can’t say enough about the boat’s crew and our guides. The food was a 5 star experience at every meal! Biking was a dream as well, with perfectly paved bike paths well away from car traffic. While there was some elevation change, our e-bikes made for easy and enjoyable rides. During the week we made numerous stops at palaces, forts and several beautiful cathedrals. One of the week’s highlights was a day of sailing on our 3 masted ship. When all 14 sails were up it was so much fun. We recommend this trip to anyone looking for a great adventure.
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★★★★★ John M.
Excellent tour
Denmark and Sweden by Sail and Bike
Nice mix of scenery, fun companions, excellent food, variety of routes e.g. the beautiful Island of Ven.
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★★★★★ Wallace G
Tall Ship Sailing and Biking
Denmark and Sweden by Sail and Bike
Wonderful adventure. Strongly consider e-bike option due to strong headwinds switching between north and south. This is a new trip and we were on the maiden voyage, so the guides were becoming familiar with the routes available. Great food and ambiance.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 27 May - 3 Jun 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- 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?
- Denmark, Sweden
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★★★★★ RachelB
Gorgeous scenery and very fun tour
Stockholm Round-Trip Across Swedish History
This was my first self-guided bike tour, and I was traveling alone. The experience cycling in the countryside and through the smaller cities in Sweden was incredible. Because the tour leaves once each week, most days I was able to enjoy breakfast and short sections of the route with others on my trip. I made a friend out of one of the other solo travelers, and we ended up cycling together the last few days! Sweden is astounding--the rolling terrain, agriculture, and architecture were exactly what I needed on this trip. Everything felt cozy and welcoming to me. The tour documents recommended lunch stops or places to enjoy fika (breaks for coffee and cake!) for each day. Accommodations were terrific as well. I was able to use the turn-by-turn directions, maps, and GPS unit with no issues.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Sweden
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