Slovenia Bike Tour Reviews page 3
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★★★★★ Diane Witters
Great first trip with BikeTours.com
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Overall, we really enjoyed the experience and were impressed with the scenery, lodging, quality of the bikes (one of us had an e-bike and the other a “top bike “), and the multiple layers of navigation provided by Fun Active Tours, the local outfitter. We also appreciated the detailed instructions for the luggage and train transfers. We especially enjoyed the first 3 legs of the journey through the Dolomites of northern Italy, into Austria, and then the entry into Slovenia with views of the Julian Alps and into Lake Bled. Trieste may have its merits but the city was quite chaotic and difficult to navigate and find our hotel by bike.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- this was our first 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?
- Italy, Slovenia, Austria
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★★★★★ Ray Friedman
Excellent routes. Beautiful. Some issues with service.
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The trip, overall, was wonderful. Beautiful views and great trails. We had a few problems communicating with the staff, which I’ll come back to.
The first day was gorgeous. Going through the Dolomites, on dedicated bike trails that were full of everything from serious riders to families with kids on bikes. Nice graduate downhill. Our ebikes used only 2 out of 5 bars on the battery indicator. Ended at a very small town, Oberdrauburg, which had a grocery, a few restaurants, and one of the best cake shops I have ever been to! But now much else to do.The second day to Feistritz was a bit less exciting, we were on (mostly empty) roads about half the time, and again you end in a very small town. If it is warm, bring your swimsuit with you! You pass a lake with nice beaches and hundreds of people out sunning themselves. Closer to the Feinstritz, there was wonderful local outdoor swim club. After getting our swimsuits, we backtracked about 15 minutes to that swim club. A nice way to spend the late afternoon.
The third day was spectacular! The scenery was amazing, and the dedicated bike trails were also amazing. There is some uphill on this day, and a bit of easy road riding, but it ends a Bled which is stunning. We got to swim again.
The fourth day took a bit more concentration, with some time on bigger roads. Not too much traffic, but there were a few trucks. Ended at Cividale, which is a UNESCO World Heritage town that I had never heard of. Seeing Cividale was the big payoff for this day.
The fifth day was a lot on gravel roads through flat fields. Think Nebraska corn fields, but with grape vines. The biking was good exercise, but not so beautiful. However, Udine was another big surprise. A small town that was very much worth the time. Don’t take the shortcut that misses Udine! We ended at The Franz hotel, which has a pool that was very much appreciated after a hot day of biking.
The last ride was to Trieste. We decided to play it safe and do the inland route. It was actually quite beautiful, and we were happy to avoid the stress of cars on the coastal route. Once in Trieste, it was very hard to follow the route and to navigate the city. We loved the city, but just not on bikes. We stayed an extra day in Trieste and really enjoyed it. A beautiful city, that was not nearly as crowded as more well-known tourist spots in Italy.
Overall, the hotels were OK. The first three did not have A/C, and two of those had no elevator. We managed to carry our luggage to the third floor, but we were tired and hot. This is an issue only in the summer months. The heat while biking was not so bad, but some of the hotel rooms were around 80 degrees.
The app worked well for guidance except I had to learn that when it said “In 90 meters…” it really meant about 20 or 30 meters. And it occasionally got left and right backwards (I just followed the map on my phone). Still, it worked well. Do beware that it needs to be running constantly, so burns through power on your cell phone. I learned to be careful to stop it when we took breaks, and we switched to my wife’s phone mid-day. SHOW MORE
My only big annoyance was communication with the staff. There was no one to meet you and show you how to control the ebike when you arrive (there was a video introduction in German). We found our way to the bike shop, but they were clearly unhappy to be dealing with us. We had arranged to rent helmets, but these were not with the bikes, and there was no explanation of what to do. We called the contact number, they told us the bike shop would have them. But the bike shop initially said that they don’t do that (it got cleared up with a call to the office). I had problems with the seat, and the shop said they couldn’t swap seats. Fair enough, but then I had to push them to adjust the seat (slide it back on the rail a bit) to make it better, and they were clearly unhappy doing that simple adjustment. They warned us that we were responsible for the bikes, so I was surprised they only provide one lock for two bikes. The office told us to pick up a second one at the shop, but the shop refused. I found out that at the first hotel, the plugs are spread apart, so you couldn’t plug them in and lock them together. It was not clear if that would be the case at the other hotels, so I asked if we can leave one unlocked in the hotel, if needed. They said it “should” be OK. I was hoping for a clear answer, since they emphasized that we are responsible for the bikes.
Overall, a great trip. We loved the route. The bikes and app worked fine. The hotels were good except for the heat in a few of them. Communication with the company was the main issue. (By the way, the bike shop staff in Trieste were wonderful.)
I’m glad we did the trip. Wish they could have made it easier on the first day.
SHOW LESS -
★★★★★ MM
Beautiful Coastline
Venice to Trieste and Istria
Let's start with what was great about this trip. The actual destinations (Jesolo, Puertograro, Piran etc) were very nice and picturesque. The hotels were great especially as this price point. My favorite cycle bits were actually the final two days - the elevated cycling track from Trieste into Slovenia and the mountains from Piran to Porec.
The reason i don't give this a 5* is simply because the actual rides for all the inbetween other cities were kind of boring in my opinion and no shade anywhere. After a while, seeing more vineyards isn't entirely appealing to me and quite a few Gravel paths as well which meant you couldn't quickly get past them.
The locla tour operator were great and very responsive on Whastapp. Biketours were also very helpful via email ahead of the bookings.
Still worth doing it once, but for me personally I will choose a national park destination next time or something with trees around.
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★★★★★ Richie
Diverse cycling through three countries
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Diversity is the theme of this tour. From the Dolomites, to the Julian Alps, to the dreamy Lake Bled, to the Friuli Italian wine country, to the Adriatic Coast, this tour has it all. Riding in three countries in one day is an awesome experience as well.
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★★★★★ 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
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★★★★★ Emily Magnavita
Great trip
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Trip was great, however, there was lack of communication with the company as far as planning logistics. Directions were unclear and sometimes incorrect, got lost on the route multiple times due to lack of information and description in the directions.
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★★★★★ Rhonda Barton
Beautiful views!
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The trip was beautiful! The views through the Dolomites and Julian Alps are constantly awe provoking. The hotels were also wonderful, our favorite being Alta Post in Feistritz an der Gail!
Bikes: We paid for the upgrade but it didnt feel as though we were upgraded. The bikes we received were not well maintained. We had a bike brake on the first day of our tour and the replacement bike had a loose peddle the rest of our tour. A few of our bikes were not tuned well and gears were either difficult to shift or couldn't be geared all the way up or down. In general, we would have appreciated better maintained bikes for a 230 mile tour, it would make the days much more enjoyable. We also had to swing by the rental place for a bike pump that had the correct valve for pumping up tires. The bikes were equipped with presta valves, but the pumps were schrader valves. We also recommend placing an allen key in the repair kit. We had several items that we had to adjust, angles of the header, tightness of the bells, etc. Having an allen key would have made these adjustments easier to make.
Bike Accessories: we think you should provide or tell the riders to bring a cell phone mount for the trip. The app was nice to have but we had to constantly get the phone out of our pockets to follow along. This can get quite dangerous on certain parts of the tour.
App: the phone app was a great perk to the trip although our main complaint is that every tour participant should have access to the app. It is challenging to have only one person with the app and it doesnt seem to make much sense to limit access. Give everyone who paid for the tour access please. -
★★★★★ Boot
Weather restricted tour
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Unfortunately we ran into a patch of bad weather...snow, rain etc so we were not able to enjoy the gorgeous scenery so much....we know we missed a lot of countryside and we don't have many pictures to show from our trip...these are the chances you take when signing up!
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★★★★★ Doyle
Italian Bike Tour
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
Loved our bike tour. Great way to see the Italian countryside
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★★★★★ margaret c
nice trip, beautiful countryside
Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
beautiful countryside, cycling nice, trip about 3 days too long, some of the places we visited though pleasant had little of interest. the accommodation was 3 star quality all the way apart from perhaps Piran and Bled. the M hotel as mentioned in many previous posts is a disappointment in Ljubljana as it is too far out of town which ruined the evening there.
- What was the date of your tour?
- sept 25
- How many tours have you completed?
- over 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Clifford Davis
Great Intro to Slovenia
Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Tour offers everything from the Julian Alps area and Bled to small towns to Ljubljana to coastal Italy and coastal Slovenia at the finishing town of Piran. We added extra days in Bled, Ljubljana and Piran and highly recommend doing so. Most of the cycling is on roads shared with vehicles but drivers were generally aware and used to cyclists. We found the GUIBO navigation app somewhat problematic particularly since we didn’t get access until the morning cycling began. Our bike fitting and familiarization was also included in our first cycling morning so a number of items regarding the cycle computer were not covered.
The tour company was responsive to our requests for transport due to inclement weather.
There are wide variations in the quality of the hotels with some very fine hotels and some less so.
That being said the tour features some gorgeous scenery and spectacular sights. The caves in Postonja and the area surrounding Bled are breathtaking. The people along the way were very helpful and we had no trouble communicating even though we don’t speak Slovenian.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ naamaza
well planned trip
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
we were a group of 6, the planning was great. a guide came to our hotel on the first night with maps,and attractions to see on the road (though except restaurants, there are not that many attractions to see).
the roads were very convenient and well signed.
the weather was perfect and the whole experience left us with a taste of more :-)
I advise to review the hotels that are booked as default since they are very basic. you may want to upgrade.highly recommended route and company.
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★★★★★ Gareth Laws
From Mountain Tops to Ocean Views
Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Do this now, before Slovenia is spoilt. Lake Bled our starting point was amazing. Some steady climbs, luckily on e-bikes made the challenges in the early days more comfortable! A mix of accommodation, but one night in most of the places, was ok. We broke the journey with 2 nights in Ljubljana, definitely worth it.
A mix of off road, paved tracks, some roadside cycling ( but the cars were very good to us) grunty uphills and screaming downhills.
The App was easy to use and didn’t chew through the battery too much.
Overall we had a great time. The people are very friendly and welcoming. The hotels varied from top notch to “OK”. The bikes were comfortable and good condition, no problems there. Would recommend if you have some cycling experience.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ hhhh
Slovenia,,Wonderful Country
Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Good bikes, maps, reliable drivers, everything we needed...well organized..overall very good, mostly nice hotels a very good value
two exceptions...
1 we paid for the A hotels and 2 hotels were particularly bad...
Vila Andor and M Hotel in lbjuana.
2 do not get the meal package..they often gave us special menus with lower end meals....you are best just to use restaurants and meals of your choice- What was the date of your tour?
- october
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- 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?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ San2C
Wonderful Experience
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The greatest surprise was that every day was a different experience. Hotels were comfortable, and the change in landscape was delightful. A few of the days would have been extremely challenging for us without E-Bikes and a GPS for guidance.
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★★★★★ Audrey Block
Great way to experience Slovenia
Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Overall, we really enjoyed the trip. Hotels were nice with the exception of one, which was so-so. Route was interesting and showed off the beauty of the country. Beware -- one should be in good shape and expect to face a few steep hills, some on gravel backroads. Most of the roads were low traffic but even on busier roads Slovenians are courteous to cyclists.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6-8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Lisa Ayton
Excellent Trip
Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
We chose the unguided version, using the Guibo Ap on our cell phones. Definitely worth bringing an extra power bank, as the power available on the cell, was our only concern in terms of getting from A to B. Sometimes the Ap, if there was a criticism, was almost 'too detailed' ie) a slight turn might be described in so much detail, that you think you are to do a much larger turn. Overall a very helpful ap and it corrected our direction a few times. The sites we saw from Bled to Piran 10 Bike Day Bike Tour were amazing and the distances were well planned. You did have to do some cycling on major roads at times, but the drivers seem quite used to cyclists. I recommend taking hotel upgrades when available, as we did not do this, but definitely wished we had, when it came to seeing Ljubjana and staying closer to the city. We felt all the hotels were what we expected (we had chosen a mid-range trip) with 1 major exception, that was a three star hotel. We also felt there were at least two stays that were excellent or above a mid-range feel, one with beach views and another with wine tastings. The country is amazing with views and greenery everywhere you look. At times reminding us of the Alps and at others like our home in BC, Canada and then finally the unique beauty of the Adriatic seaside to enjoy at the end. Our Electric Bikes were excellent, my chain came off twice but we got it back on and my husband ran out of brake fluid on the very last day. There were friendly, helpful people in all hotels and bike shops. We would all highly recommend this trip to others. Take an extra day in the City and by the seaside if you can. We also appreciated that help was only a phone call away at all times, we felt very safe and well served.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Stanthepianoman
It was the trip of a lifetime.
Dolomites to Trieste via Lake Bled at the Foot of the Julian Alps
The scenery was amazing! The bike paths and back roads were awesome. With a couple of changes I would give the trip a 5 star review: First, they shouldn't give an option to ride the train to Jessenice to Bled. This town is scary and hard to navigate. The ride over the pass was minor from what we were told.
Second, the Hotel Roma in Civedale is a dump. Hard beds and rude employees. All the other hotels and inns ranged from nice to awesome.
Third, we should have stayed in Bled and extra day. Our own fault on this one.
Last, the ride in to Trieste was dangerous. It was like riding the gauntlet. I would have liked to drop off our bikes out of town and walked or Ubered in to the city. This is a big busy city and many in our group were unhappy with the danger involved. -
★★★★★ John Murray
Immersive Slovenia
Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
A great way to experience the country from the mountains to the coast. Recommended . Nice trip.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- 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?
- Slovenia
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★★★★★ Barbara
Beautiful country with lots to see and do
Best of Slovenia: Highlights Across the Country From Bled to Piran
Slovenia ranks as one of my favorite countries to cycle. Friendly, hard working people. Roads are in great condition ( minus a few construction zones due to recent flooding), and the routes offered are interesting and varied. From high mountain vistas and zigzagging descents to flat bike trails along the sea, each day brought a new adventure to the senses. We enjoyed getting off the bikes to explore caves, castles, waterfalls, and towns. Most of us opted to cycle and climb the first day to the high plateau of Pokljuka. It actually seemed like an easier climb than the second day to the high plateau of Jelovica. Two people used the shuttle the first day and were not particularly pleased at where they were let off on the route. Had they known better, they would have also cycled to Pokljuka with us. (they were on electric bikes).
The hotels were good. Regardless of the size of rooms, the beds were comfortable and the breakfasts were bountiful and varied. The hotel in Ljubljana was a 45 minute walk to the city center, but it allows one to see the sites and restaurants along the way. We downloaded the maps on our devices and they were adequate for navigation. It was helpful to have 3 navigators in our group of 8 people.
Bikes that we used were hybrid ones. They were a definite plus with all the climbing involved with this tour. Sometimes, the small towns we entered had short ascents of 10-12% grade, so it was helpful to have the low gears to pop into. There were a few problems with the bikes. One of the hybrids was not in good condition for riding and was replaced before we started our tour. It was helpful to have the bikes at the hotel the night before ( Day 1) so we could adjust and test ride the bikes. The one electric bike had a problem the first day while riding the hills. It was discovered that a sensory cable was not connected after going to a local bike shop to have it looked at after the second day of riding.
Bike Tours, the company, there were some problems with communication regarding bike choices. There were problems with obtaining the bikes that were unnecessarily stressful. Overall, they were good enough to use, and eventually the issues were resolved. Also, I'm not a big fan of putting a 75% deposit down 9 months before the tour date which is unusual from the other 6 self guided tours that I've done. Make sure to read the fine print regarding the tour. Extra luggage other than one piece is charged extra. Also, we opted to find our own transport options to and from airports/towns, which were cheaper than what is offered. Staying a night in Kranj after our arrival from Ljubljana airport, before going the next day to Bled, worked out wonderfully.
Discovering the Best of Slovenia was a treat. I would recommend this tour to anyone who is adventurous and curious. The food, the culture, the people, and the sites were incredible! SHOW MORE
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- many
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Slovenia
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