First Timers  Bike Tour Reviews (page 3)

  • (4/5) Kristin Ackerman 1 month ago

    Different but still great

    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    Unfortunately, our riverboat cruise was unable to move due to flooding on the river. The staff did the best they could with making sure we had food, drinks, and entertainment. I would definitely check out this company again and hopefully the plans go as is. At least we were stuck in Vienna so I cannot complain about that.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2024
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
    •  (photo by Kristin Ackerman)
    •  (photo by Kristin Ackerman)
    •  (photo by Kristin Ackerman)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • Provence by Bike and Boat
    (4/5) Brian Deutscher 1 month ago

    South of France Tour

    · · Provence by Bike and Boat

    A great way to review, cities and the countryside in the south of France. Our group of six enjoyed each day. E bikes allowed as to cover significant distance and enjoy the sites without having to exhaust our selves. Winds were particularly high the first couple of days.
    Unless your a person who regularly bikes 50 kms, I would recommend the ebikes.

    Countries included in this tour?
    France
  • (4/5) Henry Ronald Samuels 1 month ago

    Bike with HS Buddies all 83

    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    Food was great on the ship as was the room. Rain first several days ruined a lot of the trip

    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
  • (3/5) James Hutcherson 1 month ago

    Flood of decades

    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    Can’t change the weather. Boat crew and food was excellent. Everyone tried their best to make the trip as good as they could. Kudos to all involved. Bikes were excellent and well maintained.

    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
  • (4/5) Bernice Will 1 month ago

    Danube Bike and Boat Tour

    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    Due to the massive rainstorm and subsequent flooding and high water levels, our 4 country bike and boat tour was changed to a two country tour. The captain and tour guide were quick and clear with our options on day 1. Two thirds of the people left the tour the next day to remake their own plans. We decided to stay. Our boat stayed in Passau for 5 days and we used these days to explore by bike the surrounding area. Our tour guide gave us alternative rides to do and the staff on board the boat were amazing and provided us with wonderful food and service. Early on day 6 we woke up in Linz. A bus trip to Vienna for the day was arranged, we decided to explore Linz by bike. Day 7 we were able to bike from Aschach to Engelhartszell before ending the tour the next day. Although this was not the tour we originally booked and expected, we made the best of a situation that was beyond anyone’s control. I commend the staff for doing their best to make our trip memorable.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 14
    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, Hungary, Slovakia
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) charlotte lenssen 1 month ago

    Adventures around the Bodensee

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    It was a super fun trip experiencing the different towns and landscapes. All hotels were acceptable and some were exceptional. My favorites were Lindau and Konstanz. We had 2 rainy days, so got lucky with weather. Austrias Fänder bahn was worth it too.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 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
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    •  (photo by charlotte lenssen)
    •  (photo by charlotte lenssen)
    •  (photo by charlotte lenssen)
    •  (photo by charlotte lenssen)
    •  (photo by charlotte lenssen)
    •  (photo by charlotte lenssen)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Rhine Bike Path
    (5/5) Jean Schlier 1 month ago

    Mosel Trip Trier to Koblenz

    · Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne

    Great laid back trip along the Mosel. We stopped for a wine tasting in a quaint winery along the route, enjoyed riding through the many vineyards and along the bike paths. There were a lot of flowers so very beautiful. A few too many areas riding alongside roads but it was usually along a bikepath right next to the road. We had a great time, a lot of laughs and enjoyed the little villages.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    5
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Germany
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) David Thomas 1 month ago

    Fabulous trip!

    · · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries

    What a great way to visit four countries and bike through the lovely countryside. We chose to follow the map on the app ourselves and not have a guide which worked perfectly for us as it gave us more freedom to set our own schedule. We thoroughly enjoyed Leslie, our cruise director, who was full of energy and made each person feel special. The electric bikes were great quality and the crew did all the work moving them on and off the boat for our rides. This is a great introduction for us to the bike and boat world!

    What was the date of your tour?
    August 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    First one
    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?
    Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) Francine Steger 1 month ago

    Lake Konstanz Biking in September

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    Great time of year to do this trip. Not crowded. Weather was perfect, not too hot and mostly dry. E-bikes were great, even for first-time users.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    9
    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?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 2/5 Route selection
  • Danube Bike Path
    (1/5) John Zimmerman 1 month ago

    Washout

    · Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

    So I picked the worst possible week to do this, the trip was canceled by the tour company after 2 days because of flooding. I'm still waiting to hear from them. The bike was very nice, it had fenders, which came in handy in the steady rain I biked in the 2 days I was on the tour. The path was well marked, almost all that I was on was paved. One downside was because of the rain, the restaurants along the trail were closed, so when I most needed a hot drink, none were to be found. I couldn't use the turn by turn app because of the rain, but the trail guide book was very nice, and the directions were easy to follow. Conclusion, September is not a good month to do this, it was around 50 degrees the entire time I was on the cycle path. I want to attempt this again, there is a 99 percent chance that the weather will be better.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    this was the first one
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much 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
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from jan September 24, 2024

      Your weather event was a highly unusual situation, John. September is our busiest travel month and normally the weather on this trip is glorious during this time. I'm sorry it did not work out that way for you.

    • 1/5 Value
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 2/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 1/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (5/5) EDWARD STEGER 1 month ago

    Well organized and executed

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    BikeTours did a great job communicating our self guided tour and when one of our party had to drop out due to a sprained hand, BikeTours were flexible in picking up the bike from our 2nd tour hotel stop. The e-bikes were top notch and the countryside was beautiful. The hotels were all clean and ranged from adaquate to very comfortable. I have two suggestions. 1) It took a bit over a week to confirm our trip. This put the six of us in limbo for booking our airfare during this time. 2) The route was beautiful but the markings were unclear. There were a lot of choices (almost 1 per kilometer - lots of roundabouts and choices) and we had to stop, pull out our phones, and check Google Maps. This could have been avoided if the BikeTours had let us know to bring a bike phone mount or better yet, supplied one as part of the tour package.

    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
  • Rhine Bike Path
    (3/5) Larry Mark Robbins 1 month ago

    Hotels with Charm?

    · Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne

    As expected, the tour was beautiful, flat, and easy to follow. This is said to be the most scenic segment of the Rhine and I have no reason to doubt that. The bikes were excellent. We selected e-bikes, a first for me, that were useful since we encountered several cool days with a headwind. We chose the Charme category and travelled between seasons 2 and 3. Unfortunately, we were informed that four of the six hotels advertised were unavailable. Quote "Some of the hotels that were booked (due to availability) only offer Category A, however the highest room category was booked at all the Category A hotels. For Rüdesheim and Cologne we can offer a discount of 20,00 € per person/night." Ok, reasonable we thought and agreed. Here are how the switches worked out:

    Mainz: H2 hotel: Brand new hotel, residential neighborhood but walkable to Old Town, overall nice. Room was good (clean & modern) tho not exceptional. More basic hotel than luxury hotel as Favorite Parkhotel appeared in pictures. Differential between the two hotels on Expedia for two nights is €80. No compensation offered.

    Rudesheim: Central Hotel: As the name implies, central to tourist area. Room was Ok but not great. Certainly not "the highest room category was booked at all the Category A hotels" as promised. Breuer's Rüdesheim Castle, the brochure hotel, is €60 more expensive per night and pictures appear significantly more upscale. Compensated €40.

    St Goar: Schlosshotel Rheinfels: This is the brochure hotel. Relais & Chateaux level hotel. Outstanding. Don't miss dinner in hotel dining room as sun sets.

    Koblenz: Diehls Hotel: Located on the other side of the river from Koblenz but this was not a problem for us. Very fine hotel, received an upgraded room. Had an excellent dinner at hotel. Left the next morning from this side of the river. This was not either of the brochure hotels, but was excellent.

    Bad Godesburg: Boutique Hotel Dreesen: This was the brochure hotel. Upscale as expected in a beautiful neighborhood. Restaurant Rheinzeit nearby should not be excluded.

    Cologne: Hotel Eden am Dom: Top notch location next to cathedral and other tourist sites but just OK hotel. No upgraded room. At least €40 per night cheaper than the advertised Steigenberger per their own individual websites x 2 nights = €80. Given €40 compensation. Again, nothing wrong with this hotel, but not the experience advertised and not adequately compensated. Life isn't perfect but given this was mid-September, there were shortcomings.

    NB: The ICE train returning from Koln to the Frankfurt airport is not the Hauptbahnhof next to the cathedral. That train leaves from the Messe/Deutz Bahnhof across the river.  SHOW MORE 

    Countries included in this tour?
    Germany
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) Renata Ostwald 1 month ago

    Self guided tours

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    Great experience, hotels were great and luggage transit even better. The only thing disappointment I had was regarding the routes…. It’s so easy in Europe ( once you know what path to take since it’s all signed ). Guidance regarding which sign should be followed would have been helpful. But it was an great trip

    What was the date of your tour?
    August 2024
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 1/5 Ease of navigation
    • 1/5 Tour documents
    • 1/5 Route selection
  • Amsterdam to Bruges: South Holland and Zeeland
    (5/5) susan mcbryant 1 month ago

    The best!

    · Amsterdam to Bruges: Cycling through South Holland and Zeeland

    Thoughful bike routes, great accommodations, beautiful scenery. This trip was seamless and we would highly recommend it to anyone.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    5
    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?
    Belgium, Holland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Mosel and Saar
    (5/5) Kim Wasik 1 month ago

    Biking, Vinyards, and Castles

    · · Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat

    Biking along the beautiful Mosel River with a view of the Reisling Vinyards, and a warm reception aboard our floating hotel was a wonderful experience.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 7 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
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    Germany
    • The view from Zell (photo by Kim Wasik)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Danube Bike Path
    (5/5) john thell 1 month ago

    Wonderful Danube

    · Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)

    We loved the trip along the Danube. Great scenery, great accommodations, wonderful food. Unfortunately we had several days of rain but we found some cafes and Gasthof’s along the way

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    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?
    Austria, Germany
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 2/5 Local tour company services
    • 2/5 Route selection
  • Lake Constance Bike Path
    (4/5) Alan Burnet 1 month ago

    Great circular cycling route

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    Really enjoyed our cycle tour of lake Konstanz. The luggage pickup and drop offs were very efficient and the hotels provided secure locations to lockup our bikes. All the hotels had great breakfast buffets and mostly great rooms. The standout hotel was probably in Lindau as it was the only one with a pool and spa. We appreciated having daily recommendations for stops and sightseeing which we could plan the day before and it was fun to find random lake swim spots.

    What was the date of your tour?
    August 2024
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Countries included in this tour?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    •  (photo by Alan Burnet)
    •  (photo by Alan Burnet)
    •  (photo by Alan Burnet)
    •  (photo by Alan Burnet)
    •  (photo by Alan Burnet)
    •  (photo by Alan Burnet)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Julia W. 1 month ago

    A beautiful ride!

    · Lake Constance Bicycle Path

    This was my 4th bike tour with BikeTours. This was the best in terms of beautiful scenery and ease of riding. We were a group of 8 seniors, most on e-bikes. There were a few stretches of hills, but they were short and manageable with e-bikes. From past experience, we expected to get lost a few times, or miss the bike signs, but that was just part of the experience. The hotels and breakfasts were excellent. Working with Biketours was seamless, as usual. Luggage transport was flawless. We broke up the long ride from Uberlingen to Lindau, and stayed a night in Friedrichshafen. There, we got to see the Zeppelin Museum. We also stayed an extra night in Lindau, a beautiful town, which gave us time to visit Bergenz and take the tram for a mountaintop view of Lake Konstanz.

    What was the date of your tour?
    August 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?
    Austria, Germany, Switzerland
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection