Switzerland Bike Tour Reviews (page 5)
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★★★★★ Anita Bhinge October 16, 2023Best Cycling paths
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
This was our fourth cycling tour with biketours and each experience has been only better !
The cycle paths are excellent, mostly dedicated , along the lake and at places through towns with marginal traffic. The views were breathtaking. The hotels were fantastic, and were right in the main town at most places (Stein am Rheine, Lindau and Konstanz) All the hotels had good garages and charging points.
The ground handlers and the biketours company people were extremely helpful when we made a special request to them on a day that I was unwell and couldn't bike.
This time, we rented e-bikes, which made cycling a breeze . The bikes were sturdy and did not give us any problem.
The road signs were good except at a couple of places in Austria. Downloading the Bikers App should be a good idea and would ease navigation.
The stage 3 was a bit long and should be broken up into two segments. It would be a good idea to complete the 260 kms tour in 6 or 7 days instead of the 5 days as per the itinerary. That way, one would get more time to explore each place at leisure. We missed seeing the Rhine falls and some castles because we were short of time.
I would highly recommend extending your stay at Konstanz ( as we did on our return) to explore the beautiful city. We enjoyed this trip so much that we plan to repeat it again next year, with more friends joining in.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- Four
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Thomas Schulte December 14, 2023
A Family Aventure
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
This is our 9th European Ride and was truly a pleasure. Accommodations were 1st class in great hotels. Tour operator couldn't have been nicer or hospitable
in setting us up with our bikes and getting us on our way. They were an easy walk from our first night accommodation.- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 9
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Amanda M 9 months ago
Biking with a View!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We had a range of weather--from sun to hail to rain to snow--and still every day was great on this trip! The path around the lake was well marked and easy enough to navigate. The hotels were lovely with a great breakfast spread every morning. Our luggage was always waiting for us when we arrived at the next location. Overall, we really enjoyed our little adventure!
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Sarah D 8 months ago
Such a gorgeous and fun trip!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
I just completed a bike tour around Lake Constance in May 2024. I took my mom for her 70th birthday. We rode e-bikes which made for an easy and fun trip. We lucked out with weather and we so impressed with the beauty that you ride through. The people that book this do an amazing job of setting you up for success. I will say that you need to pay attention to the signs because it can get confusing at certain locations and we once went a few miles out of the way, which fortunately was no big deal since we were on e-bikes. You cannot rely on gps, you have to read the bike signs and use the map provided and don’t be afraid to ask for directions/help. The hotels they booked were great, except one, avoid the Hotel Mozart in Rorschach if you can. Overall, I’m super happy with this trip and will likely book more trips with BikeTours.com in the future.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ LINDA LYNCH 8 months ago
Surpassed all expectations
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Though we "trained" for this trip, (this trip is rolling hills and a relatively level course), there are several long ride days. And in truth, we are more tourists than competitive bikers, so wanted to sightsee the villages, which are rich in history and architecture. So, we connected with Caroline and Natasha at the BikeTours bike partner and were very fortunate to switch to ebikes midway. Truly suggest this option to begin with, as it made the journey more pleasant and our time well spent learning about UNESCO sites, ancient Churches and the area surrounding Lake Constanze. Simply, all the hotels were superior, they provided peaceful settings, clean accommodations and tremendous breakfasts, though Alte Post front desk and breakfast staff and St. Leonard Park Hotel were true overachievers. The Hotel front desk staff in all were great and answered our many questions. At present, we are reading about and studying countries for our next trip with Bike Tours!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ LINDA LYNCH 8 months ago
Stunning Lake, country and villages
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
Our first bike tour introduced many picturesque villages, as well as kind hotel staff. The hotels were nicely spaced along Lake Constanze with great breakfasts each morning. First moment, I recognized the absolute quiet of our peaceful settings. The villages and country were not just charming, they were calming and quiet. Day 4 we switched to Ebikes, as they allowed us to visit more of the Historic and UNESCO sites along the route and facilitating the hills. Suggest better cell phone research, as our "just change to new sim card" did not go to plan. It is 3 different countries, so 3 sim cards by the number of phones... Alte Post in Constanze front desk manager was amazing in her ability to answer our many questions, as well as Nadia at the bike company.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Joanne Hamilton 8 months ago
An Amazing Experience
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We did the self-guided tour around Lake Konstanz. It was a wonderful trip. Right from the moment we got to Constance, we were impressed the attention to the details that made our trip very enjoyable. Tour operator was such a great bike rental company. They also had a very impressive book with maps and hotels that was detailed just for us. So it had all the updated info on our trip. We loved our bikes. They ran very smoothly. They were quite heavy..... and the only time that was a challenge was a couple of times when we stopped to walk our bikes up a hill. We rode through two days of rain and the paniers and map pouches stayed dry. The hotels were so, so nice. We stayed in 5 different hotels and 4 out of the 5 were, for us.... 5 star! The breakfast at each hotel was complimentary and all very tasty, extensive buffets, so we could fuel up for the day ahead. We found so many cute places to stop along the way for snacks and drinks and little breaks.
The one thing I would encourage bikers to do, is to figure out your GPS/data service for the road. There were a few times we lost the trail and our GPS's failed us because our data wasn't working. Gratefully people like to help out and we found some people who spoke English. By the third day we really had the GPS thing figured out. I will say that the company did give us EXCELLENT maps! So that too helped us find our way.
We had three days of sun, two days of rain, and one day of threatening rain (but did not rain). It was all great! We really felt like it was all part of the adventure. We cycled 30-60 km a day. Gratefully, the one day we were SOAKED and all our clothes and shoes were soaked, our hotel had radiators that worked and a towel warmer so we were able to dry out clothes. Another hotel had a towel dryer and radiator that did not work, so we would have really been challenged to dry out. All in all it was a great trip and we totally plan on using BikeTours.com again!- What was the date of your tour?
- May 19-24, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Donna Ehlers 5 months ago
Fantastic journey!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We did a self guided tour. We had so much fun in the villages with great food and accommodations, most were in the center of the towns. Great breakfasts and service in general. Felt fantastic to ride on the safe bike trails about 3/4 hours daily. We took time off to swim in the lake and get ice cream and relax in the many parks. Great history and a way to immerse more authentically in the vulture. I give this type of holiday my highest recommendation.
Staff was always available for our concerns and questions.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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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★★★★★ Ingrid Mahoney 5 months ago
Solo and Sublime
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
My first longer bike trip and I was a solo 59 year old woman in Europe. I loved it. The scenery, physical activity and options for exploring all the wonderful cultural aspects Europe has to offer was a perfect balance for me. The hotels were all nice and more than 1/2 were really excellent. The bike was well equipped and in top shape. I had only one day of rain but the public transportation is so amazing and bringing your bike is not a problem I had no worries. I would recommend this trip to all my friends. If they are not very active I would recommend the electric bike it is a perfect option.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- Excellent
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Sterling Speirn 4 months ago
Outstanding Bike Path & Landscape
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
In most location there were separate bike paths and no possible danger from automobiles. Only challenge were the directions. Just not clear for a first timer on this trip. Scenery was magnificent: bucolic countryside dotted with charming old villages. Hotels varied. Delivery of forwarded luggage excellent and timely. Most hotel breakfasts were fresh and first class.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2024
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Betty Ngan 4 months ago
Great support from local team, but room for improvement
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
The tour was unfortunately shortened for me by an illness, which lasted 5 days, so I only rode 2 days. I can say that the trails were very well marked and the scenery stunning. I was able to see how well the local coordinators worked to help me move my bicycle around to accommodate my recovery. The emergency contact Benjamin was very understanding and patient as he rearranged hotel accommodations and bicycle locations. I relied on public transportation to move from hotel to hotel, since Bike Tours said it was was not insured to transport me.
Most of the hotel staff were helpful, especially the front desk manager at Hotel Rheingold, who went out of her way to give me directions to get to the next hotel. Even the front desk at Hotel Wilder Mann in Deemsburg called a taxi for me even though I was not a guest. Unfortunately, a staff member of the Hotel Alta Poste refused to call a taxi for me because I had checked out a day earlier, even though my tour group was due back at the hotel in 5 days. The young German staffer said she recognized me, but I had checked out, so she could only give me numbers which didn’t work on my phone. The staff at Alta Poste need more training in showing hospitality to bike tour group members.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug. 31, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Julia W. 4 months 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
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★★★★★ EDWARD STEGER 4 months 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
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jan September 23, 2024
Apologies for the delay in your booking. Because of the nature of hotel based bike tours (lots of moving parts, bookings to confirm, etc) there is often not much we can do to speed this up. Also, noted on the phone mount. We have been seeing that in reviews more this year and will make sure we update our packing list!
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★★★★★ MarcieB May 19, 2016Alles Gute zum Bodensee! Fabulous trip around Lake Constance!
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
One of our best self-guided bike tours, ever! Signage was prominently displayed, directions and highlights "worth a stop," equipment top notch and best of all, the regional food, friendly people and amazing sights made this trip highly memorable. I might add we are 70-somethings and found the designated bike paths a wonderful way to experience the many faces (German, Swiss and Austrian) of the Bodensee. The museum pass was truly a wonderful "bonus" experience . . . so many beautiful gardens (Reichenau, Mainau), museums (Hermann Hesse, Otto Dix, Zeppelin, Prehistoric stilt houses, etc), monasteries, churches and castles! We would do this trip again, just to experience more adventures through vineyards, apple orchards and varied cultures.
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was Biketours.com tour #6!
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens, Solo travelers, Families with young kids, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Tush June 22, 2016
Excellent!
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Overall an excellent tour. One thing which would have improved it would have been a little more precise directions - possibly in the form of a printed addendum - giving the INITIAL directions from each hotel to the start point e.g. bike path for each day's ride. Sometimes this was tricky and the scale of the map wasn't helpful. A classic example was the hike day at Rorschach. Most of us missed the hike trail because it was unclear where it started in relation to the Heiden train station.
Having said all that, I would highly recommend this tour to anyone!- What was the date of your tour?
- 677/2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Bughollow July 26, 2016
Exceeded All Expectations!
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
This was our first tour and definitely not our last. We were nervous about the distance and how our 13 year old would handle the daily routine. My worst fear was that we would be counting down the days or taking the train to avoid meltdowns, by mother and/or daughter. This was never the case, even in the rain. We were so sad when it was over, we would have happily continued for another week. Cycling, swimming, and picnicking our way around the route made for a stress free and amazing holiday.
We cycle frequently, but didn't purchase any special clothing. My secret weapon for fhe saddle was a custom knit seat cover by a close friend.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 11 - 22
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was the first of many.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Pierre June 23, 2017
Best trip ever
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Best way to see as much as possible in a day is on a bicycle. We choose the A grade hotels which was not necessary as the standard of hotels in general is very good, The A grade hotels were top class but we spent so little time at each hotel that the facilities offered could not always be full utilized. Half pension (diner included) was very good and relaxing after a day cycling. We found the 6 night tour ample time to complete the 300km round lake Constance. Tour operations went without a hitch and cycle worked perfectly. We have travelled alot and can confirm that this holiday was the best
- What was the date of your tour?
- 20 May to 26 May 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ Wally September 22, 2017
Slow way to see the life of Southern German, Austria and Switzerland
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept. 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- First
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ POOM September 22, 2017
Great relaxing bike tour around Lake Constance
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
The trip was well organized and hotels we were in were very good and clean and easily reachable from the bike route. We were there in mid-September which is very nice because the weather was cool and tour groups were rare at every stop.
The only suggestion is that there is really not much to do in Sank Gallen and the trip could have easily be cut one day shorter and not lose anything.
One hint in Konstanz : Go have Tapas at a small restaurant called Sabores. Best Choriso. We ended up going there 2 of the 3 nights we spent iin Konstanz.- What was the date of your tour?
- 11-22 September 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
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★★★★★ DWSt June 22, 2018
Great way to experience the local culture
· Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
We just finished the trip around Lake Constance and all in all, I can say that it was a wonderful experience. We felt like we much better understood the German and Swiss culture as a result of riding bikes. Most people we met spoke English "a little", some better than others. Their English was certainly better in most cases than my "a little" German.
A couple of suggestions. First, pack light as I had packed too much, especially too many warm clothes. Secondly, download Google Maps for the whole area before you begin the trip. Location on Google Maps works on an iPhone even if you don't have a functional sim. At times you will get lost, but Google Maps saved us more than once.
We enjoyed some hotels more than others, but there was always Wi-Fi and breakfast. The ride to St. Gallen through the mountains was the most difficult, but had great scenery. My wife appreciated her electric bike on that day.
Documentation was pretty good. Since none of us read German very well, we missed using some of the supplied coupons and ended up paying twice. The explanation on the first day may have been missed because there was just too much to process.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 06/2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- This is the first
- 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
