Austria Bike & Hotel Tour Reviews — 181 to 210 of 278

We took the self-guided "Sport" tour from Passau to Vienna, starting on 2 April.

A. Here are our suggestions for anyone looking at the tour options for Passau to Vienna.
1. Don’t ever sign up for the “Sport” version of the tour because it requires 50+ miles every day, and leaves no time for exploring or resting.
2. If you are doing the self-guided trail, do yourself a favor and get the e-bikes. The bikes given to us were really inadequate for the distances.
3. Consider doing the bike & boat option rather than biking the whole way. The reasons? If on a boat, you won’t have to pack and unpack every day; You won’t have to search for the hotel in the evening, and you can look forward to relaxing on a boat every night. Another big plus is that from the shoreline, you often cannot get a good perspective on the scenery. When the cliffs rise overhead and you are below, you can’t see them at all. And you may be able to avoid some of the on-road biking that we encountered.

B. Here are the things we liked about the Tripsite planning and execution:
1. They booked all of the hotels and moved our bags every day. The hotel choices were excellent and the hotel owners all served good meals and provided nice rooms.
2. There were no surprise expenses.
3. Tripsite pretty much delivered what they promised.

C. Here are the things we did not like about the Tripsite planning and execution:
1. The materials and the bikes were delivered on the first morning of the trip. The trail book has lots of detail and routes on both sides of the river. Receiving the book as you are departing for a 350 mile journey is ridiculous. The company who publishes the maps (esterbauer.com) probably could provide a PDF far in advance.
2. The trail map was outdated. We encountered sections, starting on day 1, where the trail signs said the trail ended. Several times we were traveling on busy highways with no bike lane, no shoulder, and with semi-trucks screaming past us. On one section, we had to peddle for several km on soft sand past the trail closed signs, because the alternative was riding on an autobahn-type highway.
3. We purchased the Komoot iPhone app with the trail, thinking it would help us. Sometimes it did help. Other times, it tried to route us onto busy roads. It does not work well for this kind of trip, because the hotels are not on the route. We used Komoot to help get us from the trail to the hotels and Google Maps worked at least as well. I think Komoot is a good product, but not implemented well for this application.
4. During our entire trip, we encountered very strong headwinds that made progress painful. We expected that 21-speed bikes would be ok, but the gearless bikes performed very much like 7-speed bikes and is the source of complaints from others too. We concur. We should have ordered E-bikes.
5. On the second day, we called and asked to replace our bikes with e-bikes. Rad-Reisen called back and essentially said it would not be convenient for them to make the change. Trying to ride 50 miles into a strong headwind with the equivalent of a 7-speed bike is not good. I was sometimes limited to 11-14 km/hr (7-9 mph) because of the wind.
6. We signed up for a bike-tour of Vienna and stayed an extra day in Vienna. That day there were 25,000 runners in the Vienna Marathon, so we asked to cancel the tour. We found that the tour had already been cancelled for us, but we did not know it.  SHOW MORE 

Fiz este trajeto em setembro de 2018 foi maravilhoso ,um trajeto fácil ,hotéis muito bom ,cafe da manha excelente e atendimento ótimo, mesmo sem falar a língua não tive dificuldades ,o trajeto e bem sinalizado passando por lugares lindos ,a bike também e boa ,não e uma mtb como estou acostumada mas respondeu bem ao trajeto ,enfim vale a pena conferir ...adorei.

We biked around Lake Constance in August and can’t speak too highly of this great cycling adventure! Mostly on well- marked, dedicated, flat bike trails winding through apple orchards, vineyards, sunflower and strawberry fields with stunning views of the lake. We loved exploring the pretty, small towns, castles and churches and savored lots of local delicacies. We swam in the clear, blue waters, soaked up some sun on pretty beaches, and enjoyed lots of art - interesting statues, an international sandcastle building competition, and an art exhibit at the top of Pfander Mountain. The joy of this type of trip is that you go at your own pace and get to spend time doing whatever appeals! We got lost almost daily, but somehow this added to the adventure... directions to hotels in bigger towns were poor, with maps often leaving out many road names. Accommodations were varied - some basic hotels and some charming family owned inns. Breakfasts were generous feasts and hotel staff helpful and friendly. This was our second Tripsite adventure and we will certainly be back for another!!

I have to say the whole trip was amazing! We biked around Lake Constance! The hotels were clean and the breakfast at each hotel was delicious!

Loved going around Lake Constance. We experienced three different countries and loved the food in each one.

I loved riding through Grein and the Wachau Valley, just beautiful!

We enjoyed the relaxed pace, mingling with local village people and enjoying what Austria and Germany had to offer. The guides for the bike route were excellent, we had local people enjoying the bike paths with us and gave us a chance to practice our german. The accommodation and meals were of a high standard, after a day in the saddle the "Hugo" cocktails where very refreshing to end the day.
Thank you Tripsite for a great holiday.
Darryl and Brigitte

Biking beside Lake Constance, stopping for a beverage along the way and the complete satisfaction of a great week! And as always spending time with great friends!

The scenery, hotels and food were great. People were very friendly. The maps for this self-guided trip around Lake Constance were not detailed enough, did not provide information for intersections and turns. We had many times that we did not which way to go. Definitely need better maps.

We found the signage very poor on this tour especially getting out of Verona.We ended up out in the suburbs for 3 hours and wasted half a day,getting tired and frustrated.Please improve this ,it would make the trip more enjoyable.Green arrows need to be much more frequently placed.Sometimes we got to a T intersection and even with the instruction book had no clue which way to turn.
Bikes were great!
Hotel in Padua was not in a nice area,though close to the station.Did not feel safe at night given all the refugees hanging around outside the hotel
Generally the hotels would be better if they were closer to the town center in each city
Scenery lovely ,some great countryside and villages.Enjoyed the trip but stressed out looking for green arrows that we often could not find.Definitely need GPS.

It’s quite difficult to review this trip as there were many great experiences like the scenery after we escaped the narrow valley from Innsbruck to about Imst but there were some cons. In the beginning of the trip we felt the cycle path, even though fantastic to have, was often too close to the railway or an autobahn (and the associated noise) to make for wonderful riding.
The hotels and half board were mostly good but some noisy and the one in Imst not only noisy but also the food was definitely (for half board), poor.
Some hotels were standouts - the small excellent hotel in Mals and the food in the hotel in Meran.
The guides were not accurate with addendums with corrections and GPS (as per our previous bike trip) would have been better.

The trip was awesome. The bike trails were excellent and we were so much in contact with nature that we couldn't believe it. Everything was very well organized and the villages and cities we visited were great. No complaints except for the Flamenco Hotel in Budapest, which was not as expected. We had to have our breakfast in the lobby sitting on a sofa because there weren't enough tables for all the guests. They didn't refill the breakfast buffet and no one took care of the spills on the tables. Besides the rooms were old and smelly.
But it was just a hotel and we will definitely do more of these trips in the near future because it was a great adventure and a memorable experience! I really recommend Tripsite.

Great trip. The scenery was breathtaking and the hotels were in good locations close to the center of towns.

The scenery was beautiful. The extra excursions were popular with our group. The breakfasts were great.

This was a great trip. The bike trail, signage and printed guide was very good on the section from Passau to Vienna. If we were lost it was due to our own failure to read carefully. The section from Vienna to Budapest was not as clear. There was more road riding, confusing or absent signage, and detours due to construction projects. There were also several stretches where the ‘path’ was gravel/sand or old Roman road. We do not regret doing both legs, but learned that most people do only the first segment and we can understand why they make this choice. Luggage transfer was seamless and all of our hotels provided secure, inside bike parking. We also had great weather, which made the ride much easier.

Fantastic trip!!! Everything went smoothly. Want to return and spend extra days in some of the places!

This is a great ride, if you use the right company. We used Tripsite, who contracted Austria Radreisen, not the company to use. We were told that Austria Redreisen would meet us at the hotel in Passau the day before the trip was to start...they did not show( a competitor company, Donau, spent 2 hours with their clients, in our hotel). We tried to contact Austria Radreisen at their 'emergency' number...no one answer/no answering machine. The day the tour was to start, they delivered two bikes which were extremely heavy, and with 7 speed changers....we had specifically ordered 21 speed hybrids. The bikes were delivered by the person who picked up the suitcases, and we were told by him that he had no knowledge of how the bikes worked...we were on our own to figure them out. In spite of being in good physical condition, we found the bikes very difficult to use, as they would not coast. After 2 days with the heavy bikes, we had to take a day off as we were exhausted. Thanks to the help of a receptionist at the Courtyard Marriot in Linz, the company delivered replacement 21 speed hybrids(which we should have received in the first place) at our next hotel (we had to take the train to get there), which we used with no problems the rest of the way. The hotels provided by the company were excellent, and the travel maps adequate. We certainly will not go with this company again when we plan our next bike tour.

This was a wonderful tour with many interesting & historic stops along the way. The portion in the Czech Republic included challenging terrain while the ride from Vienna to Budapest was fairly flat. The hotels were all unique and very different, from botels to spas to penzione. Locations were great, had delicious breakfasts and were clean with the exception of the last one, which I'll discuss later. This trip would have been perfect if a few simple things had occurred: we received detailed information for the trip the day we left for Prague. Since there were some modifications, I lost half a day in Prague getting those worked out. That easily could've been taken care of before we left if we had the detailed info sooner. When we arrived in Prague, the cycling company sent Maps.me files to load. Because of the types of phones we have, it again took some vacation time to figure out how to download. We discovered that these were imperative to smooth navigating along the routes so I recommend that those files be sent in advance. The only other disappointment was that the hotel in Budapest was very dirty with mold all over the shower floor and walls. We had been told we'd be in a much nicer hotel, but i'm assuming they were unable to book it. Fortunately, we had booked our extra nights elsewhere. Bottom line, I would recommend this trip with the modifications above.

We decided to have our honeymoon on the St. Morritz to Innsbruck self-guided bike tour. We are so happy we did as the scenery was beautiful and the people we met along the way made it memorable. I recommend staying an extra night in St. Morritz so you can take the gondola up the mountain (free from the hotel when you stay 2 nights) to hike and enjoy the views. The bikes were sturdy and had the gears necessary for the hills. Bring your own helmet for this tour as they are not available to rent.

The beautiful scenery along the river was the most memorable part of the trip. We also loved all the little cafes right by the path for lunch and breaks.

Most memorable thing from our Lake Konstanz trip?? How in the world do I pick?? The Biergartens? Picnics in medieval towns? Watching World Cup with locals in small family cafés? The acres of apple orchards? Seeing zeppelins flying over crystal blue water? Feeling the thunder of Rhein Falls? Getting lost and finding amazing parks and kind people? It was the BEST vacation we’ve ever had, and we’re already talking about which one to do next year!

My dissatisfactions, two nights in the suburbs of Constance, out of the way, should not be used. Konono staff excellent, but cost us for taxi to get there and back to the train. Route book imprecise. What is the route sign we were supposed to follow? What good is a dotted line on a map when there are multiple routes? Which are more scenic? Less hilly? Passing by cafes? Unpaved in a forest? Exactly how do you get to the Rhein Falls ferry? Book never mentioned the three elevators that take you up and down. We had frustrations every day.
Is it a beautiful trip? Absolutely. The Mozart and Park Villa are beautiful hotels, although not air conditioned.

I did the 7 day Around Lake Constance. This was my 4th Tripsite bike tour. I will list the positive things first.
I booked the Category 4 hotel package and was extremely pleased with all the hotels. Location was good for all except the Park Hotel in Uberlingen. It is located at the top of a very steep hill and was very difficult to find even after you saw the sign pointing the way!!
The breakfasts at all the locations were amazing and so beautifully displayed. A wonderful way to start the day!
The bikes were comfortable and almost brand new. Panniers, front bag and trip meter were all very nice.
Now the not so positive...
I had read all the reviews before booking and noticed the negative comments about the bike route directions. Since these comments were from a year and 2 years ago I assumed they had improved this info. NOT TRUE. The book with the routes is almost worthless. Getting from city to city was not always the problem but once in a city the situation changes. It is even more challenging when you do not speak the language. The locals are more than friendly and always willing to help. However they often assume we know more than we do and even their help does not get us to our destination. A suggestion would be to provide the cyclists with GPS or a HOTSPOT so that we could download the routes on our phones. I realize that if the customer is from Europe they can do that easily but those of us from the USA depend on a wifi connection for this service. I stayed recently at a hotel in Madrid that provided each room with a Hotspot at NO EXTRA charge. If a mid level hotel can afford to do this you would think a cycling touring company could do the same. I realize Tripsite does not have control over some of these situations but if they could encourage this company to try some more advanced methods of guiding their clients I am sure everyone would be happier. I had a wonderful holiday with fabulous weather, beautiful scenery and memorable meals. I will be booking with Tripsite for my next cycling tour. Just wanted to raise this issue to help future travelers be aware.

We four had a blast biking thru vineyards. Nice flat well marked path.

We four had a blast biking thru vineyards. Nice flat well marked path.

What a wonderful time! We did the 7 day self-guided tour in May and was better than we could have imagined. I had a good feeling from the moment of our pre-tour meeting with Lukas, (the local tour bike company) who had everything well prepared; maps for each day, route descriptions with helpful hints, shortcuts or longer route options, restaurant recommendations, bikes, and all the bike gear, including rear racks and bags! We had a few questions during the trip and they were very quick to respond and even gave us a heads of some weather to expect. Each day was different but filled with spectacular sites and castles in nearly every night's stop. Hotels were great and luggage transfer always showed up before we did. We saw amazing sites along the way and was a great way to fully experience the wonderful country of Czech Rep!

Wonderful trip! We did the self-guided tour option (and used the GPS coordinates from the tour company to help with directions). Everything about the trip went very smoothly, and someone from Europe Bike Tours was always quick to respond if we had any questions or issues during the trip. Every city we stayed in along the route had something interesting for us to see and do. The routes were long enough that we got the physical challenge we were looking for, but also had time to sight-see every day in each city. I cannot recommend this trip enough. Loved every day!

We really loved our ride from Innsbruck to Bolzano. The scenery through Austria was breathtaking and the hotel accommodation was excellent. We have not stopped telling our friends what an amazing time we had, all thanks to Tripsite.

Most Memorable Part: Staying at the Hotel Schloss Durnstein

Favorite Part: A short cycling day through quiet, autumnal countryside, took us to Bratislava leaving us with oodles of time to spend exploring colorful backstreets and the rise to the impressive castle.