Europe Bike Tour Reviews — 331 to 360 of 1751

Our group of four completed the nine-day Prague to Vienna Tour from 21st to 29th June 2024. Our experience was wonderful and memorable. We highly recommend this tour!

First, we had good support in the lead up to our tour and during it. All of our questions were promptly answered, both before we made reservations and when a few issues arose during the tour.

Second, the tour was very well organised. We had a detailed briefing and support before we started. Clear group communication was set up on WhatsApp among our group and with the tour’s support team. We were given maps and written guides for the ride each day, which pointed to tourist highlights and places to eat. Our rides were guided by Ride with GPS on our phones (bring a lithium battery to extend your phone’s life each day). Each bike had a phone mount to facilitate the use of Ride with GPS. The bikes and equipment were very good quality. We never worried about a breakdown. We were quickly back on the road after a punctured tire because we had the right tools for the job. In short, we never felt like we were on our own, even though we had no guide on the road.

Third, we found the daily routes, and options, to be outstanding. Each daily destination was a notable place to visit. We rode mainly along roads, and also on paved cycle paths, gravel and, at times, trails. My partner and I chose the extra distance routes whenever they were available, whereas the other couple on our tour selected the shorter options that catered to their interests. This is a tour for experienced cyclists with a good level of fitness, not novices or casual tourists.

Fourth, the accommodation was very good. We chose the upgraded facilities and were happy with all of them. Each day, they were close to the main historical or cultural sites. We could easily visit them, usually by walking or riding up to the castle at Vranov and Dyji.

We were very fortunate that we had very good weather. It only rained briefly on two days. I suspect that the riding would have been fine if it was wet, except for a few short stretches when we encountered rough cobbles or when we rode on short trails that linked roads or riding paths. We were well prepared for wet weather and would not have been challenged had it rained.

If we had to do it over again, then we make a few changes. We would use TripSite partner hotels before and after the tour. This would facilitate early briefing before we started the tour and easier hand-over of bikes when we were finished. We had planned to use .GPX files on our Garmin GPS units. Unfortunately, we didn’t download local maps onto our GPS units before we travelled, so that wasn’t feasible. We rented road bikes because that’s what we ride at home. There were places when a gravel bike would have been a better choice. One member of our group rode an e-bike. This made the rides less physically demanding.  SHOW MORE 

This was our 3rd trip like this and by far the best! It was a wonderfully well organized trip. We went with our children (3 and 11) and two of our friends in their 50s. Everyone have a great time. The distances and difficulties were doable. The towns were beautiful and interesting. And the routes provided a good variation of scenery. The non-biking days were well placed throughout the tour. Finally, the trip organizers were amazingly supportive when we had questions or needed to make adjustments. I can't recommend this trip enough!

The trip was wonderful. It was great to visit the 3 unique Baltic countries, they are each beautiful and welcoming, The cycling was terrific, on wonderful quiet roads through scenic fields, forests and towns. There is quite a bit of of time spent in the van traveling from one location to another, but that makes it possible to see and cycle some of the very special, but far-flung locations such as the Curonian Spit, a real highlight. Plus, our group and our leader were great, so it was all enjoyable.

The scenery on the Connemara trip is spectacular. Mostly beautiful back roads, always in sight of several mountains, lakes and ocean.

Feedback/Critique:
1) Bike-wise, the first day was pretty awful. The plan was to fit our bikes on day 2 at 9:45 AM, which took 30 minutes. The bike shop gave us one e-bike with only 1/3 of the battery charged, and another one was spotty - didn't respond every time to power request! Owner said problem charging overnight, and he didn’t really apologize… said “that’s the way it is… I don't have another backup battery, so just try to use the battery less…" Then it was at least an hour to transport us to the starting point in Cong and ready our bikes for the ride, bathroom break, etc.. Because of the 1/3 charge, the stronger of our group pedaled a lot without battery. There was no cell service so we couldn't call the bike shop until later in the day - left a message to bring us another bike and another battery. The owner brought us a replacement bike and battery the next morning - The bicycle brought to us was a different brand - and was lighter and peppier. Why not just use that brand?? 2) The ebikes were not Giant as advertised on Tripsite - they were Devron, which I suspect were heavier and less quality. Compared to the bikes we used in our Croatia bike/boat trip in June 2019, these were much heavier, and less peppy. However, the bikes given us on the Aran Islands were lighter and had more power (they really zipped along). If we hadn’t been pretty athletic individuals, I think the trip would’ve been harder. 3) The estimated route time given inside the RIDE WITH GPS routes must not include any time to take photos, get some hydration or snacks. So by the time we got to the ONLY 2 possible lunch spots - Maire Luke's Bar and O'Toole's pub, they were closed! SUGGESTION: STRONGLY recommend - in the BEGINNING of the route description to purchase lunch in Cong before beginning the route. 4) None of the 3 bikes had a bike pump as promised. One bike had an incompatible plug so we had to use a personal plug converter!!! At the end of the tour the owner gave a lame reason... 5) The ebikes were not peppy enough to carry us up several morning hills on day one, which added to our time and so we didn't make the lunch spots. THEN in the afternoon stretch we had to push our bikes up the 2.5 km long hill -- when we were pretty hungry. 6) THE FLAT OPTION ROAD WAS CLOSED, and no one told us until the end of the day. In my opinion it was unacceptable for your partner's contracted bike shop NOT to have a back up battery! In the future, if possible the bikes should be fit THE DAY BEFORE in the late afternoon, and a) the driver could take riders, luggage and bikes to Cong to stay overnight, OR, pick up riders, luggage, and bikes at Galway lodging at 9 AM day 2 then drive to Cong.

By the way after day 2 we did call your Dublin partner to report the bike problems. That's where the corrections need to be made.  SHOW MORE 

The scenery in the Costa Brava is non-stop. From seaside to countryside to fields full of sunflowers and ancient villages, everyday had at least one "wow" moment. Tripsite support was spot on and the ebikes were flawless.

We very much enjoyed our 7 day bicycle tour in Northern Zealand with a lovely day in Sweden. We had sunshine throughout, so that was special. The route was more varied than I expected and the villages, coast, forest and strand were great riding. Route directions were thorough and direct, and although we missed a few turns, Google map righted us easily. Acomodations were excellent and the breakfasts fueled us with delicious options. I definitely advise including the day in Sweden as although similar to Denmark, there were subtle and interesting differences. Working with Tripsite was easy from first discovering their trips online to our last night in Denmark. Thank you!

The premium bikes were very good for the trip and a nice selection of hotels to stay at along the way.

All very enjoyable but particularly spectacular from Grein and through Wachau Valley. Durnstein ruins and abbey particularly memorable. Last night (Vienna) had been cancelled by mistake by Tripsite so some worries and no communication from Tripsite but eventually sorted out by the hotel.

The most memorable city in the trip was Gourda, with brilliant , centrally located accommodation.
Bike very good, sturdy and easy to operate.
Accommodation of a very mixed standard, 1] the Brugges accomodation being totally unacceptable for both the price and the city location. Room very small and pokey, with stairs and no place for bags, toilet in a cupboard! Exceptionally disappointing end to our trip. Reception staff obsessed with the Voucher system [unlike other locations!], and quite disinterested in cyclists. We arrived after a days riding in the rain and had to wait whilst she discussed a menu intem for about five minutes with a local!, 2] the accommodation out of town, about 3 kilometers, on about night 5 was totally inappropriate for cyclists, with again the hotel owner only interested in his up-market restaurant guests and barely tolerating cyclists, we asked if we could have a drink in the front lounge at about 5.30 and was told it was fully booked for dinner, on checking at 7.15 still no guests had arrived!, and 3] the Hotel Piccard was impossible to find from the maps and number given.
The route itself was excellent for 95% of the time, on possibly three [3] occassions the numbers were inadequate or incorrect, and required us to ask locals for directions back to the track, it would be good if a Company staff member had actually ridden the track at some stage and corrected this situation.
And finally, when paying for the A tour, it is not unreasonable to expect that the maps and instructions be personalized as to the days that ferries are and are-not available - this small detail was hidden in the notes and if one was not particularly pedantic in preparing for the next days travel could easily have been missed and spent a very frustrating, and tiring day cycling.

The most memorable part of our trip from Amsterdam to Bruges was that my husband and I experienced the adventure with our son and daughter in law. As far as suggestions go, I would suggest that the local operator needs to step up their game on support and maintenance of their bikes. Initially, there was no representative to fit the bikes, nor did they provide any tools for adjustments to be made. My husband is 5’10” and a medium size bike was provided instead of a large. His first 2 days of biking was so very uncomfortable necessitating that he resort to an e-bike for the remainder of the trip.

We had the most delightful Guide, Ilenia. She was just beautiful and so considerate and kind. We enjoyed only having 13 riders in the group. On 3 of the days, we were treated to authentic Italian food in little villages or out of the way places. Sadly, the choice of hotel in Lecce proved to be extremely disappointing. The other places we stayed were quite good and one, in particular, at Gallipoli was outstanding. There was quite of bit of road riding at times. The scenery in the Puglia region was average - lots of dead olive trees and in the back streets there is lots of dumped rubbish. Having said that, the trip was excellent and the group we rode with was fabulous.

The service provided by the tour operator was excellent! Our guide, Mende, and our driver, Aleks, were very attentive to our needs and requests. Mende, in particular, is very well-versed in the history and culture of all three Baltic states. Every question we had was answered and every problem we had was successfully addressed. This trip is definitely worth considering for your next holiday!

All was perfect.
Bike traveling was among the vinhards and Chateaux on Pontilac.
Best city was Saint Emilion.

The only less satisfing was the size of the room I got in Best Western hotel. It was too small.

Congrats to you all

Great scenery; safe ridding;
We should have stayed an extra day touring around St Emillion.

Bike and ferry to Porquerolles Island. Nice riding, fun ferry ride and beautiful island.

An excellent cycling tour (our seventh with Tripsites!), through a very beautiful part of Spain. The route is diverse and takes you through hilly forested areas, wide open rice farms, extensive olive and apple orchards, and vineyards. And then you find yourself dipping down to the Costa Brava, with its breathtaking coastal views. The bike paths are well marked, mostly sand/gravel/packed dirt and well maintained, and generally separated, although there are portions where you are cycling on some of the quieter rural roads. There are some moderate climbs, particularly during the latter stages, but it is generally fairly flat throughout. Lots of historic and cultural sites along the way, including ancient cities (Girona, where the walk along the ramparts was particularly memorable), hilltop citadels (Pals, Figueres), great museums (don’t miss the Theatre-Museum Dali or the Toy Museum in Figueres!). Accommodations were excellent, the food and wine sublime. We added days in both Girona and Figueres, given the many interesting things to do there. We really enjoyed the loop in the middle, and the stay in Castelló d’Empuries (at the Hotel Canet), was definitely a highlight. The local contractor (Cyclotours) was great to work with - they gave us a two hour initial orientation and responded immediately to any questions or issues we had along the way. In hindsight, we would have better timed our cycling to some of the weekly markets along the route (Cyclotours has the list), and should have done a bit more research on some of the towns along the way, as we heard afterwards about some of the interesting places we missed. All in all, though, just a wonderful tour.

The beautiful nature and beauty of the fjord, which we will never forget. Well-chosen and prepared bikes for the tour, which were a pleasure to ride.Good organization and clear instructions

Excellent trip and beautiful route! Directions were very clear and straightforward. Hotels were great. The only thing I might mention, is the Hotel Juan de la Cosa is a beautiful hotel, but it really isn't close to any resturants. If you would like to eat somewhere besides the hotel (which is pricy) you might want to plan to eat in the town just before you get to the hotel. I think maybe it is 8 miles away or so. That might be something worth mentioning in your guide so that people know.

The landscape, ocean paths and excellent hotels are the best of this trip. I love cycling and do that regularly. This trip is classified as “easy” but I actually think it is very challenging. There is a variety of terrain, some parts are easy but others are very challenging with rocky hilly roads, passing streams and among walkers that do El Camino. The mountain bikes are great and I would not have been able to complete it without an electric mountain bike. Be prepared for many challenging hills. This is definitely not a trip for beginner or occasional cyclists.

The Provence region of France is exquisitely beautiful, and biking is very much a part of French life. Everywhere we went, we saw beautiful medieval villages and gorgeous countryside. However, my strong suggestion would be to encourage E-bike rentals. Although we are strong bikers, the hills we encountered made it very difficult to get to some of our destinations. Also, the App we used in order to access our daily riding maps was not user-friendly and we had a difficult time following it.

The trip leader was excellent. Enjoyed the routes we took everyday. Interesting scenery in the town/villages we visited. . What was most disappointing were the group dinners no choices. Some of the hotels could have been more centrally located for free time sightseeing. Overall it was good value for the cost of the trip.

A fantastic trip. There were so many great town and villages along the way. The bike routes and hotels were very good. Unfortunately there was a strong prevailing wind from west to east. If we were to do this trip again we would go from Bruges to Amsterdam.

our review bike tour Ring of Kerry 8-14 June 2024
We have enjoyed our tour very much. We were also very lucky with the weather, only 10 minutes of rain!

This review is for you:

The local operator was fantastic. Maurice came to our hotel to provide us with all the necessary information and to adjust the bikes. It was personal and pleasant. The bikes are excellent and very well suited for the trip. The luggage was always there when we came to our next bed & breakfast. The route was great and worked very well in the app Ride with GPS. The trip took us form Killarney-Glenbeigh-Cahersiveen-Sneem-Kenmare and back to Killarney. It was an amazing tour in this beautiful country. Highlights for us were the isle of Valentia and the route from Kenmare to Killarney’. Sabine & Henk from The Netherlands

Then for your information.

There is one thing that was not good and that is the parking of our car during our tour. I think an organization should organize that too for a trip like this. In Killarney there is almost no place to park your car, besides the open-air parking’s, but they are very expensive for a week. We tried several hotels to no avail. After a lot of detectives work my husband found a parking place in town, right in the centre, Hilliard House, that was very good. Only € 25 for a week and there was space. This parking place is very hard to find, but it is public. It took us a few hours to sort this out, and that is not pleasant in a holiday…

Another thing is the size of the beds. They were all 1.40 m width (except one). We Dutch are not used to this! It might be good to inform foreign travellers about this.

There was one day we had to bike on a motor way (form Cahersiveen to Kenmare). Although it was the best route, it is not very nice as the traffic is so fast and sometimes it was a bit scarry. If we make another tour, we would not like to do this again.

B&B were all good, except one. I valued them with 5 = excellent, 4 = good, 3 = average, 2 = not so good, 1 = bad (none!).
Killarney, Abbey lodge ♣♣♣♣
Good room, clean and nicely cared for everything. Large parking behind the hotel. Good breakfast and kind host who gave good tips for restaurants.
Glenbeigh. Liosderrig House ♣♣♣♣
Very friendly host and clean room with nice view. Small but comfortable bed. Good breakfast. The only place for us to charge the battery for the bike in the room.
Caharsiveen, San Antoine B&B ♣♣♣♣♣
This was the best place! Very comfortable and large bed, nice and large room. Very friendly host, who gave lots of useful information. Nicely situated. Very good breakfast.
Sneem, River Logde ♣♣♣
Beautifully situated and at a very quiet road. Small and very hard bed. Welcome of the Dutch host was not very friendly, but his wife was very kind.
Kenmare, Kenmare House ♣♣♣♣
Looked very dull form the outside and a bit dark inside, but very friendly staff, and a small but good bed and very comfortable room. Good breakfast.
Killarney, Rossmore House B&B ♣♣
This is the only place we think you should not offer any more. Although the host was very kind, the bed was awful, with a very bad mattress and with the wooden frame it was too small for us. And we waited 30 minutes for our breakfast.  SHOW MORE 

We rode through some beautiful parts of Denmark and Sweden and saw some very interesting places. We very much enjoyed spending time in Copenhagen, having chosen to have an extra couple of nights before the trip started. It’s a great city to start from.

Riding in the villages. The tour we had of each of the main cities. Small size of our group.

We did the Wild Portugal 11 day trip on ebikes. Tripsite was top notch. Organization of trip and all communications were flawless. The bikes were great as were the accommodations and luggage transport. Everything ran like clockwork. It was our first trip like this and totally impressed us.

In retrospect, it would have been good to request a day off in the middle of the 9 days of biking which would have been easy to arrange---we just didn't think of it in advance.. At least for us old folks, a day off the bike would have been refreshing. Ride with GPS on our iPhone worked great. Thanks to the tour operator for that suggestion. The off road segments on ebikes were worth doing as there was very little traffic, generally scenic and with the exception of short stretches of deep loose sand very ridable. The ebikes were REALLY worth the extra expense to us. Dan and Melissa, June 2024

Albanian Highlight was an amazing bike tour. The fellow cyclist were a wonderful bunch and we all got on so well. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and because of him the cycle tour ran so smoothly. Also a shout out to our van driver who did a wonderful job as well. My husband and i would highly recommend this cycle tour and we are already planning our next cycle trip.

We were a group of 6 from Iceland in beginning of June 2024. Wonderful trip. Excellent professional and personal service. Would warmly recommend and use their service again.

Bikes allow a good level of immersion into local culture. The Netherlands provides a great example of a prosperous, healthy and environmentally aware society. My observations are purely anecdotal but we in the US could learn a lot by following the example set by these kind and thoughtful people. I would recommend the Tripsite unguided bike tour from Bruges to Amsterdam to anyone. All arrangements and accommodations were fabulous.