France Bike Tour Reviews — 181 to 210 of 211

Th best way to describe our bike tour is to say, it felt like we were living in our very own fairy tale.

Staff was wonderful. Weather not so good but we had a great time.

Mosel trip was excellent. Danube trip, the map and instructions were worse than useless because they were actually wrong in places.

Only real complaint was the signage throughout the route. More route markers would have been very helpful and prevented us from getting lost several times.

We started with the book with maps and directions. Although it was pretty good, we got lost a couple times with that. I think on the 3rd day we met the woman who wrote the directions and she got us the file for my Garmin. That gave us turn by turn directions with no mistakes. Everyone we met was very pleasant. The trip was great. The bikes were a bit heavy.

I broke my arm 3 weeks before our trip to Alsace so was not able to bike; instead of cancelling my husband and I decided to go anyway and we are so glad we did. We would never have discovered the lovely town of Osthouse and especially the beautiful renovated Hotel de la Ferme; we discovered some beautiful walks in the region, over meadows, woods and rivers. L'Hotel de la Ferme is very charming with a lovely garden and a ping pong table which we had fun with. The dining area at the hotel was very comfortable with a delicious, plentiful breakfast buffet; fruit of every kind, cheeses, breads and cakes. Lunch was always a hearty piece of french bread with butter and cheese! And dinner, 2 nights at the hotel and the rest of the evenings at the Aigle d'Or, a 4 star restaurant which has been in the family for 40 years, were always a fun surprise and delicious.
Our room was on the second floor with a balcony and was very spacious, especially by European standards. Bathroom, sitting area, beds, everything comfortable, clean and very quiet. Our hosts could not have been nicer. They offered to pick us up and bring us back to the train for a small fee and took us to an amazing modern museum in Erstein. All in all a wonderful vacation!

We found the map directions confusing at times--i.e. Cross bridge and 3 streets and turn right. Sounds easy enough, but actually it meant 2 major streets and a round about. We usually solved this by using Google maps. But it added stressful tens of minutes to resolve. It pretty much meant that we slightly dreaded arriving at even a little village, due to the almost guaranteed confusion. Having the route available as a google map path would have been much much much better.
It's the service we pay for, not the specific route. It also made it feel like the route had not been retested for a while. Getting a bit lost wasn't all that bad, and we found some nice paths near Arles. The bikes were state of the art and high quality. None of our group liked the automatic transmission on the Bosch drive. It would frequently incorrectly shift in the middle of a climb and caused a bit of needless suffering. All in all it was a fun time. We couldn't have achieved the ride without the e-bikes.

First of all, let me be clear that we were very satisfied with the Tour. All in all, we would rate it a 9 out of 10. These are the reasons we couldn’t give it a perfect 10.
1. Here is the quote from the tour operator after we asked for the directions in advance: “Tell to clients that they don’t worry, the welcome meeting will be on Saturday p.m. and they will have all the time to study the route before they leave, the day after in the morning.” We did have the welcome meeting but it was a bit rushed and we really didn’t have time to ask questions. We were warned not to be late and arrived on time. They indicated that there was not enough time that evening.
2. We did not get our bikes at the welcome meeting. One Ebike had not yet returned on Saturday afternoon. We were told to return in the morning but not before 9:30 AM. When we arrived, we felt rushed and really didn’t have time to test the bikes. Mine (Ed) was a bit wobbly but I was told that there was nothing wrong. I did get used to it as we went along but my complaint was valid, further verified when I returned home to my own steady bike.
3. All of the bikes had problems with how they shifted and how they meshed with the electric function. Maybe it was our lack of familiarity with the Ebike but we really didn’t have time Sunday morning to ask questions.
4. We never got an explanation on how to engage all of the 27 gears, only could use nine. We were told that they shifted automatically and “don’t worry about it”. The automatic shift stopped working on two bikes after the second day.
5. The directions were very confusing and hard to follow. Last year we had the “E’s” to follow but this year nothing but the somewhat confusing directions.

This was our first biking trip so I can't make comprisons. All I can say is "absolutely fantastic". The detail and accuracy of the maps and directions is impressive. The scenery magnificent. The hotels and restaurants well chosen. There were a few hills on the way but the itinerary allows plenty of time to get from place to place. Having a couple of nights in each hotel is a benifit. Definitely recommended.

Chateau and countryside were beautiful. All accommodation and meals were very nice. We loved the Bergerac wines and came to like the regional specialty of goose foie gras.

This is a beautiful part of the world to see, and doing it via bike is excellent. We wanted to do it on a tandem, which the tour operator did not offer, so we rented one from a bike shop in Freiburg, and that worked out fine. The hotels were good, and so were the breakfast buffets that they offered. The distances cycled each day were good, which is to say short enough to allow stopping along the way as suited us, and arriving at the hotel in the evening with some time left to look around. We found part of our prescribed route to be flooded by the Rhine, so we had to divert to the roads through nearby German villages. This turned out to be fine, as a few miles on the Rhine levee is enough--after that, it gets a bit monotonous. The flower bedecked villages of Alsace are sensational. We ate wonderful French cuisine, and came home with a trove of beautiful pictures from this trip! On the negative side, the tour maps need to be improved. They are not detailed enough, far too often making it hard to know where the turn points of the route are. North is not always at the top on the maps, and there are no markings to indicate where north lies. The print is miniscule, so street names are almost impossible to read. The written directions accompanying the maps need improvement, too, due to occasional lapses of detail. The tour operator could solve these problems by offering handlebar mounted moving-map GPS rental. I believe people would be willing to pay for this additional aid. Overall, we are satisfied with this tour, and hope Pack and Pedal/Tripsite will work at refining their guidance to make it even better for those who take it later.

The routes and towns for this trip were perfectly selected. The hotels were charming and the staff was friendly and accommodating. The bikes were high quality and in nearly new condition. We found the written route instructions, written in English, were very thorough and detailed for each day of riding.. Yes, we did manage to get ourselves a little lost on a few occasions but in retrospect the fault was always ours for not following the instructions carefully. Because of the detailed road maps included it was always easy to get ourselves back on track. The suitcase transfer was flawless- we never felt rushed to get our bags ready in the morning and they were always waiting for us at our next hotel. Our group ranged from mid 50's to mid teens and all of us were equally captivated by the scenery and region's history. This was a great trip and we look forward to taking another vacation with Tripsite.

Great trip. We loved the country-side, the villages, the vineyards, small country roads with no cars, easy to read maps, the wonderful restaurants and chateau. We had no problem without having a guide and the people in the towns and staff at the hotels were very friendly and always willing to help. This was our second Trip-Site bike trip and it was great. Thanks.

We would rank our bicycle trip to Alsace/Lorraine based at the Hotel a la Ferme in Osthouse, France with 4 stars out of 5 stars.

The accommodations and staff rate a 5 star ranking. The rooms were immaculate, spacious, and well-appointed with every modern convenience. Meals are elegantly prepared, rich with sauces, and skillfully served. Dinners were wonderful but one choice, whatever was being served that night. No low calorie alternatives were offered.

Osthouse is a delightful beautifully restored rustic village, complete with working farms, an ancient chateau, and a beautiful 16th century church with a bell tower. The villagers were friendly. There were no stores or other restaurants in the village. We felt safe waking the streets at any hour.

Only local French language TV, sporadic Internet and cell phone connections, no local entertainment. The only place to go in town are the hotel and their very elegant/fine restaurant 2 blocks away. If you are looking for a place to relax, get away from it all, and disconnect, this is the place. You will do it in style.

You will need to bring your own metric bicycle tools, and a slim-valve (Presta) hand tire pump. There were eight 10-speed bicycles available to choose from. Ample saddle bags and adequate lunches were provided. Be patient with the English translation Route Instructions as they can be confusing at times. The actual bicycle routes had us sharing roads with cars as well as beautiful bicycle paths along many of the rivers and canals.

For your own peace of mind, if you are relying on the hotel transportation back to the train station in Erstein, be sure to allow at least 20 minutes beyond the agreed upon pick-up time.

Susan and Allen

Hennie recommeded this Tour to us in 2011 and we have gone in both 2011 & 2012. Unfortunately, we are unable to go in 2013. We went back the 2nd year because of the Hotel. The Family that owns and runs the Hotel is excellent and the service and dining is outstanding. We will definitely go back.

Al & Sue

We absolutely loved Alsace, Osthouse, Hotel la Ferme and the bike rides. The villages, canals, tree-lined tow paths and the people..plus the wonderful stay at Hotel la Ferme. We did not want it to end.

We took this tour in October, 2012. It was fantastic. The history, the scenery, the chateaus of the Loire Valley are truly amazing. The little country inn was delightful, with steaming pots of hot chocolate with breakfast and elegant, world- class, dinners. The provided route maps were a challenge to follow, taking us deep into forests, etc. that were great to experience. But on Day 3, we switched to the official French bike route maps because they were so easy to use. I finally got to study the scenery as we pedaled along! Thanks, Pack and Pedal, for a perfect vacation. We'll be back!

Did Castle of the Loire 3rd week of sept 2012. The weather was nice though we did get rain on our first afternoon. No complaints at all. We picked the 2 star option and were more than happy. All hotels clean and comfortable and the staff helpful and friendly. Food was fantastic. Bikes were also fabulous and the intinery/directions easy to follow (even when we got ourselves a little lost, easy to get back on track). We are 50 and of average fitness, the bike riding was not too hard. We will definately look at another tour soon. Thanks for the memories!

This was our second trip with Tripsite. We did this trip to Provence in early September and it really was magnificent. The local tour organizer had a well prepared and thought out package with easy to follow directions for the most part. The cycling with the accompanying scenery was beautiful. The accommodations and food were well selected. We can't recommend a trip more highly than this (except possibly the trip to the Netherlands we did last year) or this group.

We had a fantastic time this past June (2012). The routes were level and beautiful. The hotel and restaurant were outstanding. We hope to do this trip again. Many thanks to Hennie and her terrific staff for making our 4th vacation with Pack and Pedal another incredible event.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip. The accommodations and the dinners provided in the package were excellent. I can speak for all 9 of us that we would certainly use your company again and would recommend it to anyone in search of such a vacation. 

Thanks for you excellent and prompt service. 

Our group of 12 took this tour in 2010. We combined it to go from Orleans to Angers.

The routes are pleasant and the hisoric sites are aewsome. As usual, Pack and Pedal took care of us in a very first class way.

Stan Pearson

Great trip...We did the 7 day but wish we would have done the five days however. We are planning on booking for the third time this year just looking for a 5 day and it seems most are much longer.

Thanks

Overall a very enjoyable tour staying at good hotels and the bikes while a little heavy did the job well. The one area that needs improvement was the directions. For the first couple of days we were given detailed instructions in English but subsequently we were instructed to follow the route in the map book which was in German! As a consequence we had to work out our own route which we did using a large scale map and google maps. Also the suggestion was that we could have taken two possible routes on the first ride day but we only given instructions for one. Still a most enjoyable ride, fantastic scenary the weather was perfect.

Did Castles of the Loire with another couple. No complaints. Bikes were great. Meals were great. Accommodations were great. Weather was great (didn't rain at all !). Only glitch was the lack of an in-house meal on the monday (Oct 17) at Auberge Du Centre in Chitenay.

Wonderful trip and well organized. However, would not recommend the hotel or restaurant in Stes.Maries

Everything else was great and would recommend and perhaps book another bike trip in the future.

I really enjoyed my experience in the Loire Valley thanks to the great service Carla, Hennie, and Mary provided. The tour went smoothly, the bicycle was comfortable, the maps were detailed and the whole experience was exactly as it was described here in the website. I chose the 2-3* option and the hotels were clean and nice (for the most part), and the restaurants (all but one) were absolutely delicious!! I would highly recommend tripsite to anyone considering cycling through Loire, and I intend to use them again on my next trip in Europe--BON VOYAGE!

Great trip. Beautiful countryside, the route keeps you on small back roads and paths so you see very little traffic for most of the trip, just lots of grape harvesting (if you go in the fall). Hotels and food were good, and everything worked perfectly. I tailored the trip to suit my needs and tripsite was very accomodating. Highly recommended.

This was a beautiful trip, with lots of nice surprises (changing sceneries, nice food, etc.) The local tour organizer was a sweet lady who treated us like old friends. We really had fun and suggest this tour to whoever is looking for simple adventure in pretty France.

I did this trip in early July 2011 with six friends and had a fantastic time. The routes were very, very good - just the right length, and through some wonderful, very scenic countryside. The journey included miles and miles of vineyards, several forests, and some long stretches along the Rhine. The towns we stayed in were easy and fun to explore, and the hotels were all excellent. All in all the trip went far beyond my expectations and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.

Cheers,

Lorne