4 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 121 to 150 of 1207

Biking in the Mosel wine region watching grape harvest.
Exploring the city of Trier was a highlight.

The bike company was great to deal with, starting with having a pick up at the airport to take us into Porto. They provided us with way more gear than any other bike company we've dealt with over the years (e.g. chain repair link, 4 inner tubes) in part because the Douro valley does not have any bike shops to help us out if we ran into problems. Navigation was by a programmed Garmin GPS they provided, with a backup on Ride with GPS on my own phone. The best innovation was having a WhatsApp group with the bike team so that we could reach out to them quickly if problems arose. (Note: Have an eSim so you have a digital signal -- wifi is only at hotels).

Other reviews about this trip said the eBikes make it easy. Well, that's not quite the case ... there are some loooong days (80 km the first day!) and there are a lot of long, steep hills. And while it's easier biking up a hill with an eBike, when the hill is 15 km long, that is still a big hill. So do make sure you are in good shape, especially your tush!

The hotels/B&Bs chosen were pretty quirky, with great staff. And when we had one bad weather day (howling gale!) the Top Bike folks arranged for a taxi to take us and our eBikes to the next stop -- at their expense, since it would be unreasonable to expect us to bike in that weather. We really appreciated their attitude!

We had a couple of technical challenges that harshed our mellow. The GPS provided did not have the route for one day of our trip properly loaded. Because we had the Ride with GPS backup, we made it work, but still .... You do need to watch your battery charge on long days. And then on our last day, for the last few km, the GPS was not clear as to the route and it was quite frustrating. Because we could WhatsApp for help, solutions were found.

If you're used to biking around France seeing little towns with bistros every few km, then be aware that the Douro Valley is quite different. On one 70 km day, there was only one rest stop where we could get a hot chocolate and a snack. And if you want to pack a lunch, you will find it hard to get supplies. We appreciated the opportunity to see a very different side of Portugal, however, far from the madding crowds of Porto and Lisbon.

Seeing the village of Mosteiros was memorable. The hot springs were fun. The hikes were challenging and beautiful. Be sure to visit the Terra Nostra gardens in Furnace. It is not on the itinerary but unbelievably beautiful. Be prepared to have other options if things to do if it rains. The tea plantation hike was also good.

Our guide and van driver were VERY knowledgable and accommodating to our needs!
Our group was comprised of 13 participants, 1 guide, and one support vehicle driver.

Unfortunately, there was flooding in central Europe during our stay. Several of the bike routes were closed but our guide made the best out of detours and rerouting due to flooding.

However, the bikes were poorly maintained. According to the guide the company AVE was not expecting ALL participants to choose E-bikes (Even though 70% of participants had booked in February and June) Thus, there was a shortage, and the company had to borrow e-bikes from other sources. Consequently, there were at least 4 different e-bike makes/models where parts could not be interchanged. Bike chains jumping off the gear occurred routinely 4-5 bikes a day. Some e-bikes had major gear shifting problems and other performance issues. Our guide and driver did an incredible job keeping us all "in the saddle" , bike saddle that is.... :)

We had opted for the hotel accommodation upgrade. The first and last hotel were meeting our expectations, but the other three hotel stays were disappointing. I would recommend using the regular accommodations.

The hotel “Clement” in Prague was excellent, the breakfast choices too numerous to list, and the location was ten minutes to the Old Town.

Near the hotel is the restaurant “Usadlu”, where the majority of patrons are locals. We had an unforgettable meal in the “Dungeon” , about 2 floors below ground in this venue!

One Tip: If you are 65 or older you get to use all public transportation in Prague free of charge.

The Vienna Hotel was centrally located: 3-4 Metro stations from the Karl's Platz and Stefan's Platz.
The city was easily negotiated by walking everywhere.

Despite the bike problems, we had a wonderful time and would like to do another bike tour!
It was an incredible experience!!

The food, the staff, and the perfect mix of strangers from around the world exceeded our expectations. The cookbook also a nice surprise souvenir that we now keep on our coffee table. Mikky is an excellent guide, for many reasons! The bikes are solid!
Suggestions, nothing major, simply notes to help things out:
1) a reminder in the morning to bring money for entrance fees. No problem with them not being included in the trip cost, I simply could have used a reminder. The situation was handled fine, but would prefer to avoid asking people for a loan.
2) please consider making and showing a short video RE how to be a “corner”; corner positioning, what/who to look for, when to leave your post. perhaps consider a longer video that covers all the biking etiquette, such as safe distance between bikes, traffic signals, etc.
To explain my 4 rating; I simply didn’t come to understand how small the room was until entering it. I looked at room pictures and measurements and considered them. When we entered our room it our new reality became obvious. This is not our first bike and barge trip. The largest boat we have been on held 24 guests. However, this is the smallest room we have stayed in. Going forward we now know what we are considering when seeing these room measurements and layouts, and we will likely avoid them going forward. We understand the rooms cannot be changed, simply explaining our 4 rating.

The biking was scenic and beautiful. The best biking was in Budapest and then in Austria on the last day. It was an experience I will never forget.

My wife and I traveled on the Magnifique 1 from October 1, 2024 to October 7, 2024. We absolutely loved the staff; very friendly and helpful. The stop in Trier, with a guide, was great. The food on board was pretty good but the bikes were not. They were quite heavy and had too few gears, which made climbing even moderate hills quite difficult.

The routes through the villages and mountains were stunning and well thought out, although I would prefer more paths away from the roads.
The lodgings were generally spacious and hospitable. The tour staff were super friendly and accommodating , especially Montesclaros! A very memorable trip!

1st I have to complement Claudia for all her help! The crew of the Vita Pugna were exceptional, particularly George our guide. This was our 4th boat bike tour in Europe. I would not recommend anyone cruising on the Vita Pugna. The walls were paper thing and we got one good night's sleep. We asked the people next to us 2x to be quiet. They kept talking to late in the night and we felt we were in the room with them. The meals and chef were excellent. Captain was the hardest working one I have ever seen. I definitely would go with this crew on another boat in the future. Bikes were good. Touring/ sites were special. Some people should have rented ebikes as we had to wait up to as 1/2 hour at times for them to catch up and we were not going fast. Crew was extremely helpful both at the beginning during and at the end of our tour. Back to Claudia. she answered all of my questions. Help us get on the right transportation from the airport to the island of Quidecca, where we stayed in a hotel the night before the trip. We met 4 other couples at the hotel. Only difficulty we had was finding the boat on the date of departure. I was unable to load the map for direction. We were finally able to find the boat. I would recommend a separate email at the end with the necessary directions/ map to the boat. One more time I need to mention how much I appreciated Claudia's and the other tour specialists. You were the best I/ we ever have had! Thank you. Steve and Barbara Ferrin.

What a great way to explore several cities by bike! If you're seeking fun, exercise, meeting other like minded cyclists, this is a must do!

The itenarary was very good. Unfortunately the heavy rains did some of the distances a bit difficult.
I must however point out that the bikes where not up to standard. On arrival several bikes where actually broken. If it had not been for our excellent Guide Victor, it may have been a disaster.

Biking riding component.

The gluten free option was absolutely not satisfactory. When arriving it was not noted. The chef said we had to come see him. We paid 120 euros and we only received two pasta meals and bread for lunch and a cookie jar. The bread put out was 2 slices for each gf person. The rest could have as much as they wanted. The shopping should have been done before hand in Paris where there are gf bakeries not the same stuff we can buy. We got what was in the pantry.
One meal we got baked apples for dessert. How are 2 pastas, 2 slices of bread per day and a baked apple worth 120E? It is totally not appropriate to charge so much after already paying a lot for the trip. It seems like a cash grab as there were three of us. Whomever makes this decision should be ashamed of themselves. Fair $ for fair service. We should all be reimbursed!

An excellent way to visit Belgium and Netherlands. The food was delicious. Rooms were comfortable. We will definitely be doing another bike and barge trip.

The small towns that we went into were amazing. The trails and trail maps were perfect and the bike we were given were great. They were smooth riding and handled great.

Biking through the country was unforgettable. Truly enjoyable.

Venice back canals. Swimming in adriatic sea. Feedback bikes should have mirrors or tell people to bring them.

The cruise was interesting and extremely well organized. The tour guide, Hugo, was exceptionally good and well informed. He was a very good riding guide and for tours of the cities we visited, and he adapted to changes in weather very well.

We had many memorable parts of the trip. We enjoyed the postcard picturesque towns and the miles of green rolling hills along with our views of the alps.

We found that the daily trip tour directions were not very clear. We spent quite a bit of time sorting them, using gps and komoot app. Getting in and out of towns was the most confusing.
I would recommend spending more time with the local bike company to work through the directions. The staff of the bike company in Constance were quite busy, and could not spend the time, we felt that the easy intermediate rating of the trip should have emphasized the hill climbing days more.
The majority of the hotels were really lovely and the breakfast were very good. The Reingold provided us rooms in the basement where the hallway carpets in the area were very dirty. We were by the laundry and storage areas.

Best event was the Wine Pairing meal at ENOTECA PROPERZIO, food was the best and wines were so tasty!
Other wine tastings also good and loved the cooking lesson with the Pasta making!
Hikes were much more difficult than posted, hardly suitable for families, trail on last day from Spoleto was not well signed but we found it! The trail near the farm with the dogs was poorly marked and much of the trail has been affected by erosion. Great value for money on this trip, all hotels were excellent!

The sights were beautiful but would have preferred to arrive in the town and villages earlier so we could have seen them in the daylight.

The bike touring, our guide, the boat staff, the food and the boat itself were all memorable.

It was a great trip, even though we lost a day to the Danube flooding. It was fascinating to see how the officials dealt with trying to open up the pathway as quickly as possible. We would also like to say thank you to local ground folks for their willingness to assist in making changes for us so we could keep cycling.

We loved the culinary experiences..all were unique and different..the hotels were lovely and people were very helpful... we loved all 3 towns on the tour...the hiking and we did every inch of every trail was challenging and a large part of every hike was all up mountains which was a bit different from meandering the country side and doing rolling hills ...we found that some of the trails were washed out and footing was difficult ..suggesting they should be checked!

The riding and sights we saw as we rode. Our tour guides we awesome and the boat staff were too.
The food was first class and the new friends unforgettable.

We have 1 complaint. The room and storage were insufficient. It looks like they designed the renovation on looks alone and not practicality.

Srdan was a great guide. He grew up in Split and had spent a lot of time on the islands visiting grandparents. So he knew all the spots we visited very well. The ride on Korcula was the hardest, but the most spectacular. The sweeping coastal views were great. The rides were very doable with e-bikes, but certainly more challenging if not using an e-bike. Expect a lot of hills, some of which are long and steep. The typical route is up and over to the other side vs. around the exterior of the island. Chances to swim in the Adriatic sea were also great. Croatia doesn't tend to have sandy beaches, but the water is very clean and clear. Beautiful.

We did miss one of the rides on Hvar, due to a weather issue, but were able to do the afternoon ride on the other side of the island. With our guide's knowledge of the islands, he was able to add an extra ride on Brac for us.

Our cabin was above the water line which allowed better airing and easy drying of biking gear on the lines outside. Cabins are small but efficient. Breakfasts were typical European breakfasts and excellent. Would have preferred the ability to make a packed lunch (like we did on the Moselle River trip). Some of our lunches were supplied (instead of dinner) but were dinner sized. A bit too heavy for me, but that might be a Canadian thing. Usually I have a lighter lunch and a bigger dinner. One suggestion, for the operators, would be to add a coffee and tea machine as a complimentary feature. Warm water does not make great tea. Overall this was an excellent trip and I'd recommend it.

Making pasta was a fun event.
One gourmet dinner looked fantastic BUT did not taste great.
The hikes WERE DEFINITELY not as advertised!! Dangerous and unsafe in some areas. Walking through the olive groves was lovely. We are all experienced hikers and walkers but some parts too hard.
The architecture was delightful every where. Hotel in Fontebella was lovely. In ASSISI while walking became upon a visual a d musical journey of St. Francis that was unbelievably fantastic!!!
Our wine tasting at Saio was great.
Hotel in Spello was the best but we could only stay one night-disapointing!!
Best meal was Enotata Properzo.

We had a wonderful week on the Clair de Lune. The barge is small and the cabins tiny but when we went through the locks with less than an inch to spare, the width was understandable. The captain, Marco, was delightful. He spent time with us every evening and improved the quality of our trip with his presence. Dick, our guide, has excellent and has a great sense of humour!
Food was good. Highlights included visiting the Abbey de Fontmorigny and meeting its owner, Dominique, and visiting le Château de Meauce. A special experience was being taken inside the private and beautifully renovated living space of Cèdric & Séverine Mignon! The crew adapted well the the changes necessitated by damage to the canal near Briare. The bike paths as well designed and maintained and I felt very safe travelling on them. I’d highly recommend this type of a holiday.

We loved this trip, our first group trip with a guide, and our first biking trip. The guide was knowledgeable and very interactive, and the support staff person thoughtful and proactive. Our guide even shared his traditional music talents, which was an unexpected bonus. The cheese making demonstration and lunch was a highlight, as was staying at a masseria (farm). Good food and great tour stops.

A few tweaks would have made the trip five stars. Some of the bikes had power issues which weren't addressed during the week, and the hotel in Alberobello was not as nice as the others. I wish the last biking day would have had more biking--the other days were full of side trips and culinary/cultural experiences, but the final day seemed to be just a functional direct short ride to our final destination.

Puglia is fascinating, especially the areas around Alberobello. A great place to ride.

Visiting the city of Matera was a truly unique experience. The history and architecture was fascinating. Matera was a great place to begin our adventure through the Puglia region. The food was excellent throughout our tour and great effort was taken to be sure we were served locally grown tasty treats including yummy local wines.

My sister and I bike and barge once a year on smaller barges with only about 12 staterooms. We opted to try a true, large river boat on this trip. Our trip was on the Swiss Crown. It started and ended in Passau Germany, with a destination of Vienna. We were impressed by the beauty of the boat and by our room, which had every amenity we could have asked for. The Danube bike trail was amazing despite epic flooding that had occurred little over a week prior. Our guide Carl was a delight. The meals were exceptional and well executed. The staff worked as a well oiled machine...always on cue. For those that are used to larger ships and river boats, this cruise is for you! It will not disappoint. As for my sister and I, although we loved this experience, we found we missed the intimacy that smaller barges provide. But the Swiss Crown was an elegant and lovely experience we will never forget!