Italy

This was our second trip with VBT and while the scenery was very different, the experience was the same--excellent. Our guides were personable, informative, and helpful, the accommodations were great and the scenery couldn't be beat. Bike paths in this area were plentiful and took you through beautiful areas. As expected, there were a few hills to climb, but they just made the ride a bit more challenging. If anything, the quality of the bike paths made us wish we could have ridden longer in order to take in the scenery around us. We highly recommend this trip.

Unbelievably beautiful countryside. Not a difficult ride but a few challenging hills by choice. Great accommodations, activities and food. The guides were great leaders and very fun to tag along with.

I have waited many years before finally deciding on taking the Piedmont trip with VBT!! And, what a wonderful time I had!! The tour guides were superb, the wine country was awesome, offering some great rides with beautiful vistas. In addition, each of the villas we stayed at were cheerfully staffed with very beautiful accommodations. I have already booked another trip next year - it's going to be hard to wait that long!!!

Our fifth trip with VBT and we both thought it was exceptional. Our leaders were from the region and knew many small details that made the whole trip more interesting. Slow food means local and fresh foods. Different cultural twists to dishes you think you know. The views were breath taking and the down hills exhilarating to say the least. Challenging and along the way we got to experience e-bikes. Don't be afraid to try. Every step of the way, beautiful people and accommodations.

Excellent bike vacation in Puglia. I'd never been there before and found it's a beautiful area with the sea and beaches and ancient walled cities. Less expensive than other parts of Italy and so friendly! I'd been on several bike tours in Europe before but not a self-guided tour. I was a bit apprehensive about that. Thanks to the great staff organizing the tour, we had a fantastic time and want to come back. Deborah was especially helpful with any little issue that came up. With her taking care of the logistics, I was free to really enjoy my holiday.

Everything about this trip was perfect from the time we were picked up at the airport in Bari. Alberbello was scenic and it was great to stay in a trulli and from there, it only got better each day. Our guide Deborah was most helpful. She was there when roads were closed and a slight detour was needed and had the best advice on where to eat, what to see, and how to get the most from out trip. The rides along the coasts were out of this world. The inland rides through olive groves and farmland, equally special. We felt attended to and every need anticipated. Would do this trip another trip like this in a nanosecond. Thanks, Deborah!

Our guides were excellent, particularly in the face of inclement weather. They managed to keep the mood positive. Safety is always paramount and this was adhered to universally. Puglia is rich with history and the group took advantage of this on the trip. Group banquets were outstanding. I would recommend the trip to others without any reservations.

Outstanding leaders, beautiful places to stay, fantastic food, and some unique towns as well as impressive coastal scenery. Biking was an excellent way to discover a region that is less frequented by foreign tourists.

It was a beautiful six days of cycling through Northern Italy. The Dolomites were spectacular!

The Dolomite Valley is a well kept secret to most Americans. It's a land between two cultures, Italian and Austrian, and has much of both. You can buy your Wurst und Beer in the Plaz and enjoy the sunshine. Bicycling is incredible, the trails are heavenly, and the scenery is incomparable. We took the post trip in Verona, took the train to Vicenza and back in the same day. This was our third and favorite VBT Tour.

Really enjoyed the new self guided trip in Sardinia. As a new tour it does have a few wrinkles that need to be ironed out. The scenery was spectacular. Unless you’re a really strong rider, an e-bike makes the hilly experience more enjoyable. Some of the hotels were super. A couple weren’t bad but their beds were horrible. One felt like a box spring. NOT good after a long day of riding! The final day was a beautiful ride, but ended early and had to wait several hours for the shuttle to the final night in Cagliari. It was in a nice beach area but frankly I’m not interested in going to the beach for a few hours after a bike tour. Would have preferred shuttling back to Cagliari earlier in the afternoon.

This might just be my favorite VBT trip. I have done three other guided and this was my first self-guided trip. The route is absolutely stunning, with mountains to the left and the sea to your right. I'm an active 36 year old and found the routes challenging. There were more than a few long stretches of incline that really kicked my butt. The reward was well worth it, riding through cute little towns, making stops at some of the most beautiful beaches, exploring the optional routes that were well worth detouring for and experiencing the most varied topography (sand dunes at one point!). I loved taking the ferry to Carloforte, which was such a cool spot, with plenty to explore. We went end of April and the weather was perfect, mid 70s, not too hot, which was helpful since there isn't much coverage on these routes. The best part - we were in an area in which we truly were the only American tourists. We were surrounded by Italians and that was truly special. Of course, being the first group to explore this trip meant a few hiccups, but they were truly minor and didn't impact the overall experience one bit. The hotels are not as nice as the other VBT trips I've been on but still charming. For example the second hotel was very simple but the view from our room, as well as the dinner chef cooked up, more than made up for it. The hotels seemed to get nicer and nicer as the trip progressed. I truly can't recommend this trip enough. If you want to be active, get some miles under your feet, while experiencing incredible beauty, this is the perfect trip.