We loved this trip! The scenery, the biking routes, the guides, the accommodations were all fanatastic. We liked the other guests, the fabulous breakfasts and particularly loved our post trip to Mallorca.
Europe
Wonderful Experience!
Bets70, St. Louis, MO
Spain: Girona & Costa Brava
VBT Continues to Deliver
It starts with the guides and they deliver on a continuous basis. Andrea and Javier (Javi) are excellent at delivering the experience promised by VBT and go above and beyond to make it all work and make sure you are happy. There are always glitches along the way, mostly created by the guests. They work tirelessly and effectively to solve every problem. Like all the other trips (we have done many). It's so much more than the wonderful biking. The farm visit to the apple orchard is amazing. Who knew so much science and technology are needed to be successful in this day and age. They explained why more than 150 apples stresses the trees and produce inferior apples. They showed us the technology they use to eliminate excess blooms. The resultant apples, juices and ciders are wonderful. The enjoyment of our visit to the Dali museum was magnified many times over by the enthusiasm and knowledge of Kim, our guide. I had no idea how many elements were in each Dali painting and how his mind worked.
Abie, New Jersey
Spain: Girona & Costa Brava
loved our rides thru Provence!
Great trip! Our guides were great hosts and made sure everyone was safe, comfortable, and getting the most out of each day. Gorgeous part of the world.
TrishB, Northern California
France: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Les Baux & Avignon
Provence is a Pleasure!
Bike routes were beautiful and enjoyable! Loved the town of St. Remy and the location of our hotel. Really enjoyed Avignon and again, the location of the hotel made exploring the city very easy.
Idaho21, Idaho
France: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Les Baux & Avignon
A trip for the bucket list
As with all our VBT experiences Portugal did not disappoint. The trips are planned well from the time you take off from home until you land back at home. The transfers, the accommodations, and the in between are well thought out and planned. Any necessary changes are planned for. Portugal is tourist friendly, they are ahead of the curve with the pandemic, follow the rules. It is tough to find a bad meal, the weather was great; there is a lot of history. The cycling was easily doable for all who cycle 25 miles with some wind or hills. If you take only a few trips, make this one.
Marc from MA, Natick, MA
Portugal: Lisbon, Évora & the Algarve
Great trip to Portugal
Enjoyed this trip to Portugal. Good mix of easy and moderate riding to work off the fantastic food/beverages.
LeslieS, San Diego, CA, USA
Portugal: Lisbon, Évora & the Algarve
Loved every bit of this trip!
This was such a great trip. Copenhagen was such a lovely city and perfect to discover by walking. Sweden was so beautiful and the biking was an exciting discovery each day. Bodhi and Philip were just wonderful as our guides - fun, professional and always helpful. We had never been to Scandinavia and this was such a lovely way to see it.
JeanBru, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Scandinavia: Denmark & Sweden
Great Biking & Interesting Cities
We've taken 16 VBT trips and the Scandinavia trip is definitely in the top two or three trips we've taken with them. Whoever laid this trip out really knew what they were doing. Great biking, three beautiful and most interesting cities: Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki, ferry ride experiences, the Stockholm Archipelago, great hotels, good food, incredible museums and wonderful guides who really knew the area and culture. This trip is one of VBT's very best and it won't surprise me to see it become their signature trip!
BikedItLikedIt, Springfield, IL, United States
Scandinavia: Denmark & Sweden
The Beautiful Cotswolds Experience
The Cotswold biking experience is wonderful, small villages and beautiful country scenery to enjoy on your bike rides. I would recommend this bike tour for experienced bikers because of the narrow country roads and potholes. Our bike guides were great, always ready to assist in any way and the hotels were perfect meeting our every need. The breakfasts were excellent, fueling us for the ride ahead. Biking offers a up close view of the scenery and towns and allows us to go at our own pace and stop for photo opts when desired. I love VBT trips!
Yvonne Gordon,
England: Bath & the Cotswolds
Not very relaxing
The tour directors, Cotswolds, and Bath were all wonderful. So my “3” rating does not reflect THEM. I’m rating the activity level rating and the bikes: this trip is not “easy/moderate” even with an e-bike. I ride at least three times per week at home and found myself struggling with the hills and daily distance. VBT advertises this trip as one with quiet roads, when many of the roads were actually very narrow, commercial, and busy. The bike design made them hard to get on and off, leading to falls. It was more stressful than the relaxing trip I’d hoped for.
Ca C,
England: Bath & the Cotswolds
Mountains, rivers, and bike paths
Our leaders, Luigi and Jean Marc, were well organized, attentive to our needs, and delightful to be around. Chamonix, where the trip starts, is all about Mont Blanc. You can take a cable car to a nearby peak and see in all directions, if it is not cloudy. The cable car ride is still worthwhile if it's cloudy. You can also enjoy the river walk and ride a train, north and south, for free. The bike rides were mostly on bike paths and often downhill. There were three steep climbs which the ebikes and road bikes managed easily. Mountains were always in sight and so were rivers, especially the Rhone. We had rain several days, but no washouts. The trip ends in Lyon, a metropolitan city. There are museums, a river walk, river cruises, and shopping. Lyon is also the gastronomical center of France. We took advantage of Greeter Lyon Metropole which arranges free tours with local citizens. The strolls, as they are called, are usually two hours but our guide gave us a four hour tour. One downside is theft by pickpocket. In our group, one person had a wallet stolen, another a cell phone, and another thwarted a theft attempt. Take precautions and the thieves will look elsewhere.
Amos Redux, Oshkosh, WI
Switzerland & France: Lake Geneva, Annecy & Valleys of the Alps
Minnesota bike group
Great trip in an outstanding part of the world. Nice accommodations and great leaders
Sam L, New Hampshire
Switzerland & France: Lake Geneva, Annecy & Valleys of the Alps
Wonderful trip
The experience with VBT went beyond expectations as did the part of Greece where we cycled. The Peloponnesian Peninsula is a relatively undiscovered biking jewel, I enjoyed it far more than biking various Greek Islands. Accommodations were excellent and Greek food speaks for itself. VBT and the guides went out of their way in providing a 5 star experience. The bikes were new and top quality, the routes were varied and interesting. The guides bent over backwards to please us and provide a great biking as well as cultural experience.
Marcia B, Boise, Idaho
Greece: Sparta, Monemvasia & the Peloponnesian Peninsula
Gorgeous views, rewarding rides and delicious food
This VBT trip does not disappoint! The attention to detail for every visit and experience was remarkable. I live in the mid-west and don't have many hills to train on so these rides were challenging for me, but doable and once I was done I felt very satisfied. The accommodations were all different and great in their own way. The guides were energetic and informative. I highly recommend this tour - it's a great way to see Greece!
Jaymers,
Greece: Sparta, Monemvasia & the Peloponnesian Peninsula
Lake District Italy One of the Best Biking Tours
The scenery was spectacular. The boat and train rides were a lot of fun. The pacing was good. And the food was wonderful and very locally sourced. I have been on a lot of VBT biking tours, and this was one of the best!
DebL,
Italy: Lake Como & the Italian Lake District
Lakes, rivers, ferries, and food!
Beautiful region of Italy; always on/near a lake or river. Fun and unique to take ferries with our bikes to and from our hotel multiple times. The hotels and meals were excellent; now that I'm home I really miss those breakfast buffets! In my opinion, these biking vacations are the best way to travel. I went solo on this trip and this might also be the best setting for the single traveler experience. Already looking forward to the next one.
TinaB, Bend, Oregon
Italy: Lake Como & the Italian Lake District
A dream-come-true vacation
This trip was everything I'd hoped for: idyllic scenes, charming accommodations, amazing food, and the thrill of taking it all in on a bike. The navigation app was easy to use and very helpful. My only suggestion would be to include a lakeside stop at Lunz am See - it's not to be missed!
Kai S, Rock Island, Illinois
Germany & Austria: The Danube River
Wonderful Experience!
Absolutely incredible experience. I loved the great elements of the tour but the ability to round out my experience with great exploration and meals!
GDL65, Cape Coral FL
Germany & Austria: The Danube River
VBT Bicycling Vacations
Country Walkers