Europe

This was one of the best VBT tours we have taken. Food, riding, scenery, exploration of the art of Dali, wonderful guides and fantastic accommodations. Pre-trip in Barcelona is a must do to see the Gaudi architecture and Picasso museum as well as experience Catalonia at its best.

Our favorite VBT trip to date. The cultural experience rivaled the well planned cycling routes. Time spent on and off the bicycle created lasting memories for joyful reflection.

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.

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.

The trip was a perfect way to visit southern Portugal. The guides were awesome, always there to lend a hand or offer guidance. The bikes were outstanding - brand new fleet. The routes were interesting and scenic with little traffic. The food and wine were great. And above all the opportunity to spend time with old friends and to meet new friends was rewarding. Thanks

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.

I have done 9 trips with VBT so far, all have been great, but I must say this went to #1. The 2 best guides, the entire 20 guests like instant friends, with our leaders Prunella and Philip. I wish we had more time everywhere. The post trip to Helsinki was truly amazing, so glad we did it, only 4 of us went, sorry to say the others missed out. Jean Vermeeren

I have wanted to visit the Nordic countries since 1974 when I was an exchange student in Europe. Thank you, VBT, for finally making it an affordable destination! As always, the travel arrangements were seamless, the leaders were phenomenal, and the experience was second to none!

The guided bicycling trip through the Cotswolds was excellent. Our guides, Will and Dan made our trip a wonderful experience. They chose beautiful rides over varied terrain to keep things interesting, took care of our bicycles and accommodations and were generally wonderful people to be around. We were also lucky to have an exceptional group for this tour. I unreservedly recommend Will and Dan, our guides, and this tour.

Every detail of this trip was well thought out, perfectly planned and expertly, as well as thoughtfully led by Dan and Hattie, who live in the area. Their connection to the Cotswolds personalized this trip in ways that would not have been possible without their guidance. VBT organizes their trips with an emphasis on interesting, varied and challenging routes, as well as as focusing on the cultural traditions and history of the area. Ending this trip in Bath, with its 2000+ years of Roman history was incredible, and was the perfect contrast to the English countryside. The accommodations, as well as the dining experiences, were first rate in every location we stayed, charming and indicative of the history of the area and people who live there. This trip exceeded every expectation I had. Dan and Hattie were skilled, knowledgeable and most of all genuine in their concern for each of us in the group and making this trip a lifetime memory. Again, thanks to them both for their sharing their home with us in so many meaningful ways.

From beginning to end, this was a first rate vacation because of VBT and our trip leaders.

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.

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!

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.

This was an excellent VBT trip. We were in a part of Italy that we had never visited before, and it was visually stunning. Highlights of the trip: the train ride into Switzerland, which provided wonderful vistas, and biking in the Swiss Alps at 10,000 ft elevation; Lake Iseo and the pleasant biking around the lake environs, the Hotel Riva Lago in Sulzano, and the lunch and wine at Al Rocol winery. The leaders of trip, Elena and Roberta, were excellent guides, leaders, coaches, and mentors. They were attentive to our biking issues and great at making suggestions and problem solving when the need arose. Bellagio was crowded, but charming, with plenty of opportunities to visit various villas and their gardens. The Ride with GPS walking tour in Bellagio was a highlight and a nice transition from being on the bike to a more relaxed way of being! The only negative I can mention at this point is that there were more challenging hills than expected, and the bike path and road surfaces were pretty rough and made the biking more tiring (I was using a hybrid bike for most of the trip, but had to switch to an e-bike due to some physical issues).

The tour guides Angelo and Roberto were so helpful and lots of fun! The trip was exciting and very informative. Vbt runs a well-organized and well -prepared biking tour. The hotels and planned dinners were excellent. I will book another bike trip with VBT for sure!

Excellent ride along the river, up into the countryside, and along vineyards and orchards. Oh, and can't forget all the castles and Abbeys! Easy riding, scenic, great food along the way, and the Hotels were perfectly chosen for location, beauty, comfort! Every bit of the trip was amazing.

I did the Germany, Austria, Danube River, VBT tour in August 2024. It was a self guided tour and I was the only one that had signed up for it for the month of August. I was a little concerned doing a self guided trip by myself, but it turned out great. Despite being August, the heat was not bad most of my riding was in the morning but it was still in the 70s mid and upper. Didn't turn 80° until around 1:30 2 o'clock in the afternoon. As usual VBT did a great job with the hotels, they were all excellent. The ride was easy going down river, no big hills. VBT also had shuttles to carry me past the less scenic parts of the ride. VBT also. did. an excellent job booking all of my travel even the travel after the bike tour. It was a great adventure. I totally enjoyed it.