Spain

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.

VBT never disappoints. This was my 4th trip with VBT and it was fantastic. Our guides Oriol and Martin were outstanding. Loved the visit to the Dali Museum and came away with a new appreciation for his work. The landscapes were beautiful and the visit to the cider company was fun. The post trip in Mallorca was a pleasure.

We loved this trip! Beautiful and varied biking routes; knowledgeable, competent and engaging guides, top-notch hotels, delicious food and interesting cultural activities. I wish I could do it all over again!

We thoroughly enjoyed our first VBT experience. The tour route was very well laid out and we cannot not say enough about how impressive our tour leaders, David and Frederico, both of whom are natives of Portugal. Kudos to VBT for the way they planned and conducted our tour!

This part of Spain seems to be designed for biking with many small country roads and bike paths. Even the long climb on the first day was gentle and easy (on an E-Bike!). An occasional stint on a busier road brought us to another idyllic country road. The hotel accommodations were great. Nice people, fascinating medieval villages, orchards, fields. I love than Spain has a law requiring motorists to leave 1.5 meters when passing a bike.

The cities of Girona and Empuries provided interesting cultural context to the trip. Easy access to Barcelona before or after the trip also added a significant plus to the trip. The only slight downside were the routes that had a bit more traffic than expected. Accommodations were great.

The first two days were very hectic and sometimes scary as there were many professional riders on the same roads as the tour group! They were very into themselves and were not prone to let you know when they were passing, and would be riding three or more abreast on very narrow roads!

The Mallorca tour that we took in mid-May is one of the best of the 20 VBT Tours we have taken. It has everything a very good tour should have. The small towns we walked around were very charming, and the Harbor at Cala Figuera was beautiful. The roads, although in better shape, reminded me of the Cotswolds, some single lane, some 1 and a half lane and some 2 lane but traffic was rarely an issue. I was surprised at the number of serious bike riders we saw training on the Island. There were two Independent Rides, which had great views. We had very good weather, although a little warmer than we like. Jose and Bogumila continued the tradition of excellent VBT Leaders. The one day pre-trip in Palma is the right amount of time to visit the Cathedral and see the Harbor.. In Barcelona, we spent four hours in La Sagrada Familia, walked around several other Gaudi designed houses and found a great chocolate shop near the very interesting Citadel Park. We even saw flamingos near the last Hotel. We highly recommend this tour.

The scenery and biking were incredible! However, dealing with the ship's docking schedule was somewhat problematic and left less time for exploring the towns and shortened the rides.

We love VBT and the best part of this trip was our leader, Manu. He is awesome! All VBT leaders are great, and he is at the top. It was the initial offering of the trip, and some kinks will be addressed, I am sure. Coordinating the boat and the buses (there were A LOT of buses) and biking is complex. We enjoyed the chance to mix with other travelers on the boat. We enjoyed unpacking only once. The Douro is not a river where you can bike alongside, like the Danube--so there is a lot of bus transfer time on twisty steep roads (some complained of car sickness). It is a hilly area--definitely on the "moderate" scale, not the "easy-moderate" scale. Climate always a question-in late April we had both cold (40's) and wet and warm (70s) and sunny. The olive oil mill and winery were good experiences. The archeological site was sketchy.... If you like hills and don't mind the bus, a good trip to some less accessible areas.

This tour is excellent. The biking routes are interesting and offer challenge for all levels, with the option of a ride in the van always there for bikers who want to avoid some hills or just need a rest. The scenery is spectacular. The tour has a perfect combination of ride days and tour days. Our trip leaders were bright, personable, competent and a fun, integral part of the group. The hotels, food, and cultural events tied it all together. I highly recommend this tour. I want to go back tomorrow!

I had a wonderful time on the VBT Andalusian Spain trip and would highly recommend this trip to anyone who might be interested. The scenery is beautiful and the towns we visited had so much history. Our guides could not have been better. They made the trip both fun and safe. I went solo and felt like I gained 18 new friends. The food and lodging were top notch and the rides were totally manageable even for someone who is not an avid rider - but if you have a doubt about your abilities rent an E-bike and your worries will be over!

The trip was fabulous, we explored northern Spain along different parts of the Camino. The local guides were fantastic; friendly, knowledgeable, confident, concerned for our well being and safety. Everyone got along really well. The tours of the towns with the pottery and goat cheese tours with lunch was a highlight. Food was abundant, we actually agreed that after the luncheons we only needed a very light dinner. Hotels were amazing. Absolutely loved this trip and our guides. I went into this trip thinking we were walking enough distance to obtain the Camino certification, we went to get one and the official man behind the counter told us “ impossible “ This was a disappointment for me. I would have liked that in the description of this trip. I was not the only one with this expectation. I called the office of country walkers when I realized it was not an official walk a few days prior to the trip and was told to just walk another 15 miles to reach the criteria. This was not possible on this tour. I am planning to return and walk the Camino as a pilgrim and obtain the Camino certificate. That is important to me and from this trip I realize it is doable. The trip was more than just the walk and I got so much out of this trip that I can say was well worth it and will be life changing.

Manuel and Alberto were both excellent guides - good communicators, they kept us all on track. overall it was a good balance of walking and cultural activities. we covered a lot of ground which meant many hours in the bus - would have preferred a little more 'walking'. One the other hand the cultural activities were a highlight.

Very satisfied with the arrangements that country walker made which not just made us work out but meals provided local interest

Beautiful coastal hikes and vistas from nearby heights.