Spain

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.

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.

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!

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!

Amazing trip! VBT booked this for us, a group of 12 and it could not have been better. The communication pre trip was great, the details once we arrived were perfect, our local hosts were great to work with, although we didn't really need them for much. The GPS routes were easy to follow, the points of interest that were noted were great as well. The bikes seemed almost new and everyone's was what they reserved. Each hotel was better than the next and the first one in Girona set the bar pretty high. The hotel staff was knowledgeable about the details of our trip and our luggage drop off needs each morning. Truly a trip of a life time and VBT really made it easy. Highly recommend this route as well.

Having been on three other guided VBT tours we chose to sign up for this self-guided tour this time. VBT provided great ebikes, helmets, repair kits, excellent GPS directions on RidewithGPS, along with luggage transfer service. We had a contact with a VBT employee in case of emergency, but there were no other riders on our tour. I sometimes missed having a guide for local knowledge and rest stops, but we really enjoyed having the freedom to explore beyond the prescribed route, finding restaurants, beach rides and sights we would have missed on a guided tour. We saw less of the Costa Brava area than we would have on the guided tour, but we enjoyed riding our bikes into local towns in the evening for drinks and dinner. The routes were largely in the interior of la Costa Brava, up and over small mountain passes, through beautifully preserved medieval villages, farmland, and olive groves, with limited coastal riding except near the destination hotel. The hotels were all excellent and provided secure areas to leave and charge the bikes. The last hotel, Hostal Empuries, located next to the impressive Empuries GrecoRoman ruins, was particularly lovely, situated on a beautiful cove with excellent amenities excepting a swimming pool. We really enjoyed our independence during this self-guided trip!

As in all of the previous VBT trips I have been on, this trip more than met its expectations. Beautiful, picturesque vistas, great tour guides and an experience we will always remember!

This trip is the best VBT trip we've done. We are 10 trip VBT veterans. The guides, Ana (Hanka) and Joan Mas were the greatest! The island, culture, riding and hotels were fantastic.

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.

The guides and the boat and staff were great. However, the trip did not meet the usual VBT expectations. The trip itinerary lists a warm up ride in Porto. This does not exist. The "warm up" and bike fitting are in a small parking lot the next day where there is no space to adequately test the bike. So you're immediately out on a road with no shoulder in heavy traffic for 16 miles along the river. No doubt there are some nice views, but when you're only concerned about safety and figuring out the bike, there is no time for scenery. The next couple days riding were moderately uninteresting scenery. The best ride was the Rails to Trails - Safe, beautiful, interesting. We were looking forward to the final ride to the Atlantic Coast but got rained out. Because of being on the boat there are daily transfers by bus of up to an hour each way to get to the biking areas and back to the boat. Too much time on a bus!! While it was nice to only unpack once, the trade off of charming hotels and villages with our bikes on the property was not worth it.

Fabulous trip! We truly enjoyed ourselves and the other people on the tour. We loved being there during Holy Week, too. The pre and post extensions were wonderful, we especially loved Rondo. All of the guides were terrific! Nico and Juan Carlos were fabulous as well. They both had a wonderful sense of humor and were very patient and helpful. We will highly recommend this tour to others and look forward to doing another tour in the future!

Great way to experience Andalusia from rural, small town, big city. Very much impressed with it all.

This trip was perfectly balanced with a variety of activities. The walking sections were stunning! There were magnificent coastlines, ancient pathways into medieval villages, expansive mountain vistas, charming towns and beautiful moments under the canopy of verdant forests. Along the way you had the pleasure of greeting pilgrims or experiencing your own version of being a Camino pilgrim. Enhancing this walk with visits to local crafters and cultural activities was the highlight for me. The lodging was exceptional as it continued the theme of history with its location and the buildings itself. How fascinating to stay in a rectory or castle where centuries of stories now live. Finally our guides Manu and Diego were amazing. I have been on many guided trips, these two were the best team I have ever had on a guided tour. Their knowledge was excellent, they were attentive to everyones needs and took care of details with a happy and positive attitude. They bring humor and delight to a group dynamic, which made all of us comfortable, resulting in true bonds and friendship for our group. Essentially they created community. I give them 10 ⭐️ stars! By the end of the trip, I felt like I had been on an epic journey with friends that became family. Thank you Country Walkers Team for planning, creating and building a wonderful trip. I will be back for more next year.

It was well planned, had great accommodations and super guides. We experienced the best landscapes of three separate caminos. I give it a 5 in spite of some rainy days

Excellent tour. Our tour guides were so wonderful.

The description of the difficulty of the hikes was misleading..the trails were donkey paths that proved to be frustratingly difficult. I could not enjoy the "scenic views" because I was afraid that I might fall off a cliff or mountain ridge...However, our guides were amazing, quite knowledgeable, very friendly, eager to assist or help and always with a smile on their face. The choices of restaurants were good but we were provided a picnic on the last day which was sub par.