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.

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.

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!

We loved our self guided tour around Costa Brava. Accomodations were very nice. We especially liked the 1600's Farmhouse with the outstanding restaurant. The rides were very pleasant and vehicles were very respectful of cyclists. All the people we encountered were very kind and helpful. .

This self-guided ride through the Costa Brava area was our first experience with VBT; we did the trip with our daughter and her husband. We are all fit and active, but only one is an experienced long distance bicycle rider, and none of us had trained for this trip extensively. We selected e-bikes (also relatively new to most of us) and were thrilled with the whole experience. Accommodations were great, the Ride with GPS app was terrific, and our local host was available every morning to check in with if needed. We hope to do another VBT ride together!

The biking was wonderful, taking us on quiet country roads though olive, almond, and citrus orchards as well as providing beautiful views of the Mediterranean. The guides were excellent, always providing support, encouragement, energy, and insights, and the food and accommodations were great. It was our first biking tour with VBT but won't be our last!

Our two lady guides made our trip a ten…..they were amazing, knowledgeable, gracious, fun, and helpful

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.

Wonderful trip! Biking along the Douro and surrounding areas was amazing. We were able to go to some remote places and really experience the area without a lot of tourists around. The meals we had in the small towns were top notch! We had wonderful tours as well. Matyas and David were excellent guides. Riding an ebike on this tour enabled me to enjoy the multiple steep hills.

This was the best VBT trip I've had. Great biking,and mix of culture. Excellent unique hotels,and our guides were extremely fun and happy to share their culture.

We visited Andalucia Spain with VBT in Nov. 2012. This was our 24th bicycling trip with VBT and was our best trip yet! Andalucia is more scenic than we ever imagined and the bicycling along rural roads and trails is the best way to experience this area. The longer cycling routes offered each day were through rolling hills with sweeping vistas overlooking olive orchards as far as the eye could see and small white-housed villages nestled in the hill-sides. Andalucia offers many cultural and historic attractions in Seville, Cordoba and Granada that make this a very enriching and rewarding trip.

Wonderful trip, great guides, good food, well-organized. Guides Alberto and Pol were a great team and anticipated our every need. Moreover, they were fun to be with and full of helpful information. The route was well planned to experience both the Camino Norte and the Camino Franca. The paradors were generally good though not spectacular, with the exception of that in Santiago de Compostela. Visits to the winery and cheese factory were also pleasant and provided variety to the walking treks. The length and elevation gain of the walks were fine for the elderly group, though the initial information should be checked for accuracy. Some walks were more and others were less than advertised.

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.

This travel experience was even better than I thought. The hikes were beautiful and not too challenging. The scenery, food, and locations were fabulous. The guides were experienced, knowledgeable and best of all, personable. The accommodations, especially the Fontsanta Hotel Thermal and Spa were excellent. We had 17 people in our group and initially I thought this was a bit much but it proved to be wonderful. Great people to enhance an absolutely wonderful experience.

Excellent tour. Our tour guides were so wonderful.