Great mix of Exercise and Culture! The trip was very much according to expectations and as the trip notes described. I was on an October departure and that was "out of season" for some places so some of the usual restaurants/stops that the guides would typically use were closed but they adapted accordingly... The guiding was excellent and as a pilot this trip had 2 guides based on previous comments/feedbacks that it was difficult for one guide to manage if group was fragmented. I was impressed by how they adapted the trip and listened to our feedback to make changes on the go. I was also positively impressed by the amount of history and information on the locations that the guides were sharing. The initial days were a bit hilly but very manageable for anyone cycling regularly. The bikes were hybrid/trek types which were ideal for the purpose as we had multiple terrain types but primarily road. The agenda was quite full so morning starts and new hotel every night... with typically 90mins to 2hours in the late afternoon between arriving back at the hotel and heading out again for a city tour and dinner. It was a wonderful trip with many varied experiences and locations!
Another great trip with Exodus! To start, I would have given an excellent review but for the fact (1) that it's not very well vehicle supported because of where we were riding. No one had any issues, but for those who would like or are used to significant vehicle support, this is not. It is less than posted in the website; and ((2) the bikes were not very good. (We did the Vietnam bike ride and that was fully supported and had much better bikes). But, the bikes were serviceable. That being said, the trip was wonderful as the route was beautiful, the places were interesting, the guides were nice, and Peter had a wealth of knowledge about the places. And, to boot, our fellow riders were a great group. The weather varied, so be prepare for heat and rain. And, the small towns frequently did not take credit cards so be sure to bring lots of cash (or get it from ATM). The hotels were fine but I think some US travelers would find it significantly different from what they're used to if, for example, they went with Backroads. For example, a couple of the places had no hair dryers, and one only provided soap. But, we wouldn't trade this trip for one with the US companies. You ride more with this tour operator and you get more days. And, who needs a hair dryer when you're going to have helmet hair anyway But, I know some people care. I wished the trip was longer so you could have spent, for example, another night in Vienna. We arrived early and spent time in Prague before the trip started and stayed an extra day in Budapest at the end. We highly recommend that, if you can swing the time. (I guess we'll have to come back on our own and do Vienna again!) Overall, great trip. Our second with this tour operator. Our first was through Vietnam-that was an awesome trip!!! We'll be back!
Prague to Budapest via Bratislava and Vienna A collage of cycling and walking tours, learning local histories and enjoying old cities, castles and rivers, mixed with meeting and making friends with the touring group. And don't forget the food.