Detailed Travel-Report
Browse through RAD + REISEN - EUROCYCLE travel reviews! Find out, how other clients experienced their cycle holidays.
On the specific tour-page you can find a summary of all reviews under the tab "Travel-Reviews".
Baltics Cycling
Day 1
Unable to go on the tour as it was only in German
Day 2
A little chaotic start collecting panniers and paperwork etc. A lot of information for the day in the packs, would have been better to have had this earlier to absorb. No proper sit down welcome and briefing
The cycling had unnecessary long (12km) stretch on uninteresting road from Vihasoo to Vosu The rest of the cycling wasn´t much better.
For some reason we could not finish at our hotel which we passed (Sagadi Mois) but had to cycle another 10km to Palmse Manor and wait an hour just for the minibus to bring us back. I did ask at the start of the day why we had to do this but got no coherent response.
Day 3
Fairly monotonous cycling from Mustvee to Alatskivi, more open countryside but boring
Could have been shortened as we arrived late at Tartu with little time to explore the town
Cycle route from Alatskivi to Varnja was more interesting through the onion sellers
Day 4
Smiltene to Cesis, VERY long and bike route on an uninteresting road.
On this day we took the minibus when it passed us, good move as more time to spend in the pleasant village of Cesis
Day 5
Riga????..excellent city tour guide who actually took us aside for English version
Day 6
This should have been a 50km bike ride from Puces to Kuldiga but after 17km we took the mini bus at Kabile enroute. Although relatively quiet the road was narrow, no bike path and plenty of logging lorries on the way. Quite a few people took the bus at this stage
Kuldiga was a lovely spot. Shame the staff in the restaurant had such a bad service attitude, felt like second class citizens who had to be rushed out of the place. The waitress took my main meal plate away with one hand and plonked the desert down with the other.
Day 7
Good day, finally on a cycle track.
However the description for today was a little lacking, just said ?after 14km you reach Klaipeda?, but I think there had been some more recent roadworks or changes to the route, either way, we lost the route 10 and ended up by the side of a dual carriage way.
Day 8
Cycling the land spit, good cycle tracks to Nida, nice resort and hotel
Day 9
Very nice private boat ride across to Uostadvaris
The rest of the bike ride was boring and pointless. Seemed like it had just been put in to give the bus drivers time to arrive from a different ferry.
42km, narrow roads, no cycle path, enough traffic to be unsafe or unpleasant
Told we had to be at the pick up by 3pm, although we didn´t then leave until 4:15pm, considering everyone was there at 3pm, and it was raining we could have set off on the next long transfer of 240km.
We arrived at the hotel at 7:50pm in Kaunas to be told dinner would be at 8pm and not 8:30pm as planned.
Very little time in Kaunas, but a lot of time was wasted on this day.
Day 10
Still on road cycling, quite narrow and a little busier but the scenery was pleasant so this ride was worthwhile.
Ending the tour was rushed, felt like the leaders just wanted our equipment back and to be off.
Supposed to leave Trakai at 3:30pm, we were enjoying a drink when we were found and told we were leaving at 3pm.
The last hotel in Vilnius not up to standard (Castle Gate Hotel), disappointing end as we´d booked the extra night here. Cold damp rooms, just about acceptable breakfast but compared to the others, not good. Couldn´t leave a review about this hotel as booked with the group. Could not join the group for the guided tour, German only.
In brief..Good points
Good safe driver
Good comfortable bikes, no problems
Mostly good hotels
Easy connections to airports
A few more interesting towns than expected
In brief..not so good
Long boring stretches of cycling on main roads
Daily briefing was rushed, poor English, had to mainly rely on our German fellow travellers for help.
Did not realise the tour guides would be only in German (not stated on your initial description on the website)
Some arrangements seemed to be for the benefit of the drivers rather than the holiday makers.
No pedometer, so difficult to guess distances (have always had one before)
Printed guide material not up to high standard of previous Rad Reisen tours we´ve been on
Unable to go on the tour as it was only in German
Day 2
A little chaotic start collecting panniers and paperwork etc. A lot of information for the day in the packs, would have been better to have had this earlier to absorb. No proper sit down welcome and briefing
The cycling had unnecessary long (12km) stretch on uninteresting road from Vihasoo to Vosu The rest of the cycling wasn´t much better.
For some reason we could not finish at our hotel which we passed (Sagadi Mois) but had to cycle another 10km to Palmse Manor and wait an hour just for the minibus to bring us back. I did ask at the start of the day why we had to do this but got no coherent response.
Day 3
Fairly monotonous cycling from Mustvee to Alatskivi, more open countryside but boring
Could have been shortened as we arrived late at Tartu with little time to explore the town
Cycle route from Alatskivi to Varnja was more interesting through the onion sellers
Day 4
Smiltene to Cesis, VERY long and bike route on an uninteresting road.
On this day we took the minibus when it passed us, good move as more time to spend in the pleasant village of Cesis
Day 5
Riga????..excellent city tour guide who actually took us aside for English version
Day 6
This should have been a 50km bike ride from Puces to Kuldiga but after 17km we took the mini bus at Kabile enroute. Although relatively quiet the road was narrow, no bike path and plenty of logging lorries on the way. Quite a few people took the bus at this stage
Kuldiga was a lovely spot. Shame the staff in the restaurant had such a bad service attitude, felt like second class citizens who had to be rushed out of the place. The waitress took my main meal plate away with one hand and plonked the desert down with the other.
Day 7
Good day, finally on a cycle track.
However the description for today was a little lacking, just said ?after 14km you reach Klaipeda?, but I think there had been some more recent roadworks or changes to the route, either way, we lost the route 10 and ended up by the side of a dual carriage way.
Day 8
Cycling the land spit, good cycle tracks to Nida, nice resort and hotel
Day 9
Very nice private boat ride across to Uostadvaris
The rest of the bike ride was boring and pointless. Seemed like it had just been put in to give the bus drivers time to arrive from a different ferry.
42km, narrow roads, no cycle path, enough traffic to be unsafe or unpleasant
Told we had to be at the pick up by 3pm, although we didn´t then leave until 4:15pm, considering everyone was there at 3pm, and it was raining we could have set off on the next long transfer of 240km.
We arrived at the hotel at 7:50pm in Kaunas to be told dinner would be at 8pm and not 8:30pm as planned.
Very little time in Kaunas, but a lot of time was wasted on this day.
Day 10
Still on road cycling, quite narrow and a little busier but the scenery was pleasant so this ride was worthwhile.
Ending the tour was rushed, felt like the leaders just wanted our equipment back and to be off.
Supposed to leave Trakai at 3:30pm, we were enjoying a drink when we were found and told we were leaving at 3pm.
The last hotel in Vilnius not up to standard (Castle Gate Hotel), disappointing end as we´d booked the extra night here. Cold damp rooms, just about acceptable breakfast but compared to the others, not good. Couldn´t leave a review about this hotel as booked with the group. Could not join the group for the guided tour, German only.
In brief..Good points
Good safe driver
Good comfortable bikes, no problems
Mostly good hotels
Easy connections to airports
A few more interesting towns than expected
In brief..not so good
Long boring stretches of cycling on main roads
Daily briefing was rushed, poor English, had to mainly rely on our German fellow travellers for help.
Did not realise the tour guides would be only in German (not stated on your initial description on the website)
Some arrangements seemed to be for the benefit of the drivers rather than the holiday makers.
No pedometer, so difficult to guess distances (have always had one before)
Printed guide material not up to high standard of previous Rad Reisen tours we´ve been on
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