Spain

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the VBT Costa Brava trip. The biking itinerary was clearly written and well planned. We are confident traveling in Europe after living there many years, however, we believe it is safer and certainly more convenient to bike with a reputable group tour. VBT offers a high quality experience which we can recommend without hesitation.

Our favorite VBT trip to date. The cultural experience rivaled the well planned cycling routes. Time spent on and off the bicycle created lasting memories for joyful reflection.

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!

Lodging was fantastic. Self guided app was spot on and would ding if you were 10 feet off course. I'm hooked. Coming back

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.

This extraordinary bike trip in Mallorca was led by three professional and kind leaders who only had our best interest at heart! The routes were varied, some routes were more challenging than others and the hospitality of all hotels, vineyards, salt mine, etc. we’re 5 star! I highly recommend this tour ! Incredible scenery, variety of terrain and exceptional customer service and food!

This trip was above and beyond our expectations. We biked usually 15-20 miles each morning and each afternoon. We chose e-assist bikes and it made the hills easy to navigate. We live in Central Iowa and have plenty of hills and flats, but we don't usually ride hills twice a day so the e-assist was a great way to relax and stop and take pictures of the beautiful scenery even if we needed to stop on a hill. Loved seeing the ocean multiple times and being able to get in and swim. Pools with beverage time at the hotels were also a hit. The best part of our tour were our two guides - BB & Carolina. Patient, caring, excellent mechanics, wonderful snack preparers, great planning and communicating each day with their white boards and other diagrams. Loved the Ride with GPS app on our phones. No-one strayed too far off course. Each hotel was different from the others and all were beautiful with great beds. We appreciated our luggage being easily transported. Both my husband and I had carry-on size plus a backpack. All pieces were in our rooms when we arrived at a new location. The salt harvesting tour and wine tasting were both hits with our entire group of 19. We also extended 2 days prior in Mallorca with friends who live there, and 3 nights after in Barcelona. Loved the 1898 Hotel. I've already encouraged friends to sign up for future tours at VBT in Mallorca. And they are ready, after seeing our pictures and video provided by our guides. Cheers to BB & Carolina! T&T from Iowa.

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.

What an amazing trip! The Douro Valley was nothing short of magical. Cannot recommend this trip highly enough. The bike-boat experience was phenomenal (Emerald Cruises was top notch) and the Portuguese VBT leaders and entire boat crew made it an unforgettable experience. The exposure to the historical culture and centuries-old commerce along the Douro were a highlight. Bravo VBT

Nick and Roman made the trip so special. They were there to meet our every need and gave us of themselves. The biking is superlative and the lodging very unique and memorable

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 loved this trip. The group was so compatible, no "problem people". The hotels were top rate! The meals were great, albeit too much food. The guides became friends! The bus driver rocked! And the path/trails well thought out. Totally enjoyed it!!! Hope to do another country walkers trip again in near future. Jean

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.

Loved this tour! The guides, Hille and Isabel, were knowledgeable about Mallorca and Deia, and shared the information in an interesting manner; plus they were highly competent group leaders who were fun, funny and upbeat. Fellow hikers were friendly and interesting, and as a group we created a comfortable esprit de corps. The hiking was designated as easy to moderate, with seemingly something for everyone in the group - stronger hikers often took the lead while others walked at a slower pace. The 4 - 5 star accommodations were extremely comfortable and the food was fantastic (and a lot more than most of us usually consume)! This was my first hiking tour, and I look forward to doing another.

Mallorca is, of course, a spectacularly beautiful place to explore on foot. And when the explorers have the most personable and knowledgeable local guides ever, daily delights abound! We loved the gorgeous views, the satisfying and educational snack breaks (where we enjoyed fresh local fruits and treats, and even sampled the traditional mallorquin sausage, sobrasada, prepared and cured by our lead guide, Jaume!), the cultural and historical education shared by our two proud Mallorquin guides - everything!