Spain

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.

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.

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 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!

As my wife and others have mentioned the routes, scenery and accommodations were all excellent, as were the bikes! We chose the carbon road bike option since that’s what we ride at home. After a couple of stops to get the seats adjusted to our liking we were off and found the bikes to be very comfortable and well geared for the hills. We’re in our mid sixties and trained over the summer working up to doing 3-4 rides per week with lengths of 20-40 miles and elevations from 900’-2,100’. That training was sufficient as we found none of the climbs too difficult (although we did choose the longer, less elevation route leaving Girona). While the bikes did have a bar end mirror and a clip on tail light I was glad we brought our own helmet mirrors and front and rear lights. They made the few short sections of high traffic roads much less nerve racking. The drivers were all very courteous however, passing with the required 1.5m clearance. At a rest break a car even stopped to see if we needed any assistance! In addition to the lights and mirrors we also brought wireless earbuds to better hear the excellent Ride with GPS route cues, only using the right ones so we could still easily hear traffic. I do wish we had brought our own phone mounts as the ones provided use rubber corner straps which makes accessing your phone for photos difficult and time consuming. In addition, if they’re not strapped properly the phone can fall out as my wife’s did. Luckily we found it and there was no damage. All in all a great trip even though the bike accessories could be improved.

Having done one guided VBT tour and one self-guided, I find that the self-guided option offers most of the benefits of the guided version, leaving out only the close supervision and support of excellent tour guides. We were familiar with the bikes and the tools--RideWithGPS--so we were prepared to go it on our own. Worked out great. Got the support we needed--hotels, baggage transfer, assistance with nightly charging etc.--and were free to make our own schedules and seek out our own stops along the way. The routes provided by VBT were enough to make us feel we knew where we were going and could manage on our own, and everything worked out okay. Highly recommended.

We had another amazing VBT guided trip in mid-September. This was our 8th tour with VBT and one of our favorites. The weather was perfect - low's in the 50s, highs in the 70s, and not a drop of rain until departure day. Our routes traversed less traveled roads, breathtaking landscapes, encompassing coastal vistas, olive groves, fruit orchards, vineyards, farmsteads, and the serene shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The diverse terrain of Mallorca presents an array of cycling difficulties, accommodating both e-assist bicycles and road bikes. Our cycling group was evenly divided between these two options. The hotel accommodations were not only aesthetically pleasing but also historical in many instances. Conveniently, we were able to access local shops and restaurants within walking distance. Throughout our journey, the guides were consistently attentive, engaging, and informative about the local culture.

This was an outstanding trip, and I have been on many with VBT. The guides were excellent, which is something VBT is known for. Bebe and Joan were truly concerned for our satisfaction, and went out of their way with special touches to make each day special. The roads are fantastic for cycling and many teams and clubs training which adds to the thrill; the towns we visited were full of character and energy; the fincas were charming. We had 6 days of excellent riding, great food and wine, lovely hosts and superior guides. If I could have started all over again when the tour ended I would have. Do the pre-tour in Palma for great architecture and history; and then head to Barcelona for more art, history and a diverse city.

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.

Great trip! Manu and Matt made sure everything went well. The rides were beautiful. The winery visit and the olive oil tasting were terrific. The cruise and VBT worked well together to make sure the trip was flawless. Highly recommend

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!

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

This is a wonderful trip with wonderful guides! It gives you a taste of what it would be like to walk one of the Caminos in its' entirety - I hope to go back and do that one day!

Mallorca is a beautiful island. The two guides made this trip much more enjoyable. After 24 CW trips I can safely say that our guides are in the top 3 in my experience. The hiking paths were more moderate than easy because of the many greatly uneven rocks. There were beautiful coves and ancient cultivated and wild olive trees and a very long historical record. Something for everyone with strong legs.

The itinerary, trails, meals and lodging were top notch, complimented by the best two guides we have ever had....they missed no opportunity to please.