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.

I wasn't sure I would be able to do this ride. But I had no problem at all. I used an e-bike and kept up the group and had a ball! Everyone on the ride was wonderful and fun to be with. If you aren't sure you might be up for a ride thru Spain, think again. Anyone can do it using an e-bike. I can't wait to do my next trip!! Hum, where shall I go?

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!

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.

We recently returned from our self-guided biking trip through Spain and enjoyed a truly memorable experience. VBT delivered on all aspects of lodging, bikes, self-guided app, and pre-trip planning. Our in-country hosts were readily available and willing to help with minor adjustments mid-trip. The routes were predominantly local road biking routes with minimal car traffic to worry about while riding. This was our first VBT trip and we would be more than happy to explore another area of the world with VBT!

wonderful tour led by a very enthusiastic Bogumila.

The trip was very enjoyable. The itinerary was well conceived and well paced, taking us to a variety of locations with bike rides that were suitable for bikers having a range of skills. The scenery was great, and the weather cooperated (just a few minutes of rain one morning). All hotel accommodations were outstanding, including the very impressive breakfast buffets and the convenient locations. Our fellow travelers were friendly, cooperative, and interesting to spend time with. The best VBT trip I've been on, my ninth.

This trip is a great way to see Portugal. Pre-extension in Lisbon, Emerald cruise in the Douro River valley, and post-extension in Porto. Great food, service and extremely well thought out bike routes. 14 of 16 of us used e-bikes, and unless you are a serious rider, I recommend the e-bikes. It is a river valley, so you are either climbing out of it, or coasting back in. The surrounding area is hilly. The small towns that you visit along the way are beautiful and historical. The folks are very gracious. The ship is delightful - 104 passengers, and a crew of 37. Two outstanding leaders wrangle all the bikes, and act as hosts on all the side tours at lunch, and pedaling days end. Can't say enough about how well we were taken of. All in all, a wonderful week!

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 trip could not have been better. Bikes, guides, hotels, food, history, culture, tours to the prime sights, transports ; all organized and pulled off smoothly, down to small details. The guides were special. Knowledgeable, friendly, organized,encouraging, calm, and just fun to be around. We lost a passport in Cordoba and within an hour the guides tracked it down and saved some huge hassles for us. I don’t typically write reviews, but this trip was just too good.

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.

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.

The itinerary for this trip was very well thought out. The local guides, Diego and Pol, were beyond great. I would rate this trip as moderate, but you could elect to skip portions of the hikes to make it easier. The accommodations along the Camino were originally monasteries. The trip was so much fun. Thank you, Diego and Pol.

Excellent trip. I went with my daughter and son in law and we all enjoyed ourselves. Guides Isabelle and Juanjo were delightful, helpful, knowledgeable and fun. Initially I was concerned that we were a large group of 17. However everyone got along well and Isabelle and Juanjo managed to accommodate all levels. The hotels were excellent except that in Polenca we sacrificed space for location. Everyone seemed to prefer the new format of more meals on our own. It worked on this trip because we were in towns on those days with a choice of restaurants and cafes. Mallorca is a beautiful island with friendly people and for the most part very good food. Highlights for me were the coastal walks, lunches at the winery and citrus farm and visits to the towns. Suggestions- more food choices st the last two group dinners, options of some guided afternoon walks. I would rate the walking as more moderate to challenging because it is very rocky and steep in parts.

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!