Spain

It starts with the guides and they deliver on a continuous basis. Andrea and Javier (Javi) are excellent at delivering the experience promised by VBT and go above and beyond to make it all work and make sure you are happy. There are always glitches along the way, mostly created by the guests. They work tirelessly and effectively to solve every problem. Like all the other trips (we have done many). It's so much more than the wonderful biking. The farm visit to the apple orchard is amazing. Who knew so much science and technology are needed to be successful in this day and age. They explained why more than 150 apples stresses the trees and produce inferior apples. They showed us the technology they use to eliminate excess blooms. The resultant apples, juices and ciders are wonderful. The enjoyment of our visit to the Dali museum was magnified many times over by the enthusiasm and knowledge of Kim, our guide. I had no idea how many elements were in each Dali painting and how his mind worked.

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!

Great trip, well organized and easy to enjoy the sites and scenery.

This self-guided ride through the Costa Brava area was our first experience with VBT; we did the trip with our daughter and her husband. We are all fit and active, but only one is an experienced long distance bicycle rider, and none of us had trained for this trip extensively. We selected e-bikes (also relatively new to most of us) and were thrilled with the whole experience. Accommodations were great, the Ride with GPS app was terrific, and our local host was available every morning to check in with if needed. We hope to do another VBT ride together!

The Mallorca trip was splendid in all regards. After a pre-trip in Palma, we set out on our cycling adventure. We had a bus transfer to the Binissalém wine region in the foothills of the Tramuntanas mountains. Our warm-up ride was on quiet roads through the orchards and farmland with gorgeous scenery. The ride concluded at a winery where we enjoy a special paella lunch prepared by a renowned paella chef. Our guides Hannia and Carolina were spectacular and added much humor and fun to their morning route reviews. The picturesque Port de Sóller was our home for two nights. Our first ride took us through the Fornalutx valley with orchards, orange groves, olive trees and vineyards. We stopped in the village Fornaluutx which was named the “most beautiful village in Spain” twice in recent history. Lunch was at one of the oldest olive estates on the island near Sóller. We got to see the traditional olive oil preparation and an old press still in use. One wonderful aspect of the Mallorca trip was that ride options were available with fun extensions. Our next transfer was by an old train trolley After a bountiful buffet breakfast at the Hotel Es Port, we had a spectacular old train trolley followed by a second old train ride to the Bunyola region for another rewarding cycling day on quiet rural roads with olive and almond groves and majestic views of the adjacent Tramuntana Mountains. This area is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its terraced farming and ingenious irrigation systems. We had two wonderful nights in Pollença which is another medieval gem with narrow, crisscrossing streets from the past. We cycled The ride along narrow leafy lanes toward the Bay of Pollença to a stunning cove for a picnic and swim. We then cycled from Pollença to the south coast area on rural roads through rustic Majorcan countryside with open fields, lush vineyards and fruit groves. We stopped in Sencelles, a historic village in the heart of the island. We continued to Algaida and saw numerous historic windmills. Our last ride was We headed west to the “salt of the earth” side of the island—Salinas d’Es Trenc- to tour a salt harvesting plant. Salt has been harvested from these shores since ancient times. We then cycled west to the peaceful fishing village of Cala Figuera for lunch and then back to Ses Salines for our farewell dinner. Our guides were extra-ordinary and they surprised us after dinner by showing a video documentary of our trip that the guides mades. It was wonderful to re-experience our amazing adventure. Our guides continued to surprise us when they boarded our transfer bus to sing a farewell song to us. The countryside of Mallorca was splendid but our guides made the entire experience extra-ordinary. We have done 7 VBT trips and this was clearly one of the very best. The bikes were in excellent working order, the hotels were very nice, the culinary experiences were outstanding and our guides were top-tier. The only downside was that trip ended! In departing Mallorca we were left with amazing memories and the video documentary of our adventure to savor.

A wonderful island. Every days ride took us on a special adventure through beautiful countryside or along the beautiful Mediterranean

Incredible experience getting out to the villages and learning about the history of the land. The guides were terrific, tending to our needs while riding and along the way. I would suggest that if you are considering a road bike for this tour, think twice and go with the e-bike simply because there is a fair amount of areas where you will ride on cobblestone, which proved to be tricky for even the experienced road bikers in our group.

We love VBT and the best part of this trip was our leader, Manu. He is awesome! All VBT leaders are great, and he is at the top. It was the initial offering of the trip, and some kinks will be addressed, I am sure. Coordinating the boat and the buses (there were A LOT of buses) and biking is complex. We enjoyed the chance to mix with other travelers on the boat. We enjoyed unpacking only once. The Douro is not a river where you can bike alongside, like the Danube--so there is a lot of bus transfer time on twisty steep roads (some complained of car sickness). It is a hilly area--definitely on the "moderate" scale, not the "easy-moderate" scale. Climate always a question-in late April we had both cold (40's) and wet and warm (70s) and sunny. The olive oil mill and winery were good experiences. The archeological site was sketchy.... If you like hills and don't mind the bus, a good trip to some less accessible areas.

Great way to experience Andalusia from rural, small town, big city. Very much impressed with it all.

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!

We had a great time on the Camino. The routes were beautiful and scenic. Alberto and Pol were fantastic guides and kept us very busy. They were a very amusing tag team and complemented each other well. Our group was very congenial and supportive. The Paradors were all very comfortable and the food was great. A highlight was the pottery demo and luncheon and the sheephearding dogs were fantastic to watch. Santiago de Compostelo was a very exciting place to be and very inspirational seeing all the people arrive after their long journey.

Our trip was personal and wonderful from beginning to end!

This trip is about local discovery! We enjoyed daily hikes through varied terrain with great guides! Everyone felt safe….injured or sick parties were easily accommodated…..and there was a great group dynamic! Each day involved different parts of the island and offered beautiful views, interesting history and local color!

We visited Mallorca in May and it did not disappoint. The weather was perfect -- warm but not too hot. The views were breathtaking: dramatic cliffs dropping into crystal-clear coves and olive groves and citrus trees scattered across the hillsides. It felt like every turn revealed a new postcard-worthy scene. Some stretches of the trail were rocky and steep but easily manageable. The guides were personable and knowledgeable. The hotels were close to luxury. I highly recommend this trip to active travelers.