General Information About Our Bike Tours
1. Do I need to take my passport with me?
You must have a valid passport to enter and leave Hungary, Austria and Italy. If you are a citizen of any countries of the European Union or Switzerland, your Identity Card is enough but only if your nationality is in your ID card. So, British, Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Icelandic citizens need to have a passport, as well as citizens from the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. (A Visa is required only for stays longer than 90 days. If you are from any other countries please check with the local Hungarian, Austrian and Italian Embassy or Consulate.
2. Do I need to have a travel insurance?
Yes, we strongly recommend you to obtain a comprehensive and adequate travel and medical insurance in your home country, to cover unexpected costs due to illness, accident, lost luggage, tour interruption or cancellation, etc., and ensure that your policy covers you for the sport activities you will do. (European residents should have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) when they travel, but it is not a substitute for medical and travel insurance!)
3. What if I can’t find any suitable dates of my preferred tours?
We are always happy to do any of our tours at any time, depending on the hotels and our availabilities. Please find more details at our Custom Tours, or Contact Us to discuss any questions and details.
4. Do you offer any custom tours, or self guided trips?
As we would like to provide our guests with a thoroughly enjoyable holiday and a total relaxation, we normally offer fully guided and supported tours. However, if you have a group, we are happy to organise a bespoke tour for you, or self guided tours as well. Please find details at our Custom Tours.
5. What’s our groups size?
Normally we have small groups of 2 - 7 guests, so you can enjoy a nice and friendly atmosphere on our tours. So we can offer you our best personal attention, and you can feel like a member of our small family. With our small groups we can use charming little hotels, cosy restaurants, and secret places where the crowd can’t get in. We are also happy to do tours even with 1 of you, or bigger groups up to appr 14 people, just please find more information at our Custom Tours, or Contact Us to discuss any details.
6. How easy / difficult are your bike tours?
Our tours are designed for everybody who would enjoy appr 16 - 65 km / 10 - 40 miles of leisurely cycling a day. We selected mainly flat and sometimes slightly undulating routes where longer downhills outnumber short uphills. Cycling in Hungary is quite easy, as this is a rather flat country with some hilly areas. The highest point is ~1000m, and we call hills that are higher than 200m, mountains in Hungarian. Austria and Italy have higher mountains, but we always cycle along the rivers or lakes on easy & flat or downhill routes. When we occasionally have some longer or harder uphills, we take our bus.
7. Do I need to prepare myself before taking your cycle tours?
If you have a normal fitness level, and you do some regular sport activities, you won’t have any difficulties on our tours. If you never do any sport activity, you will also manage our tours, but we would recommend some gradual preparations before you come, to make your holiday more enjoyable. Our trips are not bike races, they are more about enjoying the nice landscapes and the beauties of the nature, as well as some sport activity in the fresh air!
8. What happens if I get tired?
Whenever you get exhausted, you can have a rest, or take our support bus which is always near, and available for your whole group. So you can always cycle as much of the daily distances as you wish.
9. Can I cycle more than the daily distances, if I would like to?
On many days of our tours we have several optional routes which we can use depending on the fitness level of our groups or the weather conditions, and when there is a possibility, we are also pleased to cycle a few extra miles with you.
10. Can I take a tour if I don’t cycle at all?
Yes, we are happy to take non cyclists as well on our tours. You can travel in our bus, and enjoy every part of the tours, except the cycling. We have some returning guests who come with their husband or wife who never cycles, just enjoy the scenery, sights, spas, and the food & wine.
11. What kind of hotels are we staying at?
You will stay in very nice 4 or 3 star small antique castles, mansions, monasteries, family or spa hotels in quiet location with beautiful surroundings, mostly in beautiful parks with ancient trees. All of them are selected for their unique atmosphere, high quality, friendly service, and good food. Please find more details at our Accommodation
12. Do our hotels have air-conditioning?
The 100-500 century old castles where we often stay, have a natural air-conditioning, provided by their 60-70 cm thick walls, or when we stay in new buildings, most of them have AC, wall cooling, or they are in the woods, where the air is always fresh, so you can have a nice and cool room even if the weather is hot.
13. What will we eat and drink during the tours?
Every day you can have a buffet breakfast, a 2-4 course gourmet dinner with some wine and mineral water, and during the cycling you can have our home-made picnic lunches and cool mineral water. We selected the finest local specialities of the traditional Hungarian, Austrian and Italian cuisine, and excellent wines of our historic wine regions, in some of the nicest restaurants and wine cellars of Hungary, Austria and Italy. Please find more details at Food&Wine
14. What should I do if I’m vegetarian, or I have any food allergy?
We are happy to arrange vegetarian food for you, or delight any other special dietary requirements, if you let us know in advance, when you make your booking.
15. Is the tap water drinkable in Hungary, Austria and Italy?
Of course it is drinkable, and we have several kinds of very good mieral water, fruit juices, beer, and excellent wines, or schnapps. (But drinking alcohol is not allowed in Hungary, when you ride a bicycle, only afterwards.)
16. What kind of sights I can see on your tours?
We will show you our nicest historic towns, splendid palaces of famous noble families, medieval castles and churches, breath taking natural sights, wonderful national parks, lakes and rivers, relaxing thermal baths, interesting museums, and many hidden treasures of the countryside. Please find more info at our Bike Tours, Sights&Routes, or in our Blog
17. What if I’m not very much interested in museums and churches?
You’ll never be pushed into any, you can always do something else, walk around the streets or shops, try to find some souvenirs, or have a drink...
18. What kind of roads / routes we will cycle along?
We have selected the most scenic and quiet routes of the regions, where you can enjoy the beauties and peacefulness of the nature. If there are sometimes any busy roads, we take our bus. We mainly cycle on paved roads, cycle paths, or occasionally short distances on smooth gravel paths. Please find more details at our Sights&Routes.
19. Are your tours guided?
Yes, all our tours are fully guided. One of us cycles with you showing the way and the sights, and help if you have any troubles, and one of us drives our Support van to provide the catering service and technical background. Please find more details at Guiding. But we can also do most of our tours self guided and supported with you with pleasure, if you prefer so.
20. What kind of support do you have?
We have our air conditioned support minibus available for our whole groups throughout our tours. We provide full technical support, both have tools, spare parts, first-aid kits and mobile phones with us. Please find more details at our Support Van.
21. Will my luggage be transported during the tours?
Yes of course, this is a basic service throughout all our tours.
22. Do you provide bikes on your tours?
Yes, we have very comfortable hybrid bikes in 5 sizes, with 24 gears, panniers, and a water-bottle, and the use of them is in our tour prices. We can also provide child bikes, and for Euro 50 / day E-bikes. Please find more details at Bikes&Equipment.
23. Do I need to wear a helmet in Hungary, Austria or Italy?
It is not obligatory, but we would strongly recommend using one. It’s the best if you bring your own comfortable one, but if you don’t want to carry, we can also provide you with a helmet free (our ones are not new), just let us know when you book a tour.
24. Is it worth bringing my own saddle or pedal?
The seats on our bikes are rather comfortable, and we have softer gel seats too, but if you prefer bringing your own accustomed one, we can also put it on your bike with pleasure. We have regular pedals on our bikes, and we wouldn't recommend Spd pedals or toe clips, as sometimes they may cause accidents. However, if you prefer bringing your Spd, we will put them on your bike with pleasure, but on your own responsibility.
25. What happens if it is raining?
Normally the weather is nice and sunny in Hungary or Austria most of the time in the biking season, but sometimes the weather is quite unpredictable nowadays. Should we have any bad weather, the whole group can always take our bus, and visit a museum, a thermal bath, or get to our next hotel earlier, to enjoy its ambience!
26. What shall I bring and wear?
Any kind of comfortable cycling shorts and jerseys, or any sports- or casual wear for the cycling, and any leisure and comfortable clothes for the evenings and the rest days. Sun glasses, Helmet, or at least a hat are strongly recommended, and a swimming gear and a towel, and a sandal or a slipper for the baths. The weather is usually nice here, but it is also good to bring a breathable rain jacket, and being prepared for cool weather too. Although we often stay in 4 star hotels, you can leave your finest clothes at home, as all of them have a relaxed atmosphere, as most of their guests spend also their holidays there.
27. What if I have any health problems?
Cycling tours require people to be in good health. When you book you must inform us of any medical condition that may effect your ability on the tour (allergy, asthma, heart problems, etc.). In such cases, it is highly recommended to get your doctor’s advice before booking.
28. What age your guests are?
Our guests we had so far were 8 - 80 years of age, most of our guests are between 30 - 70, and all of them enjoyed our tours very much.
29. Where are your guests from?
Actually we can say, from all over the world, mainly from Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, but also from Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, or Singapore, Dubai, etc.
