Cycle Dolomites, Lake Garda and Venice

A good, well-planned trip. The bikes were excellent and always charged up by our leader. The route was as good as it could be though some of the cycle paths were quite busy. We thought it was quite pricey! It was a bit misleading to say that the trip ran through the Dolomites, which were just off to our east,

'Explore' sums up the holiday. From visiting towns and villages off the beaten track, hearing the local stories behind the castles you see in the mountains to getting advice on the local cuisine. Our tour guide was excellent, the cycling was wonderful, the scenery beautiful, and the added extras like visiting Soave for a wine tasting polished off a fabulous holiday.

Words cannot describe how amazing this trip was for me ! Our guide was incredible, always smiling and full of information about each area we cycled through. He took us to amazing stops along the way and arranged fabulous dining experiences. We even got to see Stage 13 of Giro D'Italia ! I think the best part was spending time with the other people in our group and beginning new friendships from all around the world ! We really connected as a group and that is truly priceless !

My first cycling trip was a great experience ! All the accommodations were top notch. The sites visited and routes taken were fantastic. Riding level was challenging but never excessive... enough coffee and strudel breaks to keep you energized ! The tour leader made this trip so good, as did the diverse group of cyclists all sharing this common interest!

Another outstanding tour through Explore. Seeing the north of Italy by following the Adige River trail from Merano, and winding up with a full day in Venice, was simply epic. Riding into Verona to the Colosseum was magical. We had an excellent guide (Massimo) who was very skilled, with great sense of humour. We all laughed the entire journey. Most of the group had e-bikes, though the trails were fairly easy aside from a couple of hilly bits.

Our guide was terrific, knowledgeable, organized and fun. The trip was a very memorable experience on the way positive side. I'd do it again tomorrow.

The cycle paths from the Dolomites to Lake Garda and on to Verona were amazing. The leader (Fabio) was fantastic; he was friendly, efficient, knowledgeable and above all patient. He took us to, or recommended, excellent places for lunch and supper each day. The extras in addition to the cycling were great fun, e.g. the cable car ride in Bolzano and the wine tasting in Soave. The bikes were sturdy and well maintained. There were only two up-hills of note during the trip. If you are reasonably fit you will get up them easily, otherwise be prepared to get off and push for a short distance. The accommodation was very good with en-suite rooms in all hotels and great breakfasts, including lots of healthy options. On the last night we stayed at a place outside of Venice but very close to the Mestre train station (it took 15 minutes to reach the Grand Canal). We were able to go back to Venice on the Sunday morning, after the organised holiday finished, but before our flight. We had an excellent holiday, enjoyed with like-minded people who were good fun to be with. Well done to Explore for offering and organising such an interesting and action-filled week.

Really good trip, with some very pleasant companions and an excellent guide, Fabio. He seems to have a sixth sense and is always aware of what is happening in the group. There is a lot of variety in the scenery and climate, and the combination of big cities and smaller towns works well. The cycling wasn't intense, but wasn't super easy either. It seems normal these days to have a mixture of e bikes and conventional, but it worked fairly well. The food was good and reflected the local cuisine. All in all a great trip!

A most enjoyable trip. There were 7 in the group plus Fabio which was the perfect group size. Very sociable and good fun.