Cycling In The Tatras

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

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  Ruth Toller

  CYCLING IN THE TATRAS

  

  Written September 2011

  My first cycling trip and I'm glad I decided on a moderate grade as there were a lot of hills - but at least you come down once you've gone up. The accommodation and leader were excellent, the meals were cheaper than expected, the extras were good - pity the weather couldn't be ordered, but at least it wasn't rainy or too hot. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Great moments when the clouds cleared and we could see the mountains we were cycling round.

  The caves are really good, as was the folk museum.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Excellent on the whole but did rush us a bit on some of the stops in places of interest. Was well organised but able to be a bit flexible as well.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  It's hilly!

  You don't need to carry a rucksack, bags for the bikes are provided and the support vehicle is never far away.

  Some days end quite early and if you go late in the season as we did some local services are not fully operational, so make sure you have things to do if you don't want to spend all the time in the bar.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Wonderful cake shops!

  Would recommend Exodus

   
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  Richard Toller

  CYCLING IN THE TATRAS

  

  Written September 2011

  First experience on a cycling group holiday and it was excellent. Good roads (mostly pretty quiet, better surfaces than I'm used to in UK), good group, good food and drink, good scenery - only thing was the low cloud on the mountains didn't let us see too much of the scenery.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Getting to the top of some pretty big hills - a great sense of satisfaction and anticipation of going down the other side.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Erik was excellent - enthusiastic, informative.

  Gave us the option of an extra few km to a lake on the last cycling day, which we all agreed on and appreciated, especially when the clouds broke up and actually let us see the mountains. That day would have been too short otherwise.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Don't worry about not being able to keep up - speeds from fastest to slowest in our group were very variable, but everybody could go at their own pace and it never took long for everybody to get back together at the breaks.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Pleasantly surprised at the low cost of food & drink in Slovakia!

  Extra excursions (some included, some optional) were a good part of the holiday. 

   
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  Stuart Reid

  CYCLING IN THE TATRAS

  

  Written September 2011

  Plenty of climbing, though not too difficult for the average cyclist. Accomodation was excellent and Erik and Peter were great at showing us around Slovakia and Poland. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Getting to the top of the climb on our last day of cycling, well worth the extra effort to get to the ski resort and enjoy the view from the top.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Erik was great; always willing to answer any questions we had and showing us good places to eat at night and where to go for coffee and cake. Very knowledgeable on the local areas of interest with lots of information about the wildlife, geography and culture. Both Erik and Peter took photographs of us while we were cycling and of the trip and it was nice to get a copy of these.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Vegetarians have a limited choice of food as most of the food you find is based around meat dishes, even in the 'meat free' section of the menu you would often find 'with bacon bits'.

  Food and drink were cheaper in Slovakia than in Poland, but both were less than you would pay in the UK. The cakes in the coffee shops were particularly excellent value. 

  We took an equal amount of euros and zlotys, but ended up changing euro's into Zlotys once we arrived in Krakow.

  Tap water was safe to drink everywhere, and we used this to fill up our water bottles every day. 

  Bikes came with a pannier rack bag that was large enough to stuff your camera and a waterproof jacket in. 

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Although the weather was warm, it got quite cool on some of the long descents and in the evenings. A windproof lightweight jacket was essential for the cycling in September. 

  Once  we had arrived at the start in Zuberec there were no transfers, so we covered all the distances on our bicycles, it was nice to just start cycling straight away each day.

  We extended our stay in Krakow at the end of the trip and would recommend doing this if you have the opportunity. If you get the chance to visit Oskar Schindlers factory it is well worth a visit. 

   
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  Catherine Nicholl

  CYCLING IN THE TATRAS

  

  Written August 2011

  The Tatra mountains are beautiful! Took a bit of a risk on this one as we were the first group to do it but it paid off I had an amazing time! Don't go if you are allergic to hills there are a few tough bits (but it would be dull if it was flat!), the views at the top are absolutely worth it and great fun heading back down the other side! I enjoyed Slovakia more than Poland but that was probably a personal thing because Zakopane and Krakow are obviously a lot more touristy in the summer months than the mountains of Slovakia which would probably be very different in the winter sports season! I'd still like to visit Krakow again but would be more of a city break holiday than a cycling adventure! Salt mines were well worth a visit! Most of the trip is in Slovakia, the people were lovely and the beer cheaper than water!! The hotels were of a better standard than i expected we didn't have any problems at any of them! As the country is more of a winter destination they all had storage facilities for our bikes overnight. The bikes were all great- new and all had a rear bag for any snacks etc. Not a make of bike I'd ever heard of (Kellys) but top quality! compared to my usual mountain bike I found the skinnier tyres brilliant! 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Difficult to think of a precise moment! I think I actually enjoyed the day the trip notes describe as the toughest most! 4 big hills but great rides down to recover! We were all a bit worried about it as we had found the first day's long steady climb hard going! (That's the best downhill of the week!)

  The lightning in the late afternoon storms (after we'd finished for the day!!) were great to watch and thankfully shortlived and predictable!- we were like kids oohing and aaahing at the forks! - can't guarantee you'll have the same hot days as us though!

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Erik was outstanding! He looked after us the whole time suggested places for us to eat in the evenings and made sure we were all together and looking out for each other! Peter was also fab at looking out for the bikes! Poor Erik was the only one to get a puncture the whole week!!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  The food was amazing but veggies watch out they put meat in everything so always check even if they have it as vegetarian option!

  The only other thing I can mention (although it wasn't necessary for us) is that because the support was an estate car with all our bags in it if more than one person had been struggling it would have meant a few trips for Peter!