Reviews

Excellent First Trip

This was my first Exodus trip and wasn’t sure what to expect. From the first day of arrival the Exodus team Peter and Danke were exceptional in every aspect of the planning, logistics and guidance through the trip. The equipment (cycles) and were high quality and fit for a dual on and off road experience. I’m so impressed by the trip and the support that I have plans for two further in the next 18 months. A truly inspiring experience.

Best Holiday For a Long Time

First time in Europe and first Exodus trip. Fantastic!!! We loved the itinerary and where it took us. The backroads through farmland, orchards, vines and forests were just sensational, so picturesque. Had to keep pinching myself that this was real. Dana and Peter, our guides were awesome, and the bikes were great. The few times they let us down Peter was able to get them going again or swap it out for a spare bike on the trailer. The accommodation varied from basic to very well-appointed, but the beds in every one were as comfortable as ours at home.
All in all we learned a lot of history, enjoyed sensational company with our 11 fellow bike riders and relished in our first taste of Europe

A great cycling holiday

This is a wonderful trip through beautiful and historic villages, town and the cities of Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. And a beautiful countryside between vineyard, sunflower fields and a peacefull forrest. Our guides Dana and Peter was excellent. Great humor, knowledgeable, friendly and a rock on the bike.

A terrific cycling holiday

This is clearly a carefully chosen itinerary made up of backroads through picturesque country side, forests, along rivers, across plains, through sleepy country towns and into the big cities of Vienna and Budapest. There are plenty of opportunities to sample local produce and learn about the history of this part of central Europe.

If you like historical buildings/towns this is a brilliant trip

The cities, towns etc we visited were amazing. We started in Prague which is a popular resort, so popular I was glad to get away. But then on the first day we arrived at Cesky Krumlov, (didn’t he use to play for Chelsea?) which is an amazing Gothic town and a UNESCO site, I’d never previously heard of , but could easily return to and spend a long w/end there imbibing some of the excellent Czech beer. There is an optional walking tour of the town which is well worth going on.
The next town we reached , Trebon, was also very interesting, and well worth a walk around.
And then came another UNESCO , Telc with yet another fantastic cobbled town square.

A couple of days later we arrived in Vienna which just shouts opulence. Do go on the optional bike tour of the city as it gives you a good idea of where to head to when you get free time. A couple of us went to a classical concert (not usually my kind of thing) in one of the large churches where they played classical music’s greatest hits (Vivaldi etc) and where the acoustics are simply amazing. Oh, and don’t forget the cakes to die for or of !

We then got to Bratislava, another interesting place where the leader takes you on another optional walking tour; worth taking again.

Eventually we arrived in Budapest and by this time I was beginning to suffer from cultural overload but managed to squeeze in a visit to the parliament building and the basillica before retiring to the bar.

Oh , I nearly forgot the cycling bit of the trip; it’s graded as 3 but could easily be a 2 as there were very few hills ; a considerable amount of the time is on cycle-only tracks which is great if you want to natter to your fellow cyclists but does mean there is only a limited amount of vehicle support. The trip notes say there is only 10% without vehicle support but it was considerably more than that .
Fortunately, the vehicle war around when we rode through an almighty thunderstorm when the hairs on your head stand up , then curl, and possibly smolder, even for the’follickly challenged’ like myself .

Also, there was the fact that there was no “tail gunner” mechanic, which meant that if there was a mechanical, the whole group had to stop whilst running repairs took place. The bikes themselves, were more “upright” than I am used to but proved to be very good for my back ; unfortunately they seemed to be prone to the chain coming off and jamming ; couldn’t possibly be anything to do with the ability of the cyclists themselves !

Beautiful riding and excellent guides

This is a wonderful trip through superb countryside stopping in lovely villages, towns and of course the cities of Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. Our guides Dana and Peter were the best – knowledgeable, friendly, capable of fixing any problem. We would highly recommend this trip.

Great trip,guide and itinerary!

The tour was well planned, outstanding sights and great lead guide(Dana) and support staff(Peter & Lubo).The accommodations and meals were good.

Great itinerary, great guide, let down by the bikes

A fascinating route through four countries and taking in four capitals as well as beautiful countryside and gems of mediaeval towns (with excellent beer and ice cream). A good mix of cycling, beside the Danube and Voltava rivers, rolling pine forests, (most of the climbing comes in the first three days) countryside, excellent cycle paths and lots of history. Dana is a fantastic guide- gives great city tours, great sense of humour, excellent restaurant recommendations and a great cyclist.

visit to wine cave on day 5 Mikulov

Day 5 Mikulov viste to a wine cave . I was so shocked after paying for this visit to be treated to a misogynists account of the role of women in the production of wine given buy the owner of the wine caves ,it was so appalling added to which this man claimed that the pate he was serving was made of song birds . This mans wife made us all a great supper but was not even mentioned until some of us insisted she was thanked . Exodus makes many ethical statements but on this occasion Exadus was a contributor to the degradation of women by allowing an out and out misogynists an arena to peddle so called folklore ,truly horrid Exodus should be ashamed .

Most Inspirational Moment

Budapest

Thoughts on Group Leader

very good ,

Advice for Potential Travellers

avoid the trip to the wine cave in Mikulov

Suggestions

see my summery

Reply from Exodus

We were very concerned that Marianne found this wine tasting to be a troubling experience. Whilst we have not received feedback of this nature in the past we sincerely appreciate Marianne bringing her experience to our attention. A number of people mention the wine tasting in Mikulov as one of their highlights and so we are confident that this was a one-off occurrence, however we have asked our local manager to share this with the owner of the wine caves, and our tour leaders will keep a close eye as to whether any similar situations arise, and report back to Exodus.

Claire Ouditt – Product Manager

Fantastic Scenery and Historic Sites

An amazing tour led by an amazing guide (Dana); saw gorgeous scenery and beautiful, historic towns/villages/cities; great food and company all the way. Only improvement would be more time to spend in each place!!!