Any recommendations for self-guided bike tour companies in Europe?

[FunTourSeeker]

We've been happy with Abicyclette in the Dordogne, but unhappy with Rad Reisen in Denmark and Radweg Reisen from Vienna to Budapest. What we'd like is a place that 1) puts together interesting routes - through forests, into historic villages, etc. - that avoid cars wherever possible but don't just go along designated bike highways, 2) find an array of interesting and attractive boutique hotels to stay in, and 3) respond personally and promptly to questions.

 

[Brandane]

Cycle.travel is all I have needed for planning tours in UK or Europe (well, France in my case).
Admittedly you do then need to organise your own accommodation, but with all the various websites available that is quite easy to do.
Maybe it's just me, but I've never seen the point in paying £££ to supposed "self guided tour organisers" for them to spend half an hour doing the above for you.

 

[TomDW]

I've just done a self supported trip around Slovenia/Italy. I hired a bike from Cycling United in Ljubljana. They gave me a big guide book with route recommendations, hotels, sights, restaurants. If anything went wrong they'd drive out to me and sort it. So it was a cycle hire but added benefits.

 

[TomDW]

1) puts together interesting routes - through forests, into historic villages, etc. - that avoid cars wherever possible but don't just go along designated bike highways,

You've lost me there ! Do you mean you like quiet roads?

 

[FunTourSeeker]

You've lost me there ! Do you mean you like quiet roads?

Yes, we like quiet roads but that's not exactly my point. We went along Euro velo 6 for much of our trip along the Danube this summer and it was quiet but it was also boring much of the time (just went through fields, without even being very close to the river, most of the time) and it was exposed to the sun, rather than shaded by trees, almost all the time. We like forest roads, roads along rivers, and roads that go through historic villages.

 

[FunTourSeeker]

Cycle.travel is all I have needed for planning tours in UK or Europe (well, France in my case).
Admittedly you do then need to organise your own accommodation, but with all the various websites available that is quite easy to do.
Maybe it's just me, but I've never seen the point in paying £££ to supposed "self guided tour organisers" for them to spend half an hour doing the above for you.

I see that, but we've found that the cost of self-guided tours isn't much more than the cost of the hotels they put us in and we like having someone else carry our luggage from place to place. But I'll take a look at Cycle.travel.

 

[Gwylan]

Yes, we like quiet roads but that's not exactly my point. We went along Euro velo 6 for much of our trip along the Danube this summer and it was quiet but it was also boring much of the time (just went through fields, without even being very close to the river, most of the time) and it was exposed to the sun, rather than shaded by trees, almost all the time. We like forest roads, roads along rivers, and roads that go through historic villages.

Did that a few years ago. Do time it to beat the Geraustrian holidays by going early in the season
Plan route from hotel to swimming pool and thence to hotel.

Start no later than about 0800 stop about 12, lunch, hide in the shade, have swim if you like, slope off about 1500, cycle to about 1800.
Find accomodation, shower, eat and enjoy the evening.

 

[Cirrus]

Did a trip with these https://www.belgian-biketours.com/ , which worked quite well. They supplied the bikes, GPS tracks, booked the accommodation and transported the luggage.