Cykla Göta kanal från Väst till Öst

We had an absolutely wonderful tour. It is beautiful country and the weather was good. Two of the days were longer than ideal for our group (57km with some hills). One small oversight was that on the Wasa Lejon, the fee for the bicycle carriage was not included. The hotels at Norrqvarn, Toreboda, Karlsborg, Linkoping and Soderkoping were all very good. Mandy's Diner was unexpectedly good, and the restaurant at the Hotell Rodesund was noteworthy. The meal on the Wasa Lejon however was OK but not great. The bikes were comfortable but encountered minor issues. The gearbox on the one my wife was riding skipped at times and is probably worn out. The battery on the e-bike would not hold adequate charge (but was quickly replaced). Urban, the tour operator, was friendly, responsive and helpful

4 constructive comments. 1. Canal paths are gravel. Some badly rutted by ?tractors. in some places, the build up of loose gravel is dangerous. None of this is good for cycling. What is needed is a smooth surface over entire path, eg one half of it. 2. In a long section south of Tatorp, the road was variously covered with soil, aggregate and loose road tarmac. Impossible to cycle over so we had to walk. 3. Some of the routes marked on the map seemed excessively long. There are some short cuts, eg via Magderud, bridge at Brosundet and the 202. Surely better to mark those so that cyclists who want lower distances can easily find and use them. 4. Canal seems to work on packages and is not very flexible. We wanted a custom trip. Liaison between S by Bike and the operator not great.

We really enjoyed this ride. Bike Sweden got us from point A to B but there were some glitches along the way - nothing major but they presented more challenges than other self-guided tours we've done. We're from the U.S. so used the English version of the web site and there was some confusion about the itinerary and payment, perhaps due to translation. A key linkage in the ride is a boat ride across a lake; the boat captain had no record of our reservation so luckily there were open seats. Some of the dinners were of poor quality, or restaurants did not have our reservations. We suggest (similar to other self-supported rides) that riders arrange their own dinners, with the tour company providing restaurant suggestions. The ride itself was great, on well-maintained and well-marked trails.

The bike ride was a highlight of my trip to Sweden. The luggage transport from place to place was excellent and the organizers were very helpful. The only issue was some dinners were challenging due to dietary restrictions so I either had to pay for a different meal since I couldn’t eat the one that was included or had to pay extra for changes. If you are taking public transport back to the starting point then just note that it is a bus and three trains and each requires a different means for payment. It’s manageable if you know which apps to use.

Vi hadde problemer med at sykkelsetene ikke passet så bra, smerter til tross for bruk av sykkelbukser de første 2 dagene. Opplegget fungerte bra, bortsett fra baggasje som ble transportert til feil sted i Søderkøping.

The accommodations were very uneven. The inns at the beginning and end were lovely and met our expectations, but the accommodation at the Ljungsbro leisure center was no better than the YMCA. We had to walk over to the athletic facility to use their communal - and I do mean communal - shower. The cycle ride and boat trip were lovely and perfect.