Cycle the Göta Canal from West to East

We had an absolutely wonderful tour. It’s a beautiful country, and the weather was good. Two of the days were longer than ideal for our group (57 km with some hills). One minor oversight was that on the Wasa Lejon, the fee for the bicycle carriage was not included. The hotels in Norrqvarn, Toreboda, Karlsborg, Linköping, and Söderköping 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 okay but not great. The bikes were comfortable but had some minor issues. The gearshift on the bike my wife was riding would skip at times and is probably worn out. The battery on the e-bike wouldn’t hold a sufficient charge (but was quickly replaced). Urban, the tour operator, was friendly, responsive, and helpful.

4 constructive comments. 1. The canal paths are gravel. Some are badly rutted, possibly by tractors. In some places, the accumulation of loose gravel is dangerous. None of this is good for cycling. What is needed is a smooth surface along the entire path, for example, on one side of it. 2. In a long section south of Tatorp, the road was covered with a mix of soil, aggregate, and loose asphalt. It was impossible to cycle over, so we had to walk. 3. Some of the routes marked on the map seemed excessively long. There are some shortcuts, e.g., via Magderud, the bridge at Brosundet, and Route 202. Surely it would be better to mark these so that cyclists looking for shorter distances can easily find and use them. 4. Canal seems to operate on set packages and isn’t very flexible. We wanted a custom trip. Communication between S by Bike and the operator wasn’t 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.

We had problems with the bicycle seats not fitting so well, pain despite the use of bicycle pants the first 2 days. The arrangement worked well, except for the luggage that was transported to the wrong place in 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.