Bike Tour Reviews 1 to 30 of 2319
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Danube Bike Path - Passau to Vienna
by Jerline S. 5 days ago • Permalink/ReplyFantastic trip!!! Everything went smoothly. Want to return and spend extra days in some of the places!
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Amsterdam to Bruges
by Roger S. 6 days ago • Permalink/ReplyWe truly enjoyed our barge, tour guides, barge staff and biking tour through the Netherlands and Belgium. The best way to see a country is through the back roads and trails. We will be back for another bike and barge trip!
Boat: Magnifique
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Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
by Estela B. 6 days ago • Permalink/ReplyThis is a great tour, with wonderful cities to visit and scenic bike rides. The barge was perfect, great food and service. We enjoyed the evening music and dancing very much. A heat wave happened while we were there, so we had a great time on the sun deck
I was not as happy with the bikes. I was in charge of a group of 25 and at least 6 of them had bike issues: brakes that worked only in the front or back, e-bikes that only assisted when pedaling at full throttle, and more. Even though we reported this, and we were told they would fix the bikes, in reality the bikes were not repaired by the next day, and it took time and effort to get them replaced. I expected more from Rad & Reisen, the bike company. Also there was very little instruction on how to use the e-bikes. My suggestion is to have a person at the dock on the first day to give a 10 minute one-on-one instruction on the e-bike and make the person do a little test ride. It was not as intuitive how to use them if you never have done it.
Another issue that could have been better is a bigger, clearer map on how to get to the path from the barge location. That part is usually the hardest.
All that said, it was still a nice, memorable trip.Boat: MS Carissima
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Balearic Islands
by Ann W. 6 days ago • Permalink/ReplyThis was an excellent experience all around. I Highly recommend this company
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Danube Delta
by Nancy L. 6 days ago • Permalink/ReplyThe barge accommodation and the staff are fabulous. Guides were fantastic. Everyone aims to please. Food is plentiful. We didn't see many birds but wind and weather are not controllable. I would have liked more biking and less on rocky paths. The days riding on roads through villages were great but the dike path not so good. I would travel with this company again for sure.
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Highlights of Holland
by Mike R. 6 days ago • Permalink/ReplyMost memorable part? Everything! The scenery, the guide, the nature of the bike routes, the people.
Boat: Jelmar
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Cyclades Islands
by Catherine G. 6 days ago • Permalink/ReplyThe boat was very tired. In our room the sink tap was not connected the pipe letting water into the toilet tank fell off the wall. The porthole wouldn’t open. Very few of the lights in our room worked. There was no comfortable seats on the boat, and we did not go where the tour was supposed to go because of the boat not being able to handle the weather. The crew was great.
Boat: Panagiota
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Prague to Dresden - A Tale of Two Rivers
by Jenny B. 6 days ago • Permalink/ReplyWe had many memorable experiences! Starting in the beautiful city of Prague with it's history & culture, biking through the Czech republic was the best way to experience this wonderful country, meet the Czech people & appreciate the changing landscapes. We were extremely fortunate with brilliant sunshine for the entire tour. The side trips provided further insight into this amazing country. Arriving in Dresden & exploring the side streets away from the main tourist areas was also a bonus.
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Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
by Valerie P. 6 days ago • Permalink/ReplyThis was a terrific trip. The scenery was outstanding and the bike trails were great fun. More biking would’ve been even better. The MS Arkona was a very nice ship, all recently remodeled and the staff all did a great job. I enjoyed all the breakfast choices. We would make our lunch at breakfast time to take with us for the day. Dinners were good but more salads would be a nice addition.
Our boat was unable to reach Budapest due to low water levels. We were however taken by bus to Budapest and enjoyed a city bus tour. It made for a long day but at least we were able to see some of the city. This gave us more time in Vienna and an opportunity for a really fun afternoon bike ride there. Our tour director gave us excellent instructions for this ride since it was not part of the original tour itinerary. It offered shorter and longer distances that seemed to meet everyone’s needs.
The directions in the map and narrative book were often lacking. I would recommend having turn by turn distances Incorporated. Generally, the morning briefing by the tour director was not much additional help. Questions by us to the tour director were often answered by “it’s in your daily program".
It would be nice to have newer bikes. They were fine for the flat biking paths but would have been very challenging for anything with hills. They were heavy and some didn’t ride very smoothly.
The optional Vienna concert was a bit of a disappointment. Although the music was nice I didn’t care for the venue. It was hot inside, the seats were very cramped and this particular theater was not very impressive.
There is no free Wi-Fi despite an email from Tripsite confirming that there was.
We were offered beverage packages which included bottled water.
I drank the tap water on the boat and had no issues. I do feel that on an active trip such as this, unlimited chilled water should be available. We opted to forgo the beverage package and found the beer and wine reasonably priced.
Laundry service on board would be a nice option.
Having said all of the above, I would still recommend the trip and I would use Tripsite again.Boat: MS Arkona
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Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna
by David R. 6 days ago • Permalink/ReplyHard to pick one part...The cycling and scenery each day was stunning. Vienna must be experienced. The staff and the food on the Arkona was outstanding.
Boat: MS Arkona
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Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine
by Steve & Ginny B. 1 week ago • Permalink/ReplyThank you for arranging our bike/barge trip on the MS Bordeaux.
We cannot tell you enough good about MS Bordeaux, the Captain and his crew. It was so enjoyable to arrive on board, unpack for eight days, and relax. On other bike rides, we unpacked every night and repacked every morning. I think another bike/barge is in order. Tim LaMonte and I are researching next year’s ride already!
The food was exceptional (except for one night when the chef was off. My red mullet was raw and not cooked. Can you spell Y-U-C-K?). Every day, we packed our lunches (except when we did our walking tour of Bordeaux with Sebastian, see below.) Desserts were yummy!
The bike rides were great and we discovered fantastic wines!
There were 84 passengers on-board. A large group was from Australia, some from Canada, Switzerland and the USA. Even though those of on the non-guided ride tour rode at different speeds, we continuously found each, and other helped each other find our way and found places of interest. The camaraderie with other riders was phenomenal.
I had an e-bike. Ginny had a regular bike. On the last day, she traded it in for an e-bike! She will get one for the next tour! Tim also traded his bike for an e-bike on the last day.
In the middle of the week, we could ride our bikes on a short bike path or take a walking tour of Bordeaux, or both. We decided to have a relaxing day and took the walking tour.
Sebastian, the bartender, had the day off. We asked why he did the free walking tour on his day off. His response was simple. He loved to tell people about his country and take them on tour of his hometown, Bordeaux.
A total delight was our interaction with 19-year old Dorrian (sp?). He was the highlight of the trip. He gave the welcome briefing, the evening briefings on what to expect the next day, and was always available.
1. Dee LaMonte had a flat tire. We called Dorrian and he was there within 15 minutes
2. Dorrian was on different roads where the non-guided riders were, and always got us on the right track.
3. Every time we were not sure of where we should be, Dorrian showed up like magic!
4. Another flat tire, a telephone call, and Dorrian found us again. He took Dee LaMonte and her bike in a van to MS Bordeaux. Dorrian also offered a ride to the rest of us, however, we declined and rode the rest of the way back.
The final night on board, was the Captains Dinner, a party and lots wine flowing and lot of dancing! A perfect way to celebrate the end of our adventure!
Boat: Bordeaux
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Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine
by Lee F. 2 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyIt was an altogether pleasant experience; the highlight was the lovely little village of Saint-Émilion.
Boat: Bordeaux
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Loire Valley Bike and Boat
by Patti P. 2 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyThe best part was traveling with friends. I would have enjoyed more information about the area and towns we were traveling through.
Boat: Anna Maria IV
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Loire Valley Bike and Boat
by Karen T. 2 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyThe staff and crew of the Anna Marie were very friendly and helpful but over all, if this was my first bike and barge trip, it would probably would have been my last. The accommodations were small, we knew that going in but because space was so limited, there was nowhere to hang the towels to dry properly so they should have been changed a little more frequently. The mattress on the bunk bed also needed to be changed as it was old and hard to sleep on.
The food at breakfast was the same for 7 days, as were the luncheon meats. The bread was fabulous but could have been switched up with some protein like eggs to start the day. The dinners were, on most occasions, tasty and delicious but lacked quantity after a long bike ride.
My biggest complaint was the cost of the water. The days were hot, the stores and restaurants along the way were closed and for the temperature we should have been provided with water or somewhere to fill our bottles. The boat charged too much for a small bottle and provided only one even smaller bottle for the day.
Our bike guide did not provided any history of the areas we saw and at night, we were not given any tours of the place we were moored at.
Last but not least, all the bikes needed to be tuned up, several chains, when changing gears, fell off, some brakes did not work well and some gears would not change properly.
The most memorable part of the trip were the rest of the passengers, we all enjoyed each others company and had the ability to laugh at some of the situations described.Boat: Anna Maria IV
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Prague to Dresden - A Tale of Two Rivers
by Sherry 2 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyJust completed the Prague to Dresden tour and am giving it 5 stars based on the overall experience, although I'm going to lead with some negatives. Our group size was 15. I had asked the question early on before booking about size and was told usually 10-12. With 2 guides and a support van we were able to divide on most days, as part of the group was habitually late. It was also an issue for lunches since a group of 15 slows things down for restaurant service. Our lunch stops often approached two hours. In addition, there were times that we were down one guide apparently due to overbooking issues, plus one unexpected issue with the overnight bike storage that caused a huge delay in the start the second day. That was the Terezin day, and while we got into town, the sites were already closed.
But now for the positive, this is a great ride on mostly good bike paths. If you are in any way concerned about hills, weather, trail conditions or stamina, I highly recommend an ebike. This will mitigate almost all issues and still offers all the benefits of biking. 30-35 miles a day is a lot to cover with the drawbacks of being in a group, so most of the riding was at a pretty quick pace.
Our guides, Richard and Jana, were outstanding. Richard is a veteran guide and a wealth of knowledge. He read the group well and let us divide into two whenever possible. This was Jana's first time on this tour, but she was cheerful and helpful at all times.
The hotels and restaurants were all enjoyable, especially the chateau in Liblice/Melnik. We did enjoy our fellow riders and even with not ideal weather for a couple days, it was a fun time. The positives far outweighed the negatives and made for a memorable, thoroughly enjoyable trip. -
North Holland Tour
by Paul Alper 3 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyOn the Liza Marleen there were 6 of us from our family ranging in age from 82 to less than 2 years of age. The staff on the ship was superb, especially the cook who was particularly considerate regarding the granddaughters who roamed the dining area. She was quite creative with her menus and happy to socialize with the participants. Moreover, because it was my daughter's birthday (birthdays are Big Deals in the Netherlands) on the last night of the trip, the cook ignored my request for one cupcake with a candle and instead presented gorgeous cakes for the entire ship. Her English assistant was equally kind; the skipper turned out to be a first-class guitar player and had the entire ship singing along.
It was a wonderful and successful excursion and I am very grateful to the staff on board the Liza Marleen for everything they did to accommodate us and make it a memorable 50th wedding anniversary.
Boat: Liza Marleen
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Berlin to Copenhagen
by Pilar Parra 3 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyHa sido un tour fantástico. Hemos hecho la ruta desde Copenhague a Berlín, con unos paisajes increíbles, disfrutando de estupendos carriles bici. Es nuestro cuarto tour y esperamos continuar con un nuevo destino. Unas vacaciones inolvidables!!!
It was a fantastic tour. We have made the route from Copenhagen to Berlin, with incredible landscapes, enjoying great bike lanes. It is our fourth tour and we hope to continue with a new destination. An unforgettable vacation!!! -
Rural Kerala, India
by Allison Martin 3 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyWe have just returned from this tour in Kerala, (September 2018) it was customised for the two of us to include 3 nights in Munnar. The tour exceeded our expectations, was extremely well organised by Kalypso Adventures, we had an outstanding guide and competent driver, learnt much about the area, culture, the people and how they live what is grown in the area and so much more. The cycling was great, amended slightly in distance and route because of the recent devastating floods but this in no way detracted from the experience. Accommodation was varied and always excellent, food delicious. We would certainly recommend this tour. We are an older couple from New Zealand.
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Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
by Faith S. 3 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyI was disappointed in this tour, the scenery was mostly uninteresting and much more difficult than expected due to high winds on 2 days. I am short and was given a crappy bike to ride, having been told I could not fit on the e-bike I wanted. However, after 2 days of suffering my tour guide was able to find me a bike that fit (even after the company itself said it could not accommodate). The ship itself was wonderful, with big bright cabins and excellent food. I was on the guided comfort relax package, and the tour guide was way too laid back for my taste. I thought we did not have much time in the big cities to explore.
Boat: MS Carissima
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Mainz to Bamberg
by Randy M. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyBest part was picking grapes at the community Arbor along the route. Sharing with the entire group. Our guide led us to many quant and tasty coffee, beer, wine and pastry stops...
Boat: Merlijn
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Mainz to Bamberg
by Bruce R. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyMost Memorable Part? Having a cold dark stout at a hillside restaurant with the whole biking crew while overlooking the Main River and vineyards on the hillside simply beautiful.
Boat: Merlijn
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Around Paris
by Eileen A. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyMost Memorable? For me the day we cycled through the city of Paris. We got to experience a very authentic side of Parisian life, zooming along the myriad of bike paths with the locals, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells and knowing we were in the capable hands of our guide. Having a guide removes all of the navigational stress and allows for the freedom to sit back and enjoy the ride.
Boat: Clair de Lune
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Bruges to Paris or Paris to Bruges
by Gary F. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyGreat trip, great barge, well organized, a list of fellow passengers for each cabin would have been helpful from the start
Keep in mind the MPS Zwaantje does provide hairdryers for each cabin, provides WiFi- a truly upscale barge.Boat: Zwaantje
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Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna
by Michael S. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyThere were so many great memories, but I really loved the town of Melk and all the little towns in the Wachau area that we passed through our last day. It was like biking through fairy land. Fall is the perfect time for sampling the local new wines. And our guide, Regina, was tops!! Can’t imagine a better tour guide!
Boat: MS Arkona
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Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna
by Cheryl H. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyWonderful trip. Beautiful scenery and the boat staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful.
Boat: MS Arkona
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Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna
by Phyllis C. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyVery pleasant trip. The route included portions along the river as well as through picturesque villages, farmland, and vineyards. Daily mileage was perfect for us casual riders. The last day of riding through the Wachau area was the most enjoyable; we wish there would have been more time to explore the tasting rooms and shops in Dürnstein.
There was only a minor problem in communication with the tour director over the the time of an optional paid activity that several members of the group did not get to attend. I didn't feel the problem was addressed well.Boat: MS Arkona
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Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna
by Deirdre R. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyMost Memorable Part? The biking, totally. It’s ok if your friend chooses not to ride, there are others en route who make it pleasant. The staff were overly attentive! So helpful
Boat: MS Arkona
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Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
by Laura W. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyThe Along the Danube Four-Country tour far surpassed our expectations. The cabins on the MS Carissima are more spacious than large cruise ship cabins I've had in the past. The food was truly amazing, and the chef endeavored to offer the option of a dish native to the country we were in each night. The staff was wonderful and went above and beyond for us.
And then there was the scenery! It was simply breathtaking! The comfort bikes are appropriately named; so much so that I would love to buy one to replace the bike I have at home. Riding along the Danube was such a spectacular way to really get a feel for the country.
We had two people in our group who elected not to bicycle, for health reasons, and they loved the trip too. Apparently, relaxing with a drink on the sun deck was another very pleasurable way to see things.
I highly recommend this trip!
Boat: MS Carissima
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Mosel and Saar
by Bob T. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyThe opportunity to experience rural Germany close up was awesome and made even better with the efforts of our guide and crew.
Boat: Zwaan
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Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
by Kathryn G. 4 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyWe had a great time. The bike rides were so much fun with ferry rides and beautiful scenery. The staff on board were excellent. Food, OMG, it was fabulous and served so elegantly. They very graciously accommodated my gluten sensitivity. And we had two great parties. I have recommended this trip to many friends. What a great way to see the country.
Boat: MS Carissima
