Along the Danube - Four Country Tour Tour Reviews — 361 to 390 of 543

The barge was wonderful and the staff most helpful and professional. I wouldn’t hesitate to go on another biking trip. Thank you for a job well done.

Loved being in the beautiful countryside and then the relaxing atmosphere of going down the Danube on a river boat. If I did it again I would opt for being guided as the routes and directions were confusing at times.

Most Memorable Part: The friendly inviting atmosphere created by staff and participants.

Most Memorable Part: The last biking day on the Danube through the vineyards.

Every aspect of this trip exceeded our expectations. The boat staff could not have been more friendly and accommodating. The rooms and food were excellent. The bicycles were in top condition, and the cycling director was a wealth of information about each day's itinerary. Our friends are tired of hearing us rave about how wonderful the trip was.

Most Memorable Part? Cruising into Budapest at night. It was breath taking!!

The boat, the crew, the accommodations, the other cyclists, and the tour itself were all first rate. My own group hired, in addition, a professional bicycle guide (comfort guided option), who rode with us and provided directions, historical information, and additional short trips to fill out the schedule. I would go again with Tripsite in a minute!!

Most Memorable part? Riding along the Danube!

5th Bike trip along the Danube and still love it!

We so much enjoyed meeting so many people from all around the world with the same interest and passion for the sport thanks again.

The staff were wonderful and attentive and the biking equipment was excellent. It was tremendously satisfying to enjoy this beautiful part of the world on bike and then return to the comfort of the boat each evening. Looking forward to the next trip!!

Our bike barge trip along the Danube in October 2017 was a great experience. Biking was fabulous, the paths we're all very good for the most part. The scenery was beautiful. We were very pleased with the friendliness of the staff and all the accommodations made for us. The food was all nicely presented and abundant. Our group of eight friends definitely would like to do another trip! Great scenery, great exercise, and an overall wonderful experience!

The daily rides were the perfect combination of distance and scenery. The ship and staff were excellent as was the food served in the dining room. We would definitely recommend this ride and cruise to our friends.

It was our 35th anniversary and we had lots of alone time to tour ourselves but also met the nicest people on the boat

Scenery que sheets needed to be more precise. Several of us got lost on our last day and therefore couldn't tour the Melk Abbey. I was very disappointed we ended up biking 50 miles instead of 26.

Visiting the Wachau valley was my favorite part of the trip. Entertainment on the ship was the only down side and that was just a small part of the trip.

I really enjoyed the first and last days a lot which were in the beautiful countryside along the Danube. It was good to see the cities but the visits too short to really visit anything in depth.
I recommend the Mozart concert which I really enjoyed.
I loved meeting people from other countries and wish we could have had meal seating change every couple of days to mix with other people who also were interested in meeting others.

The comfort guide was somewhat disappointing and the on ship tour director was disorganized and dismissive. While the comfort guide did give some good suggestions, the bike tour through Vienna would have better been replaced by a bus tour, as the group was very large, traffic was heavy and the whole experience was somewhat dangerous to anyone not a very experienced rider. We were led to believe that the bike tour in Vienna would be easy, on nice paths , not crowded or busy, whereas the opposite was the case. The tour guide through Vienna, a local, did not wear an identifying vest, and travelled too quickly, More instruction for the riders not experienced with electric bikes would have been appreciated. A session especially on the electric bikes while on board the ship would be an improvement. We paid extra for a top level cabin, but it seemed to be nearly exactly the same as the cabins one level down. While the food was good, and the service was excellent, we wearied of the sauces typical of continental cuisine and the small salads. Bike lunches and water were good. Fresh fruit was available at breakfast.

The experience on the barge far exceeded the expectations for my wife and the other 6 members of the group. The quality of the food, the excellence (and friendliness) of service , and the outstanding visuals of the meal presentations were an absolute delight.
If I were asked for recommendations (I left these comments on the end of cruise comment card), would be to improve internet service and to make sure there is at least one English speaking television channel available.
Other than that, everything was wonderful.

Most Memorable Part: Waking up each morning at a new port in the middle of no where with castles and beauty all around. Tip: Take all the bottled water you are able to as not freely available (although I drank the ship's water and it was fine). Don't rely on internet.

It was a fantastic trip. I will definitely recommend it to friends and family!

The whole experience was more than I expected. Just join in and enjoy life.

This was our first bike and barge trip. The 4 countries trip was awesome. Albert was an amazing tour guide and was available all the time to ask questions of and chat with. His info sessions were informative, we would have missed a great deal without his tips and suggestions. Amazing food. Friendly staff willing to do anything to make the trip memorable. No hassles ever! Wish coffee during the day was included but no big deal. We were on the top level with big picture windows. Immaculate boat, the Carissma. We booked the spa and enjoyed the expansive area, chilled fruit juices, robes and towels. Nice hot tub for two, romantic. We are already looking for another Tripsite bike and barge next year. This is an amazing way to see cities, get some exercise and fresh air, enjoy the countryside and visit little villages for coffee or drinks. We did city bike tours in Budapest &Vienna (booked on board) and they were well worth the money. Before the trip we had a number of questions and Mikky at Tripsite was great with answers. I was so happy she answered right away! Thanks for a memorable week.

This was the second trip on the MS Carissma from Sept 24 - Oct 1- along the Danube. Great scenery- the best of the two trips. The river views of vineyards, historical sites were really beautiful. The staff on the boat were exceptionally customer focused and responsive to needs. The food was very good and well presented with the exception of the fruit plate which needed a little more imagination to meet the standard set by the other menu items. The hired tour guide for our group was not able to answer questions about the history or other information on some of the sites we spent time in or passed along the way. He knew the route well but other information was not forthcoming as he said "it did not interest him" when he did not know. Tips - do some research on some of the stops along the way to determine if the site is worth a stop along the way. Make good use of the extra time in Vienna and Budapest.

It was great from beginning to end. The only thing I might suggest would be perhaps a better map on a couple of the days for our biking excursion. We found our way, but got a little confused in a couple of spots. Staff was excellent, tour guide bent over backwards for us, food was delicious, etc. Working with Susanna prior to our trip was so easy and she answered all my questions. I would do it again!

The ability to view many little towns throughout the trip along with the amazing historical buildings. The daily bike routes could have been clearer, or at least exact precise maps to follow.

We participated on this Bike N Barge tour in May of 2017. The Carissima is a former "Viking Cruises" ship which is now doing the bike and barge tours for a year or so and it provides such luxury in accommodations, living quarters, dining rooms, swimming pool and so on that is unlikely to find on any other ship and tour of this type. The bike paths are by most standards quite good and the scenery is simply wonderful. The first day or riding the Engelhartszell - Aschach bike path is majestic and the Great Loop of the Danube unforgettable. The Wachau / Krems - Melk trail on the last riding day is by far the best and most interesting. We also rode our bikes on our own through the city of Bratislava and also through most of Budapest which is by far one of the nicest cities east of the Iron Curtain. We did not take a day of rest in Vienna. We rode our very comfy e-Bikes for 4 hours throughout the city and stopping at the huge number of venues for photos as time in Vienna is absolutely very limited. If there is something wrong with this trip is the fact that this ship does not stay overnight in any of the main stops on the tour so it lacks the opportunity to explore the city at night and enjoy some of the local events and specialties. The ship leaves almost as soon as your requested time of return from cycling is scheduled and you spend much of the time on the ship deck watching the river go by. The tour guides were outstanding and the directions given are flawless. Having been given the gps routes in advance was immensely helpful. By the way, while e-Bikes are not essential they are good to have if you plan to climb the hills to see the castles and other high up the horizon venues on this tour. If you stay on the assigned paths regular 7-8 gear bikes are just fine. The Hungarian dance evening excursion is quite good and recommended and so is the Vienna Orchestra evening excursion if it is your first ever classical music show. It provides some of the well known classical music by well known music geniuses but leaves a lot to be desired if you are well aware of this musical era. The orchestra is small just 16 or 17 musicians in a small and poorly designed venue for that type of music. 3 out of 5 for this excursion. The overall trip is well designed and gives nice riding opportunities, great views, lots of culture, great comfort and the Danube is a treat. The meals on Carissima are less than good in quality and taste but better than most for showing off. The breakfast are excellent. The rest is average at best. The crews are all top quality for service and attendance. I dislike sitting at the same table with the same 6 persons every days every meal. It supresses the opportunity to meet people and reduces the fun of getting to know others from different countries, cultures, ethnicity and customs. For the reasons of not overnight stops and the food quality and table seating system we rate this at a 7 of 10 stars or 3.5 on this scale.

The cruise was wonderful supported by a fantastic crew on the ship who went out of their way to provide a very positive experience.
I had left my phone at a restaurant on the bike route and it was returned to me within 3 hours...I was so grateful.
Having a tour guide would have been very helpful on certain days of the trip...ie Vienna.
I was very disappointed with the fact that the biking portion of the Wachau valley that was in the itinerary had been eliminated without our knowing until the night before.
it was to have been a highlight for our group and the cruise company said that it was Never a part of the biking route.!
We rented e bikes at an extra cost for the 4 of us because of the distance to be covered that day and otherwise would not have.

All of the cycling group received the same information from Tripsite about the Wachau valley and we were all disappointed.

Otherwise I would highly recommend this trip but do feel that you should update your itinerary so that people aren't disappointed.

Great trip. Boat and river cruise portion of the trip was more than expected. Service and the crew on the boat were excellent, including the food.
Quality of bicycles was excellent. They were mechanically perfect. The only down side of the entire trip were the nightly route planning meetings and the quality of the maps and route guides. It was obvious that the tour leader giving the route agenda had never ridden the bike paths. Her English was not very good which made it even more difficult to understand the route(s). We had to fend for ourselves (asking people on the street for directions) numerous times because the routes were just not made clear. Also, the route was not what was not the same as what was spelled out on the website.
Overall, we were very satisfied with the trip.

Loved the itinerary and biking routes!
Barge suggestions:
Dinner seat assignments-- still place with others of the same language, but not necessarily from the same country.
The upper outdoor covered lounge allowed smoking which meant the entire area could be filled with smoke! This type of trip is for active, healthy lifestyle people...smoking should be confined to a small area in front of the pilot house (or not at all).