Along the Danube - Four Country Tour Tour Reviews — 391 to 420 of 509

While the scenery was wonderful, I don't think that I could recommend this type travel to someone who would like to take more time to see the sites. This tour, just in my opinion, is much better suited for someone prioritizing cycling over site seeing. I (and some others in my group) discussed how there was a "rushed" feeling to the trip. That being said, the itinerary is posted online for all to make an informed decision. Lastly, there was almost a sense that we, the customers, were an inconvenience to many of the staff until the second to last day when there was an announcement that a tipping envelope would be left in each cabin. Staff personalities completely changed for the better on the last day and a half. This opinion was quietly shared by most of us who had done this type of tour numerous times before.

The most memorable part was cruising down the river during dinner.

My first Tripsite vacation, first bike/barge trip, first trip to the 4 countries.....loved it. Somewhat poor attitudes of hotel manager, Peter and the guides did not spoil my trip...in fact, became a bit of a joke to us. I would not let it stop from booking another trip.

The food and scenery were magnificent. The boat was better than I had expected. Don't pay extra for the upper deck cabins on the Normandie because they are identical with the exception of being able to open the window on the upper deck. Our tour guide was rude. He spent a lot of time talking to the Germans and very little time talking in English. He scolded us if we asked questions that could be found in our book or were only relevant to the next day's bike trip. Peter at the front desk was also very rude. He made you feel stupid for asking any questions. He is in the tourist business and should expect questions and answer them gracefully. I wouldn't tell someone to avoid this trip, because of the beauty, but don't expect a lot from the staff. The rest of the staff were quite nice, but there were three men that should not be in this business!!

Having a guide for the biking. He was terrific. We had a route change which led to a boring day biking. They do not give you water at the table. Too many people on the boat. Lining up for things to buy tickets. Did not like having to buy a drink package. Too expensive.
Staff was very pleasant. Our guide was fabulous.

The e-bike option really made the trip for me. It allowed me to bicycle each day, get plenty of exercise, and not overdo it. As a result, I was able to enjoy the sites and experience much more.

There were many memorable parts of this trip. The vineyard/bike trails around Melk were very nice.

The people I was on the trip with we all had a just terrific time. A truly wonderful trip with a great staff great a wonderful trip.

The trip was very nice. Everything was nice. If I can figure a route will do it again next year!

Biking thru Wachau valley. Our guide, Hugo, was not real informative. We had to drag info from him. He was better later in the week when we kept asking. Wine tasting was fun. Loved quaint villages.

Everyone was amazing: Welcoming; friendly; accommodating; delicious food and informative.

I organized a trip with 20 friends and family to take the boat and bike trip up the Danube. I was a bit concerned because my co-travelers varied in age and fitness. I was delighted to find that with the option of the electric bikes and choices of long or short bike paths, everyone was accommodated. The entire group had a magical time. They loved the boat, the staff, the food, and particularly enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment after cycling through gorgeous towns and scenery.
I have organized many group trips in the past, and this one allowed me to enjoy myself more fully because I knew that the crew was taking care of my friends and family's needs, and I didn't have to be dealing with questions or problems. Because we had such a large group, we could all break up into smaller groups and enjoy the sights, knowing that we would all converge later on the boat and share our stories from the day.
Even though we already had a large group, we all made new friends on the boat.
I take an international adventure trip every year, and I would put this one among the top of my list!

The e-bike option really made the trip for me. It allowed me to bicycle each day, get plenty of excercise, and not overdo it. As a result, I was able to enjoy the sites and experience much more.

The incredible countryside through which we traveled both by boat and on bike as well as the wonderfully hard-working, pleasant and attentive staff who made my trip so memorable. Lastly, the food was fantastic!

The ride through the Wachau valley was by far the most memorable. We were happy with the overall trip. The staff were very helpful and cheerful. The one disappointment was with the info from the cruise director on the trip. At times it was inaccurate. This trip could be improved by updating the notes in the bike route, providing information and maps on side trips to the villages we biked through. Many bikers were concerned to vary from the route to find other attractions for fear of getting lost. One section of the trail was on a small sidewalk yet the cruise director and the printed information did not mention this. A lot of bikers were confused. It seems like the cruise director never biked the route or it has been too long ago.

Sometimes we were unsure if we were on the route or not. Maybe could have had some additional signage along route.

The trip overall was great. The boat is showing its age, and the cabins are adequate but not overly comfortable.
The route descriptions provided by the cruise director could have been much better. Simply using visuals to indicate map directions would have helped a lot. There was some unnecessary confusion on our trip. A friend who took the trip two weeks earlier on the same boat with the same crew made the same comment.
Overall the lovely scenery, the interesting people on board and the beautiful cities we visited made this trip very worthwhile.

Two ladies and I ( all in our 60's) just finished this tour on My Story. Having no experience with bike/barge I was not sure what to expect. What we got was a fabulous trip through some of the most scenic and beautiful country I've ever seen. Our tour guide, Stephan, was charming and informative. This tour was run by Rad and Reisen. They did a great job of marking the routes, although a few times we did get a little turned around. The food was top-notch and the staff did an excellent job of entertaining the travelers. I was impressed by the over-all professionalism. The riding was easy and on mostly asphalt with very few inclines. Only draw back was the size of the cabins. The pictures are a little misleading. When the second bed was lowered there was almost no room to walk by each other. You needed to be a contortionist to use the bathroom. But, since you really didn't spend a lot of time in the room it was tolerable. All in all would highly recommend this trip.

I loved every moment of the trip. The boat and the meals were far better than I had expected, the staff was super friendly and the fun activities were great. I look forward to booking another trip. I recommend that people read their information prior to daily outings as there is a lot to absorb. Also, take time on the first day to be sure your bicycle is a good fit. It was a magnificent adventure!

The most memorable part was Day 6 Rossatz - Pochlarn was the most scenic part of the trail. Magical small villages - wish the whole route could have been like this. Most of the trail was uneventful, some of the trail was in poor shape and rough riding.
Unfortunately, there was a language barrier between the Americans and the tour guide, so instructions were not always clear, and we needed to fend for ourselves most of the time. Certain sections of map were confusing and trail was not well marked. We made it though, and enjoyed the adventure!
Beautiful cities and villages to visit - wish we would have had more time to explore! All in all very good trail ride and good trip!

We found the boat comfortable and the staff really helpful and friendly. The trip was most relaxing and a good insight into the Danube countryside.

The most memorable part: The staff on board the ship, our guide, the beautiful sights and most importantly the people we met in the countries we visited. They were warm, welcoming and really made you feel like a special visitor.

Started our tour July 17th. Things went smoothly after they had gotten the engine fixed which caused a change in our first days agenda. They really came through in making up for the inconvenience. Staff on the ship and Stephan our Rad and Reisen rep were great.

All in all it was an excellent vacation, very well organized. All the ships staff were friendly and willing to go that extra step to make it a great experience. The food was wonderful, accommodations great.

I thought our Rad and Reisen biking guide Hugo did an excellent job navigating our group from spot to spot. Despite having quite a large group( English, German and Dutch speaking) he was able to spend time with all of us making sure we had a great experience. He was very personable and got our group from point A to B safely, making sure we had time to see and experience the many special places communities along the Danube.

He even went above and beyond to make my experience extra special. Having MS meant that I could not participate in the walking tours. He took it upon himself to make sure I was included by providing me with my own tour using bicycles. This would have been a night off for him and he knew that I would not be able to take part due to my limited ability to walk any distance due to my MS. It was one of my more memorable experiences thanks to Hugo.

He certainly looked after all of us and was accessible day and night to answer any questions and assist to make our trip an experience of a lifetime.

Boat: My Story

Was a great trip. Boat and tour guide were outstanding. Some of the staff were a bit stand-offish, but within reason. Just didn't make you feel 100% welcomed all the time (made you feel more of a guest than family) but again, well within reason. Got lost a few times so perhaps the maps could be a bit more directed, but again, not bad. Overall, it was a great experience and I would highly recommend it. Thanks - Larry

Only bad was some hills and a very long bridge (wife is afraid of heights and had to walk the over mile long bridge).

The boat was not in location we were told it would be. But once there the boat was good. The tour guide didn't seem to know the route as well as he should have. The directions on the maps could have been a lot better But we did have a great time but would recommend a different route next time.

Tripsite was great. Would highly recommend booking with them.

The plan changed from recommending biking in Budapest...to it not being recommended - and therefore no briefing/description of the route was provided. While the stickers on signposts helped to guide the way, the book could have been more fully annotated. The boat was too full, there were not enough dishes for all passengers, dinner took 3 hours (2 hours too long). Bikes were generally in good repair and available when promised. Although the food was very good, bottled water was not provided every day as contracted.

The bike path signs were sometimes hard to follow and we got off course a few times.
The staff of the boat, The Normandie, was fabulous. The food was better than we expected and they were very accommodating with our lunches. The wifi was very disappointing.

It was better than I could imagine! Thank you all.

We found this to be one of our best trips ever!