Austria Tour Reviews — 451 to 480 of 1074

The biking! Loved being able to be mainly on a proper bike path and not on roads. Freedom to explore along the way and take your time getting to the next destination by bike.
Last bike day through Wachau valley was very rushed to have to make it to the boat before 3:30pm. So much to see we were scared to miss the boat and skipped a lot of experiences. That section would be better down downstream than upstream!
Better, detailed maps would have been nice.
Wi-fi on the boat was terrible or no-existent!
Food was acceptable but not fantastic.
Thank you for always having vegetarian option!

Easy and Wonderful. Amazing destinations on a comfortable ship. There is no need to think. The staff does all the thinking for you so you can enjoy your visits and bike rides. The bike routes are well planned and explained, both in the guidebook and by the cruise director in his daily briefings. I highly recommend downloading the route for google maps so that you can trace your progress and find your location easily on your phone. The distances are reasonable and the sights beautiful. I rented a standard bike from the boat, and felt comfortable and secure. My travel companions rented an e-bike from a private vendor in Passau, and loved them (the ship ran out of e-bike rentals). Dinner was delicious. The ship clearly had a first-rate chef on board. The air conditioner in the suite worked very well (we like our rooms to get very cool at night)--so we loved the temperature in the room. The organized shore excursions were great, especially the city tours by bike. We had a suite, which was very comfortable. It came with a mini-fridge, a spacious bathroom with great water pressure and lighting, and plenty of storage space in the cabin.

My most important suggestions:
Dinner took a bit too long: on some evenings, almost as long as 2.5 hours.
I wish we had stayed a bit longer in some places (e.g., Melk, Vienna, Aschach).
For passengers with walking challenges, more assistance finding easy-to-board taxis or tuk tuks when docking.
Guide book could show where WC facilities can be found along the route (pls note, no WC facility at the ferry station in Szob, Hungary).
A supplementary, shorter bike route could be offered for the Devin-Bratislava day. The one offered is very long and most of it a bit boring and bit challenging (too many turns along with long bridge that is intimidating to cross if windy). The offered option is great for those interested in doing long-distance biking, but for those who want to spend a bit more time in Bratislava, a shorter route could be offered as an alternative, maybe a short trip to the the Schlosshof and back to Bratislava without doing the full loop.

Most memorable part of trip was seeing the Lippizon horses in Vienna.

I loved the Clam Castle we toured.
Amazing that a count and countess actually live there with their children!
One disappointment was that the cruise director spent most of his time giving cycling directions in German and very little time in English.
I found the route difficult to navigate but fortunately one of our friends was able to figure it out.

We loved our boat/bike tour but the absolute highlight was the day cycling in the Wachau valley. We just wish the day had started and ended later so we could have sampled more wine!

The boat staff were fantastic - they really went out of their way to make our trip easy, fun and memorable.

Most memorable part: Waking up to different cities. Tour director Leslie was very helpful and knowledgeable.

The trip was all memorable--the scenery from the boat, the biking in Austria, the cities of Vienna and Budapest. The staff and crew were outstanding, especially the tour director. Our only complaint was that a vegan menu option was promised and the kitchen struggled to deliver the quality and variety we expected.

Our first bike and barge and we are already looking forward to many more. We are two 60 yr old couple who all love the outdoors, adventure and travel. Our cabins were on the top deck of the Carissma, roomy enough, turn down service each night and big picture windows. Excellent food, especially the dinners. Albert was the tour guide on board and he was organized, knowledgeable and patient! No problems with the bikes or directions - we were self guiding, 21 speed bikes. Easy terrain. We highly recommend the city bike tour of Budapest and Vienna as you otherwise may miss great hidden gems, interesting stories and local guides. We stayed at Hotel Residenz in Passau for one night before departure and highly recommend the visit to this beautiful port city and the hotel! We could not recommend trying this style of vacation more. The staff on the Carissma did everything to make the week comfortable, easy and well organized. Wonderful way to see cities in 4 countries in a week.

I really enjoyed the cycling outsy of the cities. Cycling in the cities was not so great.

The food on board was excellent. Everything about the ship was great.

Dennis ft Collins Colorado

Not the cities but the cycling outside of the cities. Perhaps cycling the Wachau Valley was our favorite but we enjoyed all of the pre-planned cycle routes.

There were no complications due to COVID-related issues on the tour. The only frustrating steps were the Denver to Frankfurt flight and the return. We never seemed to have the right forms and in the end, no one ever checked the forms except at the airplane check-in.

We really enjoyed the diversity on the ship. English was definitely the second language, but people did their best to be welcoming and accommodating. It’s important that people understand and are willing to go with the flow! The paths weren’t always as clear as they were supposed to be, so be prepared. We were thankful that all paths eventually went to the Danube!

The most memorable part was biking with new friends we made on this trip, also the 80s dance night was very very fun. I would suggest to not include every lunch in the package as usually we are out no need for sandwiches, and give the option to have dinner out when we dock in a city. The organization was great, the self biking part very easy as the cruise director was amazing. We felt safe and taking care off very well. I would recommend a longer time in Vienna.

Hi….really a great trip and well organized, thank you so much ! The only confusion was day 7, you list the ride is 51 miles, yet maybe clarify that the ride is only 34 miles and the ferry ride from Szentendre to Budapest in 15 miles for then a total distance of 51 miles, with 34 miles of riding. Is there an option for a better bike ? Look forward to riding again with Tripsite, Good Luck ! Jim Ruble.

I understand the latitudes taken in promotion and advertising. That being said, I highly resent being intentionally deceived. We were “warned” prior to leaving that there might be last minute changes in where the ship docked in Passau. Sure enough, 2 days prior to boarding we were informed of the change “due to construction.” There was no construction around the docks. We walked by there several times each day, and ships were docking all the time. No, this had to do with not wanting to dock in Germany where COVID restrictions were tighter for the ship to set sail.

What we were left with instead was a vague set of instructions that led us to the wrong place and a group of suspected fellow passengers (none spoke English) also waiting in several places for the bus. We tried your 800 number. No one answered. We tried the local “help line”. The person who answered did not speak English. There was no one at the presumed site to board the bus to inform us that we were at the correct location. Had the original one not broken down and caused an unexpected delay, we would have never made it to be bus, even though we left our hotel two hours earlier. Two unexpected cab fares and hours of stress wondering if we would actually make embarkation is not the way to start a voyage. We must have been your only clients on board, and that explains quite a lot of what happened. The only other English-speaking passengers were Danish. Daytime announcements were only made in German.

FOOD

If I were asked to describe the food on this voyage with one word it would be: BLAND. Presentation 10. Taste 3. Selection 2. They need to invest more in spices to make it taste better and less on garnish to make it look good.

PERSONNEL

The saving grace was the attitude and professionalism of all those who worked on board, from the Captain helping get the bicycles ashore, to the ladies at the information desk, to our waiter, bartender, and cabin stewardess. All worked hard, were extremely helpful, and I have no complaints whatsoever.

CYCLING EXPERIENCE

The bicycles were good quality, well-maintained, and those who instructed us in their use were quite helpful. The young lady who instructed us each evening about the day ahead was superb. But her graphics, maps, handouts, were awful. The biking experience itself was nothing like I imagined. Cars, trucks, pedestrians, and multitudes of other cyclists all trying to pass on the left at any opportunity. Some very dangerous gravel trails and quite a bit of city riding with cars whizzing by at breakneck speed. The distance vs. time allowed created a “race to the finish line” experience rather than the comfortable, leisurely ride through the countryside with frequent stops to take in the scenery that I had come to expect from your promotional materials.  SHOW MORE 

The Barge and Ride tour of the Danube was outstanding. Providing more detailed directions to the demarcation point in Passat would have helped. The staff were excellent as were the meals and the scenery.

Please do not consider this a review of your company, but a review of the cruse company. First, this garbage of moving the dock location from Passau to a small town in Austria was a total sham. They said that was done because of dock construction in Passau. This was a Trump type of Lie! There was no dock in the city of Passau being worked on. Total BS!
Secondly, the bus pickup at the train station in Passau was a real mess up. No one was there to help direct or at least tell people there were in the correct place. You could not talk to anyone to make sure you were in the correct place because there were at least four different languages being spoken. Then the bus was about an hour late - not helpful to already lost and confused people.
Other than the above, I enjoyed the trip. I really want to express my thoughts about the staff on the boat. In all my travels, I have NEVER seem a staff who worked so hard, friendly, and helpful. Them never ran from work or being helpful. Everyone from the captain to the dock workers jumped in when needed. This was the best bunch of service staff that I have had the privilege to observe and interact with.
Thank you for your efforts and willing to listen. Sincerely, Leo Dennis Roos

The scenes along the Danube. The quality of the hotels The simplicity of the directions on the the bike route.
Suggestions for others. Pack lighter and know that you will have saddle bags on the trip.
Another tip for me. If I know that I check in by 3 then it is not necessary leave each site before 11 The next thing I would do is plan my lunch stop. Might a great idea to know where half way is for a great salad.

-Excellent itinerary and beautiful country
-great customer service from Anna
-excellent equipment

-poor navigation instruction compounded with misinformation when cross referencing map instruction versus navigation instructions
-poor (lack of detail) wording on some of the daily instructions on what and where to go. Anna helped tremendously with this.
-moving map wouldn't work on the entire trip causing many instances of confusion
-very poor briefing from company liaison handing off the bikes at the beginning of the trip. He seemed overwhelmed and inconvenienced.

It was fantastic. The tour guide was amazing and really connected with you so much that he would bike with you and converse with you on each bike excursion. the scenery was so beautiful and was the best trip experience we have every had hands down!

Cycling in Austria was my favourite part of the trip. I rented an e-bike for the entire eight days and was very glad that I did—for the hills and for the long distances. I would certainly rent an e-bike again on future bike and barge tours. The food on the barge was outstanding and the buffets plentiful. Lots of different lunch foods for the sac lunch, to choose from. Looking forward to booking another bike and barge tour in Europe!

We truly had a great time! Every day was different in the trails we rode and towns we visited. The scenery was amazing! And the distances were perfect for the average biker.

My most memorable moment of the trip was when we ended up in a small Hungarian village. We looked around for somewhere to have our morning coffee. We found a small local establishment with their regular customers.
We went inside to see if they had coffee. The young woman inside could only speak Hungarian (which we could not).
At the end of the encounter we had our coffee the way we wanted and smiling faces all around.

The lake was beautiful! Pretty much flat land the whole time. Enjoy the days! Rain was pretty frequent so get your rain gear.

I absolutely loved this tour! The route had everything you would want. The daily distance we rode was a perfect length for sightseeing, eating and picture taking. The hotels were nice. I would love to ride it again! Several friends and family members have taken this tour after us and all have loved it!

We are two couples who rode this tour on two tandems. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire ride, which was mainly on cycle paths or on low-traffic roads. The sights, the food and the accommodations were outstanding and can’t recommend them strongly enough. Make sure to take a side trip to Mainau Island. Truly a tour any cyclist would enjoy. Just do it!

My wife Clara and our daughter Stephanie did this tour in the fall of 2019. Tripsite was once again outstanding in providing service and information and all the GPS files for the bike route. The hotels were all top quality and friendly service with the best ones in Innsbruck and at the hot baths of Padua. I was at first worried about the quality of the bike paths as we have done a dozen or more trips (10 through Tripsite) through the Netherlands and Germany where the paths as excellent. To my and everyone else's surprise the bike paths were well marked and of great condition with a few not-so-great patches here and there but great overall. We made good friends on the trip and we cycled alone and with others on some days and typically had meals with others in the group of 12 or 14 people. The sights are panoramic. I must note that we started on September 5th from Innsbruck at -2 degrees Celsius and snow on the very first day and ended in Venice with +30 Celsius on the last day. What a ride! On the 4th day and with temperatures ranging between 6 to 9 degrees Celsius we started with rain and cycled the entire route in rain getting to Trento absolutely soaked to the bone. So be aware that you should carry rain gear if you plan to do this route late in the summer and early fall. The entire trip was well worth it but I would like to make a recommendation to the organizers. On the 5th day, Trento to Peschiera should be changed to make the overnight at Riva Del Garda for three very valid reasons. First, the ride from Trento to Riva is long and many riders get to Riva almost too late to catch the last ferry to Peschiera. Secondly, the ferry gets to Desenzano in the dark and riding in the darkness is not very safe even for experienced riders. Third reason is that Riva Del Garda is a magnificently beautiful city with many great restaurants and boutiques and sporting events and a swim in the lake after a long ride would be such a treat instead of waiting on the lineup for a ferry. Clara and I have spent a week in Riva and also in Malcesine nearby and can verify that they are great places to stay and enjoy the tasty fresh seafood from the lake. So for safety and better relaxation consideration should be given to these suggestions particularly for the late summer and fall tours when darkness comes so early. Overall 5 stars to everyone and every place and to the young men who fitted every one on their bikes at the start of the trip and the fact that the bikes were of top quality and excellent condition. I know I am a year late to submit this review but have had a very difficult year with respect to my health soon after we came home. I am now well and looking forward to more adventures on the bike paths of Europe and hope to "bump" into you all over there in 2021. Keep the tires on the road and the wind in your back. Happy Holidays to all.

***** STARS ALL THE WAY. Again do not forget your rain gear and bring along a few essential bike tools for the adjustments needed by any rider who uses their bike day and day out for 2 weeks. Also, download an APP on your mobile phone so you can use the GPS files provided and minimize any possibilities of wrong turns. Happy cycling.  SHOW MORE 

I am truly amazed about quantity of 5 star reviews for this tour, as I could only give it a 2 star! And, this 2 rating is for the wonderful restaurant and housekeeping staff , as the boat crew , bike assistants were unpleasant to deal with, and the captain kept his distance. This was such a drastic difference from my very enjoyable Netherlands, and Croatia bike and boat tours. The maps and directions were inadequate and usually incorrect. The "tour guide" (who never lead a tour) Jan was unbelievably nasty, rude and impatient about any and all questions and concerns. He sent many on what was to be an easy, level ride only for it to take us over a mountain where our bikes were unsuitable and directions e completely wrong. I would not recommend neither this boat or trip to anyone.

Biking was just ok, could have been more challenging but I knew going into this tour the biking was rated easy. The towns and villages are beautiful. The breakfast was good but the lunches they gave you for the tour during the day were horrible, thankfully there were places to eat along the way. The dinners were also poor quality, many dinners were a repeat of the day before presented differently ,especially the fish dinners. There also seem to be a discontent among the staff they could’ve been a little bit more accommodating and friendly. The rooms are basically neat and clean and comfortable the bikes were also good and the mechanics that maintain them were readily available to assist anyone in the morning before the ride. My main concern was the constant smell of sewage that was present throughout the boat and especially in the main lobby ,they often kept the sliding glass doors on both sides of the ship open to alleviate the smell. This was an obvious problem they couldn’t solve. At times, we were rafter up to other ships at port and had to walk through these other boats to the Carissima, it was obvious that the Carissima was no- frills compared to these other boats. If you are considering a tour along the Danube I would suggest looking into other cruise ships.

Well organised, with bikes made available as required, bags portaged without incident, accommodation arranged as planned.
Overall good organisation albeit the bikes with their infinitely variable in hub gears seemed less efficient than conventional bikes.

I loved cycling through the Wachau valley. The boat staff was so attentive and everything ran smoothly, in spite of a few minor hiccups. The scenery and the daily stops were great. I loved spending time in the big notable cities.