Austria Tour Reviews — 511 to 540 of 1038

This is my 3rd bike/boat tour, and the 1st unguided. I love to travel this way. But the number of people on the boat -- 100 -- were just too many for the crew to serve in any special way. The food and accommodations were excellent. The cruise director and schedule were below average. Out of 7 days, there were 4 days of biking -- 3 of these were spectacular along the Danube. The Wachau ride was simply stunning. However, the ride around Bratislava featured few, if any, interesting attractions, and many of us got lost. The cruise director suggested stopping at a restaurant as a highlight of the day -- but the restaurant was not in operation. The briefings for English speakers were later than those for the Germans and we were then constrained by the boat schedule in the afternoon -- making at least 2 of the biking days a dash to finish the ride and get back on time -- not leisurely and not affording us to stop much. All the staff on the boat work really hard and it shows. But I prefer a guided tour with a smaller group and boat for better biking and a better overall experience.

Best Part? Biking along the Danube the first day in the beautiful countryside. Spectacular!!

The biking was absolutely wonderful; so incredibly beautiful especially through the vineyards and orchards. The ride around Bratislava was not marked well at all and 90% of the riders got lost going in all different directions, thank God for smart phones. The food on board was well prepared, always hot and nutritional. Where this trip fell short was the crew abroad the Normandie. Unlike the other TWO Bike and Barge Trips I experienced, this crew was a bit unwelcoming, rude, and times condescending and scolding. Not everyone but it certainly was the feel on the boat and many were talking about it. I know the crew work long hours and they all have to help with most tasks on the boat; however, there would be nothing to do if WE weren't there. I absolutely love this way of travel and will do another one again very soon. This was NOT a Tripsite issue but am hopeful this information will be passed to the appropriate people. Tripsite has been excellent in providing information and always seems to offer a great deal.

Most Memorable Part: The biking and comradery of the other bikers on the trip.

I loved the convenience of all the planning and coordinating by Tripsite which allowed my party to really enjoy the biking, hotels and experience of the trip. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and care of the bikes which could make or break of this trip. Working with Tripsite was easy and pleasant.

The journey and visiting the 4 capitols was the best.
However too many people on the boat - the noise level in the dining room was excessive. The cruise director was obnoxious especially towards women and favored the Germans on the boat. Our group of 18 was split into 3 tables and we always sat with the same people. Never mixed with other groups.

The most memorable part of this trip to me was the Operetta symphony concert at Schlosspark in Vienna. This is an experience that no one should miss.

Most Memorable Part: The black mold (or something) that had many people coughing in their rooms. I had to take allergy pills each night.

From the US it was very difficult, time consuming and costly to get to Radenci, Slovenia and from Lendava back to the airport. Except Lendava, the villages had little to offer for additional tourism and places to eat. The Mineral Spas were mainly full of elderly and some families. Not really an exciting place for 30-40 year olds without kids. The countryside was pretty but in my opinion not worth the extensive travel. I would like to go back to Slovenia but to the west side of the country.

The Cycling and travel along the Danube River. Still more markings on the Bike routes.

The crew & food were great & acceptable respectively. There were very few vegetables served. The ship was terrible, moldy, poor lighting nonexistent waste baskets except in private rooms. The ship had a strong sewer odor which our cabin boy could not remedy. This problem involved several rooms. We would not return to the The(odor) Körner.

Most Memorable Part: Food & last day of riding + Vienna

My wife and I would definitely recommend this tour. Hotels were all first class. Luggage was always at hotel no matter how early we arrived. No complaints on any part of the tour. We did use GPS on route which was helpful especially when trying to find hotels.

My wife and I just completed the 7 day tour and had a wonderful time. The cycle trail around Lake Constance is mostly dedicated bike trail and the many towns and villages are beautiful. We did side trips to both Reichenau and Mainau islands. Reichenau island is near the bike pickup location in Constance and is an easy warm-up ride. Mainau island is well worth a couple of hours. We used standard bike which were fine (we are both in our 60s) but most people seemed to have e-bikes. Highly recommend this tour.

Just returned from this trip on the Carissima and it was a wonderful way to see the Danube. Booked the guided package and Axle was wonderful-took us to out of the way places we never would've found on our own and no other guests saw. Glad we rented Ebikes as there were a few long climbs and stiff winds several times. Kalkoff bikes are fantastic! Light rain a few days but nothing which impeded our rides--just be sure and take waterproof everything so you can still bike. Crew on the Carissima are great--rooms are clean, beds comfy, sufficient air con, nice hot water and water pressure in the bathroom. No real TV except a European sports channel and a few other Austrian channels--we didn't miss it at all. Meals were good but VERY small portions at dinner--not a problem for us but others complained. House white wine was good, red not so much. Packed lunch consists of a bottle of water, small sandwiches, fruit and granola bars--sufficient but we opted to eat at a local cafe a few times when we stopped. Two complaints: the boat doesn't dock at town centers every night so you can wander around and hit a pub or listen to some live music. Understandably some nights its moving and a few guests complained that the lower deck cabins were very noisy, especially when going through locks. In Passau, it docks several miles from the town center, and we were told there were only SEVEN taxis in the entire city and nearly impossible to get one. So the cruise director, Albert, said he hired a bus to take us to the train station upon disembarking, and the charge was 15 Euros per person. For a 10 minute ride--he only took cash and gave no receipts. This is highway robbery given that upon arrival in Passau we hired a taxi at a cost of 10 Euro for 2 of us. We would've taken a chance on an Uber but the ship was over 30 minutes late getting into Passau and we had a tight train connection on Sunday. We didn't do any of the optional activities however others said they enjoyed the concert in Vienna, but no one liked the Hungarian Folk Show in Budapest. Be sure and hike up to St. Mattias Church in Budapest at night--the view is spectacular! Finally, the Danube shoreline is largely undeveloped (a great thing), so you don't see a lot of towns and villages-I mention this because lines like Viking and AMA promote their balconies,huge window walls and gyms/spas/etc-and charge thousands of dollars more for the same itinerary-but you're not ON the boat for about 8 hours of the day, and when you are, 90% of the time you're looking at trees. If we'd spent $5000/pp to do this trip we'd have been really disappointed--bottom line--this trip is a great VALUE and you're seeing what everyone else sees. This was our second trip with Tripsite after doing the Tulip Tour last spring, and again they handled everything flawlessly--another couple on our trip also booked with them and said the same. Very satisfied and looking forward to our Mantova to Venice bike and barge trip next year-  SHOW MORE 

It was a real memorable trip. Everybody in our group of 20 peoples loved it . Everything was great the cabin, the foods, the staff ,the entertainment and specially the bike ride . We had great bikes , the maps were good even the weather was hot and dry. We had a lot fun during the bike ride and when on board . Would love to do it again

Everything! The trip was very well planned and easily do-able. The bikes were great and were very comfortable. We had thought about bringing our gel seat covers, but did not and they were not needed. The routes planned were great and having downloaded the gps tracks we had no problems finding our way. The food on the boat was fantastic, my only complaint would be the length of time some meals took. The rooms on the boat (Carissima) were very comfortable.

This is my 3rd trip with Tripsite and they do a good job...but the instructions to the boat were a tad misleading. If there are detours/changes, I believe they should keep on top of that and be sure to report to their customers.The bike ride was amazing. The scenery was like all the other reviews stated......I would NOT recommend the ride in Vienna or Budapest; way to much traffic. The crew was not customer focused. The cruise director/bike tour director, Monica, was often short and rude to passengers. Unlike the other 2 trips I took, the crew was not welcoming or eager to help. There were a few in housekeeping and wait staff that were nice. The captain was cold and never engaged at all with the passengers. This is NOT a tripsite issue but this crew needed a kick in the pants from above to treat the passages better........recommend the trip but I hope you don't get this negative crew.....

The last day of the beautiful rolling hills and gorgeous monastery on the hill and quaint historic towns along the way were the highlight of the trip.

I loved Jan's presentations. He was very well prepared and his delivery was great. You should keep him doing that. However, his personal customer service leaves something to be desired. He had no patience for details that were not perfect.

All guides except for one were exceptionally good. The one guide in Budapest was so bad we got our money back for the bike guide in the city.

Two wonderful ways to travel and see the world: on a bike and on the sun deck of a boat.

We really enjoyed Wachau. Definitely stop for the wine tour, and enjoy the biking through the vineyards. It was absolutely beautiful.

We had such a wonderful time - The bikes were great, the accommodations were very good, and the total experience was just suburb! We were a large party of 14, but all was taken care off, and we had a great time - a trip of a life time!

This cycling tour was amazing. I would have to say the Rhine Falls were spectacular. Riding into the Stein am Rhein village was simply breathtaking. To see how people live and still live in this village was simply amazing

My husband, son (16), nephew (17) and myself did the 7 day Lake Constance tour in Germany in August. It was an awesome experience from the booking, payment, tour, and hotels. We travelled from Canada and stayed in Zurich the night before tour. We took an Uber from Zurich to Lake Constance (approx 1 hour). The train was also available and the station in Lake Constance was directly across from our first night accommodation, Hotel Halm. The Hotel was quite nice with a beautiful dining room and incredible breakfast. All the hotels were clean, easy to ride to and had super friendly staff. We stayed in 3-5 star hotels as we wanted to be close to town centers.
The bike tour itself was mostly flat with a few hills. You must pay close attention to bike signs as we got lost a few times. Even with this, it was easy to get back on track. My husband had google maps that showed bike routes. Although I am an avid road biker my family is not. They had no problem biking 40km to 65km (our longest day) without training.
Our luggage was picked up around 9am everyday and was at the next Hotel each day before we arrived. We opted to eat our dinners on our own and did not include this in our tour. This was a good idea as it was nice to walk around the new towns and decide where we wanted to eat.
Lake “Konstanz” “Bodensee” was beautiful. We road through cornfields, next to vineyards, near the lake, and had endless opportunities to find places to eat. The bikes have a nice pack on them to accommodate water, food, extra clothing, a lock that came with bike, and the map given to us before we began. The bikes were smooth to ride and the gears were just enough to bike the terrain (mostly paved). I would ask for a male bike the next time as I missed the crossbar across the top.
I would certainly recommend this tour. There was just so much to see and bike and the tour was organized so well by Tripsite. I honestly have only good things to say.
We were e-mailed 2020 tours and I was already eagerly looking at Bike and Barge tours. Make sure you book early as the tours do book quickly.

The best way to have a holiday - you do not have to think about logistics, unpack and enjoy:) The Carissima was awesome, our every need was taken care of - the staff were super friendly and the food amazing!

This is a great way to see four capital cities (Bratislava, Belgrade, Budapest and Vienna as well as get in 10 days of cycling! It's also fairly low mileage (less than 35 miles per day) but training to prepare is still a must. The scenery is very nice and it is about half on roads - mostly slower village streets. The group of people we dined with and rode with were all terrific and we all worked together to find our way since our tour was unguided. The days when you visit the cities can be a little overwhelming - so my advice is to pick one or two things you really want to see beforehand and focus on getting to those. At least in the summer the crowds were large in Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. As for boat living - the dinners were tasty and served by a friendly staff each evening but I'm vegetarian so I had much more of a struggle with getting any protein. I would have also appreciated a little variety with the breakfasts and lunches. My advice also is to avoid the hotter weather months like July or August - we had days of over 90 degrees which made cycling tough - but the Theodor Korner is not well air conditioned either. Overall it was a nice trip and certainly the staff was terrific!

We had never done a Bike & Boat tour before so were hoping it would all work out. And it did fantastically! Ours was a family trip and even our 9-year-old son completed the entire bike route no problem. Such a pleasure to be in the country biking through fields, along the river, even on narrow roads through the small towns and villages we passed through. It was an amazing way to really see the countryside and interact with local people to briefly get a glimpse of their way of life. And the scenery was beautiful and peaceful. An amazing experience for our family and we look forward to doing more trips like this in the future.

By far the most memorable part was the opportunity to explore regions on our own and meet new people. The ship crew was awesome and attentive, and as this was the first trip of its kind we'd ever taken, it was beyond expectations!

We loved the trails that ran close to the sea shore, as well as passing through the small towns. It’s really important to watch the signage along the way in order to stay on course. It’s sometimes challenging to locate the overnight spots based on the descriptions in the tour materials. They would be better if they provided more detail.

The crew was fabulous, all of them!

Itinerary was excellent the food was great.

Drinks were too expensive at the bar.

One suggestion - smoking on the top deck - put the smokers at the back of the boat, not the front, so the rest of us don't have to smell the smoke if we choose to be on deck.