5 Star Austria Tour Reviews — 541 to 570 of 713

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 bike routes were exceptional taking us through the most beautiful and scenic areas in the Danube Valley. We especially loved the Wachau Valley and it was Reisling harvest time!

Biking everyday on a different path through diverse scenery and able to stop at any time to see different landmarks. Getting to see more of the countryside than if on a tour bus. This itinerary was very doable for all ages and levels of fitness.

Highlight: Biking in the Wacchau Valley

Most Memorable Part: The small towns set in the beautiful mountains with it clean air and pleasant residents.

Biking through the Wachau Valley was spectacular, thus it was the highlight. The staff on the "barge" were super friendly and helpful. The biking was easy if a person is reasonably fit. A little practice doing long distance biking is a good idea.

Most Memorable Part? The people I met on board - staff and guests - and the scenery.

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).

The most memorable part of the trip? Everything: the boat, staff, accommodations, food, cycling director, bicycles were far better than I expected. The daily orientations by the cycling director were very informative, not only about cycling conditions, but also about refreshment stops and sightseeing. This trip could not have been better.

The most memorable part was clearly the scenic routes, food, friendly people and cities selected for lodging. Great hotels! Tripsite delivered on services as promised.
We were disappointed/frustrated with the lack of route details and direction into and out of the cities. Despite the network of paved bike trails/paths, we spent too much time confused asking locals for direction to our destination. Perhaps for persons accustomed to biking in Europe, the vague directions presented no difficulty, but for persons from America not familiar with the signage and more accustomed to turn by turn cue sheets, we were frequently challenged to find our path. Asking directions from local residents did give us an interesting opportunity to communicate across languages. We would recommend you add more detailed directions into and out of cities.
Thanks for your arrangements to make our trip possible. We really did enjoy our bike tour around Lake Constance.

Best Part: The ride from Vac to Esztergom! Beautiful.

Most Memorable Part: Biking along the forested area near Minau, biking through cobblestoned streets, and seeing a wide variety of things in such a short distance (orchards, cathedrals, castles, swans, mountains, etc).

This was my first time to cycle by the Danube and it far exceeded my expectations. The whole experience was awesome. I loved to be able to exercise while enjoying the pretty scenery and exploring villages and meeting people from other countries. Such a wealth of history and culture!! Truly amazing!

I will definitely do another bike and barge, it was terrific. My only complaint would be that the food provided for the vegetarians was not well thought out. It wouldn't take much to make this a fabulous plant-based experience. The staff tried as best they could...but it was lacking. But, overall, the trip was fabulous.

We really enjoyed our experience on the Primadonna! Food was delicious and staff were very attentive. Biking the countryside was a definite highlight! Our most spectacular and memorable part of the trip would be cruising into Budapest at night! It was breath taking!!
We really had a great time and look forward to doing another bike trip soon.

Wow....this is my fourth trip with Tripsite, this was the BEST natural scenery yet. The views of the mountains and countryside was breathe taking on every day. The hotels were very clean and well maintained; most hotels exceeded my expectations including the free breakfasts. Day #2 was the toughest day especially because the ascent was mostly on an unpaved surface, but the views on day #2 were the best. Switzerland and Austria are impeccably maintained countries; everyone was friendly and welcoming. With the main map in German, I appreciated the additional pamphlets in English in our packet.

An Amazing Adventure! I enjoyed every minute of this trip. The staff was courteous and accommodating, the food was delicious and the biking and sites were extraordinary. I'll recommend this to all my friends and family.

We traveled aboard the Theodor Korner, a classic river boat with loads of character and an extremely helpful and courteous staff. We enjoyed sharing the experience with fellow travelers we met on board. Dinners were great as were evenings spent on the deck relaxing with a drink and discussing the day's ride and excursions with our new friends. There is no better way to see and experience places - villages, cities, and rural countryside - than by bike and a boat and bike trip can't be beat for convenience and comfort. We also liked that this tour lasted for two weeks, allowing us to feel truly connected to the places we were visiting.

Fabulous bike/barge adventure in Germany/Austria! We'll be back! The cycling was on beautiful paths along the Danube. The food and service onboard were extraordinary.

Cycling through the countryside, seeing Stein-am-Rhein, the Rheinfalls, taking the boat across the Wallensee, seeing the Schattenburg in Feldkirch, and visiting the Abbey Library in St. Gallen were all highlights.

Riding through the countryside, seeing the roadside farms along the way, was far and away one of the most beautiful parts of the trip. We enjoyed finding places to eat, visiting museums, taking an excursion to the monastery outside Stein am Rhein, and finding cool drinking fountains to refill our water bottles! We had some trouble finding the path at times, but the longer we rode, the easier it was to decipher the guide/route. We took one really long, uphill (very steep) wrong turn on day 2- at least riding back down to the correct path was easy. Overall, it was the best part of our trip! Would have loved to have seen Rhein Falls, but I think it may have been too far away.

We really enjoyed the rides through the countryside in this trip. Our cruise director was fun and very helpful. He gave us many tips for the route and how to experience the culture of the places we went.

The whole trip was great. We thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want it to come to an end.

The most memorable part of the trip were the people I had the opportunity to meet including the staff who were extremely courteous.

Everything was great! Even when the ship had a mechanical problem, the staff made sure everyone was happy.

Best Part: The small towns and villages we biked along the way.