Austria Tour Reviews — 661 to 690 of 936

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!

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.

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

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.

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: Beautiful scenery! Great attention by bike staff.

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.

The bike journeys were terrific taking us through beautiful towns and scenery! The last day's trip to Melk was spectacular BUT it was recommended that we take the ferry across too early on the ride. This sadly led to a long and unnecessarily arduous climb to Melk that could have been avoided by staying on the other side of the river and crossing at Melk. That said, we very much enjoyed the trip!

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 had a a great time . The only feedback I would give is that most of the passengers were German and there was very little information given in English.

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.

Riding the Danube was the most memorable part. This trip was trying to do too many things for too many diverse folks at one time. A bike trip and a boat trip are different experiences. For biking, I think a smaller boat with more cycling is important. The staff worked hard with several languages, those who wanted to sun, those who wanted to tour cities, and those of us who wanted to bike: tough job. They did a great job, but for bikers, I think another option should be recommended. There was a great deal of confusion because of the diversity of activities. The cyclists actually lost a full day of cycling due to conflicts/changes/who knows? Descriptions of the next day's activities were very confusing, because they were trying to give instructions for a variety of different folks. We were always wondering, confused about our ride instructions for the next day. Thank goodness for the bike guides who tried their best to keep us informed!

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.

Biking through the wine country around Melk. The villages were amazing and the people were friendly. I'm only 5'2" and the bike's weren't a good fit for me I needed a smaller frame but none were available. The bike I was given for the 1st day of riding was in very poor condition which made the first 27 mile ride rather uncomfortable but several people complained and the staff fixed the bikes. Make sure you get on your bike the 1st day as early as they will let you so there is time for fixes if needed before the boat leaves and you need to ride off on your first journey.

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.

Konstance was very bike friendly, and interesting.