4 Star Austria Tour Reviews — 91 to 120 of 243

The Danube Bike and Barge cruise was an enjoyable experience. The crew on the ship could not have been more attentive to our needs. How those folks got 129 bikes on and off so efficiently and with smiles was something to behold. The country side views and the little botagas along the way were a pleasant spot to stop and take it all in. The app made the route effortless to follow. The guided city tours were informative and exciting. An exceptional way to visit a city at a very reasonable cost. The paved paths with no vehicle traffic took any thoughts of danger off the table. It was pedal away and relax especially with the electric bikes that were top notch and very easy to maneuver. The food was presented and tasted like a Michelin star restaurant and a varied menu made choosing dishes difficult at times but our waiter obliged and we just had both. Now the most difficult part lies ahead deciding which bike and barge cruise we are signing up for next year.

The trip organisation was excellent. The hotels were comfortable and interestingly varied; everything from a pleasant boutique hotel in the centre of an Old Town to a rural hotel with tables and umbrellas on a riverbank in an idyllic setting.
Some of the towns/cities were buzzy and some very sleepy. Additional time - perhaps an additional day - in Vienna and Bratislava would be great, providing rest days and opportunities to explore - and perhaps avoiding some of the quieter destinations.
The cycle trails were, by and large, excellent; some long drags with somewhat uninteresting scenery, but balanced by superb tracks in beautiful countryside.
The bikes were sturdy but heavy and very solid, and this marred the cycling experience somewhat, the most disappointing part of the trip.
Overall definitely four stars.

Unfortunately ww had a lot of rain and some cold temps. However we still made it to the hotels every day!
Our hotels were wonderful and in great locations. GREAT VIEWS!
We also made a few wrong turns due to poor bike signs..
Overall..it was still a fun trip and glad we did it!

The bike tour went through amazingly beautiful and various countryside. The various roads were easy to ride on with very few other bikers. Daily distances were easy to moderate. Before doing this self guided tour, review the GPX tracks using an online software program that can also be used as an app (e.g. Komoot). The initial tour provided tracks weren’t all complete and most did not end at the actual hotel. A program like Komoot was invaluable in adjusting the tour for stops and the end point.

The first two days were very good as we cycled through farm land. After that we cycled above a river and the cycle path became much more difficult because the path sloped down toward the river and you had to work hard to keep the bike upright. I fell 3 times and ended up walking the bike. The step through bikes are very heavy and it was difficult to keep the bike upright on a sloping path. After several days of biking I requested a standard bike, not a step through. I was then charged over 200 euros for the exchange. This trip was our 3rd with with TripSite.

This incredible trip allows us to have a mix of beautiful natural views and amazing old towns. It’s not a tough biking, which is good because all the family can enjoy together.
Along the tour you will have the chance to enjoy the German and Switzerland gastronomy, which is a great point of this experience. I deeply recommend it.

The itinerary was excellent and well selected, and the stages well judged.

We loved the inclusion of events, museums tickets. the vouchers were exxcellent!

For us the best part was the two excellent Hotels and amenities in Uberlingen (St Leonhard) and St Gallen (Einstein) - Many levels above the other Hotels selected - provided a welcome feel of quality and luxury. In general and in particularly for the less challenging tours as it is the Tour of Lake Constance, it would be good to offer at least two levels of options (and prices) with 3 ***/4 **** hotels and an option with 5 ***** stars hotels.

The one thing we did not like
, is the invariable time arrival of our luggage at the next destination. It was always 18.00 pm or slightly later. In case we arrived at our next destination earlier, that severely limited our options of what to do or even go for a swim as we have no alternative clothing options

The Primadonna was comfortable, well-organized, had good food and created a good tour of beautiful parts of Europe. The bikes were easy to ride and very high quality. My biggest concern is that without GPS, the routes were impossible. Even the few German speakers had trouble with the routes. I would not recommend this trip to anyone who does not know how to use it. I believe you have to have a specific plan for your phone ( and/or a European SIM card. The ship claims to have wi-fi but it is erratic. I could not text or email most of the trip. The tv’s in each room had no English channels so we were not able to track the news. We were the only Americans on the ship so we good friends of other nationalities and that was great.

Leaving Innsbruck on the bikes was so exciting! It was wonderful to know that our luggage would be safely transported to the next hotel and we could just enjoy the scenery. The paths were well marked and going in and out of little towns was such a joy. The route was wonderfully planned and each day was just the right amount of biking. Definitely take time to swim in the Kalterer See. It felt so wonderful after a day of biking on a hot day.

The friendliness of the Czech people and the peace and quiet of the countryside and villages. The recreation of the bunker by the enthusiasts in Slup was very interesting. The towns en route were architecturally stunning.

Everything went very well. The crew did an amazing job!

The trip was great but we were disappointed our room configuration requests were not included in our hotel bookings. When we followed up after the first night the Tripsite employee suggested we follow this up. We didn't think this was very good customer service.

Excellent well marked bike path. Be prepared for rain.
Do your homework in advance to make plans for eating if there is a holiday and your lodging is not near an open restaurants or a grocery store.

We really enjoyed going to three capital cities that we had not visited before, while being very active and seeing the countryside. The rides were not difficult but we were glad that we rented e-bikes for the occasional steep spots and headwind. We will definitely do a bike and barge trip again. Since we like sightseeing, next time we would look for an itinerary that includes more villages/places of interest and less long distance biking in isolated areas.

The boat was very nice. Swiss Crowne. The crew and cruise director were wonderful, always very helpful. The food was very good. The only recommendation I would have is that the timing for the cycling and meeting the boat could have been better. We rode each day and we would have liked to have had more time while riding through some of the towns., The weather in the morning was a bit of a hindrance - but we realize that could not be helped. In the future I would prefer a trip that has guided cycling tours so we can get more historical background.

All in all, we enjoyed the trip, very relaxing and would recommend this trip for people who want a combination of cycling and touring.

The biking was certainly the highlight. Loved it. The boat was great, rooms good sized ,staff lovely. Food was not great but ok for price. The vegan in our party was not planned for but chief did his best. Overall certainly recommend.

The lodging and breakfasts were terrific, especially in Vienna, Bratislava, Gyor and Budapest. The bikes were very good; in excellent condition with good features. We have biked all over Europe along the main rivers, including the Danube. We expected to ride along the Danube more on this trip, but realize that Eurovelo does not have bike paths close to the river, for most of the trip from Vienna to Budapest. We did the Athletic tour which was good for us, but we did have challenging weather (rain, wind, cool temperatures) on one day.

Great trip. I was hurt on the first day and had to ride to my destinations with my luggage in the van. The van drivers were kind and helpful. I appreciate Tripsite making this possible for me.

One suggestion: travelers are required to pay the city tax when they check out. If would be good if this were included in the cost of the trip.

So many memorable moments. Beautiful ship, quite luxurious, wonderful food, spectacular towns and villages along the Danube and Vienna! What a place. I loved the classical concert in L’Orangerie at Schönbrunn Castle and the scenery between Krems and Melk. I had to pinch myself several times as I was cycling through Austria along the Danube. I had done the tulip tour on the Iris the previous week which was great too but harder cycling and not such good weather. I also didn’t use an e-bike in the Netherlands and had some pretty strong winds and long days cycling. So the Swiss Crown tour was a more relaxed week and totally different. The e-bike made it pretty easy too and the self guided tours made it easy to stop at more places along the way.
I know the Swiss Crown tour director, Jurgens, aka Ding Dong!, had to deal with some staffing issues during my week on board but he made everything so easy in spite of working lots of extra hours. There was a much bigger group of German speaking passengers than English speaking and I felt that they got more attention than we did at times and so I’d suggest being a little more outgoing towards the non German passengers. But overall the whole thing lived up to and beyond my expectations. A trip of a lifetime!

The elected rout of the tour was the best we can think of . The views, the panoram, the environment... Everything was very beautiful and enjoyable.
Most of the hotels were very good including the breakfasts. The best of all was the one in St Gallen, but the others were more than sufficient.
In regards to the bikes... Well we are used to Carbon or even Aluminum bikes with full suspension. The bikes we got were Irone ones, very heavy and with no shock absorbers, nor in the front neither in the tail. It caused the biking to be uncomfortable in spite of the fact that 95% of the roads were padded...
Regarding the OFF ROAD GPS SOFTWARE.. It quite Allright But it didn't guide us to the hotels so in order to get there we needed to use Google map

Cycling along the River, crossing on the small ferries, stopping for coffee, kuchens or farmhouse meals was such fun.
We thoroughly enjoyed, probably more than the city, the cycling route through the wine valley and small villages. Absolutely breathtaking and the history! Small cobblestone streets that you push your bike through whilst checking out the local offerings. Spectacular.

The last day of biking was the best! We biked through beautiful vineyards and to the quaint little town of Durnstein for some chocolates and apricot liquor tastings. It was the only day some of our group really used their e-bikes - the other routes were mostly flat with few opportunities to change gears or use the e-bike assist. For a relatively experienced biker, there was no need for an e-bike on this trip.

The ship, crew and food was were great. Our room was spacious and enjoyed the large window in our room. The dining room staff and food was better than I expected. Bikes were ready for us each morning. I did not rent an e bike and had no problems. The director did go over the bike route with us each day outlining the map route booklet given to us. It needs to be stream lined to much formation. A daily printed summary would be helpful. They do post a daily program in the lobby but a hard copy would help.

The travel along the Danube was breathtaking, stops memorable.
Disappointed with the ebike. Although was expecting the bike to be fitted, all participants had the same frame. They adjusted my seat and that was all. I found the ebike extreme heavy! And thus more difficult maneuver. My ebike has a smaller frame and 43lbs. The bike I had was a larger frame and 65lbs. I did have a significant crash so didn’t continue with the biking. The rainy weather contributed to the crash.
I strongly suggest various frame bikes.

Our tour director made everything we did fun. Thanks Juergen.

Vienna and Budapest were definite highlights as well as the bike ride from Krems to Melk which was fabulous!

To learn about the customs of our German and Austrian people, and specifically their specialty foods and drinks (Weissbeer). Not at all places one would accept credit or debit cards, so I strongly suggest taking sufficient cash and learn about Bancomat (ATM) machines along the way.

We very much enjoyed our time on the Bike and Barge tour. The boat was very comfortable and the service and food were top notch!
There were some issues with staffing the on-site tour guide position, however, the best effort was made to provide as much information and guidance as possible.
The scenery is spectacular!
The bikes were very good quality and quite comfortable. The E-bike was perfect because it allowed us to turn the power off on flat trails and then use assist when we encountered any inclines.
Our only disappointment was the lack of time spent at each location. At times, we did not arrive until late morning or early afternoon, leaving little time to cycle or explore.
I would definitely recommend this type of tour for anyone looking to have an active holiday. A wide variety of activity levels can be accommodated.
We were also very impressed with the support we received from Tripsite during and after the booking phase.

We had a wonderful time, and will go again on yet another (our third) Tripsite tour! The staff was Friendly, creative, and responsive. . . There were so many interesting people from all over, which enriched our travel experience. The scenery was uniformly beautiful and full of history, whether watching it as we sailed, biking through it, or taking a tour of one of the cities. . Our room was very comfortable -- we enjoyed sitting on our "balcony" and watching the Danube flow by . . . The chefs did an outstanding job in terms of quality, variety, and presentation and we enjoyed every meal.
I would advise future travelers to read the itinerary carefully and to plot it on a map so they would be clear how much time is available for sightseeing in certain cities. We spent longer traveling on the boat than we realized. The upside is that we did a lot of reading!

The excursion cycling around Budapest was very memorable and our tour guide was excellent! The park on the island was definitely the highlight. We made some wonderful new English speaking friends and really enjoyed meal times with them.

The final night's celebration party was super fun and everyone enjoyed the 70's theme. Dinner on the upper deck was amazing! The restaurant manger was so kind and helpful at every meal. He made the dining experience top notch. Hopefully, the air-conditioning in the dining room is fixed for next time.

Another suggestion would be to streamline the briefings for the cycling routes by using prerecorded media and then allow Leslie to answer questions in person at a later time.

Leslie the cruise director was awesome. He was always at the ready to help out with any questions or problems.

Everything on the boat was great except the smoking policies were not enforced. People smoked everywhere on the top deck and took away from the experience. No one stopped them and as a result my wife's asthma was triggered.