Europe Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 3331 to 3360 of 4949

Having a guide for this trip was very beneficial. For the first 3 days our guided group consisted of 30+ people. This was too large of a group and was pretty much a pain. We eventually broke into a group of 8 riders with Dorian as our guide, that was perfect. We were able to travel at a much more leisurely pace, visit many wineries, tasting rooms, small villages and churches.

What an unforgettable trip! We were able to take our 75 year old dad and he cycled the whole thing easily. The touring days in the cities were full, overwhelming, and inspiring for someone who's never seen the rich history of Europe. Cruising down the river while eating a 4 course dinner was a perfect finish to cycling though forests and orchards all day. It was a perfect combination of cycling, cruising, relaxing and sight seeing. I would recommend it to anyone!

Amsterdam to Bruges July 2018. We loved the whole aspect of cycling to meet our barge (our floating hotel) at the end of each day. The accommodations on the Sailing Home were great and the barge is a handsome one. Staff were friendly and relaxed but attentive and personable. Our cycling guide Karline was very competent and kindly took us into almost every town each night for a walking tour. Her historical knowledge of the areas in the Netherlends and Belgium we visited were an unexpected bonus. The food was great on board and most enjoyable. I will definitely recommend this trip to others.

Biking thru picturesque Holland was was delightful. The next thing to view was more beautiful than the last.
Next time I’d get an ebike.

This trip provides a chance to explore the rural areas along the Danube by bike and to visit the great cities of Budapest and Vienna. There is a lot packed into this trip.

We completed the Best of Holland Cycling tour.
Not only was the the scenery beautiful, but the attentiveness of the crew on the boat and during our bike ride was exceptional.

Our guide, Geert, would take us on an after dinner historical walking tour of each town where we were staying the night. Geert was extremely knowledgeable about every place we went. Between all we saw during the day while we were biking, and the after dinner walking tour, we learned so much! If Geert is your guide, don't miss a minute of his walks!

This was a perfect way to spend a holiday. The food was AMAZING! The staff was personable, kind, and so very efficient with all they do. I was pleasantly surprised with all the paved bike paths and the number of cyclists out traveling on vacation. It was inspirational to interact with them along the way. Thank you, [Normandie](https://www.tripsite.com/bike-boat/boats/comfort/ms-normandie/) and staff. We had a fantastic time!

Really enjoyed the dedicated bike paths, the small villages/towns we stopped in for breaks. My only concern was the sometimes intermittent contact with the ship (cell service) and contingency plan should a participant become ill or injured or if the bike broke down.

The trip, from start to finish, far exceeded our expectations. We were welcomed aboard by a very lovely crew and shown to our cabin. Accommodations, while "cozy" were clean, attractive and storage spaces were very thoughtfully planned; it never felt claustrophobic. Meals were as good as any four star restaurant and my gluten free needs were met without any problems. I cannot say enough about the crew and our guides; they were outgoing, caring, accommodating and fun to be around. I can say as much for the guests. I felt as if I was with old friends (not just the "old friends" with which we were travelling.) The bikes were in good condition and guides made sure everyone had a bike to fit their size. The tour, scenery, quick visits to churches and castles, even the little unexpected things, like vending machines filled with chilled strawberries, remain fixed in my memory as the most special experiences. We were very lucky that the weather was perfect each day. The ride and short stops in beautiful little towns added to this wonderful trip, and our guides, Tom and Hilko made each stop interesting and fun. I could go on, but suffice it to say, this will not be our last trip with Tripsite!

The whole trip was fantastic. The food was amazing, staff was wonderful and the barge was comfortable and gorgeous. Bruges and Ghent were our favorite stops.

It is difficult to highlight one part of the trip as the whole experience was excellent. I have done bike/boat tours before and the accommodation on this historic ship was by far the best ever. The rural scenery in the Netherlands is extraordinarily beautiful and the Issjelmeer is stunning. Actually, perhaps the best thing was the staff. We felt like personal guests on this trip and as if the staff were long time personal or family friends. The organization was informal but efficient and the food was home cooked and excellent. There was a variety of activities from cycling to sailing; exploring historic villages and towns and swimming in the sea. Best ever trip.

Mantova to Venice was wonderful. Very pretty scenery with lots of unique places to stop.

The most memorable part of our bike and barge trip from Malchin to Berlin was the day we biked on the Isle of Usedom. The landscape was beautiful, the beach front area was full of interesting shops and restaurants where we ate spaghetti ice, a childhood favorite treat of my husband. He has waited years to share this moment with our kids. We topped off the day with a swim in the Baltic Sea which was full of big waves and surrounded by soft, white sand.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was jumping off the boat into the canal. It was the end of a long, fun day of bike riding. The canal was clear and perfect for jumping. Everyone jumped off and everyone did fun tricks. The funniest was when Paul fell off and I never could keep a straight face around him again (Paul didn't get hurt except his pride btw). Captain Henk even put down a ladder to make climbing to the dock easier.

Cycling past the remnants of the Iron Curtain. WOW!
There were so many highlights, but having Axel as our guide certainly added a great deal to our daily rides. Thanks Axel!

The entire barge and bike trip was superlative! But what impressed me the most biking and barging aboard the Magnifique besides the excellent accommodations, great and varied food, breathtaking scenery, and cultural stops, was the professionalism of the staff. The Bruges to Amsterdam crew of six were constantly working to make our week safe, enjoyable, and deplete of any hitches. If you have never even thought of a trip like this because you deemed it too adventurous, please reconsider! The 30 miles per day of riding were pretty easy even for a casual rider, and for anyone who has concerns about “keeping up” or has some physical limitations, e- bikes were available that leveled the playing field. I think that biking through a country really gives you an appreciation and in-depth feeling you would never get by touring more traditionally. And all those calories burned allows more ingestion of Belgium’s famous chocolates and fries! Absolutely loved this trip!

Biking along the Danube and in the evening sitting watching the sunset on the top deck. I would like more time on the bike, but happy we got to see so much!

The entire trip was wonderful! The food was great, accommodations were perfect and the scenery is spectacular.

Magnifique III was so much better than imagined. Great looking barge inside & out! Dining room glowed, friendly bar, wonderful creative chef. I’m a “foodie” and never expected such fresh delicious meals. Room accommodations small neat clean would have liked little more room so 2 people could unpack their suitcases.
Staff was friendly attentive and did their jobs efficiently. Bike trip was well planned, I personally would have liked to have been able to stop a few more times to enjoy scenery surroundings & picturesque small towns.
I recommend a bike/barge trip through Tripsite... I would consider another!

This is a truly fantastic tour – a trip of a lifetime, which we thoroughly recommend! A luxury experience, on a gorgeous new boat, with fantastic food and incredibly thoughtful and skilled guides and crew…. With daily swimming in glistening, aquamarine seas and beautiful bike rides with stunning views. It was stimulating, energizing, relaxing and peaceful all at the same time. We would score it 12 out of 10!

The e-bikes are brilliant! We had never used e-bikes before, but they are high quality bikes, very comfortable with comfortable saddles, easy to operate and maneuver, not at all cumbersome, with a quiet engine. You can use the pedal assist as much or as little as you like, so you can get a totally natural, high calorie-burn biking experience, or an almost effortless ‘glide’ up gorgeous hills! The guests on our tour were all different ages and fitness levels, with different biking experience, and we all loved the e-bikes. We were all able to do the rides the way we wanted, at the pace we wanted – it was so flexible and made riding a joy.

The crew and guides were fantastic! We had a crew of 8 plus 2 guides, for 13 guests. Everyone was friendly and attentive, while also being very sensitive to giving us the space to relax and truly be on holiday. Our rooms were beautifully cared for, so they were calm retreats when we came back from our bike rides. It was inspiring to see the captain and sailors’ skillful work sailing and docking the ship. Theo was always on hand to help us with anything we needed and share insights about local cuisine. We felt so comfortable and cared for.

A particular highlight was the food. One of us was vegetarian and the other a meat-eater, and we were both incredibly impressed with the food. It was high quality, imaginative, varied and delicious – way better than either of us had hoped – a true highlight.

Our guides, Ivana and Meine were wonderful people to spend time with, so knowledgeable and confident about every detail of the tour. Everything was very well organized, without feeling regimented. They were excellent at explaining the bikes, the routes, and at flexing around our needs and adjusting to the weather to make sure we had a wonderful experience. They were always there and happy to help and answer questions. One Croatian, one Dutch, both with excellent English and German, they brought a wealth of experience and could connect with everybody.

The ship, the New Star, was extremely comfortable and well designed. It is brand new, spotless, with a luxury feel. It is really big – especially for the low number of guests we had – so plenty of places to relax – either in groups, or alone / in a couple, as you wish. Cabins were very comfortable - extremely well air-conditioned (a delight after a sunny bike ride), sizeable, with everything you need, including sinks big enough to do quick hand-washing (You can dry things in a couple of hours in the sun, on the clothes lines under the deck railings).  SHOW MORE 

Although this was a bike-barge trip, I did not bike; rather, I stayed on the barge each day as it progressed along the rivers and canals. It was very pleasant and relaxing watching the scenery. Each day I was able to disembark at least once prior to arrival at the destination for the night to walk around nearby towns or along paths. The crew was extremely gracious and accommodating to my presence on the barge.

It would be difficult to pick one specific memory as the most significant. I loved the companionship of my fellow riders. I recall one beautiful afternoon as we rode through countryside reminiscent of a Van Gogh painting. I was impressed by the open friendly manner of the local people in the small towns through which we rode.

Great ship, staff and scenery.

Everything was fantastic. Each day they gave route instructions. I tried to follow along with the instructions with the ride, but in reality, I would have missed several turns if I had not stayed with the group. So even though theoretically, you can do self-guided, I think in reality it would have been a mistake. I believe the first day the route guidance indicated some photo places that we did not stop at. Either the guide didn't want to, or we had gone a slightly different route. I do think the guides modified the routes slightly based on wind, riders etc. But all in all FABULOUS trip - thoroughly enjoyed it.

Our bike and barge trip with Tripsite from Brugges to Amsterdam was a wonderful trip we will remember always! The Magnifique II was luxurious, the food was amazing, the scenery was gorgeous, and our bike guides were fantastic. Overall we would recommend this company to all our friends and we are already planning our trip for next year!

We loved the beautiful, amazing mountain scenery (with very few hills) of the first three days. The written instructions, though, are of a badness difficult to describe. We rated the tour 4/5, and the lost star were because of the extremely poor instructions. If we hadn't had maps and stickers on sign posts, we wouldn't have been able to make it through. The frustration really distracted from the overall enjoyment of the trip - an English speaker with an accurate odometer really needs to rewrite the directions. For example, they talked about "crossing a railway" (or maybe a "railway bridge"), so we spent about 20 minutes trying to find a way to cross the railway - but really it meant to pass underneath an elevated railway crossing. Also, the symbol used to indicate a warning (I think of a turn easy to miss) is a hand pointing to the right. One not unnaturally assumes that this means a right turn. It does not.

Otherwise the barge, scenery, activities, food, and guides are all exactly what we hoped for and have experienced on earlier trips. No problems with luggage transfers, and the hotels for the first part of the trip were all great.