Europe Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 3841 to 3870 of 4949
Dorothy M.
September 18, 2017
Verified Reviewer
Brussels to Bruges
Wow, our trip was phenomenal! The barge was excellent, the food was gourmet (seriously) and the riding was great! Although rain was predicted everyday, we never rode in the rain. The weather improved and we saw rain twice while on the barge. The Magnifique II and the crew could not have been better. We are already looking forward to a trip next year!!!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium
Sue N.
September 18, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Amsterdam to Bruges
The most memorable part of our trip was people we met, we made some fantastic new friends. The Dutch countryside was especially beautiful, just like out of a fairy tale. Lots of other great countryside and small villages as well, quaint and old European.
The rooms on the Fluvius were poorly ventilated, and the A/C was extremely noisy. The dining room, lounge, bar and upper deck were great.
One of our rides included having to take a short ferry ride. We were all asked to pay .70 cents for this. Many of us felt that was being extremely cheap, and should have been included. Really...70 cents!!!!
For each day of cycling we were only given 1-500ml bottle of water. This is not even close to daily requirements, especially given that on several days we were riding in 30 degrees C. It should have been at least 2L/person/day.
Our guide lacked enthusiasm. He told us to fill our empty water bottles in the bathrooms, he talked about bathroom breaks in the pre-ride briefing but despite being told (during the ride) that we'd need a break, he just kept going. Rarely did he stop for photos; there was some beautiful countryside that many of us would liked to have captured. For the most part, the only time he stopped was for coffee and lunch. He did not seem overly concerned about safety; when there was a car coming from behind the riders would shout "CAR" and that kept getting shouted up the line. One time I was behind the guide, so we both heard it at the same time...the guide then very flippantly said "Good for the car". Crossing major intersections was dicey; many times he would cross despite the traffic, while the group would then wait on the other side until it was CLEARLY safe to go. This seemed to frustrate him.
My bike was great, but it would have been nice to have a water bottle holder mounted on the frame, and include a cycling water bottle for it, which people could then take home. Not all bikes were the same; some had 2 hand brakes, while others had a hand brake and a foot brake, which took some getting used to for those that were assigned that type of bike. There was no option to swap.
The Fluvius crew were amazing. Very, very hard working, yet personable and great senses of humor! Shout outs to Alex, Nadia, Marianna, David & Captain Arno!!! (PS, we hope everything is okay with Nadia's mom).
Despite the negatives, we had a great time, met some amazing people, saw stunningly beautiful countryside, had lots of fun & laughter. And, we would go again!!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Netherlands, Belgium
Kim B.
September 18, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Everything was memorable. I took this trip with my sister not having any expectations. Besides the great accommodations, food & scenery, there were strangers from 8 different countries that became a bike family for 8 days. It was a wonderful trip.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
Rick F.
September 18, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Premium Bamberg to Frankfurt
I am not a bike rider and was very concerned about how difficult it really would be. Well, it wasn't that difficult and was very enjoyable. The bike trails are amazing and stunning. This was the first Bike Barge experience and it was fantastic. There is no better way to experience Germany. The staff on the Merlijn are amazing. The food was delicious and plentiful. The experience on a smaller vessel was as good or even better than on a cruise ship and I have been on over 25 cruises all over the world. I highly recommend this adventure.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
Lynda R.
September 18, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Amsterdam to Bruges
We had a wonderful time. The accommodation was above expectations, very clean and more roomy than expected. The food was excellent, plentiful, diverse and attractively presented. The staff was welcoming, helpful and made the trip extremely enjoyable. There were extras above what we expected...guided trips into the various cities in the evening and even entertainment with Music and dancing. We stayed with the guide every day and appreciated his expertise at choosing routes that were scenic and avoiding as much of the traffic when we did have to go through the cities.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Netherlands, Belgium
Gwen H.
September 18, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Premium Bamberg to Frankfurt
Enjoyed the trip immensely. Scenery was fantastic. Ship and staff were excellent. Food was accommodating for vegetarians, non fish eaters and was plentiful. Would like to see an additional excursion included with the tour. Beer tasting night and castle tour were excellent.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
Andy R.
September 18, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
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!
Ann karen watson
September 17, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
This was a fabulous trip. Truly amazing. The food was the best surprise of the week!! It was delicious!!! Our tour guide Tamara was excellent, she made every day very very interesting. She went above and beyond. Can't wait to do another trip with Tamara!!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
Garnet
September 15, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Metz to Cochem
A group of 8 friends from Western Canada recently completed the Metz to Cochem tour on the Iris and all of us have nothing but good things to say about the experience. The barge Iris was everything we expected and more. Immaculately clean, well equipped, comfortable rooms and beds, small but efficient bathrooms, great lounge and dining areas, outside sitting area, etc., etc. The crew was outstanding in every way from Chef Bas to guide Wouter, to crewman AJ and so on. The crew added so much to the overall experience and always with humour, local knowledge and great attention to detail. The daily rides were a feature that we looked forward to each morning and the scenery was wonderful each day. And to top it all off, the weather for the most part cooperated for the whole trip. I can't recommend the barge, the crew and the trip highly enough and as a group, we are already talking about our next barge/bike tour
- Countries included in this tour?
- France, Luxembourg, Germany
Carmel M.
September 13, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Every aspect of the trip made for a memorable experience. Having done both the hotel to hotel and the guided section gave us a truly great opportunity to see a part of Italy that is so varied in both history, culture, food and landscape.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
Lee N.
September 13, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Burgundy - Paris to Auxerre
The Tripsite folks were always right there for me whenever I asked a question. Our guide, Albert, was a tremendous guide and was always there to help with any language barrier. I have certainly recommended Tripsite to others that I have been telling about my trip and they can't believe that I got such a great value for the money I spent. Thank you All!
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
Mik L.
September 12, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Amsterdam to Bruges
Most Memorable Part: Amsterdam and a week of perfect weather
- Countries included in this tour?
- Netherlands, Belgium
Barbara E.
September 12, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
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!
Robert M.
September 12, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
Our bike guide was terrible. He was lost several times each day and didn't the happenings of each town so we all missed the running of the bulls and he shouted & criticized all riders.
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
Byron E.
September 12, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
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.
Carolyn H.
September 12, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
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.
Linda T.
September 12, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
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.
Kevin Armstrong
September 11, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Bruges to Amsterdam
I have done this trip from Amsterdam to Bruges as well. I found this version to not be as enjoyable. The reason was there was not as much on the route to see and take in. I think that there are some differences do to which barge you are on which may restrict the routes. Bruges is amazing as was Amsterdam but in between nothing exciting. The barge was amazing (Sailing Home) with a wonderful chef. I love this style of touring and have done 8 of them and will do more!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium, Netherlands
Rachel J
September 8, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna
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.
Jim S.
September 7, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Along the Danube-Iron Gates
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.
Alex B.
September 7, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Mainz to Metz
Amazing scenery, fantastic hosts, first class accommodations - a winner all around! Highly recommended, and would take another trip on the Merlijn in a heartbeat.
Robert K.
September 7, 2017
Verified Reviewer
Brussels to Bruges
Most memorable part: The small number of passengers and the bonding and friendships which grew. Also, the lovely relaxed biking through the countryside, villages and towns with the guide providing more than adequate explanations when required. Everything worked like clock work and was well organized.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium
Jenny S.
September 4, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Mainz to Metz
Highlights: Our daily biking trips, having a varied ride each day with different kms, visits and scenery, plus even a hike to a castle as well. My only suggestion is to keep this spontaneity as each day is an adventure with the known luxury of the barge awaiting us at the end of each ride.
Gina F.
September 4, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Mainz to Metz
Most Memorable Part? That is so hard to answer because there were so many of them. I do plan to enter your contest very soon. As for tips or suggestions for others...By all means considered a Tripsite bike trip for your next vacation. It has so much to offer. And don't let your fear of being able to complete the daily bike rides stop you. We had in our group of 21: an 80-year-old, a person with a "boot" on his foot due to an injury, a person with a sore back, and several people who don't bike regularly. All of them were able to not only complete our daily rides, they did so with no struggles and enjoyed themselves. E-bikes can be used by those who have trouble with longer or more challenging rides. There is something about riding in a group that bonds cyclists together. You go slow enough to have conversations and see all the details you could miss when going by bus or car, yet fast enough to cover miles of interesting terrain.
Judee W.
September 4, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
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!
Barbara H.
September 4, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna
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.
Paul R.
September 4, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Mainz to Metz
Most memorable part: Discovering new and very interesting places with good friends.
Darryl White
August 31, 2017
Verified Reviewer
· Amsterdam to Bruges
My wife and two other couples did this trip in August 2017. The crew was great the boat is very well appointed, the rooms are small but function well. The evening meals were great, breakfast was limited most days to bread cheese and cereal.
Now the bad part:
The crew turns off the air conditioning at 10:30 at night and does not come back on until the morning. So one would wake up in the middle of the night sweating and not be able to go back to sleep, The bedding, our clothes and all other items in the room would get moist and moldy from condensation.
The Bicycles were not the best, they were quite used and most of the seats were loose and could not be tightened which made for long days of riding...
- Countries included in this tour?
- Netherlands, Belgium
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