Europe Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 4351 to 4380 of 4965

The bike path signs were sometimes hard to follow and we got off course a few times.
The staff of the boat, The Normandie, was fabulous. The food was better than we expected and they were very accommodating with our lunches. The wifi was very disappointing.

It would be good for the guides to have a bike calculator (a little device on the bike that shows distance and speed). The guides varied the speeds more than was necessary. It wasn't bad, but at times faster than "advertised" for the slow group and slower and faster than advertised for the faster group. This is not a big deal, but would be an improvement. Also we often biked a little longer than was in the route descriptions, so those could be looked at. Other than that, the trip was great. And less rain of course :-)

It was better than I could imagine! Thank you all.

We had the time of our life and look forward to our next bike and boat tour. Thanks so much for everything!

We found this to be one of our best trips ever!

I know that there was a mid cruise change of cruise directors and neither were particularly helpful. We basically did the routes ourselves and there could have been better instructions. We had a wonderful trip though.

This trip gets a +10!! The staff (Tamy, Ilena, Luciano, Enrico, Guilio & Alberto) were amazing - fun, personable, knowledgable, friendly and engaging. They were truly a team and clearly enjoyed each other which ripples out to the experience of the guests. I loved that they gave a 'brief' the night before to let us know what to expect the next day. The food was creative, fresh and lovingly prepared. The accommodations on the AveMarie were great -- the cabins were well thought out with lots of storage so that the room felt spacious. The dining room was lovely with plenty of space to relax. The price of wine/beer was very reasonable and loved that we could keep a tab and pay it at the end, so easy.

Oh yea the bikes --- a good ride and comfy enough for the distances ridden. The routes were well planned, even the few times we had to ride in traffic. The trip leaders were excellent at managing the group and making it fun, no matter what we were doing.

For the whole week I felt well cared for :)
I am already dreaming of my next trip.
Kindly -- Victoria

P.S. The bad and the ugly -- honestly I don't have anything to contribute for improvement.

Really liked our trip director Andreas. The Theodor Koerner excellent boat with superb staff.

The crew were AMAZing! Every single one of them. Tami is an amazing guide - super friendly and helpful. All of the crew helpful and a delight. I would definitely go on this type of trip again because of my experience on this trip.

Our guide Felix, was fun, knowledgeable and intuitive. His attitude and ease of being with people made even a horrible weather day endurable. The BIGGEST bonus was having Astrid along as a trainee. She added so much to every aspect of our journey and was a treasure trove of regional information.

Had a fantastic time, would highly recommend it to others!

Exceptional staff, welcoming, friendly, informative, knowledgable. Perhaps on the rides having a buddy system so the guide doesn't need to count all the people to make sure everyone is present would be my only suggestion. I sometimes got the sense that people wanted to stop more often to take pictures and no one told them not to but then it can take time away from getting to visit town at the end of the day. Perhaps that needs to be discussed in more depth. Sometimes some of the breaks were longer than necessary. Again they were fine but took time from visiting a town at the end of the trip.

This has been one of the greatest vacations for my husband and I, due to the luxury quality of the ship-hotel and the superior quality of the staff/services. The "Very satisfied" has to have 5 more stars! Thank you very much! We fervently advertise it among friends and beyond!

We just completed this tour and enjoyed it BUT there are some caveats to be aware of. We did not follow the itinerary as described. We did not tour Nin even though it was listed in the itinerary. We rode on some very busy roads/thoroughfares which were not fun. The map was not an accurate depiction of what we actually did on the mainland. That part was very disappointing. The food was great... The e-bikes were very heavy but the only way to do this tour. There were some VERY long hills to climb. Our guides were good, especially Bjoran. Just be aware that the itinerary changes and that seems to be at the whim of the boat captain, guides and weather. I was really looking forward to seeing Nin and spending a little more time in Sibenik. The boat was very nice and generally comfortable. Igor, the bartender and waiter, was fabulous. I'd rate the trip as a 3.5-4 star.

We have been on 4 barge based bike trips plus 3 hotel based bike trips, all in Europe and this was the best. There are simply not enough superlatives to use to praise this trip. From the guide to the cook to the quality of the bikes and the barge we add the wonderful route and great scenery.

We loved our trip! Everything about it brought us delight. Southern Croatia is simply beautiful, the bike riding was perfect for us (we live in western North Carolina which is mountainous), we enjoyed our guides very much, & were taken care of extremely well by the crew on the boat. Look forward to the next bike trip!

For the most part the trip was wonderful, I would like to put most of my answers right in the middle of satisfied and not satisfied, I just thought the scenery and the landscape etc. was not what I expected. That is not your fault, enjoyed my trips to Italy and Germany were much more scenic

I would recommend this trip but only if a group of friends were going or if there was some way to know the mix of language of fellow travellers. I was the only person who did not speak the German language. I felt very isolated. A number of German people did try to speak English but it was hard work for them and they were on holidays. One English sailor on board as staff was very kind and attentive. The cook made wonderful gluten free dishes for me!! The guide did an excellent job of switching back and forth from German to English. The cycling and countryside was very pleasant. Sometimes the stops were a bit long but perhaps that was because I couldn't chat around with other travellers.

Nothing bad or ugly. Scenery got better as we moved north. Group on our trip (both crew and guests) were great. Enjoyed the Soleo.

The Merlijn is a very special barge full of character and charm, beautifully appointed and owned and operated by the delightful Jantine and Henk. They along with their crew spoiled us rotten with great food and hospitality. Our bike ride was thru beautiful countryside and expertly guided and interpreted by a delightful Dutch couple, Jack and Marianne. They gave us great local insight. We thoroughly recommend the Merlijn and can't wait to return.

The guide seemed lost most of the time. He didn't know where to stop for a picnic and one day we ate our lunches at a bus stop. I realize cafes mostly close in France between 12 and 2, but his lack of knowledge of where to find a toilet after lunch was a problem. He chastised us for being slow to re-organize, but then later we'd stop for no reason and wait for up to a half hour with no info from him. He was good at describing architecture.

Biking - generally excellent. There is one day - Budapest - that is described as a biking day in most of the material we saw but when we were on the boat the tour director tried to discourage us from biking that day. There was a good reason for that - the route was confusing and included a VERY busy road for a few km. It should be removed from the promotional material as a biking day,

Boat - another boat broke down and several people were transferred to empty cabins on our boat. I think as a result there was more people on board than could be handled at dinners. Dinners went on for 2-3 hours just because the staff couldn't deal with all the guests. The good itself was fine when it finally arrived.

We had a problem with sewage odor in our room - which they boat crew was unable to fix - Also room was hot and we had to use a fan. When we complained to Rad and Reisen about the temperature they denied that the AC was not working. We complained to Rad and Reisen and they issued us a 10% refund which Tripsite matched. We appreciated your concern attentiveness to these problems and you willingness to offer some compensation.

Despite these problems, overall the trip was great - good people, great rides and beautiful scenery and points of interest. We would definately book another trip with your company, but not with Rad and Reisen.

The trip was great! Mostly all positive. Tom and I would like to have the pace a bit faster....that was the only negative.

The staff at Tripsite were amazing to deal with and very helpful about everything. I would recommend this company and biking trip to anyone.
Thank you
S. Fryeskul
PS: We loved the new Magnifique II !!!

Nearly everything excellent. The only downside was the cycling was promised to have the option of two different rides each day i.e. a long or a short ride with two different guides. There was only one guide so both options were compromised into one medium length ride each day. Many on the tour would have preferred a longer ride most days.

I fully enjoyed the Lorraine/Moselle bike trip (May 14-20, 2016) with the staff of La Belle Fleur. This was my first bike and barge trip and it certainly was a stress free and relaxing way to see the region. The owner/operators of the boat (Sander and Els) were not only very professional, but charming, enthusiastic, and helpful. Els was also a superb cook so our meals were always delicious. Pieter was the perfect guide (and quite the character!), fun to bike with, patient, knowledgeable of the route and the potential sights, and willing to change the agenda to meet the interests of his clients. The pace was leisurely and we had ample time to view both the valley scenery and the grand old cities along the route. The bikes were in good repair and suitable for the mostly level countryside we were traversing. Another delightful aspect of the trip was that the route was mostly off the busy roads and on dedicated bicycle paths (except, of course, in the cities). The weather, though often cloudy and brisk with occasional light sprinkles of rain, was never a problem. The passengers got along well together and we had fun evenings relaxing aboard ship along with the crew. One week of biking seemed just the right amount of time. I came home with many wonderful memories of people, places, and experiences. I can highly recommend this trip and this boat company. The folks at the Tripsite office in the U.S. were also very responsive and easy to work with so they get my "thumbs up" award too!

It was well above our expectations in every way, cabins, staff, cleanliness and the gourmet meals all the time. Fantastic experience.

Just returned from E bike trip on the Meldoy
I was totally impressed with the trip as a whole. The organization punctuality and attention to detail was superb.Considering my son and I were the only North Americans which in itself is a bonus to talk and socialize with people from different countries we never felt left out. . The week went by too quickly. . The staff was cordial and helpful , meals and cuisine were excellent . Would recommend this trip for individuals who enjoy moderate luxury yet require some organized quality activity . E bike is well worth the money and is a bonus.