Europe Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 4801 to 4830 of 4930

I had always wanted to take a bike and barge trip in Europe for many years and finally did as my retirement celebration. Everything about the tour exceeded my expectations! The bicycling through the country, villages and cities was pleasant; our tour guide Sjac (Jack) aboard the FLUVIUS was friendly, helpful, indefatigable and could speak 4 languages; the camaraderie with the other cyclists and staff was outstanding; the food was excellent; the cabins were clean and actually bigger than I expected for a barge; and we lucked out and had perfect bicycling weather day after day. The folks at tripsite always responded quickly and were very helpful when I emailed or called them with questions. I would highly recommend this mode of travel as a way to get exercise and see Europe close up!

I did the four country tour along the Danbue with 11 others. We booked through Tripsite. From the beginning I was impressed with the friendly and professional backup from the staff. The trip was better than expected. The boat "My Story" -friendly staff, delicious Food, nice atmosphere. We had good weather, tours well explained and organized with no time pressure. My husband and I did the trip six years ago and enjoyed it and recommended it to friends and Family in the USA. I believe that all were very pleased with everything, This is ideal for a bike that is doing something like this for the first time.

Our family would set sail on this trip again. It is overreaching to describe the accommodations as luxurious in any way. But the skill and friendliness of the crew is all the luxury anyone needs. The owner has carefully mapped out the most charming bicycle routes with great care. Our 13 and 15-year-old daughters were never bored -- and that means a lot. I liked that there were no hidden costs and even extra beer/wine was a great price (not like evil cruise ship prices.) This group took care of unexpected extras, like helping us with our phone cards and finding us at the airport. Thank You.

Inga and I enjoyed our boat and bike trip on the northern Dalmatian Islands very much. We will do it again! The boat, accommodations, meals bicycling and hosts were all we expected. And scenery on the islands and sea are breath-taking.

What can I say?

This was our 10th trip, I believe, with Pack and Pedal and it was outstanding! The Ave Maria was a beautiful boat; modern, clean and roomy. The three of us from Kansas City: Stanley, KartaPurhk and myself enjoyed the company of 27 others and it was a week of great riding, camaraderie and superb food. The crew of the Ave Maria: Tullio and , Luciano got the boat to where it needed to be safely and on time every day. The chefs: Vera and Erica prepared wonderful meals each day while catering to individual's specific dietary needs. Helmut, our bike guide was patient and knowledgeable. It's not easy herding 25-29 bicyclers safely each day from point A to point B and back to the boat each late afternoon. a "well done" to Helmut.

The real highlight of the trip for the three of us was getting to meet Hennie for the first time when she visited the Ave Maria. What a delightful person she is!

The trip exceeded all of our high expectations and we look forward to our European trip next year through Tripsite.

Jim E.

we just returned from our trip. Brugges to Amsterdam. It was AWESOME. We had such a great time on the Gandalf with Hans. Els was our biking guide. She was terrific. It was fabulous and a great way to spend my 50th birthday!

Thank you for everything you did to arrange this trip for us. We will be back on some other trip in the future.

We have just returned from this boat and bike tour. It was absolutely wonderful ! The hosts were very friendly & accommodating, the food was excellent, the bikes and saddles were very good, the riding was mainly easy, the scenery was spectacular and finally, it was a very relaxing holiday !!!

At first we were hesitant to book another bike and barge trip-- how could it ever compare with the 2012 tour on the Ave Maria, with Hein as guide, which set the bar so high?

The Provence trip did look very interesting and, after fretting about the significant uphills, we did go ahead and book, adding the ebike option.

We were able to board the Soleo as, apparently there was a cancellation. We had asked you to request a transfer from the other boat-- thanks.

The trip was excellent! The crew was very capable and accommodating. Our guide, Martina, especially helped make the trip memorable. She maintained her sense of humor throughout. Any setbacks were met only with a "mama mia" and difficulties, either overcome or anticipated, were "a piece of cake".

The cycling was, as compared to the Venice trip, both more challenging and more interesting. The weather did not always cooperate but there was no complaining . We think we have come to realize that those who book into this type of travel are a little more adventurous and require less pampering than the typical big boat cruise passengers.

We are in our 70's and were probably the oldest couple on the barge but we had no more difficulties than anyone else. Our Tripsite shirts made us look to be very veteran riders. Everything, in the final analysis, was "a piece of cake".

Suggestions: The museum at Pont du Gard is very worthwhile. Giro Libero should consider making a little more time available for this and to stress its value. Likewise, we enjoyed the Lumieres at Les Baux. Many in the group did not have much awareness of this very interesting and innovative show. It would be helpful to promote this attraction.

Not too sure what I can say that the above feedback haven't already said. We travelled as a group of 6 on the Magnifique from Brugge to Amsterdam May 31st to June 7th, 2014. Everything and everyone was top notch. We started out with Carl as our Captain but due to holidays the barges owner, Walter, took over. Not only can he handle the barge but he does a mean BBQ. Our guide Tom was perfect. With a great sense of humour and and sweet personality. There was not one person who did not get along with him. Meeka, bar tender, server, cleaner, and Peter the amazing cook finished off the crew. The barge itself was fantastic. No complaints there. The beds are extremely comfortable.

Unfortunately one of our group was not able to complete the trip but we did meet a great group of people from all over the world.

I am not the greatest biker but thoroughly enjoyed the whole journey and would do it again.

Highly recommend Trip Site for our bicycling vacations. We, family and friends booked the Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Amsterdam. Had a fantastic time again on the MERLIJN. Knew one week was not enough, after our 1st tour in 2011 in Germany, we had to book the following week also - Amsterdam to Brugge. The highlight of course were all the flowers in the Keukenhof. This is a must see for all flower lovers. Trip Site employees in PA were very easy to work with and will book all our tours for us. In fact we will return to the MERLIJN on September 27 to October 4th 2014 for wine country.

I just wanted to say a belated thanks to the staff for your assistance with the Gandalf trip earlier in the month. Everything was great and well-organized with the boat, the tour, and we had a fun group of travelers.

Thank you!

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, this was a vacation that I still think about everyday, almost 2 months later. The only way to see this beautiful country is at ground level on a bike. And the only way to do it is with the crew of the Quo Vadis who made the trip so much fun.

Did I say how much I loved this trip?!!

We have just returned from your four country tour on My Story. We were very satisfied with the accommodation despite a malfunction the last night which resulted in our being moved to another room. Our accommodation was kept extremely clean and the staff were very accommodating. We enjoyed the cycling and found the day to day schedule manageable. Although this was only the second week of operation for the season with a new staff, the meals were well prepared and quite enjoyable. We were seated with other English speaking travellers and it was interesting comparing the day's cycling and sightseeing. We will certainly consider another bike-boat tour.

We had an absolutely marvelous time.

The crew was amazing,the food very delicious, they all went out of their way to make it a very memorable vacation.

We truly appreciated all the extra things that Lia did for us, taking us on excursions in the town at night, even arranging a tour one night through the canals in one of the towns.

We highly recommend a bike and barge tour and have done so already, we will definitely do it again and would love to be with the same crew.

Thank you so much!

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and had no glitches. I would like to recommend the barge and bike trip around Amsterdam thru the US affiliate, "TripSite". The office was very helpful, pleasant and efficient. The information offered prior to the trip was excellent and unexpectedly thorough including a history of the history of the Netherlands! The excursion did not disappoint. The barge was compact, as expected but clean and comfortable. Most notably, the food was OUTSTANDING. The wife of the captain is an excellent cook and offered a different, interesting 3 course fair nightly. The passengers complimented her frequently after the meal and gave her special applause at the end. As promised we were offered coffee and cake just before disembarking. An extra detail but so nice for closure.The guide on our bike tour was fluent in English and happy to answer all questions. He was thoroughly knowledgeable in the bike routes, taking short a cut through the tulip fields because they had were largely harvested due to the very early spring. This allowed us an extra half hour at the OUTSTANDING Keukenhof Gardens. There was a medical emergency while we were biking necessitating an ambulance. He handled it efficiently without alarm. He and the captain called for taxis for those of us needing them at disembarkation and gave directions to trains, etc for others. They stayed around until all were on their way. One of us talked to a local bartender in Leiden while using WiFi there. He asked what boat we were on and offered that it was "the best". He asked about the food. When we said it was outstanding, he offered that passengers from other boats had complained about their food onboard. Feel free to share our experience with anyone interested in such a tour in the future. Thanks again for your help.

Just a note to say how much we enjoyed the 8 day tulip bike and barge. The captin Rendert, crew Valdi, chef Alf and guide Lia went beyond our expectations. The boat was clean and well kept and cozy. The meals amazing and Lia did her best to make it enjoyable for everyone regardless of ability. We would truly recommend this tour to anyone. We would like to do another tour with them in the future.

Just a brief note to tell you how much we enjoyed the Tulip Tour aboard the Quo Vadis.

The Captain Rendert, the Second Mate Waldi, the Chef Alfe and Guide Lea were excellent. They worked hard to make everyone happy and made a good team. They really enjoy what they do and this showed in the attention and professionalism shown to all the guests.

The itinerary was spot on for content and interest. Not a moment was left to chance as they made sure we enjoyed every aspect of the Dutch culture, countryside and the beauty of the tulip fields.

Special mention to our Guide Lea for her excellent knowledge of all things Dutch, our Chef Alfe for his passion for food and ensuring our nutritional wellbeing and Waldi for going out of way to make sure that we did not want for anything practical on the boat.

We look forward to doing more tours with TripSite.

We had a wonderful time on the Lorraine tour last year starting from Toul. One of the fellow passengers arrived late and in a state because she had difficulty finding the barge -- taxis and the police did not know where to direct her. A great landmark to cite is the Grands Moulins Aubry. It is a prominent building readily seen from the highway, and the barge moors in the canal just adjacent to the one by the moulin. We ourselves walked around for a day before finding the spot. Your Google map is spot on -- we found it right away after consulting it -- but internet access was not readily available. All of this to say: Your clients would find the spot without difficulty if you were to direct them to "the canal right beside the one at Grands Moulins Aubry" in your travel instructions. I hope you find this note helpful. Looking forward to our next trip with you.

This is a great way to travel in Europe. The flowers were beautiful at Keukenhof and the Merlijn provides wonderful accommodations! This was our second trip through Tripsite and we are going again.

The Dalmatia coast is breathtaking. This is a hidden gem. Cycling/boat trips are the only way to immerse yourself in the history/culture of a country. We've done a few, Croatia is remains at the top of the list.

My first time on Greek Islands and this trip was superb. Our guides, Ali and Peter, were always available on the boat or the bike route to respond to our needs(which were few beyond what was already provided). The airport transfers were very helpful facilitated with cheap internal Turkey flights; we used Atlas Air. The weather was very hot in late August but we had lovely cool swims off the boat at the end of our rides. The steep Greek island hills were tamed with electric bikes by many of the riders. All the bikes were good and well maintained. Our room on board was spacious, had lots of storage space and a large bath. The boat chef gave us delightful fresh Mediterranean cooking on board; one meal a day on shore offered local food experiences. We really enjoyed the international mix of riders. I would go with Island Hopping again without hesitation.

In May of last year we embarked on yet another Bike and Barge trip with the assistance of your organization. We were on the great barge Ava Maria, Montova to Venice. We have travelled extensively over the last 40 years but have never had such a great experience as this. The trip was well planned led by a terrific tour director who was not only knowledgeable but great fun. The staff of the barge were exceptional providing all on board with a superb experience, great food and friendly service. As has been my experience with Tripsite in the past, my expectations were exceeded and given that we are now planning another adventure in France with of course Tripsite. Thank you for MAKING our vacation!

We had an absolutely fabulous time in September this year on this trip. Cycling was fantastic-Francien an excellent guide, Inma a wonderful gourmet cook. The crew was always helpful and cheerful. The group of fellow cyclists were great fun - lots of laughs. Thank you, we will be back!!

This was my third bike/barge trip and the best yet. I loved being on the Feniks. It's a very comfortable barge. The captain was very attentive to all our needs and I appreciated his ability to work around some of the problems re two of the canal locks being shut down for repairs. The guide was good also and made sure some of us slower people were not left behind. It was a great group of people and I thoroughly enjoyed the biking and the wonderful French countryside.

Just completed this trip - we'll summarize by just saying "OUTSTANDING"! Enrico (our guide) couldn't have been better - surely gave us more info (and time!) than we expected. The boat's crew was outstanding too - food couldn't have been better! And we loved the cycling...even with (in spite of?) two days of rain. Our tandem bike was (surprisingly, for a rental tandem) easy to ride and control, even through some of the tight turns in the towns on the tour. Hard to find/fit tandems that are enjoyable to ride for both cyclists - Girolibero did their homework! We're already planning another tour for next year, and what a feast to choose from!

J & B Wilson, 10/23/2013

2013 trip was on Harmonia. Marko & Stefaan the guides were great. Food was excellent. Crew was excellent.

Only disappointment was that we had a deck cabin midships which was adjacent to the galley on the Romantica three of the seven nights, so no view. There was no AC and the room was 25C. Couldn't open the windows due to smokers and people/noise on Romantica before 1am. Romantica blocked the breeze anyway so opening the windows didn't do any good. Quite unpleasant sleeping. The guides did not have a solution when asked!

Also, guides said bike locks were not needed and never showed us how to use the locks. To boot, the asked that the e-bike keys be left in.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our Sept trip from Bruges to Amsterdam on The MS Magnifique, booked through Tripsite.com. Comfortable cabin, great food, hot tub wonderful after long days of biking! Crew easy going but always helpful and attentive. Multi national fellow passengers all good company. Definitely encourage bringing your own gel seat cover! I had an electric assist bike which I'd highly recommend if in any doubt about managing the occasionally challenging distances. Already thinking of booking another similar trip next year.

My husband and I did the bike and barge tour from Bruges to Amsterdam Jun 29/2013 - and had the most amazing time!! Right from my first contact with the folks at Tripsite to the end of our tour - everything was perfect. Carl the Captain, Tom the guide and all the rest of the hardworking fun loving crew were amazing. We cycled some of the most beautiful countryside, Tom was very funny and looked after everyone - the ages on our tour were 16 to 77 - and we all felt comfortable. You can go at your own speed or go strictly with the group. The Magnifique was a beautiful and very comfortable boat - I loved it and I would be very hard pressed not to choose her again for our next trip - we are hoping to do a trip during the tulip season and maybe one in the early fall:) I actually wanted to book the return trip when we cycled into Amsterdam - but we were going to a friends wedding in Italy so had to continue on:) I really can not say enough good things about Tripsite on the organization side (friendly, knowledgeable and efficient; and the the crew of the Magnifique - they were all Magnifique!!!! Can't wait to go again.

This was our first experience with an inclusive tour and we were a bit apprensive about the lack of freedom. No worries! It was a great trip and we would do it again. The small boat/group was key. Great food, excellent tour leader and first rate crew. We would not want to be in a larger group. Three cheers for the older and smaller boat!

We just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our experience on the August 31st Brussels to Bruges Bike and Barge tour. The accommodations, the staff, the food and even the bikes were all top notch. Peter is a wonderful chef, Leah was a great guide, Walter and Carel were great captain, Carel barbecue was over the top!! It took us a few days to adjust to the biking, as most of us have not done much city biking. But by the end of the trip most of us were doing pretty well. Larry and I would recommend this trip to anyone!