Europe Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 1021 to 1050 of 4965

Unfortunately our barge had major mechanical problems ( thrust motor) from Day 1. As a result our first 4 full days of biking were changed, shortened significantly and day 4 spent almost entirely on the boat going to Antwerp with mechanical engineers working to fix it. We were very disappointed to lose this much biking on what was supposed to be a wonderful biking journey.

To add to our disappointment our biking tour guides, Tom and Laura, gave us very little information on what was wrong with the boat and what changes to expect. Generally they were not very communicative about our daily itineraries.

On the positive side, the barge crew were mostly fabulous. Mieke, the chef and her staff were very personable and hard working. The bartending staff were also very good. The food was excellent and the boat in good condition .

Overall we enjoyed the trip, especially the last 4 days once the barge was repaired.

Effie Henry
( part of a group of 10 Canadian women)

Bruges to Amsterdam Fluvius May 5/24 - 8 day bike trip

Unfortunately our barge had major mechanical problems ( thrust motor) from Day 1. As a result our first 4 full days of biking were changed, shortened significantly and day 4 spent almost entirely on the boat going to Antwerp with mechanical engineers working to fix it. We are very disappointed to lose this much biking on what was supposed to be a wonderful biking journey.

To add to our disappointment our biking tour guides, Tom and Laura, gave us very little information on what was wrong with the boat and what changes to expect. Generally they were not very communicative about our daily itineraries.

On the positive side, the barge crew were mostly fabulous. Mieke, the chef and her staff were very personable and hard working. The bartending staff were also very good. The food was excellent and the boat in good condition .

Overall we enjoyed the trip, especially the last 4 days once the barge was repaired.

The tour itself was spectacular once we were under way. However, we arrived at the Fluvius as scheduled on Sunday only to find out that the boat had a broken bow thruster - that happened on Friday. There was a lack of communication from the captain and the tour guides. We were told, hesitatingly, that the breakdown had occurred and the part was expected Monday morning and then we would be under way. We did not sail Monday and were provided a substitute ride, with no GPS, for the day. ..a bit of a nightmare ride. Very difficult to navigate - confusing! The part came finally Tuesday morning and we had to stay on board to catch up with the schedule - no riding that day. We were not actually told that we couldn’t ride. We had to surmise that ourselves. The day after we were able to pick up our scheduled ride and the following days were lovely.
The staff were wonderful at all levels. The Captain was in communicative and the lead guide Tom was terrible.
Bottom line is, things happen. The fact that the boat was unfortunate but if we had been informed and communicated with

This is a beautiful region and accessing it from the river trails is wonderful . The boat was very comfortable and the wonderful staff met our every need with a smile . We had rainy days , and closures due to local holidays which impacted our visits to small town restaurants and shops . I would avoid national holiday weeks in future .
My suggestions to improve this already wonderful trip :
- have bike storage racks that allow a little more deck space for sitting out .
-eliminate the hot tub , it’s only used by a few and takes up too much deck space .
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Trip was a good value but communication was not very good . The chef and the food and waitstaff were very good . There was a huge engine issue and we lost a day of biking . This was out of your control but the communication about what was going on was really poor .
Meike the chef should be the standard , she was terrific .

The staff on board the Fluvious was wonderful, especially the chef, Mika. The food was plentiful and great. The dining and lounge area very comfortable. Americans should be advised about the difference in bikes. Both manual and E bikes are heavier than we had experience with and that does effect balance issues around sharp turns. The Amsterdam to Bruge trip is listed as easy on well maintained routes,perhaps a few more qualifiersare needed. We experienced some rough riding - it may have been the result of winter damage- but riding on dirt and a sandy portion of the trail was challenging as are coblestomes.

Another disappointment was that I was only able to ride three days. And on those days we had no special tours. I was especially looking forward to going to a cheese factory which we missed, Much of that was due to the fact that the Fluvious had some problems which effected steering. We did not have a chance to practice on the bikes as scheduled, which made the first day very difficult for some of the riders. Those of us on Manual bikes were separated from the leader and all the e=bikes and often took the wrong turn at a Y. On one day we completely missed a castle and on the first day, the option to hear more about the old windmills was missed due to our being late (due to the boat arriving later than scheduled due to the boat issues). Additionally on the Ghent biking we were discouraged going because of the busy city and no other option was offered ie. bike the countryside and tour Ghent and the canal tour by going on foot or parking the bikes outside of the busy city center.

The week on the Feniks was great! I really think the barge was undersold!. The wifi worked for all of our party of 4. The daily laundry was such a great thing. And the staff- the skipper, the first mate, the cook, the guide were so, so much fun! Really happy we took this tour.

Amazing trip. Great guides, boat and food. Itinerary was a good mix of riding, relaxing and sightseeing.

This was our second bike and barge on this boat through tripsite. This time we brought friends, who said “one of my favorite vacations of all time”. We agree!
Cycling through rural north Holland was magical and we were fortunate to have great weather - not always guaranteed.
E-bikes were comfortable and safe, our guides Brian and Marianne were fun, knowledgeable and engaging.
Keukenhoff was packed with visitors, but we visited the smaller Hortis Bulborum and learned more about the beautiful tulips there.
Being in a small group on bikes allowed us to visit less-touristed sites, for example a working windmill Schermerhorn, Van Veen family cheese-making farm, and artist studio in Bilderdam.
The new Magnifique I was spacious, we had one of the new larger rooms. Food was varied, delicious, nutritious and plentiful.
Staff onboard led by Captain Walter became like family, helpful and responsive to everyone’s needs, including when one cyclist was injured in an unexpected fall. Bike safety was emphasized, single file especially in towns and mostly 80%+ on dedicated separate bike paths. Most of our group were couples, young seniors, some in their 80’s, and all were from english-speaking countries - all friendly and interesting folks.

Thé bike trails so well marked. Ride with GPS so helpful .Frans was skillled with all the languages he mastered or attempted. His. Ride descriptions were accurate and he showed up along the way to give encouragement.
On the De Nassau get blinds for the windows in the dining hall. My table was in the sun and uncomfortably hot every evening at dinner.

It was our first trip on a smaller boat and we enjoyed getting to know all the other bikers and also the crew. It was also our first trip with a guide(s) and it was nice to not be concerned with navigating. The guides were excellent and the mini tours we interesting. My only suggestion is it would be nice to know more about the lunch stop ahead of time so we could decide whether we wanted to bring a lunch or eat at the restaurant.

Biking by river Po, the visits to the distillery and cheese factory

Croatia is a beautiful and very clean country. The tour of Dalmatia was a fabulous overview of the outside islands. My most memorable part was climbing the uphills on the bikes. Even with an E-Bike it was a lot of work.

We had a wonderful time. Croatia is one of the most beautiful places we have visited! Our guides Marko and Edie were great, they took great care of us and were full of info about Croatia. They were fun and entertaining. As for bringing helmets, they are hard to pack and only 4 people brought them. The boat had plenty. The food was outstanding! I occasionally get seasick but had no problem on this boat. The wine was only sold by the bottle and beer by the glass. Our bar bill was $150 and has to be paid in cash (Euros) at the end of the trip. We did not drink much. Uber was much better than taxis and Dubrovnik buses worked great. The fast ferries from Split were cheap and easy beside the boat in the port. Cabins on board are small with upper berths noisier and more light at night. We are looking forward to another trip!!

Excellent tour, great accommodations, great food and great staff!

The guides and staff were fantastic.

The trip was a wonderful way to see Italy minus the crowds.

Our guides Ana and Bubi were most memorable; they were excellent and made us feel safe and informed. Ana is a gifted leader who always had a smile on her face.

The meals were nutritious and tasty; the portions were large ( often larger than needed). The crew and cooks worked very hard to make us comfortable and taken care of. The boat was clean and well maintained despite being older than the Harmonia.

The boat could’ve used chairs at the upstairs table so we could sit together there. One bench was good, but chairs are needed. Perhaps a wifi booster could be added in the captain’s helm so rooms at the front of the boat could stay connected.

I really enjoyed the trip, especially being able to ride a bike throughout Holland and see all the flowers and small towns.

Outstanding ship, and the tour guide was nothing short of fantastic.

This was my first bike and barge trip. Honestly, I haven't rode a bike in 25 years! Shame on me. I travel extensively, however I have never been on a trip like this previously. I would recommend this experience to anyone! Specifically, I believe Tripsite accounted for most of the pleasure. From the boat to the staff to the chef to the guides....everything was perfect and I can't wait to book my next trip with them. Tripsite took the STRESS out of planning and the caliber of accommodations were perfect. Thank you to everyone that made this memory possible!

The whole trip was a beautiful experience full of memorable biking moments, new friendships and an attentive and talented staff. The best part of the trip was the attentiveness of the staff who met our various needs throughout the trip. I can't say enough about our tour guides and barge staff who always took the time to hear our concerns and or special needs and do their best to meet them. By the end of the trip, The Iris was our home and it always felt good to return back to our barge after a successfull and beautiful day of biking throughout the countryside. So with that being said, the trip is beautiful, but the staff made it special.

Every day was a new adventure along winding canals from pastures, to fruit groves, windmills, cheese farms, little towns, and past back yards with sheep, chickens and goats.

The Hungarian dinner, music and bridge tour was one of the highlights.
The guides gave personal help with excursion directions. They were out on the trails that were our shepherds leading us.

Just returned form a Pearls of Dalmatia on board the Romantica. I am very disappointed. The food we were served was less than acceptable. Vegetable soup without any vegetables (none, zero), chicken noodle soup with no chicken or noodles, thin chicken filet (2 nights) that would have been fine had they not been over cooked (think shoe leather), a lot, lot of pasta. Coffee & tea were complimentary with breakfast only, any other time, lunch, dinner or in between, there was a surcharge. However, there was plenty of bottled drinking water..good thing as you pay cash on board $60 euros per person for water.

Guides were friendly, stateroom was standard bike & barge size & layout. I would have preferred more riding, but what we did was good, certainly challenging. Bikes were in good working order.

The beauty of the countryside and beautiful homes along the canals. I especially loved learning about heirloom tulips and the interesting facts about the Dutch people and their country. I loved all beautiful the cycling but only wish we had a little more time at the end of the day to explore the little towns while the shops were still open.

The best part of our trip was Francien, our guide. She’s was very knowledgeable and has great leadership skills. The whole crew of the Sarah was very welcoming. We are experienced riders and this was our 4th Tripsite booking. Having said that, be prepared for all types of weather: we had warm sunny days and cold rainy days. I would also highly recommend Ebikes, as the wind can be brutal. I would rank this an intermediate bike trip. The Keukenhof Gardens will be one of your most beautiful experiences ever! The flower market was very interesting as well as learning about the windmills and all history of the Netherlands.

Beautiful country and biking was great unfortunately we didn't have great weather. Can’t forget the beautiful tuplips.

The ship Alva is incomparable to any other boat/ barge tour we've ever taken. It was of equal quality to a Viking Cruise regarding the rooms, food service, staffing
and overall quality. The boat was large enough (120 passenger) to provide nice features such as a small spa, exercise room, sauna, outside and inside sitting areas and pool. The majority of passengers were there to cruise, there were 11 bikers. We really enjoyed te size of our small cohesive bike group.

The biking tour guides were wonderful and so is Portugal. Porto is a great little city with a long history. Go to the WOW cultural district and check out a few of the contemporary museums there if you have time. We enjoyed the E-bikes; a must in this mountainous terrain. My only comment regarding the bike riding
itself is that most rides were too short (+/- 10 miles and 2- 3 hours) and many were mainly down hill. We had to revise the two longest rides due to weather, unfortunately. Not the tour companies fault, but we would have enjoyed more riding time. We loved cruising down the Duoro, admiring the extensively planted hillsides and large vineyards. The local people we encountered at every stop were nice and welcoming.

Great trip. The sights were incredible, the barge was great (comfortable rooms and beds) and the captain crew and guides were wonderful.