Germany Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 631 to 660 of 1360

Wonderful trip through 7 countries with breathtaking scenery. Biking most days about 25-30 miles on mostly excellent bike paths.Fun day stops in Vienna and Budapest. Most excursions for dinner or entertainment well worth it!
Be sure to ride prior to going otherwise get the electric assisted but also need to ride and have cycling shorts/gear.
Great trip!!

The staff was fantastic, food was great, bikes were good. Met great folks there at the dinner table. Enjoyed being able to have walking tours in Vienna and Budapest, broke the week up nicely.

This was one of the best holidays I have ever taken - being active, seeing history and meeting new friends. Highly recommend.

I have already booked another trip!

All staff went out of their way to do anything for us. The bikes were comfortable and the organization was amazing.Loved being in a big group because there was always someone to talk to. The boat was not what I would call a barge!First time in Europe. This Trip changed our lives, only couple from NZ. Great way to celebrate 50 years marriage. Thoroughly recommend

Our trip was changed as the boat had a broken rudder and not able to be fixed by the time we started. The people involved int he tour then changed it to a bike and hotel trip which was great.
Memorable part of the trip was seeing all the small towns along the way. The bigger towns were ok but the smaller ones were better

All of the biking was fantastic. The time in Vienna was a close second.

The trip was all that I expected. The barge was very clean, the people were really nice, the bikes were in tip top condition. The scenery was beautiful and the rides were as expected.

This trip gave insight into East Berlin; life during communism and now. I have spent a lot of time visiting Western Germany - small quaint towns; beautiful hillsides, etc. This trip was more farmland and very rural. The bike path was varied terrain. Many times our lunch was in a small park or church with no town nearby. The Merlijn is a fabulous small boat (22 passengers) with exceptional owners. This was our second trip with the Merlijn.

Such varied but scenic bike riding!

The entire trip was memorable. Great scenery, small towns and villages, very friendly people. It's great meeting new people from varied countries and backgrounds. Having a guide and local tours really enhanced the experience.

Our only complaint is that our travel agent was very unresponsive to our communications. We had to call the company several times to get information. We booked transportation from airport to the hotel through Tripsite and were taken the wrong hotel. We had to find the correct hotel and get there on our own.

The bike tour was immensely enjoyable. Even though it rained 6 of 7 days, it was still a highlight of our vacation in Europe. Thanks to Tripsite's instructions, we were well prepared for various weather from rain to warm and cool weather. Taking a barge is a great way to travel without unpacking each night, returning to the same room and delicious meals served on board. I hope to take a bike trip again trying out another river.

Wow, so hard to pinpoint to one memorable experience; there were so many. Our first impression of the boat and crew was wonderful. The boat was very clean, perfectly maintained and very comfortable. All the crew members were welcoming, kind, fun and efficient. The Captain, RJ, was one on the crew, always on, active, involved and always with a smile. I loved that by the end of the trip, all 24 of us knew each other well after eating, biking and watching out for each other after the 8 days. Bike riding along the Moselle River in the fall with the colors changing was breathtaking. Every turn was equally as beautiful and everyday the colors became more vibrant. We broke off into 2 groups of 12 every morning; each group having one of the two guides. I was very happy to see there were two guides. We came across another bike/barge tour in one of the towns and there was only 1 guide for a group of 24. I think that was pushing it a bit. The villages, towns, castles, history, wineries and food on board were all exceptional. The pace of the daily ride was not difficult. The only suggestion that I have would be to separate the e-bikes from regular bikes. I found at times, the e-bikes would interfere with the momentum of the rest of us trying to pedal up the hills. It might just be the need for a little more training with the riders on the e-bikes, there was none that I saw, and a better understanding of an "etiquette".

Beautiful countries, great bikes and fun tour. Flexible dining seating would be preferred.

The Beauty of the Surroundings, intimate boat, fantastic food, met new great friends!
Instructions for biking could have been better.. with mileage.. to better time management for return to boat. Cruise Director too pompous for me... had better.. but think his last tour with you

The normandie boat and crew was well run and has a nice flow to the week. Most memorable moment was Vienna concert operetta

Loved the day by day review of what was to happen. On board entertainment was spectacular.

We very much enjoyed our guided cycling tour. We have done several self guided cycling tours, it's just very pleasant to never look at a map or gps. Will definitely repeat that kind of experience.

Must See: The excursion to the Clam Castle. Authentic Castle owned by the Clam family since the 1500's to the present.
If you take this excursion or the concentration camp, inexperienced riders should rent an electric bike.

The trip was great! The food was prepared by the wife of the captain and it was delicious. The tours were well planned and excellent. We rode 170 miles in 6-days and this is the first time I actually lost weight on a vacation trip. They preferred the tips for the crew to be paid in cash (Euros). Would definitely do another bike and barge again. The attitude, experience and knowledge of the captain and crew of the bike and barge definitely makes or breaks a vacation like this one, but the captain and crew of the Merlin were excellent!

This was an amazing trip. The MS Carissima was very comfortable, the people were lovely, very helpful and friendly . The food was very varied to fit in with the countries and was always delicious . The cycle routes were leisurely and the scenery beautiful . We made life- long friends and had a wonderful time .

Loved the opportunity to cycle along the Danube and see more of the countryside and visit the small towns. Could have done without the wind though! Need to be prepared for all kinds of weather in October. Each day was different - Vienna and Budapest were amazing to visit (once again!).

Relaxing cycling through vineyards, watching the grapes being harvested and visiting the villages and castles aling the way

The entire trip was memorable , all 6 days of it , right from the moment we boarded till we disembarked everything was perfect, absolutely no complaints.
The Barge Merlijn, the owners, Coen and Christina and their entire team were par excellence ! Our guide , Lia was fantastic, with great sense of Humour and was prompt in taking care of any bike related issues . The food was exquisite, the most delectable vegetarian food we ate lovingly prepared by Christina. The bike paths thru the Vineyards and the varied landscapes were perfect along the river Saar and Mosel. It was in reality doing a leisurely tour on a bike. The hike up the mountain to view the Saar Loop was awesome , a perfect picture postcard scene . will definitely recommend this tour on the merlijn.

Biking along the river was incredible and I loved seeing small villages we would not have otherwise gone to. The lodging was way more comfortable than the pictures made the boat look, we were all impressed! The staff was all very accommodating to the multiple people in our group requiring gluten-free meals. Overall an amazing week with my extended family on the bikes and on the boat!

The most memorable part of the trip was spending time with my family. Eight of the eleven siblings went on the trip. We really enjoyed the Merlijn. The Captain and crew were excellent.

I can't really choose one memory as the whole trip was absolutely wonderful on and off the barge. The food, accommodations, and staff were absolutely top-notch, they didn't miss a beat. Loved cycling through the beautiful scenery of the rural, small-town areas, and the opportunity to visit several of the larger cities with the added excursions. I wish I had researched the area of the tour beforehand to familiarize myself with its history.
I would have liked a more detailed daily map of the route with distances between landmarks noted. We missed several turns but were able to get back on track. Also one of our bikes in our group of ten did not shift properly even after being replaced, making for a frustrating experience. All that being said we will definitely do another bike and barge trip.

The owners and staff were fabulous. The boat was beautiful with very comfortable bedrooms and bathrooms. The common areas were comfortable, flexible, and nicely decorated. The food was delicious. Unfortunately the bikes weren't in very good condition, and that impacted the whole group since we stayed together with our tour guide (flat tires, locked gears, bad brakes). We had lots of rain, so we didn't see much of the beautiful scenery.

The boat and staff were nice.
Food was plentiful and good
Our hotel the night before did not have our registration, very difficult to get anyone on a phone
The people we picked up the bikes from were surly and just plain painful
The bike was the same weight as a Sherman tank
The boat was poorly equipped for handling bikes although the crew worked hard to make it less painful
We never had enough time to ride and see the sights, we were always under the gun to get back to the boat
Really thought we were going to be able to sit and have lunches and drinks and see all the sights during our rides
As it turned out there was only one day where we weren’t in a deadly hurray and even that day we had 20 minutes to drink a beer at a local outside bar
Came back in the dark often, dangerous
Directions we revived sucked! Language interpretation was always an issue
The boat was often not where we expected it to be when we returned
Still enjoyed my vacation but it could have been so much better

I really loved the last day of the bicycling - we rode through the beautiful Wachau valley’s vineyards. The towns were quaint and the landscape was breathtaking! Also, we had a sunset while on the barge that was unforgettable.
Tips: *Be ready to adapt and roll with things. If you want a boring, unexciting trip, take a bus! *You will be in close contact with lots of other people. If that makes you uncomfortable, maybe this is not the trip for you. *Bring some salty snacks and other electrolyte-replacers, especially if biking in warm weather, as these are not available on the ship.

I and my husband, loved this trip. We cycled through castelo and vineyards! Beautiful place, lovely people and excellent Crew!
And the best assistance!