Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 4201 to 4230 of 4712

Overall great trip, really loved it. Did feel the duration and arrival time in Vienna was disappointingly limited - nowhere near long enough to see sufficient in daylight hours.

Unfortunately one major problem became apparent. The tour director was charming and affable when presenting to an audience, but his manner often vacillated (changed) when talking with individuals. On many occasions he was rude and dismissive, including sometimes making derogattory comments. Due to his public persona (welcoming and friendly), I was really shocked by this. At times he gave the impression that he was putting on an act, that he really did not like or enjoy his job and the guests were an infuriating annoyance to him. Even allowing for tiredness and stress, I do not think there is any excuse for rudeness to friendly (and paying) customers. I was not the only one to observe his changeable attitude or bear the brunt of his dismissive rudeness. As it wasn't possible to pick what his response would be (ie positive or negative), I only spoke to him when spoken to. I shudder to think of his treatment of the genuinely lovely and diligent cleaners and kitchen staff. Perhaps it's time for Leslie to retire.

I was greatly appreciated to allow us to drink and enjoy the wine we purchased without any extra charge.

As this was our 1st bike and boat experience, we did not know what to expect. We are recreational cyclists, not cycling fanatics, and were very happy with this trip and look forward to saving up to do another similar adventure.

I do have 2 comments. The meal situation. It was disappointing not to have the opportunity to mix with more of the passengers as we were at a table by ourselves and had to stay at this table for every meal - even breakfast - every day. As it was a breakfast buffet and not everyone arrives for breakfast at the same time, being free to sit wherever, would definitely encourage more socializing amongst all passengers. Also, some nights, even though the staff was definitely hustling, it took more than 2 hours to be served our main course. It would seem that a few more staff members could help with this loooong wait after a long tiring day.

Also, there was a definite, obvious bias each day towards the larger group of German speaking passengers when it came to the briefing on the bike route. They were always briefed first and always went over the allotted time leaving the briefing for the English speaking passengers a very rushed affair, leaving no time for clarifications and a late start each day. This did result in some people getting lost. Alternating which group was briefed first might alleviate this problem.

Having said this, it was a tremendous trip and I would definitely recommend it to any recreational cyclist. Wonderful scenery with fantastic suggested rest stops made it an exceptional adventure. Thank you for all your help in making this a superb, memorable experience. Your service was outstanding. Thank you again.
Judy.

Barge/cycling trips are a fantastic way to explore the countryside and towns - you see so much more when you are cycling. One vivid memory of a cycling trip through northern France was stopping to look at poppies growing along the side of the road. I love the fact that you do not have to pack up each day - it is a very relaxing experience. The diversity of people who do these trips also adds to the experience. The trips that I have done in the last three years had fantastic staff who were very friendly and knowledgeable. I have done two barge/bike trips and look forward to doing more in the future.

Ode From An Enthusiastic Tripsite User

I had never worked with Tripsite before.
Their competent planning received a high score.
All details were covered, everything was first rate.
They delivered what they promised, now isn't THAT great?!!
I'll remember this fab trip my whole life through.
Listen up, fellow travelers, Tripsite's for you.

Food was not we are accustomed to on trips of this type.

My sister and I loved the trip and have told many people to book the barg trip. One of the best trips I have had.

This trip surpassed my expectations! I would consider additional trips with this tour group in the future. Our chef was excellent and very accommodating of my food allergy.

Excellent trip, guide & staff. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Only downside was the cabin or perhaps the pillow was a bit musty - had allergic symptoms/ loss of sleep during the night but was fine during the day.

This Bike and Barge tour was amazing, best holiday ever!

We enjoyed everything as it was a well rounded experience in two fascinating countries.

My sister and I have taken many bike and barge tours. This trip was the first that we were disappointed with accommodations, staff, meals. We were not the only ones who felt this way. Sorry I would not recommend the tour. I will continue to monitor your website for future excursions.

The crew and barge were just terrific. The food was excellent and plentiful. The French towns and scenery were a delight.

Ship broke down and we were bused to Budapest vs cycling in, that was disappointing, but not to be helped. Jurgen our guide was very good.

This was an excellent trip. We have already recommended it to friends.

The tour was great. Croatia was super. The guides were great. The food and accommodations were excellent. I want to go back. I have and will continue to recommend this to everyone.

The staff was very friendly and they made our trip outstanding!

Never brought it up to the bike staff, but gears on my bike were difficult to manage. I attributed it to my having small hands, but I also thought the gears should be replaced soon, for the next "small handed" guest.

It was a wonderful experience and we were fortunate to have beautiful weather the entire week.

Both my wife and I were very happy with the overall experience. The crew, barge, daily itinerary and especially the food were all top notch. It was more then we could reasonably expect. We would and have recommended the experience to others. We hope to return soon on another bike and barge trip.

We have taken two bike and barge trips through Tripsite and both have been excellent. It is by far the best value for your buck and everything was perfect. One of the best reasons we love Tripsite is that we were able to call and ask questions during our planning stages, and SOMEONE ANSWERED THE PHONE...no automated system. We love you guys!

I liked the ease of being in a larger boat vs a small barge. There was plenty of room in the lounge and other public places so we could get some quiet time. Also a little more anonymity on the larger boat and self guiding was fun.

Sander and Els were perfect hosts. The food, the service, the accommodations were also perfect. I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the cabins. Sander and Els also were very willing to let me stay on the barge two additional nights after the tour for an affordable price. The biking was also very pleasurable, so much so that I was sad when I realized we were on our last day.

Enjoyed the trip fully but thought there could have been a little better information on riding and expected timeline for rides, as we often rode faster than necessary and didn't know we could stop along the way for sight seeing etc. Our cycle guide was very nice but did not have all the information to answer our questions or help us to maximize our sight seeing experience.

We had a fantastic time it was a highlight of the trip; can't say about the bikes as we had our own.

One problem became evident at the time of the one significant incident when one client while riding her bicycle down a sloping gravel road ineptly/incorrectly applied her front brake only, and somersaulted, leading to a serious leg injury. The group problem as far as I am concerned was only the lack of easy communication between the cycle group leader and the last riders in the group. The designated last rider needs a device such as a small UHF transceiver, or where mobile phone coverage is a certainty a tested/checked cellphone link, to be able to immediately alert the leader of any problems behind.

The whole trip was fantastic! I have already recommended it to many of my friends and one group have already booked a trip for next year!

Issues related to the boat: bad smell, cabin room was cozier than we would choose in the future. Laundry facilities were inadequate. We really enjoyed the trip, the guide and the experience!

We had a great time; the bike guide (Tom) did a super job. Hope we have this same great experience on our next trip.

This is the second barge and bike trip we took with Tripsite and I would have to say we liked the scenery more on the Taste of Burgundy than we did with Provence. Riding the in the Camargue got a little boring. Other than that we enjoyed the overall trip.

Bicycle and boat are the best vacations ever! Can't wait for my next tour! Hope to make this an annual thing. :)