Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 2611 to 2640 of 4713

Holland was on my bucket list to visit the country I was born in but left as a young girl. What better way to see it than on this wonderful barge/bike tour with a good friend. Upon arrival where the De Nassau’s docked we were greeted by our wonderful hosts and crew. There is absolutely nothing that I can criticize about this trip. The food, the accommodations and the beauty of biking through northern holland on my E Bike was amazing. I highly recommend these bikes as I usually don’t bike 186 miles in 7 days, but they sure help put “ the wind beneath my wings”. I even bought a smoked eel which we shared with some companions we biked with...not usual Canadian fare! Tripsite has opened up a whole new concept for me and my love of travelling. Perhaps Ireland, France, Portugal...I can hardly wait till the next trip I take knowing that I will not be disappointed. Thanks Tripsite for making my dream come true of visiting this amazing country.

The Gandalf has a great crew and captain, excellent service great meals clean and tidy. You must remember where you are you are on a barge not a 5 star hotel. Cabin cleaning was done regularly and clean towels were available when ever needed. Patrick our tour guide went out of his way to accommodate everyone, even taking us for walks in the evening. His knowledge was amazing. Bikes were well suited and maintained. It is hard to say what was the most memorable part of the trip as we saw and enjoyed everything. We would definitely look at another trip especially on the Gandalf.

We loved the arrival by night in Budapest! It was unexpectedly gorgeous with all the lighted bridges and buildings. Truly amazing. Fireworks were an unexpected highlight of the evening in Linz which just happened to have a celebration. Our third highlight was the last biking day through the Wachau Valley--such beautiful vineyards and small villages! One tip: bring a multi USB plug and more than one adaptor for use in the room.

Best Parts: cruising, dining, kitchen, bar, admin, cleaning staff - wonderful, friendly, helpful. couldn't be better
food - very good variety and quality. lunches especially good
cycling and tour director and staff - excellent every day with information, quality equipment, attention to questions
ship public facilities - quite adequate quality and quantity. updating on decor is needed
hotel staff - very nice, accommodating and efficient
hotel - needs cleaning, air conditioning was not working every day, which was a problem. air quality was not great. updated decor is needed.

We thoroughly enjoyed our cycling trip , the sceneries were absolutely beautiful.
We were disappointed to learn , three days prior to our departure from Canada, the MS Arlene 11 was in repairs and not be ready for our departure date.Trip Site offered alternatives,using the same route the group were accommodated in hotels along the way .The group did NOT have any representatives at any hotels from Trip Site except a very brief meeting on our very first night.We were basically left on our own , with somewhat mediocre instructions to and from city hotels.
Allowing for a scénario that was beyond their controls, we would have appreciated TripSite going further to assure the comfort and reliability in this unfortunate incident.

Best Part: Dancing the polka with local croatians. Thank goodness a fellow tripster took a video

Riding along the Danube offered many beautiful vistas. The bikes were great, the seats very comfortable, which made for a nice ride. We met some fun people on board although a greater mix of English speaking to German speaking would have been even better. Suggestions as mentioned to Tripsite staff would be to make this tour guided (the entire group of 100 passengers were lost on several days which minimized the opportunity to make it to some of the sites), to include ferries in the pricing, so that passengers aren't always searching to make sure they have cash (our previous trip included the ferries so wasn't an issue.), and the excursions were sometimes canceled so these could also be improved. All in all we had fun and the cabin staff took great care of our rooms...I'd make a different selection though next time.

Really knowledgeable guides who were good company. Interesting week cycling, sailing along the Danube, finding out about flora and fauna, wine tasting... has a fabulous time

This is my 3rd bike/boat tour, and the 1st unguided. I love to travel this way. But the number of people on the boat -- 100 -- were just too many for the crew to serve in any special way. The food and accommodations were excellent. The cruise director and schedule were below average. Out of 7 days, there were 4 days of biking -- 3 of these were spectacular along the Danube. The Wachau ride was simply stunning. However, the ride around Bratislava featured few, if any, interesting attractions, and many of us got lost. The cruise director suggested stopping at a restaurant as a highlight of the day -- but the restaurant was not in operation. The briefings for English speakers were later than those for the Germans and we were then constrained by the boat schedule in the afternoon -- making at least 2 of the biking days a dash to finish the ride and get back on time -- not leisurely and not affording us to stop much. All the staff on the boat work really hard and it shows. But I prefer a guided tour with a smaller group and boat for better biking and a better overall experience.

Thoroughly enjoyed the trip, everything from the biking, accommodation and the food.

Best Part? Biking along the Danube the first day in the beautiful countryside. Spectacular!!

The biking was absolutely wonderful; so incredibly beautiful especially through the vineyards and orchards. The ride around Bratislava was not marked well at all and 90% of the riders got lost going in all different directions, thank God for smart phones. The food on board was well prepared, always hot and nutritional. Where this trip fell short was the crew abroad the Normandie. Unlike the other TWO Bike and Barge Trips I experienced, this crew was a bit unwelcoming, rude, and times condescending and scolding. Not everyone but it certainly was the feel on the boat and many were talking about it. I know the crew work long hours and they all have to help with most tasks on the boat; however, there would be nothing to do if WE weren't there. I absolutely love this way of travel and will do another one again very soon. This was NOT a Tripsite issue but am hopeful this information will be passed to the appropriate people. Tripsite has been excellent in providing information and always seems to offer a great deal.

Most Memorable Part: The biking and comradery of the other bikers on the trip.

Our experience was simply exceptional! The shared experience and fellowship created new friendships. The Merlijn was an exceptional venue for seeing Germany and our hosts took great care of us. We got great value for our travel dollar and created terrific memories that will bring lasting joy.

The trip was rated easy to moderate! I would rate it moderate to hard! If you do this boat trip- get an electric bike! Parts of the bike riding were on roads with traffic and on gravel roads!

The guides were great and fun! The scenery and town were wonderful!

The barge itself, the chef and the captain were great. Unfortunately, the most memorable take away from this trip was the cycling itself. This was a guided tour and our guide was only familiar with the city of Paris. We were to follow the Oise and Seine rivers and seldon rode along the river paths. The first two days were the worst involving a lot of backtracking and nearly impassable trails that seriously impacted the mileage and time in the saddle. One day we arrived at the boat an hour after the scheduled dinner time. Our ride through the city of Paris was traumatizing because of the heavy traffic and crowded bike lanes. Why were we not riding along the Seine??? Perhaps the guide was not totally to blame. Hat tours could have provided him with better maps and information. Whatever the reason, the ten riders paid the price. This was not the tour we signed up for.

The journey and visiting the 4 capitols was the best.
However too many people on the boat - the noise level in the dining room was excessive. The cruise director was obnoxious especially towards women and favored the Germans on the boat. Our group of 18 was split into 3 tables and we always sat with the same people. Never mixed with other groups.

The most memorable part of this trip to me was the Operetta symphony concert at Schlosspark in Vienna. This is an experience that no one should miss.

Most Memorable Part: The black mold (or something) that had many people coughing in their rooms. I had to take allergy pills each night.

The Cycling and travel along the Danube River. Still more markings on the Bike routes.

The crew & food were great & acceptable respectively. There were very few vegetables served. The ship was terrible, moldy, poor lighting nonexistent waste baskets except in private rooms. The ship had a strong sewer odor which our cabin boy could not remedy. This problem involved several rooms. We would not return to the The(odor) Körner.

Most Memorable Part: Food & last day of riding + Vienna

Most Memorable Part: Bike with friends.

It is difficult to choose just one memorable part of the trip. Each day was filled with a new exciting adventure! Even riding a bike in an unexpected downpour was a fun experience when shared with cycling comrades. Seeking out a delicious gelato in a town square was a favorite activity. Exploring and discovering Italy while biking and barging aboard the Ave Maria was a truly delightful experience. Our crew was very helpful and eager to show us how proud they were of their country and all it has to offer. Pumpkin tortellini eaten at an outdoor restaurant was such an enjoyable eating experience! Grazie Mille for a truly amazing cycling adventure!!

Just returned from this trip on the Carissima and it was a wonderful way to see the Danube. Booked the guided package and Axle was wonderful-took us to out of the way places we never would've found on our own and no other guests saw. Glad we rented Ebikes as there were a few long climbs and stiff winds several times. Kalkoff bikes are fantastic! Light rain a few days but nothing which impeded our rides--just be sure and take waterproof everything so you can still bike. Crew on the Carissima are great--rooms are clean, beds comfy, sufficient air con, nice hot water and water pressure in the bathroom. No real TV except a European sports channel and a few other Austrian channels--we didn't miss it at all. Meals were good but VERY small portions at dinner--not a problem for us but others complained. House white wine was good, red not so much. Packed lunch consists of a bottle of water, small sandwiches, fruit and granola bars--sufficient but we opted to eat at a local cafe a few times when we stopped. Two complaints: the boat doesn't dock at town centers every night so you can wander around and hit a pub or listen to some live music. Understandably some nights its moving and a few guests complained that the lower deck cabins were very noisy, especially when going through locks. In Passau, it docks several miles from the town center, and we were told there were only SEVEN taxis in the entire city and nearly impossible to get one. So the cruise director, Albert, said he hired a bus to take us to the train station upon disembarking, and the charge was 15 Euros per person. For a 10 minute ride--he only took cash and gave no receipts. This is highway robbery given that upon arrival in Passau we hired a taxi at a cost of 10 Euro for 2 of us. We would've taken a chance on an Uber but the ship was over 30 minutes late getting into Passau and we had a tight train connection on Sunday. We didn't do any of the optional activities however others said they enjoyed the concert in Vienna, but no one liked the Hungarian Folk Show in Budapest. Be sure and hike up to St. Mattias Church in Budapest at night--the view is spectacular! Finally, the Danube shoreline is largely undeveloped (a great thing), so you don't see a lot of towns and villages-I mention this because lines like Viking and AMA promote their balconies,huge window walls and gyms/spas/etc-and charge thousands of dollars more for the same itinerary-but you're not ON the boat for about 8 hours of the day, and when you are, 90% of the time you're looking at trees. If we'd spent $5000/pp to do this trip we'd have been really disappointed--bottom line--this trip is a great VALUE and you're seeing what everyone else sees. This was our second trip with Tripsite after doing the Tulip Tour last spring, and again they handled everything flawlessly--another couple on our trip also booked with them and said the same. Very satisfied and looking forward to our Mantova to Venice bike and barge trip next year-  SHOW MORE 

It was a real memorable trip. Everybody in our group of 20 peoples loved it . Everything was great the cabin, the foods, the staff ,the entertainment and specially the bike ride . We had great bikes , the maps were good even the weather was hot and dry. We had a lot fun during the bike ride and when on board . Would love to do it again

Everything! The trip was very well planned and easily do-able. The bikes were great and were very comfortable. We had thought about bringing our gel seat covers, but did not and they were not needed. The routes planned were great and having downloaded the gps tracks we had no problems finding our way. The food on the boat was fantastic, my only complaint would be the length of time some meals took. The rooms on the boat (Carissima) were very comfortable.

What an adventure.. I loved it. My first bike/ boat tour and I was not disappointed.
Everything was top rate Martayn and Marjorie were excellent hosts and nothing was a bother. Marcel was a very knowledgeable guide and went that little extra to ensure we missed nothing. Frank cooked up a storm every day
The group blended well and I was sorry the trip had to end. Im already researching my next adventure.
The Zwaantje was great and I slept soundly every night.

This is my 3rd trip with Tripsite and they do a good job...but the instructions to the boat were a tad misleading. If there are detours/changes, I believe they should keep on top of that and be sure to report to their customers.The bike ride was amazing. The scenery was like all the other reviews stated......I would NOT recommend the ride in Vienna or Budapest; way to much traffic. The crew was not customer focused. The cruise director/bike tour director, Monica, was often short and rude to passengers. Unlike the other 2 trips I took, the crew was not welcoming or eager to help. There were a few in housekeeping and wait staff that were nice. The captain was cold and never engaged at all with the passengers. This is NOT a tripsite issue but this crew needed a kick in the pants from above to treat the passages better........recommend the trip but I hope you don't get this negative crew.....

The captain, crew, and tour guides were super people. We feel like we are all close friends. Tamarra and Janeke were the best tour guides and went out of their way to became permanent friends. The sites and routes selected were fabulous. I loved every day of cycling but was enchanted with riding through the forests around Fontainebleau chateau. My husband d and I are senior citizens (68 and 74) and the bikes were the best. Hills were no problem for us