Arkona boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 19 of 19

4.8 out of 5

 


Hanna W.
December 16, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Mainz to Cologne

The food was outstanding!!
The personnel very attentive, accommodating and courteous!!
Unfortunately, due to dizziness which I encountered on the third day, I was unable to bike the remaining days. Therefore I enjoyed the boats ride.

Countries included in this tour?
Germany

Marla E.
December 12, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Mainz to Cologne

I treated my family to this trip and we had a wonderful experience together. We could have used more detailed maps but we only got lost a couple of times!

Countries included in this tour?
Germany

Barbara Y.
December 6, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Rotterdam to Cologne

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.

Countries included in this tour?
Germany, Netherlands

Sharon D.
July 12, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Mainz to Strasbourg

What a great way to see so much of Germany! We cycled almost 200 km along the Rhine and enjoyed every minute! Then when we went back to the boat, we enjoyed a top quality three-course meal! Overall it was a fabulous bike trip and riverboat tour on the Rhine. The bikes were top quality, and the nice part biking was our ability to stop off at the different biergartens along the way of our own choosing; We loved seeing the swans on the Rhine (even a black swan!) and also enjoyed visiting historic churches, and seeing wondrous half-timber cottages including one house with a pair of storks nesting on the chimney! I will definitely be booking another bike riverboat tour!

Countries included in this tour?
Germany, France

Sandra D.
November 28, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Mainz to Cologne

Riding through the country side of Belgium was like riding through a fairy tale. Picture Perfect!

Countries included in this tour?
Germany

Allison B.
November 7, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna

Most Memorable Part? Quaint towns, lovely countryside, old world charm. Our trip will linger in our minds.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany

Valerie P.
October 16, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

This was a terrific trip. The scenery was outstanding and the bike trails were great fun. More biking would’ve been even better. The MS Arkona was a very nice ship, all recently remodeled and the staff all did a great job. I enjoyed all the breakfast choices. We would make our lunch at breakfast time to take with us for the day. Dinners were good but more salads would be a nice addition.
Our boat was unable to reach Budapest due to low water levels. We were however taken by bus to Budapest and enjoyed a city bus tour. It made for a long day but at least we were able to see some of the city. This gave us more time in Vienna and an opportunity for a really fun afternoon bike ride there. Our tour director gave us excellent instructions for this ride since it was not part of the original tour itinerary. It offered shorter and longer distances that seemed to meet everyone’s needs.
The directions in the map and narrative book were often lacking. I would recommend having turn by turn distances Incorporated. Generally, the morning briefing by the tour director was not much additional help. Questions by us to the tour director were often answered by “it’s in your daily program".
It would be nice to have newer bikes. They were fine for the flat biking paths but would have been very challenging for anything with hills. They were heavy and some didn’t ride very smoothly.
The optional Vienna concert was a bit of a disappointment. Although the music was nice I didn’t care for the venue. It was hot inside, the seats were very cramped and this particular theater was not very impressive.
There is no free Wi-Fi despite an email from Tripsite confirming that there was.
We were offered beverage packages which included bottled water.
I drank the tap water on the boat and had no issues. I do feel that on an active trip such as this, unlimited chilled water should be available. We opted to forgo the beverage package and found the beer and wine reasonably priced.
Laundry service on board would be a nice option.
Having said all of the above, I would still recommend the trip and I would use Tripsite again.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

David R.
October 16, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna

Hard to pick one part...The cycling and scenery each day was stunning. Vienna must be experienced. The staff and the food on the Arkona was outstanding.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany

Michael S.
September 25, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna

There were so many great memories, but I really loved the town of Melk and all the little towns in the Wachau area that we passed through our last day. It was like biking through fairy land. Fall is the perfect time for sampling the local new wines. And our guide, Regina, was tops!! Can’t imagine a better tour guide!

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany

Cheryl H.
September 25, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna

Wonderful trip. Beautiful scenery and the boat staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany

Phyllis C.
September 25, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna

Very pleasant trip. The route included portions along the river as well as through picturesque villages, farmland, and vineyards. Daily mileage was perfect for us casual riders. The last day of riding through the Wachau area was the most enjoyable; we wish there would have been more time to explore the tasting rooms and shops in Dürnstein.
There was only a minor problem in communication with the tour director over the the time of an optional paid activity that several members of the group did not get to attend. I didn't feel the problem was addressed well.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany

Deirdre R.
September 25, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna

Most Memorable Part? The biking, totally. It’s ok if your friend chooses not to ride, there are others en route who make it pleasant. The staff were overly attentive! So helpful

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany

Anita G.
September 25, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

The MS Arkona was a lovely ship, very clean and comfortable. Unfortunately The Danube River was low and we were bus to Budapest where we had a nice tour. The biking on the trip was scenic, and a lot of fun. Due to a change in itinerary we were shorted a day of biking but that was out of anyone’s control. The bikes could have been newer because they were not operating at their best.
My e bike was wonderful but was grinding gears quite often.
The food on the ship could have been better. Breakfast could have had more fresh fruit, granola, oatmeal with other breakfast specialties. The dinners lacked fresh salads. My favorite meal was when we were on the boat for lunch one day and had a fresh salad bar with soup and pasta.
The tour guide on the boat could have been more communicative and answered questions more readily. The explanation of the bike riding should have included an overview map of the riding from point A to point B everyday.
Overall the trip was good and the weather conditions with the Danube were out of the tour company’s control. The biking that we did do was spectacular!

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Lisa H.
September 25, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

The beautiful bike paths along the Danube and the great food on the MS Arkona. Found the unguided bike tour confusing. Comfortable beds but loud vibrating boat motor at night made it impossible to sleep. Yay sleeping pills.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Denise G.
September 6, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

We had a mixed experience on this trip, having completed two other bike and barge trips on smaller boats (and smaller waterways). This is a wonderful region for riding - much of the route follows bike paths that parallel the river and provide gorgeous views of river towns. Unlike our other trips, participants ride on their own without a guide, and this worked well for us. Because the boat travels from Passau to Budapest and back again, there is quite a bit of travel time on the boat. At times, we enjoyed watching the scenery, but this also meant that our time on land was quite limited. Food was decent and several options were available at each meal. The dining room was noisy and it does take quite a bit of time to serve everyone, with the staff clearly working hard! During our tour, there were engine problems which resulted in a change in itinerary. The company struggled to manage this and identify reasonable options. In the end, they have promised us a partial refund, which seems quite fair. We would have preferred that this offer had come sooner in the process, without the numerous conversations that were needed to help the company understand the concerns of passengers.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Lois K.
August 27, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna

The entire trip was greater than expected! The staff bent over backwards to accommodate. The gorgeous Danube!

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany

Gail W.
August 23, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

Bike Boat 4 countries Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary - most memorable part of the trip was experiencing the Danube River up close; boat was comfortable and so smooth sometimes I had to look out the window to see if we were moving

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Ursula T.
July 24, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

Biking along the Danube and in the evening sitting watching the sunset on the top deck. I would like more time on the bike, but happy we got to see so much!

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Tracy F.
July 24, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

The entire trip was wonderful! The food was great, accommodations were perfect and the scenery is spectacular.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary