5 Star Vivienne boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 30 of 94

Although the Danube River was at a 100yr+ low and we were unable to traverse past Vienna, the cruise offered several alternative exploring options that satisfied my group.

Met some really nice people at out table that included us with their group.
All the staff were extremely kind and courteous.

Riding through the countryside and small Austrian communities was amazing. This was such a unique way to see the scenery. The MS Vivviene was very comfortable. The staff and food were great. Five course meals were exceptional.

We weren’t able to cruise to Bratislava or Budapest because of low waster. However, the crew worked extra hard to make sure we had a great experience. The cycling was great. The food and accommodations exceeded my expectations.

Great mix of people from so many different countries. The food was delicious, but there was way too much of it. I felt very wasteful. Especially the first night, a 9 course meal starting at 8:00pm was way too much.

The entire cruise was outstanding. From the whole crew to the food we ate, everything was great. The bike trips were awesome too. Special shoutout to all involved with doing our laundry since we unfortunately did most of the cruise with limited clothing due to lost luggage. We had a group of ten on the ship and everyone had a great time. Thank you.

Seeing all of the sights as we biked on the trails and in the towns and cities

The Vivienne was very clean, and for a smaller river boat, it felt very spacious. Our cabin was very comfortable with plenty of storage. The crew, and food were also great! We opted to have a guide ( Hamish Lucas) and he was exceptional! We didn't have to worry about the route and Hamish gave us so much history. Highly recommend Hamish. Loved all the bike rides through historic cities, small town and countryside.

The service on board was superb, all staff was extremely helpful and kind. Information regarding the biking routes was very detailed and precise - we appreciated Leslie's markings along the way!

The tour director and the entire staff onboard the Vivienne were outstanding, so welcoming, warm and helpful, as well as very professional. The boat facilities are great, very clean and well maintained. The Danube River is beautiful, and the bike route is top notch. Very well marked, lovely countryside and small towns. Exceychoise of stopping points.

This bike and boat tour was excellent. We chose a guide and ebikes for the biking portion which made us really enjoy the day as we did not have to worry about getting lost and/or making it back to the boat on time.
The ship itself was smaller, so you got to know people and felt like a big family.
The service from meals, to housrkeeping to daily tour briefings was top notch.
This was our first bike and boat tour and we would definately do it again.

Everything was top notch! The people. the crew, the food...everything!
One suggestion...when serving dinner entrees from whatever country the boat is currently in, please include the type of meat in English (ie: chicken or pork, etc.)

Excellent trip we enjoyed the rides each day and the towns that we rode through.

I totally enjoyed our trip. The biking was wonderful and I appreciate Leslie taking time to brief us before each ride, it was so helpful.

Loved every part of the trip. We are not cruise trip people, but this was an excellent experience and would do it again. The number of passengers was just right. The staff was outstanding. Thank you.

We loved the entire experience! Boarding the boat and unpacking once was wonderful. We’ve done many bike rides and the daily grind of packing, unpacking and being down at the tour vehicle gets a bit exhausting.

We had the junior suite and it was great. Plenty of storage space and the large windows were fantastic ! The food was excellent and we were able to gather a group of eight other friends to join us so every night and every day at breakfast we had a table of 10.

Probably our only suggestion would be that we would’ve liked to have spent more time in Vienna. We could’ve skipped the day before and it would’ve been nice to arrive in Vienna first thing in the morning and have a full day there.

We are ready to book another bike and barge in the near future.

The entire barge experience…including raw ambiance, the food presentation, the planning on behalf of the staff, and even the boat itself.

We had a wonderful time for a first bike and barge. Would highly recommend this trip.
The staff were incredible and of course the biking. For couple of days there was strong head winds so had the work really hard as we had regular bikes..well worth the effort and sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

Budapest
Cycling through Wachau Valley
Service and food on Vivienne

This trip was excellent from its start to finish. The staff made everyone feel welcome and communicated each day’s plan very thoroughly. We enjoyed making new friends and our guide, Thomas, helped make our experience so positive. What a great way to explore the four countries and cities such as Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. The final biking day through the UNESCO valley was outstanding.

This trip was excellent from its start to finish. The staff made everyone feel welcome and communicated each day’s plan very thoroughly. We enjoyed making new friends and our guide, Thomas, helped make our experience so positive. What a great way to explore the four countries and cities such as Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. The final biking day through the UNESCO valley was outstanding.

i loved biking through the country side and small towns. We would stop for ice cream and even visited a winery. It was nice having the guide, didn't have to think about where we had to go each day. Visiting all of the towns along the way tasting their food and beer and shopping in the small shops was fun. The boat had a good vibe and relaxing atmosphere.

The service, food and the beautiful boat. It was a wonderful trip.

We had a wonderful time aboard the MS Vivienne for this tour. The cabin was quiet and comfortable, no movement from the water. The food and staff aboard were wonderful. The cycling was beautiful, we got to visit several historic cities and we met some very nice people. We would definitely sign up for another bike and boat tour like this!

This is an excellent bike and barge. The Vivienne was a beautiful boat with excellent staff. The schedule is well laid out, allowed time to enjoy the biking and scenery. The navigation app worked really well but take a phone holder for your bike so you can see the map. I have Bluetooth hearing aids so the directions were also provided by audio which was very helpful. That city bus tours were ok, if you are a city traveller you could have navigated both Budapest and Vienna on your own.
The cruise director has lots of information and will answer your questions…. If in doubt ask questions.
The food was amazing … you will not go hungry.

The scenery on this tour was amazing. The Danube River valley is quite picturesque! The bike trails were awesome.

Boat was nicely appointed and good clean cabins. A small gym room with some weights would be a nice addition Tomas was a superb guide. A great balance between local knowledge and keeping 18 riders moving at a comfortable pace. Leslie , the cruise director was always available and worked hard to keep us informed for the next day and volunteer ice packs when needed! Even a restocked bottle of our favourite gin was procured when the bar ran out! Crew were excellent; bikes were always on shore or back on the boat as needed. Service at meals and bar were first class. Bratislava was the most interesting city tour; being the place where the iron curtain came down. Budapest night walking tour was spectacular. We found the e-bikes to be very heavy and a 30 minute familiarisation on day one would have beeen good. 95% of the meals were good. Certainly the most scenic and interesting cycling that we have ever done. Total was about 205km in the week. Take care on the 2km long bridge on the second day. It’s a very narrow cycling track; best walked if comprised by height and traffic noise! Overall, we thoroughly recommend this tour.

This was truly the best trip I’ve had in a long time! Everything about it was fantastic from the incredible sites We visited to the breathtaking biking routes. Every day was amazing. The experience on the boat was unforgettable, with outstanding staff, delicious food, and excellent service. Leslie, our cruise Director was absolutely top-notch. He was informative, funny and always ready to answer questions. Honestly, it’s hard to pick just one highlight because the entire trip was so special. I’ll definitely be recommending this adventure to all of my biking friends!

The bike riding, the staff, the food and the new friends we met during the week were all amazing. The last ride from Krems to Melk was absolutely breathtaking! I literally cannot stop smiling!
Tip: expect to take some wrong turns, just enjoy the ride.

This tour exceeded my expectations. I loved the variety of biking along the Danube River and through vineyards and beautiful small towns, and free days to explore some larger cities by foot, bike or bus. Having one home base was perfect & our cabin was very comfortable.

I recommend that you view the trip as a sampling of the beautiful areas and not expect that you will be able to thoroughly tour many of the landmarks.