2 Star Europe Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 72

We picked up our bikes and tested them. Everything was fine. When we set out the next day. We were cruising right along. Some of the markers were hard to find as there are so many cyclists and trails and bike routes. We did get lost but there was always someone to help us. The next day my friends bike would not go into peddle assist mode. We stopped at a bike shop and were told that the problem was in the wiring of the bike. Upon calling our outfitters we were told that they would bring us a bike at 10:00 the next morning, 11 hours later. We ended up having to take a fare boat at our expense , to get to the next town. The replacement bike did show up at 10:00 the next day but that hardly gave us enough time to make it to our next destination. We lost a lot of biking time in those two days. Trip site has yet to reimburse us for any of the inconvenience and does not respond to our emails. I would highly advise going through a different company.

It was a family reunion with friends whom most have never been on a bike & barge trip…ever! It was fun, exciting, adventurous and EPIC. If you are curious about a bike and barge trip, take the leap and do it. You may see something, meet someone or reinvent yourself that changes your life.

The lack of communication on the lack of planning for weather. There should have been plans in place for us to visit all 4 countries that we paid for, or compensation for missing Budapest.

Disappointing trip. Our only day in Potsdam nearly every museum was closed. Countryside and small towns just were not very interesting. I don’t believe this same itinerary is being offered next year. Food on Merlijn was just ok and we were given small sandwiches for lunch.

The staterooms smell very heavily of sewage, which is nauseating and makes sleep very difficult and unpleasant. The boat has significant deferred maintenance and needed cleaning. The captain seemed pensive and the crew and tour leader, although kind and friendly, somewhat disorganized and untrained.

The scenery, food and historic ruins were amazing. The eBikes were in good condition.

This barge trip was my second one but definitely it wasn’t better than the first. The main reason of this disappointment was the guide. We were a group of 12 with a wide range of ages and personally I think he wasn’t able to adapt to every bodies needs and we had to look after ourselves. The guide didn’t explain much about the history and meaning of the places we visited, which, to my mind, diminishes the value of this experience.

tripsite was always a little confused and there were mistakes made, we got our info the day we arrived for the first day of our tour. The hotel did not know a thing about our packets, and again I had to make a call on vacation. The person that showed up was clueless about bikes did not know how to put on pedals or adjust the seat. He did not have our train tickets as someone forgot to put them in the packet. one of the bikes was missing a fender and a bag. The hotels were hit or miss. The Stockl hotel was dirty and smelly, we both got a rash that was scaly and itchy. I had to call Euro bikes to get our train tickets again. As they forgot to digitally send them. ,( second time). The directions were hit or miss. Gps was better. I have done many bike tours and I loved the Danube tour just need a more organized company. Electric bikes worked great!!
castles were great!

Not many memorable parts of the journey.

The information provided about the mileage each day was inaccurate. The rides changed and the downloaded GPS maps were useless.

The guide lost members of the riding group and we had to wait long periods of time.

I requested fish and had vegetarian meals instead

I could go on. Very unexpected experience and very disappointed

The equipment wasn't adequate for route. The batteries on ebike expired before route completed on days 2 and 3. Rating should've been difficult. I think it would've been impossible to do as a self-guided tour. Our guide was fabulous and made adjustments to route due to closed roads and to avoid tunnels.

Just returned form a Pearls of Dalmatia on board the Romantica. I am very disappointed. The food we were served was less than acceptable. Vegetable soup without any vegetables (none, zero), chicken noodle soup with no chicken or noodles, thin chicken filet (2 nights) that would have been fine had they not been over cooked (think shoe leather), a lot, lot of pasta. Coffee & tea were complimentary with breakfast only, any other time, lunch, dinner or in between, there was a surcharge. However, there was plenty of bottled drinking water..good thing as you pay cash on board $60 euros per person for water.

Guides were friendly, stateroom was standard bike & barge size & layout. I would have preferred more riding, but what we did was good, certainly challenging. Bikes were in good working order.

We booked this trip for September, 2023 and had numerous issues with this company. We are experienced cyclists both on regular and e-bikes, and have cycled in Europe previously. With Tripsite, on the first day, the bikes were delivered to us without helmets and even without a seat. On Cycling Day 1, one of the apps on our phones was blank and it took a while to get that reinstalled. Halfway through the route, we found ourselves stuck on the side of the road, as our bikes no longer had a charge. They were transported to our final destination for the day by van/shuttle. On Cycling Day 2, only one of the two chargers was working, so one bike was still dead. We used the only working charger to charge the second bike - which takes 3-4 hours. After an obviously late start, again the bikes were just not what was needed for this route. It is not "Easy-Moderate" as stated and we found ourselves pushing very heavy bikes up very steep hills. Again the bikes were not functioning properly. No support from Tripsite, mainly due to time differences between Italy and the US, and although we were in touch with the European company, they were located 4 hours away and were not able to help much either. After only two days of cycling and realizing that the bikes were faulty compared to what we needed, we turned in our bikes and canceled the rest of the 8-day tour. It is now over 3 months later and our numerous requests for a reasonable refund have been disregarded by the company. We are not impressed with Carla (Manager/Owner), at all. Her responses are not only slow, but quite rude and she tends to blame us for the bike problems.
If considering a European cycling tour, we would suggest using a European company that is available to provide support when their bikes are not working properly. Tripsite does not stand behind their promises.

The Danube is one of the top places to bike in Europe – and I’ve done it many times over the last eight years. However, I did not enjoy the Primadonna. I wish that Tripsite would’ve told me that it was a “bargain” cruise. The staff was not very professional, and although breakfast was very good, dinner was somewhere between OK and unacceptable. Worst thing was the bike route description briefing. The cruise Director talked in circles and you never had a clear understanding of what you were doing. We had to ask a lot of questions and make notes to be clear. Many people in my group struggled - and the printed hand out they gave us was worthless.
Very disappointed in Tripsite for letting me book this for my group. I feel it was their responsibility to tell me that the Primadonna and it’s staff were the bottom of the barrel on the Danube boat and bike list, compared to others they offer.
In sales, they call that: managing expectations.
I wish we would’ve taken the Manon (which I did last Summer) – far better in every sense.

Stopping at local towns to sight see and hit a cafe mid-morning and for a glass of wine or beer in the afternoon. Allure barge never made enough food for our group, rarely made stops while biking at cafe’s or towns for coffee or drinks in the mornings or afternoons. Felt rushed to get from point A to B and not enjoying the ride.

This is my 6 th European cycle tour in two years. Overpriced and overbooked. Avoid this shameless money grab at all costs. An enormous motor coach with limited access to parking lots and some tour stops replaced the advertised support van. Thus, Zero ability to stop during an accident or transport an injured rider—- which happened twice. There were no picnic lunches provided. We were handed a cheese/cured meat sandwich with optional banana/apple and choice of energy bars every morning. Meals provided were high-carb, low cost— as sub standard as the accommodations. Our last hotel provided rooms with, I kid you not, two flights of stairs within the room. At least it had an elevator. Many of the places we stayed did not. At first, we were expected to transfer our own luggage to/from the bus and back. As well as our e-bike batteries and chargers. The last few nights our luggage was actually taken to our rooms— a huge relief. When heavy rains set in and I asked to ride the bus— the owner actually spoke very sternly to me and used the word “warning.” “I am warning you,” she said. The motor coach was already at our next hotel and she did not want to bring it back. After checking weather reports, the coach did return to pick us all up and our bikes. I have photos of meals, accommodations and injuries. If I can figure out how to post them, I will.

The hotels were great and the weather good.

Scenery, especially the last 2 days through the Vezere Valley was beautiful. The route had many more hills and more riding on roads, some with a good bit of traffic than we expected, but happy to have e-bikes. We loved our e-bikes, although ideally we would have gotten them the evening before, not 9am the morning we started riding. Norbert and his crew who delivered the bikes were helpful with setting up the bikes, as well as getting the GPS tracks for us which we requested, but hadn't gotten. Our first day riding there was a bridge out over the river that was being completely rebuilt. We used Google maps to find a way around, but it meant riding on a busy highway for 12km. When we called Loire Valley Travel that evening to let them know so the map could be updated, we were told they don't check the routes each year. That bridge construction appeared to be a long ongoing project. However, the most concerning thing was our accommodation on the 3rd night, which was in a remote location outside Bergerac. We did not even get to see Bergerac (other than riding through heavy traffic). We were served dinner at the B&B without any choice of food. I don't eat duck or foie Gras, so I had mashed celeriac for dinner (and a great dessert). It was absolutely NOT a superior accommodation, although the owner was very nice and beds were comfortable and our room was clean. The pictures on their website were not at all representative. I was shocked when compared to the sample accommodation on your website. We were very pleased with our hotels in Bordeaux, Les Eyzies, and Sarlat. The one in St. Emilion was OK, but "shabby", not at all superior.

Several of our friends have used your company in Portugal and have been very pleased. They mentioned meeting an area manager before the ride for an orientation, as well as raving about their awesome hotels. Please let us know if you would like further details, but sadly we were quite disappointed in this ride that we were very much looking forward to.

More of a boat trip than a ride. Lots of time stuck on the boat, minimal time at each location. Many rides cancelled or shorter than the advertised tour.

Getting to see so much of the Green Heart of Holland. However, incompetent dining room staff making me late for outings, insufficient/late availability of food for packing lunches, one guide leaving mid-trip, broken down barge meaning loss of 2 days of itinerary and then overloaded internet making us unable to download alternative routes, maid skipping our room first day - all made this a memorable trip as well, but not in a good way

I wish the group leader an responsible for eight people signing up for this trip. Guides were good, response from trip site was horrible when our bags did not arrive another party that we had signed up also did not have their bags arrive. Very disappointing with no bike clothes no pet it shorts no pedals etc.

Going to Poland. This trip was too rural and remote. Very few stops and few points of interest. Mainly dirt paths or cobblestone paths that were very difficult to ride a bike on. The farm fields we drove our bikes through were awful, some were full of holes and quite dangerous. I do not recommend this trip for those who have back and neck problems or those who never have rode a mountain bike.

The captain backing up the ship to fit into a small space at the dock.

The trip was more of a bike ride than informational tour of the country. We thought we would learn more about Portugal.

The Bike Tours with Carla were fantastic. The e-bikes were terrible, poorly maintained and were breaking down daily. Tom, the other tour guide didn't stop for anything unless you made him. He would fly past beautiful pictures, areas of interest, and historic sites without a word of explanation. By the end of the trip, people were switching groups daily to ride with Carla instead of with Tom. Back to the e-bikes...The first one I had was not shifting properly nor was the battery working properly. They changed it out for another bike. That bike worked for a few days and then the brakes went out. All I had to slow me down was a tiny bit of front brake and to drag my feet. (felt like I was in an episode of the Flintstones!) This happened with 10 miles to go on the ride. I reported it to Tom upon arrival and the "the bike mechanic", Rabi, was going to fix it. It was clearly an adjustment that needed to be made and that was it. I was informed at that time that they didn't carry spare parts...what? That night, I was informed that Rabi was able to fix my bike. The next day, I got on the bike and it was the same kind of bike but something felt different. I noticed some scratches on it that were not there before. Turns out that the bike number was different and that they had lied to me and actually gave me the broken bike that I had in the first place with 2 gears missing and the faulty battery. Within a few miles of the 35+ mile day we had ahead of us, I noticed the shifting problem and then the battery started going out. The only way to fix it was to stop, remove the battery and then shove it back in to reset it. This caused the whole group to have to stop each time.

Now, on the to problems with the ship. Upon arrival, we were given the key to our cabin in the lower forward part of the boat. I opened the door and the smell of mold and mildew just about knocked me off my feet! I immediately turned on the air conditioner and set it to cold with the fan running constantly. If the fan went off for even a few minutes, the smell returned. There was absolutely NO ventilation in these rooms, not an exhaust fan, nothing! Every time we took a shower, the entire cabin turned into a steam bath which made it impossible to dry my hair or put on make up. After a day, I started becoming very ill from the smell since I am highly allergic to mold. My throat was sore and I was having asthma which is the normal reaction to me being exposed to mold spores. I was not the only one who had a problem with the smell in the cabins. It seems as if the further forward you got in the boat, the worse it was. The upstairs was unaffected although those who had cabins up top with opening windows had no heat for the first 2 nights. Bottom line is that the boat is a floating nightmare and I would never, ever, use that company for trips again. It needs to be renovated before taking any more passengers. The crew did the best they could in trying to clean but then it just smelled like moldy clorox.  SHOW MORE 

Think twice before booking a bike and barge tour along the Mosel & Saar rivers in Germany on the Zwaan boat. It was infested with BED BUGS...cabins 1 & 2. My tour embarked Sept 19, 2022. I ended up with over 50 bites that were nearly unbearable! My last three nights of the tour I slept in on-shore accommodations but continued riding with the group. There are other larger boats that are available. Maybe a little more money, but worth the safety of your health. The fiasco that one has to go through to rid your clothes and luggage from bed bugs is difficult when on vacation. Save yourself and book on another boat!

This trip was a disappointment compared to our previous week on the De Holland. This barge has no ventilation. The lower rooms were very damp and moldy smelling. We would have to open the door to the hallway after we showered. No fan in the bathroom and no way to eliminate moisture or odors. They were not using a proper disinfectant spray between groups so the virus germs can stay in these damp rooms. One woman entered the barge with Covid. She ended up passing it to 9 people.. They were all asked to leave the barge on their own expense. People need to be aware of this potential expense. Guides were ok but best for experienced riders. They encouraged independent travel but they are in the process of changing from the GPS maps so it was confusing and we frequently were lost and had to look at the map. No serious troubles.

The ebike trips through wonderful countryside and lovely small towns en route were great. Dinners were excellent on board but I would try a better quality boat. The Fluvius is old, tiny cabins, no bathroom hooks, towel racks; shower head falls, dangerous 6” high step which caused a fall, unresponsive captain to requests to fix shower. Crowded buffet in a tiny space for 40 people. Bikes and staff excellent except captain. Tripside is doing a disservice by choosing such a downgraded boat. Surely there are better choices.

The challenge of finding our way and doing it successfully despite the guide books being almost useless. The guide book for the Passau to Vienna book was slightly better but that was mostly because the paths were self evident. The book for the Vienna to Budapest leg was quite useless.

The route and group were amazing! The cities are very nice and historical… what I fell could be better is reception of participants of tour… inviting each one to identify oneself with others, to make a group… And I think our guide wasn’t so careful with the group… so quick some days… with no explanation about the beautiful little towns we were!! So pity!!
And they could help us about car parking before tour… You could have better support to guests.

This tour was described as having a dedicated bike path and great for families.After completing it today I have to disagree.
Long stretches (20 kms) of Parenzana path were like washed out river beds, full of deep loose gravel and rocks.Unless-you are used to this surface then it is very slow going,scary and dangerous .
My cycle buddy and I both fell off twice,and had cuts and bruises.We have cycled all over Europe and have never been on anything like this.We did cycle from Piran to Grojnan and Grojnan to Motovun and the path was really bad,a goat track in some parts.
We caught a taxi from Motovun to Porec as the Komoot map indicated 20 kms of unpaved path through the forest and no roads to turn onto if we needed to escape .
This state of this path really is atrocious and it’s the worst self guided tour I have ever done

This was a self guided tour and the directions provided were terrible. Spent a lot of time lost