Europe Tour Reviews — 271 to 300 of 6832

The scenery was beautiful! The Merlijn was beautiful and very comfortable. But, the standout for the trip was the staff. Coen and Christina made our week so wonderful and kept us well informed. “Cat” at the bar and serving was very charming and fun! He knew all our names by day 2! Simone kept our cabins tidy and did a great job on our laundry. June was always tidying up the ship and keeping it looking great. Ilsa was a really good tour guide and was very knowledgeable about the history of Austria.

The trip was well run, food was great the tour was amazing look at the country's.

Bruges to Amsterdam Bicycle Trip
I can’t recommend this trip highly enough—it’s a truly unforgettable experience. The bike trails in Belgium and the Netherlands are exceptional, offering a picturesque ride through beautiful countryside.

Our journey lasted seven days, with six days of riding. We spent an extra day in Bruges at the start and two extra days in Amsterdam at the end. The cycling route took us from Bruges, Belgium, to Middelburg in the Netherlands on day one, followed by stops in Zierikzee, Willemstad, Papendrecht, Gouda, and finally Amsterdam. Most of the ride wound through the Dutch countryside, with stunning views at every turn. We chose the A-level hotels. All accommodations were excellent. Breakfast was included and excellent at every stop.

Arriving in Amsterdam was an adventure in itself. By then we were grateful for five days of practice with the bikes—and with Dutch cycling culture—because biking in Amsterdam is intense. With bicycles being the primary mode of transportation, the bike traffic is constant and fast-paced.

Our group consisted of four riders, ages 76, 72, 70, and 32. Three of us started with e-bikes, while the lone standard cyclist switched to an e-bike by day three. We had hoped for tailwinds by traveling from Bruges to Amsterdam, but instead faced headwinds every single day—making e-bikes an invaluable choice.

The trip covered just over 200 miles. We rode more than 40 miles on two days, about 26 miles on one day, and in the 30-mile range on the other three.

Tips and Recommendations:
• Phone holder: Bring one for your mobile phone. The navigation app is essential, and you’ll want your phone mounted securely.
• Navigation: Before your first ride you’ll receive maps and route details, and you’ll need to download GUIBO, the navigational app used for the trip. It’s excellent—providing real-time, detailed route guidance. On days with route options, you can select your preference directly in the app.
• Bikes: The rental e-bikes were well-used but reliable. We had no mechanical issues or battery problems during the trip. If you’re accustomed to using mirrors, consider purchasing handlebar clip-on mirrors in advance, since the rentals didn’t have them.
• Ferries: Some routes require short ferry or water-bus rides. While most accepted contactless payments (Apple Pay or credit card), it’s wise to carry a little cash since not all ferries do.

All in all, this was an amazing trip—scenic, well-organized, and absolutely worth doing.

Budapest at night. Cycling the the Wachusett Valley and Vienna

Biking experience was awesome. Any person can ride an electric bike but our guide made the trip so comfortable

The overall experience was fantastic, the leaders were a load of fun and very organised . The ship crew , captain, deck hands and cooks were very obliging. Our itinerary was changed slightly due to circumstances outside anyone’s control, the changed stops were equally as good as the planned ports.
The food was exceptionally good and plentiful.
The crew went out of their way to make the trip enjoyable and loads of fun!

The room on the boat was lovely and the food was very good. We did a guided tour and I felt our guide was inexperienced She did not have many safety measures that I have had on previous bike trips. i.e a sweep and ensuring everyone is ready to go before taking off. Also would have been better to be able to visit some cultural places like the Abbey, museums or churches. We were not given anytime on our rides to do this. The highlights was the wine region and wine tasting.

The views cycling Bruges, the countryside, windmills etc
Boat was nice, food was good, nice staff.

I recently completed the Authentic Holland trip aboard the Magnifique II. The vessel was well-maintained, staffed by an excellent team, and featured outstanding cuisine. I greatly appreciated the expertise of our guides, Erna and Niels, who provided valuable insights into the region. Our itinerary included cycling through wooded areas, along dykes, and through scenic towns and countryside. Each day, mid-morning, we sstopped for coffee and toured historic villages.
The only aspect that did not meet expectations was the absence of a visit to Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot. Although we stopped in Muiden for lunch and had time to explore, the tour description included a photograph of the castle, which led to the assumption that the site would be part of the program. Guests were permitted to visit independently, but time constraints made this challenging. Incorporating the castle’s entrance fee and allocating a dedicated visit period could enhance future experiences. Overall, I found the bike and boat tour to be highly rewarding.

Our guide for biking was not very good. We have taken 3 other bike trips and the guide on them were far superior.

The trip from Bruges to Amsterdam was outstanding. The countryside in Belgium was beautiful. The bike paths were all safe, wide, and well marked. Arriving in Amsterdam during Friday rush hour was a bit of a challenge but not overly stressful. The accommodations were all very nice and centrally located in the towns/villages with the exception of Dordrecht.
We have recommended this trip to 3 different groups since we got back and they are all very interested.

The entire experience was amazing, and I loved everything, the places we rode through, the lodgings, the food, everyone who took care of us, it was fantastic!!

The trip was fantastic! From beautiful accommodations, to the fabulous staff on the barge and the outstanding tour guide! We couldn't have asked for a better trip! We will definitely be back. Thanks Tripsite!!!

The beautiful scenery, everything so different from the US - and in many respects, better - food, conservation, transportation.

This is the 3rd Bike and Barge Trip That my friend and I went on. The problem was that the trip is geared to German speaking people. English was given we felt as an after thought. We also took the guided bike trip which had it perks, but we had the worst guide. The guide was not concerned with our safety and we had to continually ask for English. We were not warned of obstacles or any other dangerous situations. After I spoke to her she was kept checking with me but bit the other 7 English speaking riders. Also the electric bikes were so big and heavy, I would have been better off with a non electric bike. The staff was excellent. The cruise director terrible. Not happy with this trip

Our cycling holiday in Austria was simply wonderful! Everything was perfectly organized: the carefully chosen routes, the spectacular landscapes along the Danube, the comfortable accommodations, and the excellent bikes. We felt pampered and couldn’t wait each day to discover the next chosen location. A heartfelt thank you to the organizing company for their professionalism and attention to detail — thanks to them, we had an unforgettable experience, our very first of this kind. Because of them, we’re already looking forward to repeating such adventures in the future

The outstanding professionalism by the crew. That includes the restaurant personnel, the administrative staff, the domestic staff and of course the captain and fellow officers. However, there should be more time allotted for Vienna exploring.and some of the very historic and interesting smaller cities along with Danube.

The Boat was very comfortable. The crew were amazing! They were always smiling, quick to fill requests or anticipate needs. Very hard working and clearly worked as a team. The chef did an excellent job with the food.
Riding bikes in then Netherlands is a dream. The country is so bike focused.

There were a couple of times that could have been improved or communication could have been better.
I feel we wasted a lot of potential exploration time in Antwerp due to waiting hours for a bridge to be raised. I know this is not the fault of the Captain or crew but I do think that an alternate way for getting us to Antwerp could have been found, a water taxi or even disembark and hop on a bus. We were so so close to the city but were stuck on the boat.

Additionally time in Ghent was minimal as the boat did not stay in Ghent

Overall the trip was very enjoyable.

There are two aspects to the trip: the booking with Tripsite, and the actual tour.

As for the TripSite portion, I would rate it C minus, primarily because of the lack of transparency in pricing. They price in euros, but obtain payments in dollars. I found their exchange rate was very poor, on par with the worst ATMs in Europe. They charged about 7-7.5% above the official exchange rate. Shame on your, Tripsite!

As for the tour portion, I'd rate it a B. The Magnifique III boat , crew and accommodations were very nice, and the food was excellent. The tour guides were quite good, though I was a bit disappointed that they insisted on us staying with the group -- there were times I wanted t heard off on my own with the Ride GPS app, and my recollection of the advertisement was that we would be able to go off on our own if desired. The mileage each day was appropriate, though there were a couple people on the tour who should have opted for the ebike, since they had a difficult time keeping up with the rest of the group. The bike pace was quite reasonable.

The small towns we visited were awesome! Each one had their own flavor! We found great restaurants and quaint bars to visit every where we went. The company was VERY accommodating when we wanted to change our biking plan. I would highly recommend them! The GPS was easy to follow, we appreciated the food and site suggestions, and the hotels we stayed in along the way were top notch!

The bikes were very comfortable and in great shape. The bike leaders were very good at bike fitting and patiently made adjustments. Bike fitting was very smooth.
The boat was wonderful.
Small staff with incredible passion and energy.
Meals were delicious.
Communication was great.

UNESCO Kinderdijk windmills visit was very special on the bike tour. I enjoyed each major city, too.

Tripsite gave excellent information.

Sometimes I felt rushed to leave for the morning bike ride. Perhaps the bike tour guides could have checked out the skill level of those on E bikes as well.

It was a great trip overall. We loved that part of the route also went inland a little through villages etc.

It would be great to have more lunch/food options marked on the maps and how to make sure they are open.

We also noticed that on the last bike day parting the route was over a blocked off and hard to ride dike so we were forced to find our way around via a main road.

It was well organized as nd we would do something similar again.

The whole trip was great! The barge was lovely, the food was outstanding. I wish I could give 10 stars! The crew was helpful and engaging. Ride guides were very knowledgable and helpful.

Everything was great from start to finish. Giorgio our guide was amazing. He was the only guide for the entire group. His techniques our having a “ corner” person to direct us when we made a turn out as well as a sweeper to be the last person to make sure that we were all together. Kept everyone safe and together. He was very humorous. He had lots of information and history of everywhere we went. He always had his eye out to make sure that we were happy we were content, and we were enjoying the trip. He took any information that we gave him in regard to our needs very seriously and did everything he could to make us happy and comfortable, and he succeeded beyond belief. The chef Sylvia had our elves watering from breakfast all the way through dessert. She always had a smile on her face saying while she cooked it was a true passion of hers, and it showed in the quality of the food as well as the presentation. Emma our steward took care of all of our needs again with a smile on her face. There wasn’t anything that was asked for that she did not deliver. This crew was absolutely amazing and they made the trip more than I could’ve expected.