5 Star Europe Tour Reviews — 3601 to 3630 of 4480

Amazing tour...Loved every minute of it! The staff was awesome. The bikes were great! The hotels were all very clean, with friendly staff and great breakfast. The route was beautiful. The towns were fairy tale dreamy. Did we get lost more than once? Yes of course we did, it's a given and expected when you're not familiar with the rout and towns, no matter how good the map and directions are. Having said that, getting lost was part of the charm of the trip, we got to explore more areas/places. Most trails and routs are very well marked and if you follow the "Bike Route" marks you will not get lost too much, maybe a turn here or there. We used Google map along with the paper map/directions provided. In some areas Google conflicted with the provided directions and that's how we got lost ... but it was fun exploring. If you're the daring type who considers every turn a new adventure you will have a blast. But if you're the type that everything has to be precise then you might get frustrated.

Highlights: Seeing these countries via bike paths. Going through small towns and villages with an excellent guide to highlight the history and out of the way places.
Tip: get in shape! You will enjoy it more if you are fit to bike these distances.

This was our first bike and barge trip, and we loved every aspect of it. Yes, the weather was a challenge, but even that was rewarding in retrospect. The guide and crew were great, the food was wonderful, and the boat was very comfortable (and a good size). We got to know all our fellow passengers and that was the icing on the cake. Now I'm spending way too much time, probably, reading about where to take our next trip!

Once again the "Patria" gave us a wonderful trip with an excellent crew from top to bottom. The rooms are small but comfortable and spotlessly cleaned on a daily basis. The food on this ship never ceases to amaze. Breakfast and dinner for such a lot of guests it is always served with smiles, tirelessly by outstanding servers and the chef is a master in producing meals of top restaurant quality. Bravo. The guide Carsten was "spot on" with his PowerPoint presentations, never shy of answering any and all questions and always riding the course. The handouts were excellent. Not to be missed is the wine tour in Nierstein, a fun outing without the pretentious tasting and showy put-ons. Must make sure you arrive 2-3 days early at Koblenz as it is a great place to explore on your own on a rental bike. Also after Bad Wimpfen take a short train ride and stay a couple of days in Heidelberg to see and enjoy the many historical venues. Yes, it is a touristy place, but worth it. Castles and more castles the first 2 days, vineyards and fields the next 2 and rolling hills the last 2 days gives you a trip that showcases everything that is so much fun in the "Bike and Barge" style of vacationing. Enough bike riding every day to enable you to have the extra glass of wine or cold beer at dinner. This trip is a 10 out of 10 hands down, particularly if it is sunny and dry as it was for us this September of 2017. Our 6th trip with Tripsite and we looking forward to the next one in 2018. Thank you all.

Everything was excellent! There were a limited number of available rental helmets, I highly recommend bringing one's own from home.

Passenger/participant/staff group dynamics were excellent.
Barge had no laundry service, so go prepared with the necessaries to look after it yourself.

Biking through wine country in Germany and going into the fields themselves. Take this trip!

This trip exceeded our expectations on every level. We'd never done a bike and barge excursion and decided to jump in with both feet on this trip. To say that we were thrilled is an understatement. The incredibly comfortable boat, the friendly and hardworking crew, the delicious meals, the fantastic guide, the varied and beautiful route... it was all more than we imagined. I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to experience three countries and their cultures with the intimacy that a bike tour allows.

We're experienced travelers and think through our options carefully. The combination of activity, education, relaxation and total immersion was so appealing... and this excursion did not disappoint. To top it off, given everything that is included, this trip is a tremendous value. We can't wait for our next adventure with Tripsite!

The trip started out with high winds and rain but it didn't dampen the spirit of the group. We were always going downhill with the wind on our back! The comfort of the barge and delicious meals were outstanding. The Mosel valley was probably the highlight for scenery and seeing the grape harvest in full swing. Our wine tasting evening was one of the best we have ever experienced. The Captain wanted us to have a real experience and we did.

The guides were excellent and the biking was gorgeous!

Cycling gave us a good look at south Holland. Wonderful variety. Passed through peaceful farm land and enjoyed the many small towns we passed through. Getting lost from time to time forced us to interact with locals and many of those occasions turned into highlights. Found the Dutch people to be most helpful.

Most Memorable Part: The small towns set in the beautiful mountains with it clean air and pleasant residents.

Biking through the Wachau Valley was spectacular, thus it was the highlight. The staff on the "barge" were super friendly and helpful. The biking was easy if a person is reasonably fit. A little practice doing long distance biking is a good idea.

Especially enjoyed the days cycling through the vineyards along the Mosel River.

It was quite an adventure! Best way to see the real country and people of Holland.

Gourmet dining aboard the Clair de Lune was five star fabulous! The tour guide, Henry, was extremely knowledgeable about the area, and inspired the highest level of confidence in his ability to handle any situation. The Clair de Lune was very clean and in excellent condition. All the staff were wonderfully friendly, helpful and welcoming.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. A suggestion for others would be to prepare for wind if going during that time of year. The route may be very flat but the possibility of a constant headwind can make it feel uphill. Knowing this, some guests may opt for using an eBike.

We loved Germany the best. The coffee stops were the best. Great brats and pastry.

Most Memorable Part? The people I met on board - staff and guests - and the scenery.

Most Memorable part: Going through the locks on the barge in Paris. The kindness of our fellow bikers and staff.

What a wonderful week!! Excellent staff...Captain, Helmut, Silvia & Samuele! Food was 5-Star, very comfortable accommodations! Helmut was a great guide, knowledgeable and made sure we all had a good, safe time! Bike riding was so much fun and we saw many different towns and sights we would have missed in a bus! Meeting so many wonderful, fellow bikers from different countries was so enjoyable! This trip was more than I ever expected!! Loved it!! Definitely will travel with Tripsite again!!! Bike On!!!!

The cruise was wonderful supported by a fantastic crew on the ship who went out of their way to provide a very positive experience.
I had left my phone at a restaurant on the bike route and it was returned to me within 3 hours...I was so grateful.
Having a tour guide would have been very helpful on certain days of the trip...ie Vienna.
I was very disappointed with the fact that the biking portion of the Wachau valley that was in the itinerary had been eliminated without our knowing until the night before.
it was to have been a highlight for our group and the cruise company said that it was Never a part of the biking route.!
We rented e bikes at an extra cost for the 4 of us because of the distance to be covered that day and otherwise would not have.

All of the cycling group received the same information from Tripsite about the Wachau valley and we were all disappointed.

Otherwise I would highly recommend this trip but do feel that you should update your itinerary so that people aren't disappointed.

Great trip. Boat and river cruise portion of the trip was more than expected. Service and the crew on the boat were excellent, including the food.
Quality of bicycles was excellent. They were mechanically perfect. The only down side of the entire trip were the nightly route planning meetings and the quality of the maps and route guides. It was obvious that the tour leader giving the route agenda had never ridden the bike paths. Her English was not very good which made it even more difficult to understand the route(s). We had to fend for ourselves (asking people on the street for directions) numerous times because the routes were just not made clear. Also, the route was not what was not the same as what was spelled out on the website.
Overall, we were very satisfied with the trip.

It was magical from start to finish, the personalized service for our group of 22 was amazing , we loved it!

Loved the itinerary and biking routes!
Barge suggestions:
Dinner seat assignments-- still place with others of the same language, but not necessarily from the same country.
The upper outdoor covered lounge allowed smoking which meant the entire area could be filled with smoke! This type of trip is for active, healthy lifestyle people...smoking should be confined to a small area in front of the pilot house (or not at all).

Everyday was fabulous. So difficult to pick any one memorable part when you experience Venice, Grana Padana tour and tasting, the oldest clock in the world, a lotus flower lake and charming friendly people and staff.

This trip was beyond the expectations of everyone on the trip. The guides were great as was the boat and food. It can't get better than this!!!

Bike and Barge in Belgium and Holland was a whole week of memories and is at the top of my favorite trips! You are surrounded daily by beautiful landscapes and architecture unique to the Netherlands. The bikes are perfect for extended times of riding and you are on bike paths close to canals for most of the trip. This is an active vacation which I prefer but is never too difficult. Everything is done for you so there was never any worries and I was relaxed all week. Meeting people from around the world is amazing. I had the fortunate experience of meeting a special couple from Australia and that was a bonus! I hope to do this trip again in the near future.

I just got back from the trip and had a wonderful time! The Boat, Bikes, and Food where the best that could be provided and the scenery was amazing! I found the description to be exactly as the trip experience. I felt like I was fully prepared for everything and cannot wait to do it again next year.

Most memorable part: the intense beauty of the Bavarian countryside.