Europe Tour Reviews — 3931 to 3960 of 6857

We really enjoyed the biking. Most the trails were very nice and the scenery was beautiful.The most memorable part was probably the Wachau Valley. The bikes were very good. The rooms on the boat were good and the food was also plentiful and tasty.We enjoyed the entertainment put on by the crew.

Holland was on my bucket list to visit the country I was born in but left as a young girl. What better way to see it than on this wonderful barge/bike tour with a good friend. Upon arrival where the De Nassau’s docked we were greeted by our wonderful hosts and crew. There is absolutely nothing that I can criticize about this trip. The food, the accommodations and the beauty of biking through northern holland on my E Bike was amazing. I highly recommend these bikes as I usually don’t bike 186 miles in 7 days, but they sure help put “ the wind beneath my wings”. I even bought a smoked eel which we shared with some companions we biked with...not usual Canadian fare! Tripsite has opened up a whole new concept for me and my love of travelling. Perhaps Ireland, France, Portugal...I can hardly wait till the next trip I take knowing that I will not be disappointed. Thanks Tripsite for making my dream come true of visiting this amazing country.

We loved the small roads and bike paths often used to take us in to the villages. The accommodations were well placed in the towns with easy access to restaurants.
Most memorable was the last day (finding the climb quite the challenge ) but the exhilarating run down worth it .

To mention more signage in busy areas would be appreciated to put one at ease.

The Gandalf has a great crew and captain, excellent service great meals clean and tidy. You must remember where you are you are on a barge not a 5 star hotel. Cabin cleaning was done regularly and clean towels were available when ever needed. Patrick our tour guide went out of his way to accommodate everyone, even taking us for walks in the evening. His knowledge was amazing. Bikes were well suited and maintained. It is hard to say what was the most memorable part of the trip as we saw and enjoyed everything. We would definitely look at another trip especially on the Gandalf.

The beauty. Flowers were in bloom, the orchards were full of apples, the green hillsides were gorgeous.
The booklet we received would have been more helpful if received beforehand. The directions could have been much clearer, especially to the hotels.

We loved the arrival by night in Budapest! It was unexpectedly gorgeous with all the lighted bridges and buildings. Truly amazing. Fireworks were an unexpected highlight of the evening in Linz which just happened to have a celebration. Our third highlight was the last biking day through the Wachau Valley--such beautiful vineyards and small villages! One tip: bring a multi USB plug and more than one adaptor for use in the room.

Well worth time. good tracks beautiful landscape. we started 3 hour trip in przmysl very nice town that is not on map going to top of town hill panoramic wiew. hotel in korczowa we got dessert first than main course :). staff in training

Best Parts: cruising, dining, kitchen, bar, admin, cleaning staff - wonderful, friendly, helpful. couldn't be better
food - very good variety and quality. lunches especially good
cycling and tour director and staff - excellent every day with information, quality equipment, attention to questions
ship public facilities - quite adequate quality and quantity. updating on decor is needed
hotel staff - very nice, accommodating and efficient
hotel - needs cleaning, air conditioning was not working every day, which was a problem. air quality was not great. updated decor is needed.

We thoroughly enjoyed our cycling trip , the sceneries were absolutely beautiful.
We were disappointed to learn , three days prior to our departure from Canada, the MS Arlene 11 was in repairs and not be ready for our departure date.Trip Site offered alternatives,using the same route the group were accommodated in hotels along the way .The group did NOT have any representatives at any hotels from Trip Site except a very brief meeting on our very first night.We were basically left on our own , with somewhat mediocre instructions to and from city hotels.
Allowing for a scénario that was beyond their controls, we would have appreciated TripSite going further to assure the comfort and reliability in this unfortunate incident.

Best Part: Dancing the polka with local croatians. Thank goodness a fellow tripster took a video

Riding along the Danube offered many beautiful vistas. The bikes were great, the seats very comfortable, which made for a nice ride. We met some fun people on board although a greater mix of English speaking to German speaking would have been even better. Suggestions as mentioned to Tripsite staff would be to make this tour guided (the entire group of 100 passengers were lost on several days which minimized the opportunity to make it to some of the sites), to include ferries in the pricing, so that passengers aren't always searching to make sure they have cash (our previous trip included the ferries so wasn't an issue.), and the excursions were sometimes canceled so these could also be improved. All in all we had fun and the cabin staff took great care of our rooms...I'd make a different selection though next time.

Amazing! We've done many organized and self supported tours, but this one by far is our favorite. We combined two 4-day (of riding) tours into one, the Orleans to Tours and Tours to Angers tours, for eight days of riding and a day on each end for coming and going. We chose the lowest level of hotels and all were fine. We don't spend much time in the room anyway, we just need a comfortable bed. The itinerary was perfect, average of 50km a day and usually one chateau visit along the way so at an easy pace we had plenty of time for a morning coffee stop, a few hours at the chateau du jour and lunch, and arrived at the hotel in time to do laundry and head to dinner. The overnight stops were a good mix of big cities (Orleans, Tours) and quaint towns. We didn't take a rest day, but if you're considering it, think about Amboise, a quaint town, rather than the midpoint Tours. Amboise was our favorite town-a good selection of restaurants, a beautiful chateau reflecting on the rivers, and if you're there on a Sunday, don't miss the local market, "the best in France" according to the guy at our hotel. The route was well marked, the maps they gave us were excellent, and if you have the GPS capability, definitely ask for the GPX tracks because those came in handy more than a few times. My wife upgraded to an e-bike which was absolutely worth it. Although it's mostly a flat course, it made it much more enjoyable for her. And we bought the chateau package which was worth it. It includes the best chateaux to visit, and although it doesn't save you much money, it saves you a lot of time waiting in line to buy a ticket which at some chateaux could be lengthy.

Really knowledgeable guides who were good company. Interesting week cycling, sailing along the Danube, finding out about flora and fauna, wine tasting... has a fabulous time

This is my 3rd bike/boat tour, and the 1st unguided. I love to travel this way. But the number of people on the boat -- 100 -- were just too many for the crew to serve in any special way. The food and accommodations were excellent. The cruise director and schedule were below average. Out of 7 days, there were 4 days of biking -- 3 of these were spectacular along the Danube. The Wachau ride was simply stunning. However, the ride around Bratislava featured few, if any, interesting attractions, and many of us got lost. The cruise director suggested stopping at a restaurant as a highlight of the day -- but the restaurant was not in operation. The briefings for English speakers were later than those for the Germans and we were then constrained by the boat schedule in the afternoon -- making at least 2 of the biking days a dash to finish the ride and get back on time -- not leisurely and not affording us to stop much. All the staff on the boat work really hard and it shows. But I prefer a guided tour with a smaller group and boat for better biking and a better overall experience.

Thoroughly enjoyed the trip, everything from the biking, accommodation and the food.

Best Part? Biking along the Danube the first day in the beautiful countryside. Spectacular!!

The biking was absolutely wonderful; so incredibly beautiful especially through the vineyards and orchards. The ride around Bratislava was not marked well at all and 90% of the riders got lost going in all different directions, thank God for smart phones. The food on board was well prepared, always hot and nutritional. Where this trip fell short was the crew abroad the Normandie. Unlike the other TWO Bike and Barge Trips I experienced, this crew was a bit unwelcoming, rude, and times condescending and scolding. Not everyone but it certainly was the feel on the boat and many were talking about it. I know the crew work long hours and they all have to help with most tasks on the boat; however, there would be nothing to do if WE weren't there. I absolutely love this way of travel and will do another one again very soon. This was NOT a Tripsite issue but am hopeful this information will be passed to the appropriate people. Tripsite has been excellent in providing information and always seems to offer a great deal.

Most Memorable Part: The biking and comradery of the other bikers on the trip.

I loved the convenience of all the planning and coordinating by Tripsite which allowed my party to really enjoy the biking, hotels and experience of the trip. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and care of the bikes which could make or break of this trip. Working with Tripsite was easy and pleasant.

Our experience was simply exceptional! The shared experience and fellowship created new friendships. The Merlijn was an exceptional venue for seeing Germany and our hosts took great care of us. We got great value for our travel dollar and created terrific memories that will bring lasting joy.

The trip was rated easy to moderate! I would rate it moderate to hard! If you do this boat trip- get an electric bike! Parts of the bike riding were on roads with traffic and on gravel roads!

The guides were great and fun! The scenery and town were wonderful!

The barge itself, the chef and the captain were great. Unfortunately, the most memorable take away from this trip was the cycling itself. This was a guided tour and our guide was only familiar with the city of Paris. We were to follow the Oise and Seine rivers and seldon rode along the river paths. The first two days were the worst involving a lot of backtracking and nearly impassable trails that seriously impacted the mileage and time in the saddle. One day we arrived at the boat an hour after the scheduled dinner time. Our ride through the city of Paris was traumatizing because of the heavy traffic and crowded bike lanes. Why were we not riding along the Seine??? Perhaps the guide was not totally to blame. Hat tours could have provided him with better maps and information. Whatever the reason, the ten riders paid the price. This was not the tour we signed up for.

The journey and visiting the 4 capitols was the best.
However too many people on the boat - the noise level in the dining room was excessive. The cruise director was obnoxious especially towards women and favored the Germans on the boat. Our group of 18 was split into 3 tables and we always sat with the same people. Never mixed with other groups.

The most memorable part of this trip to me was the Operetta symphony concert at Schlosspark in Vienna. This is an experience that no one should miss.

Most Memorable Part: The black mold (or something) that had many people coughing in their rooms. I had to take allergy pills each night.

From the US it was very difficult, time consuming and costly to get to Radenci, Slovenia and from Lendava back to the airport. Except Lendava, the villages had little to offer for additional tourism and places to eat. The Mineral Spas were mainly full of elderly and some families. Not really an exciting place for 30-40 year olds without kids. The countryside was pretty but in my opinion not worth the extensive travel. I would like to go back to Slovenia but to the west side of the country.

The Cycling and travel along the Danube River. Still more markings on the Bike routes.

The crew & food were great & acceptable respectively. There were very few vegetables served. The ship was terrible, moldy, poor lighting nonexistent waste baskets except in private rooms. The ship had a strong sewer odor which our cabin boy could not remedy. This problem involved several rooms. We would not return to the The(odor) Körner.