Europe Tour Reviews — 5581 to 5610 of 6839

My first Tripsite vacation, first bike/barge trip, first trip to the 4 countries.....loved it. Somewhat poor attitudes of hotel manager, Peter and the guides did not spoil my trip...in fact, became a bit of a joke to us. I would not let it stop from booking another trip.

The most memorable part was the biking and the touring of various cities in the evening. I was interested in seeing if I could physically do the biking and found it was no problem at all.

Three highlights of the trip: glorious sunshine on the palette of colour at the Keukenhof Gardens; exploring the fabulous 'secret' back alleys in the Kieuperspoort district of Middelburg; the helpful, friendly and confident nature of our Dutch hosts. Fantastic holiday!!!

I returned May 9, 2017 from Italy from the best trip of my life. It started out from a conversation with a retired flight attendant a year ago and became a reality on April 29, 2017 when I had the great pleasure of boarding The Ave Maria from Mantua Italy to Venice Italy. From start to finish it was perfection. The boat was quite accommodating with our 3 bunk cabin, lovely dining room and sun deck to visit with our group of sixteen from Michigan, Nevada, Florida and Texas. The crew of 4 were fantastic and the food was superb. Everyday something different and delicious. The bike riding and touring through the countryside was phenomenal all because our guides Hein and Alain were exceptional. At age 64 I have enjoyed a lot of different destinations, but this trip by far exceeded every expectation I had and I would attribute it all to the fabulous crew and guides. Thank you so very much!

My wife not getting adequate vegetarian food on two occasions. Left a bad impression.

The scenery , chateaus and winery were beautiful.

The most memorable part was riding through the windmill countryside.

Everything was wonderful, from the newly renovated Barge, the staff, food, agenda and bikes. The booking process sometimes was a bit confusing and questions took a bit to get answers to via email. The cost was so reasonable and good value overall! I will definitely travel this way again!

We just completed this trip (may 13 - 20), and loved the experience. The rural scenery was so lovely - however if you are looking for more than peaceful pastures and canals for 6 days, then this might not be the trip for you. The first day of biking was into a strong wind for 55 km which made it very challenging. I would recommend an e-bike! The bikes were very heavy, the gears changed easily, the saddlebags and bike locks worked very well. Although we had maps, 2 GPS, a discussion of the route by the captain....we still got lost every time we went through a city. There were several times that the map showed a road number however that number was not found on the road signs. The food was served family style and was plentiful. The boat was small but suitable for the 19 passengers, the bathrooms were tiny but there was plenty of hot water for showers.
Negatives - no ice for our water bottles; no fans or air conditioning for the couple of days that were extremely hot; our rooms were never cleaned; the captain tended to be curt; the maps were not always accurate.

The food and scenery were magnificent. The boat was better than I had expected. Don't pay extra for the upper deck cabins on the Normandie because they are identical with the exception of being able to open the window on the upper deck. Our tour guide was rude. He spent a lot of time talking to the Germans and very little time talking in English. He scolded us if we asked questions that could be found in our book or were only relevant to the next day's bike trip. Peter at the front desk was also very rude. He made you feel stupid for asking any questions. He is in the tourist business and should expect questions and answer them gracefully. I wouldn't tell someone to avoid this trip, because of the beauty, but don't expect a lot from the staff. The rest of the staff were quite nice, but there were three men that should not be in this business!!

Momentos mágicos vivemos no Rio Mosel.
Nossa casa foi o Patria,nosso guia o Reinert,atencioso e amigo.
Tudo correu bem, ate o clima colaborou.
Comida excelente, foi um sonho!

Every participant showed great enthusiasm for a perfect holiday, not one moan or groan.

The most memorable part was the wonderful hospitality we experienced on the Zwaantje. The captain and staff were great and I could recommend them to anyone. It was a fantastic way to enjoy a siblings reunion.

Our trip was limited due to strong winds that had us harbour bound for a few days, but this is part of the adventure. Therefore we did not get to all the islands as planned. But the scenery and experience were all good.
We were the first trip of the season and our bikes were not in top notch condition. They should have been ready to go. I had to use an electric bike the first day due to my assigned bike skipping gears.
The crew were super - good natured, helpful and loads of laughs. It was a delightful tour.

Walking and biking around Vienna. It is a beautifully restored city with so many historic buildings and places to take your breath away. Our bike guide Bernd added to the experience by translating for us all the history and important information as we were the only English speakers on the trip.

One of the best trips!

The crew on the barge were fantastic. The trip exceeded our already high expectations.

We were very pleased with the bike/barge tour on the Swaantje. Being a slightly smaller boat, it took us right into the heart of the towns. Boat staff most friendly and accommodating. Our bike guide Felix was a gem. Great sense of humour and understanding of everyone's concerns.

The most memorable parts were the Keukenhof Gardens and the monstrous Flower Market.

The most memorable part was the guides and crew of the ship - the customer service was OUTSTANDING!!!!!

After sorting out problems with the bikes I was assigned I found the tour through the tulip fields to be amazing. I only wish the biking had been more leisurely with opportunities to stop and enjoy the fields and take more photos.

Although the weather was rather rough in April, the tulip fields were lovely. Our guide was sweet and attentive, but her lack of experience in working with large, diverse groups created some difficult situations. With more experience, she will be super. Two bikes needed basic repairs within the first twenty minutes of biking, indicating that they had not been checked prior to our group's arrival. The captain of the Jelmar was skillful in managing the barge, but his people skills are still developing. Enough said.
Jelmar April 2017

Great trip but had some problems with bikes. I've had better bikes on other trips.

The best part was the setting with the river and the villages that we visited.

The most memorable part was the wind mill sawmill. I have six people I have recommended this trip to next year they have already contacted you.

The biking and scenery was amazing. The collective group, including staff, became family. The best was the fields in bloom with tulips and such. Wow!

I just liked the laid back atmosphere of this trip and boat. The boat was simple and the crew were very friendly. It is not high end and I like that for its simplicity. It makes it very easy to relax on this trip.

The most memorable part was riding through the beautiful countryside.

The trip was fun but I don't think the description of the trip was accurate. The trip was about 85% bike riding and 15% site seeing. I would have liked more time to explore the cities we were riding through but most of the time it was too late or placed were closed. Not sure if I would do another tour like this. The riding was beautiful but I really expected more site seeing according to the trip description.

We have just returned from our boat/bike adventure and enjoyed it immensely. Being the only English speaking passengers on the trip, we were in the care of the multilingual SE bike tour guides; Bernd, Andreas and Wolfgang. And look after us they did. With all the tours and information in German, we would have missed so much if it hadn't been for Bernd showing up everywhere to translate for us. The staff on board were helpful, courteous and efficient. Food was gourmet and even with cool and often wet weather, tours were interesting and biking was exhilarating. Bikes were brand new, maps were clear and information given beforehand made navigating easy. Ebikes are the way to go if climbing hills is difficult; although it is mostly flat.
We would absolutely do this again with Trip Site or SE Tours.