Europe Tour Reviews — 6061 to 6090 of 6836

I loved this trip. The Merlijn was well-above my expectations. Very clean and well setup. Everything on the boat was perfect. Now if only we had had better weather. :)

I would have liked was some variety in the lunch fruit. Apples every day but one ...... got a bit boring. I would also have liked to have a condiment (mustard or mayonnaise) to add to the meat/cheese sandwiches as they were a bit dry. All in all, a great trip! Too bad the weather wasn't a bit better, but nothing could be done about that.

Although we had a week of rain and cool temperatures, the attitude and spirit of all on the boat was upbeat and lively. We biked in all kinds of conditions and still had a great time. Our guide was informative and accommodating. The scenery was beautiful from one location to the other and the food on the barge was top notch and delicious. I thoroughly enjoy the whole trip from start to finish.

The accommodation was excellent! (although we weren't very please with the location of our room in Evora at the Pousada Convento dos Loios as we were right next to the eating area which was occupied by diners from 7 am for breakfast and up to 10 pm for dinner)

However, there are two things something that could easily have made the trip more enjoyable: putting kick stands on the bikes and improving the maps and written directions.
It was incredibly annoying not to be able to stand the bikes up as we stopped frequently for pictures and most of the time, there wasn't anything to lean the bikes against. Having to lay them down on the ground sometimes resulted in the rear pannier getting knocked off centre which then meant readjusting it.

Even though a gps was provided and was invaluable, we found the maps to be very poor most of the time, one time even the local tourist office couldn't help us! It would be very helpful if simple written directions were included on how to best leave the hotel and / or town to start the day's journey.

We were impressed with the care and attention given to the safety aspect with the tools and equipment provided including a phone. We very much appreciated being picked up by Francisco at the train station in Pinhal Novo and also by Sofia who drove us from Evora to our hotel in Sintra. Thanks again!

I would love to be a receptive traveler! I think what you are doing is wonderful!

We would have like more written details of the areas we were seeing. We also would have liked a stronger wifi connection. Food and service was excellent.

Bicycling Passau to Vienna with the MS Normandie was a great experience. The bicycle route was mostly flat and in top condition. The views along the way were scenic and enjoyable. The small villages were charming and the larger cities were very beautiful. Our accommodations and meals on the boat were wonderful. One of my favorite experiences of the week was the optional trip to the opera house in Vienna. I am especially glad I didn't miss it. This was my third Tripsite tour and overall this adventure was everything and more that I had hoped for. I would highly recommend it to anyone that loves cycling. I think it is suitable for all skill levels. I will say that on this tour the guides daily instructions were minimal. His input was very basic and quite a disappointment compared to past guides. No photo slide show with instructions such as, "when you see this landmark or sign be sure to turn here." The guide books with maps that were provided were of great assistance, however, and we were able to compensate for the most part by carefully following these written instructions. There was also a small tourist guide book in each room from which you could read about points of interest in each city and village along the way. As I said, overall this was a fantastic week and my friend and I loved every minute!

More hot breakfast food. The route was semi-urban and suburban and that could have been made clearer beforehand. I liked doing one or more interesting stops each day. Keukenhof day was terrific, including cycling by tulip and hyacinth fields.

This was an amazing trip. The scenery and flowers were absolutely stunning, the group was great, and we had wonderful food, thanks to our chef, Sander. Nico, our guide was fantastic. He is fun and knowledgable and took great care of us. I would love to take another of his tours! I loved the biking. It was pretty chilly and sometimes very windy, but always doable. The bike roads and scenery make the Netherlands a perfect place to bike.

We had a super time. My only suggestion is have a snack for post bike ride and pre dinner. We arrived starving so that would be great. Otherwise this was just an amazing way to see Europe.

We had a total of six people who we traveled with. All had a positive option of he barge and the bikes. The owners, Hank and his wife gone over the top to make sure everyone had a good time and responded to any issues or problems. Our bike tour guide was outstanding and explained many of the sites. Great value.

My trip was wonderful. Sander and Els were incredible hosts and Arie was a fantastic guide. The information from Tripsite was spot on and very helpful. The only glitch I had was that the Tram stop for the boat was not correct but we found the barge without too much difficulty. I would definitely recommend this trip.

The experience was very good; the only negatives are beyond anyone's control! I was not adequately prepared for the wind, which was far stronger than I anticipated, and I didn't have anything to protect my ears and eyes. My eyes and lips were severely windburned one day. Goggles, or at least wraparound sunglasses, and a headband to cover the ears are a definite must!

Other than that, everything was good. The cabin was comfortable, and the meals were excellent. It was a very good value. Most tours cover all but a few meals; this covers all of them. Captain Sander and Chef Els were wonderful hosts, and tour guide Arie went above and beyond to make sure everyone experienced as much of the region as possible. The day bike trips and the evening city walks were really interesting.

Thanks for a great trip!

There was initially a question with the insurance we had purchased from you. We had to purchase again on board. After it was reported to you, things were quickly resolved. We had another glorious trip with you and appreciate your help.

We were looked after by our guide and the route was good. Spanish drivers were very considerate.

In a word - FANTASTIC!

The entire trip was incredible. The route is extremely varied and beautiful. Starting in Porto and riding through seaside villages along the coast, then crossing into Spain and continuing along the coast, the riding is mostly flat and the views of the ocean just breathtaking. There are parts where you ride on bike paths, roads, boardwalks, cobblestone farming paths, and even a little single-track mountain biking type trail (which leads to a secluded beach area!). Later, the route takes you directly onto the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) and the riding is more hills and dirt paths, but also through small villages and historic areas. You follow this exclusively for the last 2 and a half days. You'll see many walkers making the pilgrimage - be sure to wish all a "buen camino"!

We opted for the self-guided version, using the GPS. This was perfect for us. We could linger in areas for photos, rest when we wanted to and ride at our own speed. The GPS was easy to follow and also included interesting waypoints, such as waterfalls and old churches and monasteries. This really added to the trip.

The hotel accommodations were awesome! In particular, views from the Parador in Baiona and the quiet, rustic beauty of the Hotel Torre do Rio were very memorable. The towns where we stayed were lovely and interesting to walk around after a day of riding. Don't miss some of the recommended restaurants - we tried a few and they were excellent.

Ending in Santiago de Compostela, we visited the beautiful cathedral and lovely old town center. This is a terrific ending to the trip. Don't forget to get your "Compostela" to commemorate your travels.

Sergio did a fantastic job with everything - the bikes were great, the pre-trip instructions clear, the accompanying trip notes good, the GPS easy to follow. He checked in with us a couple times just to make sure everything was going well. He's put a terrific trip together!

This will be a trip we remember and talk about for years to come. Highly recommended!

Traveled - early May 2016.

Our trip was well organized logistically and the biking routes were beautiful. I highly recommend Tripsite and will be booking future trips with them. Thanks for a fantastic week of biking.

The only comment I have is "I want to do another bike and barge trip."

Guides were excellent and the food was excellent. Captain was somewhat aloof, but the rest of the staff were very friendly. The bikes were excellent and the daily routes and trips were just what we wanted.

I had a wonderful time and will recommending the trip to others!

Loved it all! Wonderful staff, wonderful route, wonderful fellow passengers, wonderful guide! We could not have asked for anything more except less wind as we rode through the windmill area into a very strong headwind! Hardest day's riding we've ever done! But hey, this is Holland renowned for "wind"mills!! Keukenhof was amazing, everyone should visit this place once in their lifetime!

We were very pleased with the Zwaantje and its ownership / crew, and Felix, our guide. We have already booked our next adventure on the Zwaantje for Sept 2017.

Hello from Israel,
It is our pleasure to thank you for a beautiful trip you organized for us from which we returned at the beginning of this week.
Regrettably the weather was not on our favor for two days but that, of course, is not your fault or responsibility.
The other components of the trip were all very satisfactory and in that we include the quality of the bicycles, the quality of the hotels and the nice routes.
We feel that we would like to extra compliment you on your employees and associates who took care of our belongings and of our comfort and well being along the road. We found them exceptionally kind and attentive with a lot of warmth and carrying and with a very generous service commitment. The feeling that we have to whom to refer day and night, in a time of need, contributed to our feeling that we are safely in good hands.

We meat along the tour in all hotels you reserved for us a very nice attitude from the owners and/or staff and we received a remarkable co-operation and hospitality. We would like to compliment you for your choices.
We will definitely return to ask for your services in the future, we will share with friends and family and recommend and encourage them to do the same.
Thanks very much, again.
All the very best and keep on your good job!
Vicky & David

We have just arrived from our trip. It was amazing! We strongly recomend

Wish we had managed to cycle close to some tulip fields.

Boat, rooms, bikes, food, service, cleanliness, friendliness of crew (Captain, First Mate, Cook, Guide) - all excellent. It was was a fantastic trip !!!

All entrance fees of the places we visited on the bike trips (Keukenhof, Flower Auction) were included and we also visited places that are not usually open for tourists (private cheese farm, retired tulip grower, ...). Some guests were not very experienced bikes (us included) but with e-bikes as options we managed to do all bike trips - although mostly flat we usually went at good clip and had frequently strong winds to battle. But the exercise only made the trip more fun and increased our appetite to look forward to the excellent 3-4 course dinners on the boat.

About the only confusion was the gratuity. In your write up it stated 3 - 4%. On our room door it said 5 to 8%. Which was a combined amount. So it was a little confusing. We tipped the 8% maybe a little more. Not a problem for us, but some people budget for an exact amount. The trip was wonderful.

Super trip. I was a inexperienced bicycler and the ebike made the journey very enjoyable.

The barge (Zwaantje) was exceptionally nice. It helps that the captain is also the owner. You could tell that he took pride in the vessel and kept it in great condition. We were lucky with the weather for this trip, as this time of year for the Tulip Tour can be cold and rainy, as some friends of ours found out, when they took a later week. The Tulip Tour is worth doing once, however since the weather during this time of the year is so unpredictable, we would not take the chance of a second time. Instead, we will be doing the September 2-week Paris to Brugge next year.