Europe Tour Reviews — 61 to 90 of 7333

I had a good time but I think a lot could have been done better. I was concerned about the health and safety of those participating, including the guide. The weather during the tour was very hot, yet the guide said there was no heat protocol in the company. I worry about the next group that would have been cycling in +40 C temperatures. There was a bit of discussion every evening about the heat and consequent route modifications, and everyone was offered an e-bike because of it, but the young people in the group (and some of the older ones) mostly wanted to take the preestablished route. That meant that I spent half of the trip on the boat. Why wasn't there a system where the cyclists could leave considerably earlier to avoid the afternoon heat? There were various arguments given why this couldn't happen, but none of them seemed very convincing. On one day it took the barge a long time to get to the destination, so the argument was that we'd be waiting at the other end in the heat for the boat. But from a health perspective, waiting in the shade for the boat would have been safer than cycling through the very hot afternoons. Other days the boat got to the next destination early. We could have done our circuit and gotten back to it early.

The company should have had systems in place to deal with the heat. The only one they offered was an e-bike (I had already paid to hire one, so this wasn't a modification for me). The tour guide was a nice guy but his favourite expression seemed to be 'what can you do?'. I would have much preferred someone who took charge, recognised the dangers, and was more forward in suggesting modifications. Overall I felt quite unsafe.

As an example of feeling unsafe, on one day I was left behind by the group because I faced a large deal of traffic. Even the 'sweep' went ahead of me. Eventually the sweep saw me and waited, but we had lost the group. I was amazed that the sweep didn't have the phone number of the guide or the ship. Why wasn't it mandatory that we all write this down/create a contact, before we embarked on the first day. The tour guide said his number had been on the board since the beginning, but had never urged us to write it down. It would have been such a simple thing to do.

There was also poor route planning. On one day the route took us up a very steep potholed path (to the Sancerre village), and three cyclists came off their bikes, each with considerable bruises and cuts. My friend was one of them. The tour guide washed her wound at the top, but wasn't aware of the catastrophe on the route till we all pushed our bikes to the top. He was quite hard of hearing, so I'm not sure if he didn't hear from others what had happened or was himself too exhausted to descend to give help. On this matter, he wasn't young, and I worried for his health having to ride in the very punishing heat too.  SHOW MORE 

Excellent accommodations. Food was elegant. Staff professional and kind

I especially liked having a second day at a resort so that you could take a look around a place and explore islands. It still meant that you had plenty of time cycling while you looked around.
The journey from Faaborg to Svendborg by ferry was very good as you cycled the island of Aero from port to port. It was a pity you only got one night in Nyborg as it would have been great to cycle the Great Belt Bridge.
On the downside you were given a map to find your way. Through a city at the start? Your mobile phone was a much better option but you need a phone holder which is not supplied. In fact it was the third day before all the things that were supposed to be supplied were made available. The bike itself was a heavy German mountain bike so not up to date and not the most suitable for the flat terrain but it was in full working order.
All the hotels were good but Nyborg Strand and Best Western Hotel Faaborg were excellent.
The weather was really good with blue skies and little cloud. Nice breeze to keep you fresh while cycling and temperatures mid twenties. The heat wave that had been taking temperatures up to the forty mark in Germany and France arrived on the last day so a morning’s travel was best before the high heat arrived. Swiftly followed by thunderstorms.
A great holiday in beautiful Danish coastal countryside despite my issues with the cycle.
Like the rest of Scandinavia it’s not cheap!

I especially liked having a second day at a resort so that you could take a look around a place and explore islands. It still meant that you had plenty of time cycling while you looked around.
The journey from Faaborg to Svendborg by ferry was very good as you cycled the island of Aero from port to port. It was a pity you only got one night in Nyborg as it would have been great to cycle the Great Belt Bridge.
On the downside you were given a map to find your way. Through a city at the start? Your mobile phone was a much better option but you need a phone holder which is not supplied. In fact it was the third day before all the things that were supposed to be supplied were made available. The bike itself was a heavy German mountain bike so not up to date and not the most suitable for the flat terrain but it was in full working order.
All the hotels were good but Nyborg Strand and Best Western Hotel Faaborg were excellent.
The weather was really good with blue skies and little cloud. Nice breeze to keep you fresh while cycling and temperatures mid twenties. The heat wave that had been taking temperatures up to the forty mark in Germany and France arrived on the last day so a morning’s travel was best before the high heat arrived. Swiftly followed by thunderstorms.
A great holiday in beautiful Danish coastal countryside despite my issues with the cycle.
Like the rest of Scandinavia it’s not cheap!

This tour was spectacular, but yes a bit challenging. Even with e-bikes, there were a few 10% grade climbs that some of us had to walk up. We loved the variation of the routes (quiet roads, bike lanes, gravel/dirt paths) and scenery (lakes, rivers small towns). We especially enjoyed the small towns of Zug and Einsiedeln. The hotels were fine, with excellent breakfasts. You should know that only 2 of the 7 hotels had AC, and of the 5 that didn't, only 2 had fans. This was challenging during a heat wave. I do understand that this is Europe and it wasn't that big a deal. My other feedback is that the GPX routes occasionally did not match the information in the literature given. Day 5 of biking from Einsiedeln to Zug was especially problematic and required some rerouting on our part. Please redo these GPX files.

Denmark is a nice country to visit. Most individuals working in the hospitality industry speak English which makes it easy to travel around the country as a tourist. Also, the Danish people are polite and pleasant. The five-day bicycle tour was well-planned with good service at the beginning and the end of the tour. The route was not difficult and not too long. The GPS map on the app made navigation quite easy. The route passed many interesting towns and attractions. The hotels along the route were high-quality hotels. Very nice bicycle trip!
One suggestion to improve the trip would be to select hotels near the center of town instead of away from town. The hotels near Elsingor and Roskilde were 4 km from the center of those towns which made it difficult to eat dinner in those towns. Moreover there were no restaurants or bars near those hotels and, as such, the travelers are compelled to eat at the designated hotels.

The trip overall was excellent! The professionalism and organization of the cycling guides was first rate. The bicycles were in excellent shape and very well suited to this trip. The food on board was excellent and the bar/wait staff were first rate and very professional. The tour guides provided for the city walking tours were excellent.

My comments are as follows:

when anchoring for a swim, there should be a life preserver/throwing equipment to assist swimmers who may be in distress. Also, I would recommend ensuring that guests understand if there is a strong current at a swimming location.

As there was gravel involved, and some technical sections, I think some of the guests might benefit from a little cycling lesson, to assist them riding in the gravel properly and understanding the appropriate gear to be in for these conditions. Along the lines of a group ski lesson that you might take at a ski resort, for a bit of a refresher.

Also, I think it would be helpful. If the tipping directions were a little more clear, as the direction we received from our trip preparation package was for a lump sum tip, and when we were on board, we were told there would be two envelopes, provided , one to tip the staff on the boat, and one for the cycling guides.

This was our 5th Tripsite experience!
We loved Bruges to Amsterdam!
The scenery was great because the bike trails offered that. The people we encountered in Holland & Bruges were all very friendly & informative if we had any questions.
I celebrated my 70th birthday the last day of our trip in Amsterdam! A great way to enter my 70th year! We are looking forward to planning our next trip with Tripsite … they have never failed with any of our beautiful bike trip experiences!

Quite an amazing trip. Such beautiful sites each day. Each of the islands was different treasure of beauty. The employees were sitting helpful and pleasant to be with.

We've wanted to do this tour for several years and really happy we did it! Getting to see Emilia Romagna by bike is perfect. The smaller cities like Modena and Parma are great places to stop along the way. In fact we liked them more than Bologna itself. Hotels along the route were overall good. The bikes and assistance between hotels were likewise excellent. The only issue was that the hotel outside of Reggio is really in the middle of nowhere. Nice hotel. Bad location. So if you don't plan ahead, getting dinner or a taxi is very difficult. Some heads up on that would've been appreciated.

If you like riding in the countryside and seeing some of the less "famous" parts of Italy, this is a great tour. Plus the two visits to see Balsamic vinegar being made and the same with Parmigiana Reggiano were really special too.

Towns and route good, tour company great, breakfast and hotel quality very good

Trip was wonderful. Tour guides and the staff on the Fluvius were excellent. Unfortunate part was the AC on the ship was not functioning.

The tour director and the entire staff onboard the Vivienne were outstanding, so welcoming, warm and helpful, as well as very professional. The boat facilities are great, very clean and well maintained. The Danube River is beautiful, and the bike route is top notch. Very well marked, lovely countryside and small towns. Exceychoise of stopping points.

Without a doubt, biking around the lake’s scenic beauty was an everyday treat. We met many wonderful and kind people at the hotels, along the way, strangers who treated us as family explaining customs, giving directions, and friendly hospitality.
Helpful hints: learn how to use Komoto gps app, bring a bicycle mirror (almost no one had but it really would have helped in traffic).
The staff of Tripsite were incredible. Before and during the ride, they were supportive, found answers to our questions, and were always eager to find help and get back to us. They were a blessing throughout. Thank you!!!!

Without a doubt, biking around the lake’s scenic beauty was an everyday treat. We met many wonderful and kind people at the hotels, along the way, strangers who treated us as family explaining customs, giving directions, and friendly hospitality.
Helpful hints: learn how to use Komoto gps app, bring a bicycle mirror (almost no one had but it really would have helped in traffic).
The staff of Tripsite were incredible. Before and during the ride, they were supportive, found answers to our questions, and were always eager to find help and get back to us. They were a blessing throughout. Thank you!!!!

Bike rides and fabulous views and sites as we toured the islands

This bike and boat tour was excellent. We chose a guide and ebikes for the biking portion which made us really enjoy the day as we did not have to worry about getting lost and/or making it back to the boat on time.
The ship itself was smaller, so you got to know people and felt like a big family.
The service from meals, to housrkeeping to daily tour briefings was top notch.
This was our first bike and boat tour and we would definately do it again.

I loved this trip. It was a perfect balance of biking to see the countryside and time to see the port cities. The ship had under 100 passengers so it felt comfortable and cozy. The staff was excellent.

1st 3 days really great cycling, quiet and beautiful, but it's hilly if not on an ebike particularly day 2.
Better to visit Neuschwanstein first thing day 4 rather than at the end of a long day 3.
Nearly all of the recommended gasthofs were closed during the day, one looked shut for sometime. Take food and drink with you for lunch, dont rely on finding it en route.
App glitchy in towns navigating to the hotel and when off route.
That said, we really enjoyed this trip.

Good cycling, food, staff and experience. What fun to meet and make friends with our neighbors from Canada and Europe.

The route was absolutely beautiful and the pace was excellent. Staff were friendly and helpful, accommodation was clean and comfortable, and the meals are very good.

All of the staff were excellent but Sylvia was a highlight! I liked how everyone pitched in during meals.

The people! We had 16 others, all of whom we enjoyed. Appreciated the efforts to help us get to know each other. Also enjoyed the food, the friendliness of staff, the route, the stops... the whole experience!

The two guides emma and august were charming and helpful. All the staff were attentive. The food was delicious. The rooms small and well organized. I enjoyed sailing on the beautiful boat. It was hotter than usual for cycling but the scenery was spectacular.

We recently returned from a memorable bike tour through four countries, and for the most part, it delivered on its promises. The e-bikes were well-maintained, the routes scenic and well-suited to the difficulty level described, and the new navigation app made wayfinding effortless. On board, the service was attentive and the meals were genuinely delicious.
Unfortunately, the experience ended on a sour note. The disembarkation the process was slow and ill-suited to the ship's passenger capacity. More frustrating, our large backpack — correctly tagged for delivery to the parking garage 5 km away — never arrived. We had to return to the ship to locate it ourselves. When we did, staff declined to take responsibility, attributing the error to other passengers. The bag was eventually returned to us still bearing the original garage tag, and with its contents inside, wet.
It's a shame, because the tour itself was excellent. With better handling of the final logistics, this would have been an easy five stars.

Great guide (Paul). Food and cabin only marginal. Dinners were almost always cold.

Our 5 star rating is based on Sophie and her team looking after us from when we organised our trip in Australia. Although I won’t go into detail in this review survey. We will personally write to Sophie with a number of improvements to improve local operations to help improve the experience of future travelers on this tour.

The culmination of this trip was when our guide brought us high up onto the hillside, on our second to last day, and as we descended, we could see every town and island we had just cycled. It was very moving to look down on the geography of the area, the water ways, the islands, the bridges and cliffs.