5 Star Europe Tour Reviews — 871 to 900 of 4477

Istria is gorgeous, The guides, the food, the crew, and the other bikers were all outstanding. One caution: the description calls the biking easy-moderate, mostly flat with some rolling hills. That is absolutely not true. I rode 152 miles over six days and logged 10,650 feet of elevation gain, with 20-25 percent being on gravel or rocky trails, some single track. Istria is rocky, and much of the gravel was actually imbedded rocks that had to be maneuvered. We did have some modifications due to weather, but the hardest day was as scheduled. Two days had grades up to 14 percent. I planned to book a hybrid, but decided on an e-bike because of another person's review. I bike a lot, but I would have been unable to bike some days if I'd been on a hybrid. Seasoned mountain bikers were better able to handle it, but typical bikers, I think not on a hybrid.
We happened to have a small group with only ten guests. With a capacity group, the boat might seem very crowded. It was very nice with the small group.

Everything went smoothly and the guides and crew were great!

My wife and I boarded the Harmonica on Friday May 24. We were immediately welcomed by the entire tour and boat crew. The following seven days have provided us with some incredible memories that we will cherish forever. We were expertly guided by the bike crew and professionally nourished (perhaps overly so) by the boat crew. The islands we visited were far beyond our expectations. The minimal car/truck traffic encountered on our rides complemented the entire experience. The bikes are professionally maintained. The bikes provided were just right for our fitness and riding abilities.
The lead guide, Ivan was completely professional. Because of his Croatian heritage his “local knowledge” he was an impressively good fit for this tour. The other bike guides, Laura and Philip, were obviously in training. Their enthusiasm was noted and appreciated. There is no doubt that with Ivan’s guidance they will one day be lead guides also.
The boat crew was fantastic. We have never been on such a well maintained boat anywhere. The Harmonica is truly a gem.
Overall, we would give it a rating of 9.5 on the 10 scale. Holding back .5 because we would have liked longer rides and more chocolate mousse.
The meals provided were fantastic. Smaller portions would have sufficed but then again, no one went hungry.

Jim & Laura Herrick

The entire trip was memorable in every way. There was really nothing that I could improve upon other than perhaps the weather, which is not controllable. The staff the boat and the itinerary were incredible. I particularly liked the Museum visit to the Kröller-Müller Museum which is otherwise not very accessible on the regular tourist itinerary.

Trip of a lifetime! The Boat had an incredibly smooth ride, was incredibly clean with a homey type atmosphere given its smaller size related to a cruise ship. The rooms are a bit smaller but totally comfortable and manageable along with the bathroom. The crew were amazing and the food was scrumptuous. Small dietary needs were met with a no fuss no muss attitude. The e-bike tours were so much more amazing than I could have ever imagined; just wish they were longer. The bikes themselves are comfortable, responsive and so easy to ride. We rode everyday starting 9am and most were completed by noon at the latest which left a lot of free time for swimming and or touring; I would have preferred to ride longer distances. I definitely didn’t have enough clothes because of the amount of free time we had along with warmer weather then predicted. I definitely missed the mark with not having shorts and more t-shirts! Our two guides, Mirta and Luka were also terrific in organizing and leading our daily rides and activities; they made everything so fun; it was terrific. Probably one of the best trips I ever took in my life.

Riding a bike in the most beautiful parts of Croatia whether it was by the water , the interior with the groves and vineyards, the small villages or in the high elevations. A fantastic adventure!

Cycling through the “undulations” of the Cyclades was magic, particularly the downhills. Fortunately we had e-bikes to reduce the climbs. Our guide, Dionysis, was excellent. His depth of knowledge of Ancient Greek history was immense and his stories were always infused with his wonderful humour. Beautiful ports, great restaurants and food on board, what more do you need?

Another biking trip of a lifetime and this time on the beautiful Magnifique III. What a beautiful ship, terrific crew, great chef and awesome bike guides. Biking from Bruges, Belgium to Amsterdam was just fantastic.

I loved the trip, but I would make sure that the tour group meets you prior to the take off...They left the bikes and we never saw anybody to help us get started. We were three hours trying to get the ebikes moving, turned out it was the connection between the control and the bike. If we had, had some help that frusteration would have been resolved quickley. Didnt feel like we were helped at all. We did love the trip, we feel like we are stronger because we overcame so many obsticals. The maps were in german, and the road instructions were in a seperate book, it was hard to coordinate the 2.

Doc

A wonderful way to experience the Netherlands! The towns and countryside are great to explore by bicycle. This being my first trip to the Netherlands, it was interesting to see so many varied landscapes when my pre-trip impression of the country was just canals and flat land between cities. It was so much more....beautiful forested areas full of songbirds, huge sandy beaches, interesting agricultural regions....and the TOWNS! So much history and charm. Wonderful people too.

My one suggestion for others would be to navigate the bike paths and lanes in the same way you would in your car on the road: Keep right unless passing, pay attention at intersections, make sure to know the signage and lane marks, look both ways before pulling out into traffic, etc.. Netherlands is truly heaven for bike riders, but you do need to pay attention because there are so many riders everywhere.

Our trip was excellent. Everything was well set up. One thing, the height of one our bikers was not correct. I sent the info in ft. and inches. It was changed into cm.
Way off. Thank goodness tulip cycling had another bike for one of our gentlemen.

Cycling through farmland and so many small towns and villages, stopping at a bar/cafe, this is a great way to see a place. The other cyclists were kind and friendly, the staff was attentive and lighthearted.

Biking through the Italian country site was fabulous. We enjoyed a day and evening walking tour of Venice, we biked through two islands, Italy's largest wetland, the delta of the Po River, and several medieval cities. Hats off to the chef, Silvia, her food was amazingly delicious. Our guide Elena was knowledgeable, very helpful, and friendly. The Captain and sous chef were amazing.

The guide (Hugo) was excellent and made the trip. His personality was great. Food on the boat was better than most bike and barge trips we have taken.

We love this region and this trip so we decided to do the trip again with friends and ride from Avignon this time .... It is a pretty easy ride except for a few huge hills - but so worth the effort to get to the top and see the town the quarry and the show - so worth the effort....just saying ....This trip takes you through many little villages filled with jasmine - stopped for quite a few pastries and beers and coffees and pain au chocolat.... besides all these sensory overloads of jasmine and and fields of poppies - you are riding through so much history ...... the camaque - Aiges mortes - the crusaders - the roman ruins everywhere - and then the marshes the salt flats and flamingos - great ride - great barges - the food always amazing

My most memorable part of the trip was the barge and crew. It was a pleasure to be on the barge.

The landscape was fantastic, the villages were beautiful, and we were mainly alone on the roads: very few cars. The hotels were also well chosen.

The views are phenomenal. We climbed everyday..some “hills” steeper than others. It was daunting to be at the bottom and gaze way up to see alll the switchbacks to be experienced. BUT the downhills were exhilarating!
Visiting the islands and their perspective uniqueness was interesting. We learned about people, the food and the culture
Our ride pace was very fast..good riders in the group. Our guides were excellent.
We enjoyed eating off the boat and wandering thru the sites. We had 3 guided tours which were appreciated.
We loved the ride, the food, the wine tasting, the rafting, the companionship and the shopping!
The only petty drawback was the lack of a dry towel as their is one exchange day…for us the second day and from then on we dried off with a wet towel….for sure bring your own for swimming and oh yes I was seasick..twice.

Everything was excellent and exceeded my expectations, 10 / 10.

It’s hard to say because the trip was full of so many memorable moments! Particularly loved the routes through the Burrens, the charming villages and inns in County Clare, and the breakfasts! Cycling through the breathtaking scenery was the highlight of my experience. Very impressed with the quality of our touring bikes and with Thomas who got us set up on them. Organization was superb. Hassle-free check-ins at our accommodation and our bags were always there ahead of us.

Hello. The trip is nice, beautiful ride! The only thing makes me very upset is the way the chef treat me, his rude. Never in my life, someone talk to me that way. His name is Emilio! All other stafs is so nice.

The bicycle rides through the beautiful Douro valley countryside were incredibly scenic and not to be missed.

I really appreciated the thoughtful routing of the GPS track, it put in great places to experience so much that was wonderful in Catalan country. The mediaeval towns and historic spots, great restaurants and boutique hotels in unique settings. We had fabulous support from Your staff when we experienced misadventure on our first day, due some learning curves with the technology.

Seeing windmills close up was great, but touring Keukenhof gardens was fabulous! We were there for 1.5 hours and could have stayed longer. The tulips and other flowers were spectacular! A lovely surprise was the three course gourmet meals we were served every night by a creative chef.
My husband is an avid bicycle rider, but I'm not. Having an electric assist bicycle took all the effort out of trying to keep up with the group. With this modern technology, everybody can participate and have fun!

They did an excellent job of selecting routes that were interesting, beautiful, and the right level of difficulty. The routes go over some steep terrain so it was easy to see why e-bikes were required on this ride. The leaders did an excellent job of keeping us together so we didn't feel like we were being herded, but the slower riders were not feeling rushed. Several days they dropped us at one port and hassled around to the other side of the island to pick us up at a different town. I recommend this ride.

Exceptional organisation. Great contact person who was in touch daily and available instantly for any queries arising . Extremely helpful and gave advice as to sights and restaurants etc wherever we were. Excellent hire bikes and the route perfect with lesser roads and bike paths . We enjoyed the variety of cities, small towns , history and rural areas . Excellent accommodation. Would thoroughly recommend this self guided tour .

Route hotels and food were exceptional. Come prepared knowing how to navigate using technology.

Tripsite chose comfortable properties with fantastic food for our 7- day Spanish Way Camino hike. We appreciated their attention to detail which helped make our trek go as smoothly as possible.
We had need to contact their office during our trip. They responded quickly and the issue was resolved with ease.
We are already thinking about our next big adventure and look forward to using Tripsite again.

Our Bruges to Amsterdam trip was a spectacular! From the moment we boarded Magnifique 1 we were blown away by the beautiful interior of the ship, the warmth of the crew and the organization for the bike trip to begin the next day. Each day ended with a short meeting outlining the next day's route and particulars. The riders were split into two groups that remained with their wonderful guides for the week. We always felt safe on our rides and the pace was very manageable. We stopped for a morning and afternoon break and lunch. The food on board was delicious and varied and the presentation was beautiful. Probably our most memorable part of the journey was the consistently beautiful scenery and the making of new friends from several different countries. This trip was so much more than a vacation, it was an experience we will always remember! Thank you crew of the Magnifique 1 for all the incredible memories!

Overall the trip was amazing. The most memorable part was just doing it, and so glad we did. The service staff on the ship was terrific. The food was pretty good but not quite 5 stars. The routes were fairly easy to navigate but in trickier areas, a guide or more detailed maps would be helpful. The tour guide was okay and did an adequate job if approached with questions. He did ride right by us on the trail on the last day and didn't even offer a friendly hello. That was a bit surprising to our group and fellow riders. No worries, though, it was a really fun trip. It was great to visit all the amazing cities along the way. The whole crew was first-rate from start to finish. I would easily recommend this trip to interested parties.