Europe Tour Reviews — 901 to 930 of 6879

The trip was well organized. I met with the tour staff in Italy before I started as well as at the end of the tour. I appreciated the GPX tracks which made navigation easier. The materials were well organized, train tickets included with schedules, and I enjoyed the hotels where I stayed. The luggage transfer was efficient and my suitcase was always waiting for me when I arrived at the hotel. I enjoyed visiting the major cities on the tour: Lecce, Otranto and Gallipoli.

As I mentioned to the staff, the final day of walking in the nature park needs a major improvement. I got very lost in the woods and the GPX tracks failed to give helpful directions. It was stressful as I was traveling alone. I also suggested that the food and wine portion of the trip be improved or just dropped from the tour. I never located the wine tasting shop (nor could the local folks that I asked for assistance) and the sampling of local products at a bakery was a slice of pizza. 4 dinners were included but it was unclear what was included in the dinner which was confusing.
I was happy to visit southern Italy and see so many historic locations

The crew and guide were fantastic! They did a great job—friendly, knowledgeable and they had a good sense of humor. The “Sarah” has issues with cleanliness—for the entire trip, each room was infested with dozens of drain flies and had a strong smell of sewage. The carpet smelled like dirty socks. The owner happened to be on the boat for the first leg and he said that he was going to install new bathrooms and take care of drainage issues (flies/sewage smell). However, when we docked in Amsterdam, the boat was being cleaned so it could be used as a floating hotel. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the problems will be fixed. For the 2025 season, please encourage the owners to fix the problem so others do not have a similar experience. I would not go on the “Sarah” again without this being addressed.

The sights were beautiful but would have preferred to arrive in the town and villages earlier so we could have seen them in the daylight.

Every part of the trip was memorable.
Although the weather didn't always cooperate we had an amazing time and when the skies opened up we managed to keep dry in a winery... Could be worse :)
The breakfasts were excellent, lots of selection cold and hot and nutritious, lunches were packed by the crew and again excellent. Dinners were three course meals and our last was a four course meal, absolutely delicious.

The boat and bikes were in perfect condition and always clean.

The staff was courteous and helpful, our guide Thomas knowledgeable and always watchful of the group.

The locations we stopped at were beautiful.

I had never ridden an e-bike before the trip but it was easy to learn and a lot of fun. No struggling to get up any hills :)

I would recommend this trip to anyone of all ages, as long as you can ride a bike.

I will go on more of these bike / ship trips!

The entire trip was memorable. We loved that most of the biking were on beautiful coastal trails. The views were phenomenal and the people from Portugal are so warm and friendly. I would recommend this bike trip to anyone wanting to do coastal trip.

The bike touring, our guide, the boat staff, the food and the boat itself were all memorable.

Lanadscapes and history were amazing!
Bikes great.
Staff extraodinary!!!
Food too plain.
Arie was great!!!
would like to plan another trip next year!

I can't think of the most memorable....having our own "home" for the week was wonderful. The captain and staff were superb and the chef was exceptional. Bike rides were great and the guides full of info and enthusiasm.

This trip exceeded our expectations. The crew were amazing, our guide Anita was the best! We met strangers who became friends. The scenery and rides were incredible. I would highly recommend.

The bike and boat trip on the Douro River was a very memorable experience. The bike rides were scenic through towns, natural areas, vineyards, and olive groves. Our guide Nuno was skilled, informative, and made the trip fun for all. The ship is modern, rooms are spacious, food was excellent, and the staff were helpful and friendly.

It was a great trip, even though we lost a day to the Danube flooding. It was fascinating to see how the officials dealt with trying to open up the pathway as quickly as possible. We would also like to say thank you to local ground folks for their willingness to assist in making changes for us so we could keep cycling.

This was our fifth bike and boat trip in Europe and was by far the best one yet! The captain Salvatore, first mate Angelo, and chef Vanessa are the boat owners, and took great pride in making this an unforgettable adventure. The Sundial is a very comfortable and clean boat, our room and private bath had lots of space for clothing, suitcases and all essentials. Bed and pillows comfortable. Air conditioning was kept on until midnight, so we kept windows open and fan on throughout the night so that it didn't get hot after AC was turned off (we went in mid/late September so the night temps were pleasant). There is good space on the boat for lounging after biking, either in sun or shade. Each day after biking the captain found a place to anchor so we could swim. The food was phenomenal, with a variety of seafood, pasta, cured meats, cheeses, breads, desserts, etc. There were always baskets of chocolates in the dining area for us to enjoy anytime. Bar was well stocked, and we enjoyed the Sicilian wines that were offered. Our biking tour guide, Vera, was exceptional, as her knowledge of the islands, flora, and myths was text book worthy. Each island has its own story, and one of the highlights was the night boat ride around Stromboli to view the erupting volcano -- natural fireworks! The biking was easily manageable with e bikes. We would suggest that your rent the e bike rather than regular bike, as the uphill climb will slow you down and thus slow down the entire group while they wait for you. You'll still get a good workout if you keep the the bike on OFF while biking normal terrain or ECO when climbing. Helmets and towels for swimming are provided, so you don't have to bring your own if luggage space is an issue. We wish this boat did other tours, because we would sign up immediately!

Riding along the Belgian and Netherland countrysides and stopping at the magnificent windmills were the highlights of the trip, but every ride and scene were fabulous! Acres of brilliantly colored flowers, sheep, cows, horses, vast pastures and canals were seemingly everywhere for our eyes to take in. And the instant friends we made, our wonderful guide Corrie and the support staff helped to make the trip seamless. Having e-bikes allowed us to simply glide along enjoying the incredible views.
Our previous bike and barge tour stopped at ports with vibrant evening walking tours which were lacking on this trip. And the food for us to make daily lunches never varied. But overall we had a wonderful experience that we recommend to all of our friends!

We didn't receive information soon enough about your recommendation to fly in and out of Frankfurt - our travel time was more difficult and longer than necessary. The information you sent was great but way too late to impact our travel.

We loved the trip and were only well prepared for weather because of information we received from someone who had done it this time of year before. Again more information sooner than a month before....

The views were spectacular! The people of Croatia were friendly, welcoming and accommodating. It was a most enjoyable trip.
Tips: pack water shoes and a light weight towel in your back pack while hiking to enjoy the many beaches!

We loved the culinary experiences..all were unique and different..the hotels were lovely and people were very helpful... we loved all 3 towns on the tour...the hiking and we did every inch of every trail was challenging and a large part of every hike was all up mountains which was a bit different from meandering the country side and doing rolling hills ...we found that some of the trails were washed out and footing was difficult ..suggesting they should be checked!

We really enjoyed the towns we visited and the diversity of the beautiful countryside.

The entire experience was flawless from pick up, transport to Meteora to the actual tour. The accommodations were beautiful and the staff was super friendly and helpful. The views on the bike ride cannot be described with words or pictures. Meteora is a MUST see!

Meteora was incredible! Tripsite made the execution of the trip flawless. We would highly recommend using them! The team was available for any and all questions from the initial inquiry all the way thru the end of the trip!

We had enjoyed a bike tour on the original QuoVadis 2 years ago and were amazed at the renovation to lengthen the ship into the Magnifique I. Our group had a fun week that was challenged with a variety of weather and the boat needing repair at Trier. Our guides, the captain, chef and staff were very creative to make sure, even though we were quite off schedule we still had our daily cycle and experiences and then some. The bicycles were new and easy to ride.

It was a family reunion with friends whom most have never been on a bike & barge trip…ever! It was fun, exciting, adventurous and EPIC. If you are curious about a bike and barge trip, take the leap and do it. You may see something, meet someone or reinvent yourself that changes your life.

The riding and sights we saw as we rode. Our tour guides we awesome and the boat staff were too.
The food was first class and the new friends unforgettable.

We have 1 complaint. The room and storage were insufficient. It looks like they designed the renovation on looks alone and not practicality.

Unfortunately, we did not travel far because of flooding although our cruise director tried to give us new options. The one thing you should do is maintain the bikes better. The chains were rusted and the tires very low. Some of the gears did not work. The food was fantastic.

Srdan was a great guide. He grew up in Split and had spent a lot of time on the islands visiting grandparents. So he knew all the spots we visited very well. The ride on Korcula was the hardest, but the most spectacular. The sweeping coastal views were great. The rides were very doable with e-bikes, but certainly more challenging if not using an e-bike. Expect a lot of hills, some of which are long and steep. The typical route is up and over to the other side vs. around the exterior of the island. Chances to swim in the Adriatic sea were also great. Croatia doesn't tend to have sandy beaches, but the water is very clean and clear. Beautiful.

We did miss one of the rides on Hvar, due to a weather issue, but were able to do the afternoon ride on the other side of the island. With our guide's knowledge of the islands, he was able to add an extra ride on Brac for us.

Our cabin was above the water line which allowed better airing and easy drying of biking gear on the lines outside. Cabins are small but efficient. Breakfasts were typical European breakfasts and excellent. Would have preferred the ability to make a packed lunch (like we did on the Moselle River trip). Some of our lunches were supplied (instead of dinner) but were dinner sized. A bit too heavy for me, but that might be a Canadian thing. Usually I have a lighter lunch and a bigger dinner. One suggestion, for the operators, would be to add a coffee and tea machine as a complimentary feature. Warm water does not make great tea. Overall this was an excellent trip and I'd recommend it.

We had never been on a bike and barge tour like this, and we LOVED it. Istria is simply an amazing place to start with, made even better by the well-appointed boat and the hospitality of our guides, crew, and fellow travelers. It was a perfect mix of relaxing cruising on the boat, the activity and camaraderie of the bike tours, guided city tours, and exploring the history and towns of Croatia on our own. One unexpected and delightful part of the tour was the food served on the boat. Mario, our chef, created magic in his small galley. People were literally cheering and chanting like they would for a rock star when he came out of the kitchen. The rest of the crew were amazing in their own ways: fun, attentive, interesting, approachable, and excellent at their work. I would advise people to choose the e-bikes for this tour and to be comfortable riding in groups, in some traffic, and on some dirt/rocks/gravel. The guides were great at preparing us for the rides, but some of the sections were difficult for someone who may not be a confident bike rider. More "moderate" than "easy". With that, the experience exceeded our expectations, and I highly recommend it!

Simply put, this bike barge trip was outstanding in so many ways. The cycling was at the perfect pace thanks to the excellent leadership of our two guides, Alv and Anja. The serving and support staff were very attentive. The new bikes were in tip-top shape. The cabin on the Manifique 1 was smaller than our last bike barge, but it had everything we needed, was spotless and was made-up for us when we returned from our ride each day. Our breakfasts offered many choices, the opportunity to pack our own lunches allowed us variety each day and our chef provided gourmet dinners each evening. Our captain Patrick pitched in to help out staff as needed. Our fellow cyclists from three different countries enjoyed themselves and we enjoyed their company. Cycling through Germany, Luxembourg and France was an unforgettable experience.

The most brilliant part of the trip was the cycling of course! Flying along the wonderful cycle paths; getting lost, getting back on track again, enjoying the scenery of fields and windmills and people's beautiful gardens; finding the boat at the end of the day after an exhilarating ride and then really enjoying the sense of achievement at successfully completing a journey. I also just loved the boat (so comfy) and the crew (excellent) and the tasty plentiful food. I should add that the other passengers from all around the world were really nice and we had shared values - positive, energetic intelligent people - so I felt amongst friends. It was definitely one of the best holidays I've ever had and I shall do it again.
Top Tip. Buy padded cycling shorts!!!
And if you're not a practising cyclist hire an e-bike.

We signed up for the self-guided 8-day hiking tour on Sao Miguel Island, Portugal. The itinerary was well planned with accommodations in two different hotels, the Octant Hotels in Furnas and another hotel in Ponta Delgada. The Octant Hotel had great breakfast buffets to start the day and thermal pools at the end of our hiking days. Each of the 5 hikes were different and provided a challenge with their ascents and descents as well as opportunity to marvel at the landscapes. It was well planned to have a whale/dolphin watching excursion mid-week to give the body a break in hiking days. We appreciated the Ride with GPS app that was pre-populated with the hiking routes along with extra information about what to expect and see along the route. The Trip Plan app also provided good information, which we used throughout the trip. Tripsite representatives were quick to respond to our questions. It was a fabulous hiking adventure and would definitely recommend it.

The staff—Marco, Dick, Jenn, and Catalina—were wonderful, professional, knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly! The trip through the French countryside was awesome! The Clair de Lune Barge was comfortable, and clean! The food was delicious! It was a marvelous journey!

All the hikes were fantastic. The transfers were made easy and dependable. The accommodations were great. Tripsite's attention to details made our trip very enjoyable.