Europe Tour Reviews — 1141 to 1170 of 6872

The route was amazing and the guides were great. The food was average at best. Folks were assigned a table for dinner. Despite that, the waiters still had to ask everyone whether they had ordered the fish or the chicken. Folks should have been able to sit with whomever they wanted to. Being stuck with someone who was a pompous ass for a week is ridiculous when the waiters can't even get who ordered what correct anyway.

Cycling in Lido and Pellistrina was fantastic. The cycling guides were all over the place. The boat went to Murano to see a glass blowing factory. We were told to be back at 4:45. We returned at 4:40 and the boat had already removed the gangway and was preparing to sail. We communicated with tripsite that we wanted a room with a window that opened that we could escape from if necessary. The window was less than 12" wide when opened. Clearly not was advertised. The guides frequently stopped after just a few minutes to talk about some unimportant building that wasn't even on the Ride with GPS app. The itinerary says you spend two nights in Venice. The boat is not in Venice. You have to take a Vaparetto to get to Venice. It is close but it is not Venice. That is false advertising. The espresso / cappucino machine had sour milk in it every morning. We had to buy our own Vaporetto passes even though the boat knew everyone would need them. This is ridiculous when you pay $5,000 for a trip. The whole crew had made arrangements with a group of Italian passengers to take them on a bike ride near Venice but didn't give anyone else the option of going. They also didn't tell anyone. The itinerary says you can get on the boat at 11:00 but the boat was gone to support the last bike ride. So folks who went to Venice had to stay out in the heat for over 4 hours.

What a wonderful adventure! The barge was lovely. It was so nice after a day of riding to sip on a tasty adult beverage and watch the world go by. You could tell the staff really enjoyed working with each other and their joy and sense of fun was contagious. Our meals were varied, filling and done with attention to detail. Thank you Inma for the recipe of one dish! The walks into town lead by our bike guide were very informative and gave you a real taste for the life. The biking was not difficult (especially with an e-bike) and the terrain was amazing. The landscape of the Netherlands was so peaceful. I especially loved cruising thru the small villages. I look forward to doing another Bike and Barge trip with Tripsite and Cycle Tours soon. What a great active, but not too active vacation.

Tips: No need to bring your own helmet. Bring an Allen wrench for small adjustments for your bike to customize it to your ride. I brought my own padded seat cover and was happy to have it but with padded bike shorts others did just fine. Bring patience. There were a few things out of the companies control such as weather and broken bridges. Roll with it. Pack lightly. Pulling a heavy suitcase over the cobblestone streets is challenging. In Bruges, there is a free electric van that will take you into the town near many popular hotels and then take you from your hotel to the train station for free.

We saw so much if Holland, every day was such a great adventure. We had ebikes and would recommend them to people even if they bike regularly.

Experiencing the great scenery, this was our very first trip to Europe. Loved it our ship, crew, guides were all first class.

I forgot to mention in my earlier review that there was a miscommunication re where to pick up our bikes in Lubeck. The hotel rep at Jahreszeiten, and the notice she handed us with our documents, stated that we needed to go to the Radisson Blu to pick up our bikes. (Tripsite booked us at a hotel outside the Alstadt.) After much back and forth with the Radisson reception and our local tour rep, we discovered that our bikes were not at the Radisson but were waiting for us at our hotel. This error cost us time and cab money, as well as an hour of anxiety at 10pm at night as we tried to figure out where our bikes were.
Nonetheless, we'd like to thank the local rep and the transporter who delivered our bags from hotel to hotel.

Meals were great
Barge was perfectly updated
Tours were so-so

The trip was well designed . The hotels and Pensions were clean and comfortable . I enjoyed the experience , thank you .
Regards ,

We loved most of the locations, esp. Lubeck, Wismar, Zingst. Rerik, which was swapped out for the destination promoted on your website (Kuhlungsborn), was a nice alternative, small and relaxing.
On Day 4, we would have liked to stay in Warnemunde, but were lodged in a large, noisy, ugly youth hostel/low income -type place in Rostock had a long line at check-in and was a 20-minute walk to the nearest Sban station. The room wasn't bad; however the location, building, and breakfast did not meet our expectations. (The staff at Reception was nice.)
We chose Level 1 accommodations because we wanted quaint, quiet BandB type places - not big chains - in lovely locations.
Also missable is Ribnitz. We had a nice seafood dinner at the port, but otherwise not much of interest here. And the town had a strange vibe -
I would recommend an alternative that skips Ribnitz and includes Binz, a lovely seaside resort town on Rugen.
The bikes were solid even on cobblestones and dirt roads but a bit heavy, esp. on the many hills between Lubeck and Wismar.
Overall we had lovely rides and enjoyed our route very much.

What a wonderful experience. The operating people were the best. Merete was our guide, her husband Yngvar was the bike technician and luggage and bike van driver, and Geir was the assistant guide. All three were not only competent at their assignments but were three of the nicest people you could ever meet. The fact that Merete and Yngvar own the company contributed to the efficiency and real desire to deliver a great product. The scenery was magnificent. Food and accommodations were very good The other riders melded into a convivial group which made each day one to remember.
The ride is rated easy to moderate. I think that is fair. However there are a couple of climbs that a less experienced cyclist might want to consider using the optional e-bikes available for the tour.
I would rate the trip 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ +++

We loved the small ancient towns on the route. Walls and moats make for a most interesting experience. Ingrid was exceptional. We learned a ton about the country every time we were able to spend time with her.

While to bike, the GPS app, and the lodgings were all good, this trip had problems. First, I was routed to the wrong city/hotel on the first day. My trip itinerary and my GPS instructions put me in the wrong city so I had to ride additional miles to get to where my luggage was located. Very poor but doable. My main complaint is about the lack of communication from the local on the ground operator. My bike, while good, had an issue with the seat slowing lowering so every 30 minutes or so I would have to raise it back up. I called the company and was told someone would call me back, they didn't. I called again and was told that they would contact someone to come and look at the bike and that they would call back in a couple of minutes, they didn't. I called again and received the same response and the same result of not calling back. They are open until 8pm so at 7:45pm I called yet again and this time there was no answer and no way to leave a message. They did call back the next day and send me a list of bike shops in my next city. I was told to have the repair made, send them the receipt, and I would be reimbursed they were vague on how I was going to be reimbursed. I decided to stay with readjusting my seat every 30 minutes because I lost all confidence in them.

I will say that Rebecca from TripSite was excellent. I called her after the no answer phone call. She followed up with me later that day as well as the next day and patiently listened to my story. Thanks Rebecca!

O que mais gostei foi passar pelas cidades pitorescas e lindas do trajeto, ver o mar e a natureza singular dessa região. A manutenção das bikes deixou muito a desejar, por duas vezes tivemos que parar e buscar apoio para conserto, o que também ficou por nossa conta apesar de utilizarmos os telefones de apoio. Já tive outras duas experiências com a tripsite e as bikes eram ótimas, o que não posso dizer dessa vez.

The beauty of the cycling route and the relaxed yet active daily schedule

Beautiful countryside, fantastic views and nearly all the route was on cycle paths...recommend extra night in Augsburg at the end of the holiday.

This trip is for experienced ebike riders only. I rode with sone ebike newbies and they fought with finding the right combination of fearing and power. Low cadence with turbo power doesnt work. They newer ebike riders think it will

The best part of the trip was the cycle portion through Austria’s Wachau Valley winery district. Truly picturesque!
Advice: Bring a Tupperware type container to pack your lunch. The boat provides a small sandwich and fruit but if you prefer to eat something else or just more than the sandwich, you need to have a container for it. We started packing the hard boiled eggs, and fruit in our bike bags but a container would have made it much easier. There are not very many opportunities to eat lunch at a restaurant while you are cycling, but plenty of gorgeous places to have a picnic. A travel picnic set with a cutting board, an a knife and fork would come in very handy.
We signed up for all the bus/walking tours to give our saddles a break. They were all great but the bus tour in Budapest we could have passed on because the boat docks right in the center of all the tourist spots so it was just as easy to navigate touring there on your own. Friends we met on the boat did the bike tour there and said it was great but I couldn’t face getting on the bike again that day:). Vienna is harder to get around so unless you feel pretty adventurous, I recommend the tour. We also did the trip to the concert and it was gorgeous- well worth it!
The e-bikes were awesome, and very comfortable. We bought gel seat covers and brought them with us which I think helped a lot. Unless you are a seasoned cyclist, it’s a lot of time on the bike and the tush gets tired.
Overall an amazing trip, the staff was fun and helpful. Our tour director was a substitute for the regular person and he was good but cranky. The regular tour director had awesome reviews so I think we just happened to get an off week!
I highly recommend this tour and now am ready to do another bike and boat in a different location!

Gillelege harbor was a true delight. Beautiful setting and lovely shops.

Outstanding trip. Great communication during planning. All accommodations were excellent to amazing quality. The support and transfers during our bike trip was super. I strongly recommend this trip!

What a wonderful trip!! It was easy to navigate. The route was not very difficult, but active enough to feel like you've earned your sangria at the end of the day :) Lots to do and see along the routes: beaches, museums, ruins, vineyards. Amazing food. Dips in the Mediterranean post cycle. It was everything we wanted. Girona was particularly special. We did give ourselves 3 days to enjoy the city before the trip started and I would recommend that. The food and architecture and history of the old city was a joy to explore. Also, make sure to book tickets for the Dali Theatre and Museum in Figueres at the end of the trip.

The Bruges to Amsterdam Barge and Bike tour was simply wonderful! Every detail was attended to. The cabins were beautiful, the food was gourmet, the staff was delightful and attentive. We were surprised by all the extras like walking tours, special drinks and snacks before dinner, and an education on Belgian beers. We loved every minute of it!

The Magnifique II is a beautiful boat and worthy of its Luxury designation. Our chef, Andreas, prepared incredible meals each night and each meal was better than the night before. The service staff, Violet, and Ruvie-Ann were attentive, caring, and professional. Our bike guides, Roseanne and Hester each took care to ensure we had a wonderful experience. My husband and I loved every minute.

Overall, the cycling days of the trip were "outstanding" and the cycling leaders along with the remaining staff (ALL) were great!! Many details were provided regarding each day's trip and any facts/information related to a specific area during designated stops. Regarding the meals, I really enjoyed the dinner entrees, interesting food combinations! Breakfast variety was great, and each of us made bag lunches with the choices, which made for a simple and convenient selection. I highly recommend the Magnifique IV - MUCH fun!!

Suggestion: It might be beneficial to increase the selection of plant based or vegan meal options to better accommodate these passengers.

We are looking forward to planning and participating in another boat/barge trip in two years!! Thank you for making this trip fun and exciting!

It was all amazing. We especially enjoyed biking through the vineyards.

Cycling through the dutch countryside.
The guide/support crew.
The personal relationships developed between the passengers (that are continuing through social media)

The food and service on our boat were A1. Our tour guides were super helpful and went above and beyond!

The bike ride through towns and the countryside was fabulous. Dont need to be in super fit shape but helps to wear padded bike shorts or bring a padded seat cover.

The barge accommodations are luxurious and food was excellant.

Visiting Saarburg and Treier. Eating delicious food. Being on board with a great group of people. And the crew who helped us. Riding through the different towns and being able to see life from their view.