4 Star Europe Tour Reviews — 61 to 90 of 1188

Overall I think this is a very good trip. The landscape was beautiful and all the towns were charming. The terrain, for the most part, was easy to navigate. This was my first bike trip. I am not actually a true bike rider. If not for this trip I would probably ride 20 miles a year. I looked at doing something like this last year in order to see more of the world. And overall I was glad I did it. A great experience. I was supposed to do this trip with a friend but he was unable to do it due a family emergency. So, I was left to do it alone, without any guides. There was however a group of eight riders who were traveling with another tour company and riding virtually the same route as I, so there was some group connection between us. The terrain didn’t represent too much of a challenge for me (I didn’t have an E-bike) but on Leg 3 I decided to take the train from Rorschach to St Gallen. This ultimately proved to be a very wise decision, as the terrain would have been too steep for me to climb. Regarding the hotels- Tripsite did a great job of hotel selection. I travelled alone so the beds were very comfortable for me. Not sure if you’d be very comfortable with two in the room. I say this because most, if not all, of the hotels had no air conditioning. I travelled in mid June and the temperatures were unusually warm. So, the hotel rooms were typically warmer than I’m used to. The breakfasts were outstanding. My bags were always at the hotel when I arrived. Three issues I had to contend with- 1. Upon arrival in Überlingen there was no taxi stand. I was unable to load the Uber App because I was using the Airalo E-sim card on my phone. So, I wound up taking a bus to drop me close to the hotel. This added about an hour and a half to my travel to Überlingen. 2. The hotel had my reservation but it hadn’t been paid. I had to call the emergency number for Tripsite to get this sorted out. 3. The staff at the hotel were unaware that my bike had been delivered to the hotel. On the morning of Day 1 the folks at the local partner had to intercede with the bike rental company to determine that the bike was indeed delivered to the hotel the previous night (nobody at the hotel knew this).
I ultimately navigated with Apple Maps, which routed me through the towns as opposed to the RidewithGPS app which would have navigated me through fields and forests. That worked out well for me. So, ultimately, I would recommend this trip to anyone wanting to experience the charm of Swiss/German/Austrian culture.

Beautiful countryside and amazing rides. The onsite tour support was above anything we could have asked for, fast responses, and help with taxis and trains.

This was the guided version. I thought, overall, it was a great trip and I would recommend it. The countryside we cycled through was interesting and we were mainly on paved, secondary lanes/roads - so very quiet, for the most part. The towns we stayed in were very picturesque and the accommodation were wonderful (with one exception in Alberobello, however, it was fine, just not up to the standards of the others). The meals were wonderful - exceptional local fare. Highlights: the meal at an Agriturismo, along with a mozzarella and burrata making demonstration; visiting a local olive oil operation, swimming in the Ionian Sea; Masseria Bosco with it's lovely pool, accommodation and Aperol Spritz. The one thing that made the trip challenging was the weather - 33 to 36 degrees. I highly recommend an e-bike and the guided version. The guide offered a great deal of information about what we were seeing and the history of the area.

rain otherwise ok.
cabin is n the boat . even after several requests the AC was not fixed . it was very uncomfortable. I was actually berated that I opened the sliding doors in order to try to get some cooler air inside. in retrospect I should have taken my pillow and sleep in the lobby.

We had a wonderful week on the Panagiota it was a great experience on a more traditional boat. The guides and crew went above and beyond making sure everything ran smoothly. The bikes were great we opted for electric as there's many hills/mountains. We were blessed with beautiful weather and the island stops and swimming off the boat were magic and we wouldn't hesitate in doing a similar trip.

Great first experience with a bike and barge tour. Excellent guides and barge crew. Biking distances and terrain was very manageable on e-bikes, even for those with only moderate biking experience. Personally I would have preferred a self guided tour, but now I know for our next trip.

Everything was perfect, the app great. I took the luxury package, but the hotels were not really luxury. I thought they all were going to be like Hotel Le Clos D’Amboise, like small beautiful hotels. At least you should change hotel Mercure from Blois.

But I think we are going to repeat the experience. Thanks

Hotel accommodations excellent. Total trip of 268 km easily done in 5 days with Ebikes (we are in our early 80's). Bikes are of excellent quality, and on-the-way charging and overnight storage well organized. Perhaps a bit more road biking than expected.
Unfortunately we rode in rain 4 of the 5 days. That dampened enjoyment considerably.

The boat itself and the sailing day is most memorable. The crew created a participating atmosphere. Chef Alex spoiled us with wonderful meals. Bike Guides Frans and Jens gave us, despite the pelting rain, fun interesting tours.

Most memorable were the amazing rides through the countryside in the sunshine. Assistance from the cycling crew was amazing!

Disappointed to hear that participants who chose to remain on the boat were restricted to only certain areas.

Would have liked more snacks and drinks post cycling.

The trip was exactly as promised and more. The chosen bike routes were very scenic, appropriate distances and gave us a great flavour of Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. The bikes were good quality and in excellent shape - top marks. The food was outstanding! Lots of food choices, special menus to highlight local foods and top quality ingredients. The Primadonna is a gorgeous boat, and our room was just as lovely as the advertising showed. One special highlight was using the boat to do a night tour of Budapest - the most beautiful city I have ever seen.

Most people on the trip were German, with a mixture of Dutch, French. There were only a few Americans and Canadians. The boat staff were mostly Serbian. That meant that there were inevitable language issues. For example, we paid 100 Euros to do a night bus tour of Vienna in English. But some German, Duthc and French travellers ended up on the bus too, so our tour guide ended up having to repeat all tour instructions in 4 languages, which was frustrating and inefficient. In the same vein, every evening we had briefings on the following days cycling trip. Our Serbian hotel manager did his best, but the information was often confusing, and the maps provided by Danau Tours were pretty average. This led to a number of wrong turns and navigation mix ups over the week.

In North America, we are used to having water provided free of charge when dining. So it felt cheap that we were asked to pay 7 Euros for a bottle of water at meals. Considering the cost of the trip, that didn't sit right. To be fair, we traveled around Europe after the trip, and we never encountered free water in restaurants, so it appears that is a European norm.

Lastly, although it is called a 4-country tour, you only cycle in 3 countries: Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. The only time you set foot in Germany is in Passau at the start and end of the week. So if you want to tour Germany, plan in time before or after the trip.

The people were wonderful - warm, welcoming and knowledgeable. The countryside was beautiful and historic. The room was clean and comfortable. All in all, it was a great experience.

Trip was great overall. De Holland was also very good, rooms, etc., were very good. Food was ok. On board staff seemed a bit rigid & could have been a bit more flexible. Tour guides were very good though there could have been at least one or two more guides for the number of people riding. Boat crew were very good. Overall, a great trip & would do it again & recommend it to others.

The maps and the app were very effective and helpful.
I was grateful there were people available when we needed help on the phone.
The locations to ck on bikes weren’t always open with people which made adjusting noises and seats more troublesome. One of the bikes seats wouldn’t hold up the position which made it difficult for the rider.
Schlogen was beautiful and peaceful.
I wish we had gotten there earlier to spend more time in that peaceful location.
I think it would be helpful for people to know the places they are visiting with must see sites and options for restaurants and when to allow more time for visits in the specific towns.

Hotels were good, but the one in Adragger had no hot shower and the electrical outlets didn’t work properly for charging.
The roads were clean and paved and made the riding extremely enjoyable.
Overall a beautiful journey.

We had such a great time on our trip & thank Leslie for his leadership & organization to make it fantastic! We had a junior suite as we booked early & it was perfect! The food was very good, the ship very clean and all the staff were friendly & helpful.

The only 2 suggestions would be:
1 - the bike app needs to be upgraded or tweeked as people were having trouble downloading & our phones were dying to quick using the app. Also, everyone should get one for free.

2- please put water bottle holders on the bikes! I drink a lot of water & find it hard to put in blue holder & the water kept leaking (on my phone!)
Also, a nice touch would be souvenir water bottles from the boat owners :)

All in all, a super trip! Thank you

What an amazing trip . We lucked out with beautiful sunny, weather and two good friends as cycling mates. We thoroughly enjoyed cycling from Amsterdam to Bruges The guibo app along with paper information/maps and route numbers helped us successful stay in course. The distance travelled each day was doable and allowed us with time to enjoy leisurely lunches, explore churches/historical buildings and local markets.( great tips in info / map booklet provided) We even dipped our toes in the north sea at two of the sandy beaches,The category A hotel choices were great and centrally located in cities/ towns,. We especially enjoyed the historical hotels -Hotel Mondragòn and Hotel Mauritz . Kudus to the chef at hotel, Mauritz where we enjoyed the best rack of lamb ever.Although we only met three additional cyclists from the Dutch bike company, we had many opportunities to meet other travellers and locals who thoroughly enhanced our experience. Ending at the Velotel in Bruges also gave us the opportunity to meet other cyclists and learn about their trips and travels. We’re ready for our next cycling adventure . Thank you very much.

It was a great way to see a lot of the country in a short period of time, without feeling stressed by schedules. Marcel was particularly excellent as a tour guide and information resource. The crew was friendly and accommodating. The food was good enough- I didn't expect 5-star meals , but there was lots of it, and most meals were quite tasty. The Hanseatic League map was great, and coupled with the Ride with GPS app, I never felt concerned that I was lost or stranded in a foreign country. The length of rides was appropriate, and when my bike began to squeak mid-trip, a new bike was immediately provided.

There was some construction on the route. Got help from local cyclists to avoid the worst of it.
We had a great time!!!

The scenery. The culture. The guest connections and the helpful guides, not to mention a few amazing dinners.

The French Riviera is very beautiful and the weather is great!!
I loved my hotel in Hyeres. The Pontiere is amazing- a beautiful location

The night cruise around the city of Budapest with everything lit up was glorious.

Our tours in Budapest on the bus was with an exceptional tour leader. She brought the city alive with all the history and beautiful locations we visited. Very passionate about her city. The walking tour in Bratislava was Wonderful. Daca gave a well thought out tour of the city center-absolutely the best.
Our biggest issue was the language, even when bike tours were explained in English we did not always understand certain words.

Our waiter Uros, gave us exemplary service. Very professional, friendly, helpful. Always looking out for us
All crew members were top notch

Great trip overall. Especially enjoyed fellow travelers , guides and crew. Some areas fir improvement : good nothing to write home about. Fresher food is suggested. Guide and captain pivoted well when weather changed but had hoped for more off boat swimming versus in harbor hanging out. Bikes very well maintained. We asked about helmets but did not get clear answer do brought our own - a pain. Boat was great.

The trip was great. The boat - the last time to be used for this trip - was nice except no A/C. The crew were so friendly - the food was good especially the last night's dinner. The bike guide was such a nice guy, very experienced but he did to provide good safety briefings or information about each day's activities. There was a lot of down time and he spent time sitting in cafes instead of showing us the small villages and towns.

This was a fun and memorable tour with enough options to keep even fast cyclists (which my wife and I aren't) engaged and occupied beyond the daily pedal. And the Ride with GPS app supplied by the agency, with all the rides preloaded, removed the worry and stress of missing turns and taking wrong forks, with detailed instructions and maps serving as a backup. There was a bit of confusion about the dinner vouchers - we at first assumed, wrongly, that they covered drinks. Also, when one restaurant we had vouchers for us in Dresden turned out to be closed for renovations, we were told to walk thirty minutes to an affiliate restaurant - that refused to honor the vouchers. Despite this miscommunication, all ended well when the agency gave us new vouchers for our last dinner in Prague, which was as not in our contract. I would ride with this tour operator again for their prompt and courteous service, as well as for their outstanding planning and execution.

This was a good tour, however slightly misleading in description. It was rated easy but for some reason, most people rented ebikes, so the tour guides ran it at a fast pace as if ebikes were expected on the first couple of days. Thankfully after a couple of days they divided the bikers into a fast/slower group for those of us on regular bikes. After that, we had a great time. The boat staff was very friendly and went above and beyond to serve us at the bar, meals, cleaning rooms, etc. Sadly we ran into a few issues with the boat itself (A/C did not work 2 days, plumbing issues one day). The staff worked to correct these issues as soon as they could but it was very difficult to sleep in the hot cabins 2 nights. The beds were fairly comfortable and the dining room was very nice, although sweltering during dinner with no A/C in that area every night. The chef Chris, tried hard, but had a few, not so successful meals. He should probably simplify his meals so that service could speed up between courses - sometimes as long as 30 minutes between courses. I watched as many guest did not like the "fancy" meals including the crawfish or the raw meat appetizers. A salad might have been a better choice to appeal to more guests.

It was a wonderful trip but we didn’t travel very far and we seemed to rush through some towns for no reason and then just be on the boat for a long time docked somewhere. The whole crew was wonderful but the schedule didn’t make much sense to me.

Beautiful cycling routes.
Excellent tour guides as shown when one of the woman had a bad fall when cycling . This was handled so well as she had to be taken to hospital.
One could put all trust in the tour guides knowing that we were well looked after.
My previous Barge/Bike tours were on smaller barges which I do prefer.
Fluvius twice as big. Fully booked so always standing in queus for breakfast etc.

I thought the guides and crew did an excellent job. The rooms were comfortable and the biking portion was excellent the food was great and everything was very accommodating. The only reason I gave it less than 5 stars was that the booking process and status updates were a bit more confusing than what we are used to. We should have been able to log in to check our account status and to check the details of the trip. The final documents were only provided a month before the trip and well after the final payment had been made. It added to the confusion prior to the excursion and also made us uneasy about whether the trip would be pleasurable. Work on developing a better website with better interaction.

Enjoyed the pace of riding through the tulip fields. Also liked the two guides we had on this trip.

This was a challenging ride, not because of the hills or the ponds we had to get through but because of the rutted sand, rock and gravel surfaces we biked on. I suppose it might be easy mountain biking , but not easy biking. Memorable though and great guides.