Europe Tour Reviews — 91 to 120 of 7630

The dynamics of the trip were significantly impacted by the inclusion of a family with 5 children and high winds which necessitated the change in our itinerary. Although the family was nice and friendly, 3 teenagers and 2 near teenagers who were familiar with each other were a force on the boat and during our rides. I was mindful of having them riding behind me which was uncomfortable when they rode too close and were jamming on their brakes for fun behind me. Their young sensibilities gave them no awareness that this was not appropriate. Their parents did their best to monitor their riding of course. My remedy was to ride at the back of the group. A boring trip to a cultural centre was not a satisfactory substitution for a bike ride. I am not sure why we did not have a ride around the area of the port on the days we were back in Athens early. I had already visited Athens so the bike ride in busy tourist area in Athens was not welcomed. One of our party had a fall from her bike when she encountered a large group of walkers near the Olympic arena. Bottom line we wanted to go on a bike ride not sight seeing. The food was delicious. The staff were lovely. Our guide was a delight. The captain made us feel like we were in good hands in light of the high winds.

I loved riding through the countryside. I also appreciated the bike paths and few cars.

We loved going through the small villages that were off the beaten path and meeting the locals
We had a great guide - Ale - who was there to guide us in the right direction and provide snacks and drinks along the way

This is my third self-guided cycling tour in Europe.

Cycling Puglia – The Heel of Italy: A Mixed Experience

I was thrilled about this cycling tour of the Heel of Italy after seeing the beautiful pictures and descriptions from the cycling agency. However, my expectations were a bit too high, and the experience had its ups and downs.

Accommodation: We were told our accommodations had been upgraded. Two of the properties, Putignano and Ostuni, were four-star establishments in terms of comfort, location, service, and food. Atrevana was equally comfortable, though the location was a bit of a challenge to reach. The scenery was spectacular, and the service was amazing, but the quality and quantity of meals served deserved only three stars. Monopoli accommodations got two stars because of limited space and a sketchy staircase to the downstairs bathroom with a rope handrail. On the positive side, all the accommodations, except Atrevana, were conveniently located near town centres, attractions, restaurants, and other amenities, making exploring the area easy and enjoyable.

Cycling Routes and Scenery: The cycling routes were quite challenging, especially since many of the paved roads were old and damaged, making for an uneven and sometimes uncomfortable ride. I had hoped to enjoy more of Puglia’s stunning coastline, as shown on the website, but unfortunately, most days took us inland. The olive groves were beautiful and impressive, with ancient olive trees that were truly spectacular. Their age, character, and history were remarkable, and I appreciated their significance to the region. However, after three or four days of cycling through olive groves, the scenery started to feel repetitive. I would have loved more variety, especially more opportunities to cycle along the coast and enjoy the beautiful Adriatic landscape.

One of the trip’s highlights was Sophie’s exceptional service. She promptly answered our questions and consistently helped throughout the process, making her a pleasure to work with.

While there were certainly memorable moments, the tour didn’t quite meet my expectations. More comfortable and consistently maintained accommodations, a wider variety of cycling routes, and particularly scenic coastal views could greatly enhance the experience.

The remote towns and villages. I would recommend better rider navigational aids including written routes with distances and/or gps compatible files.

Tour was changed to Auvers to Moret thru Paris due to low water levels. The crew adapted to the change well and represented Paris nicely. The ride routes could have been better planned, but not bad for the unexpected change. We had a great time and loved the rides between dockings.

A fabulous trip. So educational. Learned so much about the history of Eastern Europe and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Bikes were good. Guide was great - as support for bikes as well as a historical guide. Wonderful group with Hennie. Loved it all.

The scenery,day 3,4,5 6 was the highlight. The communication via WhatsApp setup by the company,was very helpful and the response time was quick.

It took some effort on my part to persist in getting the advertised hotel at Bad Schandau rather than what was initially given at a different ,less ideal town and location. I'm glad I persisted, as Bad Schandau was clearly the better choice.

Seeing and riding through there countrysides. Meeting other fun people. Having a great birthday celebration fort someone in our group.
The amount of information provided to us could have been better.

What incredible scenery! From the windmills, through charming small villages and beautiful farmland, this ride had a little bit of everything! Don't forget to stop at the strawberry vending machines - these were some of the best strawberries we ever had! The ice cream vending machine at the dairy was pretty terrific, as well. The ride was pretty flat as expected. We used E bikes, which helped when it became a bit windy.

The wine tasting experience was quite special and helpful in understanding the viniculture of the region. The 850’ climb was a challenge but very memorable in terms of the amazing views of the valley.

The food & service onboard were excellent, and the guides were helpful and attentive.

We were unable to do the Rhine portion of the trip due to low flows but it certainly wasn't missed. The trip along the Mosel was fabulous with its beautiful villages, castles, steep-slope vineyards, wineries, beer gardens and churches. The staff manning the boat were truly outstanding! The evening meals were above and beyond anything we typically eat (think high class restaurant) and even the morning meals were great. This was our second bike and barge trip, the first was along the Danube but I loved them equally as much. The bicycle riding routes took us through beautiful country. We used non-electric bikes but electric bikes might be recommended if you chose to go up to the castles located in the hills.

How personal the staff and crew were.
Where quick to respond to any questions and enjoyed their jobs. Which made my experience enjoyable.

The destination cities were very memorable as well as the ancient olive trees. The seashore was lovely. The wine tasting couple were delightful.

We really liked out time in Rovinj. We liked having time to swim there and the lovely walking tour.

Another highlight was the walking tour in Pula where we got up close to the Amphitheater and ancient walls.

A third highlight was when we stopped to investigate the 1970's hotel owned by Penthouse Magazine owner. We really enjoyed the graffiti and chance to explore on our own. I could have spent more time.

A great experience, the ship & ship staff were top notch and the guides were excellent.

The scenery, the staff on our four masted ship, the food was all top notch.

So enjoyed the biking. The scenery was great. Lived having the sauna and hit tub oprion after biking. The stafff responsible for bikes readiness did wonderful job

The trip was great, we really enjoyed the freedom of biking during the day and the amazing signage for the trail. The boat accommodations could improve. It is clean and new but the beds could be as one and the comforters and pillows a better quality. A coffee maker in the room would also be a great addition as there is no where to go if you rise before 6:30. It would be nice to have cushions or proper sitting on the balcony. Lunch was supposed to to be prepared but it was a scramble to get food before it was all gone. The bikes were great and in perfect condition

The scenery was amazing especially the last 2 days. Really enjoyed visiting the small towns along the coast.

The tour gide (Filipe) was really nice and did an excellent job! However on the day of the meeting in Porto (day 1) there was a miscommunication with the TripSite local partner as they informed the riders that they will meet us at the Trindade hotel lobby but then they were actually waiting at the cycle shop. Luckily I contacted them after 30min and then we had to take a walk to the bicycle shop.

Also a pity that our tour guide had to leave the group on 2 evenings to collect bicyles from other clients and return it to Porto to the TripSite local partner. One would think that he would be available to help us with translations in the restaurant during dinner settings. The guide in the vehicle was really hungry. We had to make long lunch stops - 2 hours on the one day! He always have full meals whereas we preferred light and quick meals. This guy (Ivo) also helped himself with bread when the waiter served it - before any of the riders who are clients could have bread. Really not well mannered.
We would have preferred to arrive early in the small towns to have time to walk a bit in the town for sight seeing but due to long lunch stops we did not have time at at least 2 small towns. It only improved after we all complaint. A pity.

Other than this all was good. Thank you for a memorable trip.

The biking was great. I enjoyed the biking. The routes were good and the scenery phenomenal!

We loved the farm experience- Teresa and her staff were wonderful. Excellent meal preparations, especially by Dina. It was comfortable, cozy...dogs, pool, car museum- all added to the charm.
Routes were comfortable, and ebikes were very helpful. I would modify, give more instructions or add a hand-held map to make the directions easier to follow.
I would highly recommend this trip!

Excellent guides and staff - they all worked together well.
Meals were exceptional

The itinerary route and stopping off points (hotel locations) were mostly very enjoyable, and the distances between stops were very manageable with the E-bikes (I think manual bikes would be challenging for most people in their mid/late 60s). For some of the destinations, we would have welcomed the opportunity to book an additional night to give more time for walking around, sightseeing, and catching a meal not too late in the day.

Attaching several additional nights at both ends of our tour worked out very well, and we were very grateful to our tour agent, Sophie, for working patiently with us to make this possible (our bike tour was ‘sandwiched’ in between an additional week staying elsewhere in each of Belgium & Germany).

In general, our E-bikes worked out well—they were comfortable, and the batteries never came close to running out. However, occasionally they would fail to provide the necessary ‘boost’ for starting up the occasional hill or ramp. They are also quite heavy to maneuver at slow speeds—when making u-turns, parking or locking up. Also, the panniers (one each) were a little smaller than those provided on our previous TripSite bike tours, and only just accommodated our modest sized (daypack) backpacks, along with the essential bike tools and battery chargers.

The hotel options we chose were all nice (we went with the upgraded options when available), with very nice breakfasts. Hotel NH Bruges was particularly well-located for strolling into the city; our room in the Fletcher Hotel Arion in Vlissingen was particularly nice; and while the Westcord Art Hotel in Amsterdam was located quite far out, a bus stop located close to the hotel entrance provided a good service into the city (and a much-needed laundromat located within easy biking distance).

Our TripSite agent, Sophie, was very helpful, friendly and responsive—especially in helping with our hotel choices and ‘additional night’ bookings. However, our baggage allowance information was provided far too close to the date of our departure (we left a week before the actual trip, having decided to visit several other towns in Belgium prior to the start of the tour). Without being able to do much about it, we discovered that the actual baggage allowances—one bag per person weighing 20kg max—would be insufficient, considering we were flying from North America and adding an additional week to our European itinerary before and after the actual bike tour. Our previous TripSite bike tours (in Germany) never imposed such a strict limit. With barely a few days to spare, we contacted TripSite management, who—to their credit and our great relief—provided a simple and effective solution for us, such that we could each include a smaller (carry-on) bag in addition to our suitcases.

The “Guibo” bike navigation phone App worked extremely well on our iPhones, and only very occasionally did it actually lead us the wrong way, or display confusing information. On three occasions the designated route was completely blocked and shut-off for road construction, but we were able to find workarounds (one turned into a bit of a cross-country adventure), and one of the recently changed hotel locations had not been updated in the app.  SHOW MORE 

There wasn't one memorable moment, the whole trip was amazing. We stayed in some beautiful hotels a mix of modern and quirky. The routes were brilliant and the connectivity of the cycle paths and smooth surfaces was second to none. The people were friendly, the whole route was so pro cycling and cycle friendly there were no issues with traffic. The scenery was stunning and changed as we progressed through the tour. The recommended things to see were always interesting and the towns we stayed in were beautiful. The regional food was lovely, and the trip was superbly organised, we are now planning our next adventure

There wasn't one memorable moment, the whole trip was amazing. We stayed in some beautiful hotels a mix of modern and quirky. The routes were brilliant and the connectivity of the cycle paths and smooth surfaces was second to none. The people were friendly, the whole route was so pro cycling and cycle friendly there were no issues with traffic. The scenery was stunning and changed as we progressed through the tour. The recommended things to see were always interesting and the towns we stayed in were beautiful. The regional food was lovely, and the trip was superbly organised, we are now planning our next adventure

We have done dozens of self guided bike trips all over the world. And I have to say that this trip is easily in our top three. The bikes were exceptional, we had one E bike and one gravel bike. Both were in top condition and had no issues over our nine day trip. The route utilized Ride with GPS, which is a very intuitive and easy system to follow. There were no problems with navigation anywhere on the trip despite several areas having construction or alternate pathways available. The route took us into and through many small villages rather than around the edges, which allowed us to see the charming village centers and stop for a coffee along the way.
All of the accommodations for this trip met or exceeded our expectations.
The staff at the beginning and end of the ride were lovely to deal with.
We cannot recommend this tour enough! You do need to be prepared for some longest days and some days with steep climbs. There are ways to avoid the steeper areas, but with these exceptional bikes, we did not find them too challenging.

What lovely countryside to bike through, we would gladly do it again!

We have done dozens of self guided bike trips all over the world. And I have to say that this trip is easily in our top three. The bikes were exceptional, we had one E bike and one gravel bike. Both were in top condition and had no issues over our nine day trip. The route utilized Ride with GPS, which is a very intuitive and easy system to follow. There were no problems with navigation anywhere on the trip despite several areas having construction or alternate pathways available. The route took us into and through many small villages rather than around the edges, which allowed us to see the charming village centers and stop for a coffee along the way.
All of the accommodations for this trip met or exceeded our expectations.
The staff at the beginning and end of the ride were lovely to deal with.
We cannot recommend this tour enough! You do need to be prepared for some longest days and some days with steep climbs. There are ways to avoid the steeper areas, but with these exceptional bikes, we did not find them too challenging.

What lovely countryside to bike through, we would gladly do it again!

Great review, looks like fun