Europe Tour Reviews — 121 to 150 of 6183

 


Elaine D.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Amsterdam to Bruges

This adventure far exceeded my expectations. The guids were informative and friendly and very confident guiding 32 of us on bicycles into very busy Cities. This is something that I personally had never done however I felt comfortable with their guidance

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands, Belgium

Ruth
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Classic or Luxury Famous Villages of Provence

We (couple in early 60’s) have recently completed this routing. We rode hybrids (what we usually ride) and found the level quite manageable but I would question the ‘easy’ part of the rating. There were indeed some good climbs. I suspect that a large majority of riders may ride ebikes, making the climbs and the longer days easy. The Classic hotel selection was just fine. The bikes were great. We appreciated the notes on destinations and attractions in the paper guide but as a navigational tool it would have be useful only in a pinch; You’d be turning the pages constantly, GPX files are the way to go and even though there were a few ‘right turns’ that were actually left ones, the directions were great! We appreciated the variety of road types. The back lanes were lovely and the bigger roads generally has either good shoulders or bike lanes.

Countries included in this tour?
France

kristyn b.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Douro River E-Bike & Boat

1) I loved the 2 hour walking tour of Porto the night.
2) I loved sitting on the upper deck of the cruise watching the terraced vineyards as we cruised through the Douro River.
3) The ship itself was clean, the staff was wonderful and attentive. They were always ready to help with a smile! I loved the touch of robes and slippers in our rooms!
4) I loved biking everyday! Our guides, Horacio and Kevin were fantastic! I thought the e-bikes themselves were excellent.

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal

John H.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Douro River E-Bike & Boat

The scenery and the E-bikes used. The guides were excellent. Food on the boat and service was also excellent

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal

Christina S.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Douro River E-Bike & Boat

Our guides made the trip memorable! Horacio and Kevin were wonderful and so much fun to be around. They kept us supported and educated on the area we were biking through. They both supported the varying levels of abilities within the group and I greatly appreciate their flexibility. My families memories of Portugal will forever be intertwined with Horatio's antics and Kevin's jokes. The scenery was wonderful. The biking was scary at times ( I really prefer a guardrail on the side of a cliff), but aligned with the rating for the tour.

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal

Claudia W.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bruges to Paris E-bike & Boat

The trip was wonderful for us. We enjoyed two weeks of biking and sightseeing. The guides were knowledgeable and catered to our needs. They were pleasant and helpful. The barge rooms were comfortable, nothing fancy but well equipped. We rented e-bikes and were happy that we did. Biking from 9 am-3/4 pm. every day for 2 weeks made the experience more enjoyable on the e bike. We enjoyed the group of people we were with. They were there for the experience and we all meshed easily. Overall, it was wonderful. Bring warm clothes for fall biking. We had rain and cold temps.

Countries included in this tour?
Belgium, France

John W.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Portugal’s Wild Coast

costal vistas were incredible! The back roads were well selected and mostly easy to navigate. Hotels were all wonderful, especially the breakfasts. Mileage each day was just about right…. Not too challenging, but not a lazy day ride either. We loved southern Portugal and plan to return again soon.

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal

Janie C.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube-Iron Gates

wonderful staff on the boat, great itinerary, fabulous food.

Countries included in this tour?
Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia

Kurt J.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Portugal’s Wild Coast

This trip showcases the great gravel riding in southern Portugal. Our group really enjoyed the tour.

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal

Nancy C.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Douro Valley Wine & E-Bike Tour

The bike company was great to deal with, starting with having a pick up at the airport to take us into Porto. They provided us with way more gear than any other bike company we've dealt with over the years (e.g. chain repair link, 4 inner tubes) in part because the Douro valley does not have any bike shops to help us out if we ran into problems. Navigation was by a programmed Garmin GPS they provided, with a backup on Ride with GPS on my own phone. The best innovation was having a WhatsApp group with the bike team so that we could reach out to them quickly if problems arose. (Note: Have an eSim so you have a digital signal -- wifi is only at hotels).

Other reviews about this trip said the eBikes make it easy. Well, that's not quite the case ... there are some loooong days (80 km the first day!) and there are a lot of long, steep hills. And while it's easier biking up a hill with an eBike, when the hill is 15 km long, that is still a big hill. So do make sure you are in good shape, especially your tush!

The hotels/B&Bs chosen were pretty quirky, with great staff. And when we had one bad weather day (howling gale!) the Top Bike folks arranged for a taxi to take us and our eBikes to the next stop -- at their expense, since it would be unreasonable to expect us to bike in that weather. We really appreciated their attitude!

We had a couple of technical challenges that harshed our mellow. The GPS provided did not have the route for one day of our trip properly loaded. Because we had the Ride with GPS backup, we made it work, but still .... You do need to watch your battery charge on long days. And then on our last day, for the last few km, the GPS was not clear as to the route and it was quite frustrating. Because we could WhatsApp for help, solutions were found.

If you're used to biking around France seeing little towns with bistros every few km, then be aware that the Douro Valley is quite different. On one 70 km day, there was only one rest stop where we could get a hot chocolate and a snack. And if you want to pack a lunch, you will find it hard to get supplies. We appreciated the opportunity to see a very different side of Portugal, however, far from the madding crowds of Porto and Lisbon.

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal

Greg B.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour

Excellent trip - Baiona and Santiago de Compostela were definite highlights.

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal, Spain

Kathleen P.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube-Iron Gates

The staff was above exceptional. The weather caused problems for the crew, but I thought it was handled extremely well. We missed the Iron Gates because of weather conditions, but the staff made up for that as well. The final dinner was fantastic, but the change in plans on our arrival, not being able to land in Passau was very discombobulating, and highly stressful. Plus, we didn’t have time to collect my thoughts properly. It was horrible.
I would have like a better room than in the hole of the ship where I couldn[t see anything
I would have liked a better electric bike from the start than the one I was originally given because I had to miss some biking.

Countries included in this tour?
Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia

Annette v.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

Fantastic active vacation with beautiful rides. Incredible delicious and healthy food. Fun activities on board and options for additional tours were good. Highly recommended.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Cynthia B S.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· The Green Island of the Azores Archipelago

Seeing the village of Mosteiros was memorable. The hot springs were fun. The hikes were challenging and beautiful. Be sure to visit the Terra Nostra gardens in Furnace. It is not on the itinerary but unbelievably beautiful. Be prepared to have other options if things to do if it rains. The tea plantation hike was also good.

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal

Scott D.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Porto to Lisbon

So many highlights! The route select was incredible, keeping us on quiet dirt roads or bike paths for much of the time. The hotels were also all amazing, boutique style hotels with excellent service and in one case watching the sunset over the Atlantic from a warm rooftop pool! The ride from Nazare to Obidos was my favorite, with spectacular views up as we climbed out of Nazare, a fun descent for lunch to the Salgado Beach, and then beautiful views above the coast for miles after that!

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal

Beverly L.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Amsterdam to Bruges

The most memorable part of our trip was the incredible hospitality of all the crew on the Manifique 3. All the extra tours and special surprises were above my expectations. The food was spectacular . It was a wonderful experience.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands, Belgium

Doris S.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Prague to Vienna

Our guide and van driver were VERY knowledgable and accommodating to our needs!
Our group was comprised of 13 participants, 1 guide, and one support vehicle driver.

Unfortunately, there was flooding in central Europe during our stay. Several of the bike routes were closed but our guide made the best out of detours and rerouting due to flooding.

However, the bikes were poorly maintained. According to the guide the company AVE was not expecting ALL participants to choose E-bikes (Even though 70% of participants had booked in February and June) Thus, there was a shortage, and the company had to borrow e-bikes from other sources. Consequently, there were at least 4 different e-bike makes/models where parts could not be interchanged. Bike chains jumping off the gear occurred routinely 4-5 bikes a day. Some e-bikes had major gear shifting problems and other performance issues. Our guide and driver did an incredible job keeping us all "in the saddle" , bike saddle that is.... :)

We had opted for the hotel accommodation upgrade. The first and last hotel were meeting our expectations, but the other three hotel stays were disappointing. I would recommend using the regular accommodations.

The hotel “Clement” in Prague was excellent, the breakfast choices too numerous to list, and the location was ten minutes to the Old Town.

Near the hotel is the restaurant “Usadlu”, where the majority of patrons are locals. We had an unforgettable meal in the “Dungeon” , about 2 floors below ground in this venue!

One Tip: If you are 65 or older you get to use all public transportation in Prague free of charge.

The Vienna Hotel was centrally located: 3-4 Metro stations from the Karl's Platz and Stefan's Platz.
The city was easily negotiated by walking everywhere.

Despite the bike problems, we had a wonderful time and would like to do another bike tour!
It was an incredible experience!!

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Czech Republic

1 Reply

Sally C.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Metz to Cochem

The most memorable part of this trip was NOT the boat breakdown for 2 days but the absolutely beautiful , kindly, acceptance by everyone with the unfortunate circumstances. I did not hear one grumble or complaint by anyone on board. Everyone worked tirelessly and professionally to correct the issue and make alternate arrangements for the bikers. It was the biggest and best display of humankind working together to make things right. It was so heartwarming to experience such a wonderful situation especially during these very challenging world situations. I can’t praise us ALL enough for making the trip such an unforgettable experience.
Sincerely, Sally Coomber

Countries included in this tour?
France, Luxembourg, Germany

Christopher J Braudy
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bruges to Amsterdam Bike Tour

My wife and I immensely enjoyed the Amsterdam to Bruges tour. We'd do another Tripsite tour gladly. Great routes, terrific information packet with paper maps, nice hotels, incredible scenery, delicious food, beer. The starting hotel, the WestCord Art Hotel Amsterdam Art, was wonderful. The trip included breakfast at all hotels, a pleasure though it varied from hotel to hotel from great to just fine, but always with a coffee machine that made lattes!

I suggest getting to Amsterdam at least two days ahead, both to enjoy the city and to have sufficient time to check that the bikes fit you. We rented the e-bikes and that was great for the headwinds out of the southwest all week. For my part, I often used NO assist once getting the bike going. The Dutch bikes were surprisingly enjoyable to ride.

About the GPS tracks, here's what I urge you do. The provided GPS route are great but do NOT include CUE SHEETS. Although I have a Garmin, I really prefer using Ride with GPS (RWGPS) on my phone. So:

1. Download RWGPS to your phone and pay for a subscription so you can save the routes for offline use. That way even without cell coverage, they work.

2. When you click on the supplied GPS route links provided by Tripsite, they will open automatically in RWGPS. There is an option to generate a cue sheet. DO THAT.

3. Save the routes for offline use.

4. In your RWGPS settings, switch to metric units. We found it fun think in kilometers for the trip.

5. Purchase a phone mount. If you have one already it will likely not fit on the Dutch bike handlebars. I got two on Amazon for $16 each and my wife and I found it was fantastic for the riding. To get what we used, search for "TruActive Premium Bike Phone Mount Holder".

6. Bring a battery back and short cable for your phone. It will fit nicely in the front bag.

7. If using an iPhone, use low battery mode. There is no need to go to Airplane mode. With low battery mode, you get all phone features; the phone will however dim when not used. That's a minor inconvenience for the super battery life it will give you.

Thanks for the wonderful trip Tripsite.

Countries included in this tour?
Belgium, Netherlands

Catherine B.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Metz to Cochem

I enjoyed all parts of this trip. Our guides, Alv and Hetty were very friendly, relaxed, and patient. They both were well informed, and provided interesting commentary and information along the way. When things did not go as planned, they always had another plan. Everyone was made to feel welcome and comfortable.
The bike paths along the river were incredible, easy to manoeuvre, and very scenic.
The meals on the barge were delicious. All the staff were friendly and courteous.
I’m looking forward to another trip wit Tripsite!

Countries included in this tour?
France, Luxembourg, Germany

Wilhelm M.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

The ride along the Danube was spectacular! Especially the last day from Krems to Pöchlarn. Some of us opted to go for city bike tours in Budapest and Vienna. I found Vienna to be especially crowded and wouldn't do that ride again. Nevertheless, our guide was very knowledgeable and interesting.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Arthur T.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

The beautiful scenes while biking along the Danube. We would of liked to have a longer trip in order to spend more time in the cities.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Tom S.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

The beauty of the old towns, villages and cities we rode and cruised through was breathtaking. The fact that two weeks prior to our arrival the Danube flooded most of our routes and was already cleared was inspiring. The accommodations on the Vivienne were excellent and we were very well fed! The crew were excellent and very accommodating to our needs. The bikes met our needs and beyond (they survived riding through mud and flood waters).

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Ivan B.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

Great food, good cycling and enjoyable trips to Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Sally M.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

The best part of the week was being able to spend time in three European capital cities, namely Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. The biking too was fabulous and we enjoyed meandering along the Danube. The food on board was amazing. The crew was exceptional.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Linda C.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Metz to Cochem

The highlight of our trip was the German city of Trier. There was so much to see in this ancient Roman city. We only scratched the surface, but the Black Gate, the huge cathedral, the beautiful gardens and the lovely city center were amazing. We happened to be there when they were celebrating Unity Day in Germany and there was a band playing, with people dancing and singing. That just made it so much more festive. My suggestion for others is: take this trip, you won’t regret it.

Countries included in this tour?
France, Luxembourg, Germany

Thomas W.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Central Greek Aegean Sea

You probably don’t want to post this review. The bicycle routes and the guides were excellent. The guides gave excellent reviews and orientations. Unfortunately, the most memorable part will be the problem on first afternoon aboard the Boreas boat where the electrical plug-in, next to where were sitting, (from the shore power) sparked and started to smoke and smell like an electrical fire. We alerted the crew and they unplugged. The other Greek port authorities would not let us plug-in with the corrupt system, so we did not have air conditioning unless the excruciatingly loud generator was on. The loud shrill noise tortured several cabins so it was shut off to sleep. We did not have AC at night and people were hot and slept on the benches on the deck and above deck. The shower in our below deck cabin leaked so much that we were forced to take super short showers just so we wouldn’t flood our bathroom with gray gritty water leaching through the walls. Another boat in their fleet had an accident and our lead guide had to work with that problem, but he did an excellent job of taking care of us. My three star rating breakdown as such: The bike ride was a five star and the boat was a one star.

Countries included in this tour?
Greece, Turkey

Lois G.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova

Easily the people. The staff were so knowledgeable and friendly I felt like I was part of a family vacation. I have never traveled abroad before and the personal connection with the group that the staff displayed made things go smoothly no matter where we were.

Countries included in this tour?
Italy