Europe Tour Reviews — 151 to 180 of 7229

Service was great. The crew was friendly, professional and caring. The food was very good and plentiful. The bikes were great and while our weather was not 100%, the biking was good. Lots of extra tours. I would recommend the Iris and their tours to everyone.

A great crew/team on the Iris leaves us with very high expectations for future bike/barge trips.
The food was great and the bikes were perfect.
We loved the back roads and bike paths chosen for our rides.

I have participated in several small group tours and for me, it's always about the people and friendships you make. As for a highlight, the landscape is breathtaking every single day. Our guide, Rosanna was terrific. She was attentive to the group's rest stops; talked about history and various sites and was flexible with the itinerary. Here comes the reason I gave this a 4 star and not a 5. When we were in towns we would be given some time to explore but it was usually only 40 minutes or a bit more. It was enough time for a coffee and bathroom break but that was about it. We also carried a lunch every day and personally, I would have enjoyed a lunch out with the group at least once. The towns are charming.And yes, you do visit quite a few churches, lol.
The accommodation on the boat was comfortable and the staff were excellent. Meals were very good. City tours after dinner were informative and just right. The cycling: I am a senior and used an e bike and the cycling was easy. There were a few spills by members. You just need to be aware, capable, and have confidence. Enjoy the ride instead of worrying about it! I never felt intimidated by surrounding traffic, etc. ( an added note- we had a couple in their 80s who did fine). It was common for most of the group to enjoy " happy hour" before dinner when we got back to the boat. There was a lot of togetherness which was good.
I thought that this trip was a great choice for me ( I'm a solo traveler) and good value. I went in May and yes, be prepared to ride in rain. I would do another barge bike trip! Its' good fun and good exercise!

It was a great trip all around despite less than perfect weather. The Lena Maria is very comfortable and our captain & crew were wonderful. The chef always had very tasty meals and our guides Karin & Rianne were fabulous. Fun, funny and always ready to engage.

The Food, the crew, bike leaders and our fellow riders were Fun

Bratislava was most memorable, as well as the scenery along the way.

Riding along the beautiful vineyards of the Mosel river, with the ease of an electric bike, knowing that all our meals and a place to stay (on the Olympia boat) for the next week was all arranged was such a wonderful experience. The boat staff and guide were all helpful and worked so hard to make sure all the guests had a great experience. The, meals were great and served with care. It was nice to be able to pack a lunch every day. The cabin was more spacious than expected. Great to have our own bathroom as well. Everything about the trip exceeded our expectations. We really enjoyed this trip!

We had a great time on this trip – there were six of us – all riding electric bikes – we were all impressed with the quality of the bikes and there were no breakdowns or flats! The route took us up the scenic coastline and then inland through fields of green littered with baby lambs, ducklings and goslings, calves and colts! It was spring time in Holland! Most of the route is on bike paths, is completely flat, and has beautiful scenery.

We opted for Category A accommodations and all the hotels were great with delicious breakfasts. The luggage transfer was smooth each day and was always there before we arrived. The Guido app got us right to our hotels very day with the exception of a couple of detours where Google Maps helped out. The logistics of this tour were excellent.

I have taken five tours through Tripsite and once again I was very impressed with the partner company chosen and tour provided. Would definitely recommend this tour to others considering biking in the Netherlands.

We loved our time on this tour – the Umbria scenery was beautiful and all three towns have a different character that made exploring them interesting. All of our hotels were lovely and had great breakfasts. The various dinners, wine tastings and cooking class were first-class and we really enjoyed the culinary part of this trip. – the wine tasting dinner at Enoteco Properzio in Spello was a highlight. We found the walks to be as described – definitely some hills involved but the views were worth the effort. Super liked the app that provided not only all of the walking directions but also all the information for the hotels and dinners/wine tastings. Every aspect of this tour went off without a hitch – the logistics were great. Would definitely recommend this tour.

The Old Cities were fabulous as well as the National Park.
Mostly, we enjoyed the activities and how we were busy all day. The food on the boat and the crew are commendable.
We used regular touring bikes where the overall majority of tourers had peddled assist. Some of the hills were challenging but we enjoyed the exercise and the group waited for us at the top of the hill. Unless you are in good physical condition, suggest peddle assist. It was great to meet folks from US (all over), Canada and Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)

The islands we visited were breathtaking. We had such a wonderful time getting to know the other passengers on the ship. The guides and crew were professional and charming. My only regret was that the food was so good I gained 3 pounds in one week!

Everything was top notch. The quaint hotel in a charming little French village had great accommodations. The grounds were beautiful. Breakfast included meats and cheeses, yogurt, cereal, breads and croissants. Very hearty meal before heading out to ride. The evening meals were varied and all prepared by the restaurant's chef. We enjoyed every meal and the interaction with the staff. Claudia, our host, fitted us for our bikes and met with us each morning after breakfast to go over the routes. She was very thorough and we had no trouble finding our way. The routes were spectacular as they traversed the French countryside with beautiful views and a couple were Tour de France routes. Recommendations for lunch stops were excellent and we enjoyed meeting the local residents. Even though our trip was self--guided, Claudia was always a phone call away if needed. Will definitely return again.

The food was amazing! Some of the more serendipitous events also stand out in my mind.

Carol and I enjoyed our trip on the IRIS. The sheft was excellent and food was great. We enjoyed the walks at different locations surveying the different cities we stopped at. My only complaint was that we were requested by the guides to not participate in the bike riding portion of the trip. Since we had limited use of the electric bikes we rented, I would request a refund of the 340 Euros that we paid to use the electric bikes.

The country side, the historical significance. The bikes were great as was the boat and food.

My most memorable part of the trip was cycling through the tulip fields

The trip was cancelled one day before departure. The offered alternative, Arnhem-Maastricht, is not comparable! Even the upgrade to the upper deck and the drinks package couldn't compensate for it. If our friends hadn't traveled all the way from Canada specifically for this trip, we would have cancelled.

Our cabin was extremely cramped and unsatisfactory. There was no emergency evacuation drill. The bike tours had too many people to feel safe. Food was mediocre.

Loved every part of the trip. We are not cruise trip people, but this was an excellent experience and would do it again. The number of passengers was just right. The staff was outstanding. Thank you.

Great trip and unexpected pleasure with different restaurants and sights. Highly recommended! Bikes were in top shape and luggage was always delivered as expected.

Our bike-barge trip from Aigue-Mortes to Avignon was fabulous. We rode through beautiful countryside and could see why the great painters chose to create their masterpieces in Provence. The wildflowers, farms, vineyards, and white horses were spectacular. Our guide, Gabo, was excellent and shepherded us very well through all kinds of terrains and experiences. He was knowledgeable and prepared. Sara, our chef, made wonderfully delicious, creative meals that we greatly enjoyed. The boat, L'Estello was comfortable and a great place to relax after our long rides. Omar attended to all the details and the captain managed the boat well. The bikes were in excellent condition and were well equipped. We felt it was a great experience.

We loved the entire experience! Boarding the boat and unpacking once was wonderful. We’ve done many bike rides and the daily grind of packing, unpacking and being down at the tour vehicle gets a bit exhausting.

We had the junior suite and it was great. Plenty of storage space and the large windows were fantastic ! The food was excellent and we were able to gather a group of eight other friends to join us so every night and every day at breakfast we had a table of 10.

Probably our only suggestion would be that we would’ve liked to have spent more time in Vienna. We could’ve skipped the day before and it would’ve been nice to arrive in Vienna first thing in the morning and have a full day there.

We are ready to book another bike and barge in the near future.

Country side riding. Excellent crew. The crew was excellent. Boat was nice

Gorgeous countryside and beautiful cities to cycle through. The food on board was 5 star! The staff were wonderful too. The bikes are heavy and many of them had issues. Mine had no rear brakes that I finally figured out on last day while needed to brake hard in Amsterdam. My husband had to have his seat changed 3 times to get one that didn’t slip and his bike was small for his 6’ height. A friends bike has gear grinding on and off every day and they couldn’t fix it. Realized these bikes take a lot of abuse but the 20lb e-bike I was told about on a phone call does not exist. Otherwise our group of 19 would do it again! The gps is important to have as not all paths are well marked and it lets you know if you get off course. We brought our own helmets and rear view mirrors—highly recommend. Since it was non guided there were several options each day—take the long route if you have time.

I think this trip was rated easy to moderate, but due to some difficult terrain it was hard at times and seemed somewhat dangerous. I wasn’t aware before the trip that more than 50% of the terrain would be off road biking. I could cope with it but many of those on the trip found it difficult to manage at times.
The tour leaders were excellent but the mix of non electric bike amongst the electric bikes could also be difficult at times. Several members of the tour mentioned that if they knew beforehand what the riding would be like they would not have taken this trip. It should be made very clear what the cyclist should expect. Some days seemed longer than necessary due to many frequent stops for coffee and restrooms which meant we had little to no time to enjoy the nice towns we were staying in. All hotels were great except for the first night in Porto which was in a strange part of town away from the bike garage(long walks needed to get there) and the unfriendly staff on the front desk.

Wonderful cycling through small towns, forests and wetlands. This trip beat all my expectations.

The rides through the country side. The small authentic towns were beautiful.

The trip itself was fine. My rating of 3 out of 5 is due to inexperienced cyclists in our group. My option is that this trip is not easy as advertised. Holland and Belgium are flat but wind and rain add to the difficulty level. Also, the trip involved crowded bike paths and urban cycling especially in Antwerp, Ghent and Brugge. Crowded cycle paths, cycling in traffic and cycling over tram tracks really freaked out some of our group. eBikes are not the answer. Our group had inexperienced cyclists on eBikes and they created the majority of the problems. There were at least seven falls from bikes during our week of cycling. That said, Marco and the staff of the Clare de Lune were fantastic as well as our guide, Annita.

Overall, the trip was great and the beauty of the rides were often times breathtaking with all the different colors of the Spring flowers and the North Sea! We also were thrilled that Hennie joined us as we really enjoyed meeting her on our Croatia trip.
The only issue we had was the use of an electric bike by the tour guide and his lack of personality. Several of us were on regular bikes and it was challenging to keep up with him/group. He did get better with his speed as the trip went on, but at the start, he was completely out-of-touch with us regular bike riders. I also think it was a bit unprofessional for him to not have a sweep. I think this is necessary when you have such a large group and we had several inexperienced riders who kept falling off their e-bikes and getting started was often difficult for many. The trip could be rated easy, if one had an e-bike or an all regular bike group as well as being accustomed to riding a bike, but perhaps a better rating for that particular ride would be moderate with an explanation of why.
Having said all of this, we do look forward to our next bicycling adventure with Tripsite!