5 Star Europe Tour Reviews — 2401 to 2430 of 4505

This was the best bike trip of our lives. We took it in early June, 2019 with e-bikes and upgraded accommodations. Unless you're a strong cyclist, e-bikes are the way to go for this trip. First, the hotels were amazing and in each one after the first the specific rooms reserved were wonderful. The first hotel in Avignon was simply awful. Not only because the air conditioning was out, but the room was tacky, in bad repair, and was musty. The tour needs to have this changed. The common areas were just fine, it was only our room. Another thing to change would be the route on the first day through Avignon - heavy traffic, a lot of road construction, and then cycling on a road with a narrow shoulder, semi trucks, and 30 mph winds. This was still a five-star trip. I hadn't done much research ahead of time, and so Les Baux de Provence and Fontaine de Vaucluse each came as a complete and wonderful surprise - I had not even imagined places of such beauty and charm. There were some minor problems with the GPS, particularly the road barred off in one place. Fortunately we had a hotspot which we took with us each day, and were able to figure out how to reroute ourselves using Apple maps, but we would have been in trouble otherwise. We went to the market at Isle sur la Sorgue, but it was impossible to visit with bikes due to the crowds of people. We didn't dare leave the e-bikes, even locked, so we had to take turns going in - but still fun!

We took this trip in late May, 2019, with e-bikes. It was a great trip with some amazing accommodations. Thoughts in no particular order: The first 3 hours of biking on the first day were pretty miserable, through industrial areas with no good place to ride on either the sidewalk or the road. Day 4 and Day 6 were spectacular, Day 4 was almost like a fantasy of a bike trip once we reached rural areas. The GPS was hard to read when the sun was out, and in several places we needed one person using the GPS and another the printed instructions. We've been on a number of bike trips, and the drivers in Spain were the most courteous and safe of any country - usually giving us at least 6 feet of space and never rushing us. The hotel (Organista) in Santillana del Mar was our favorite, with a wonderful host, Rafe, and an enchanting outdoor breakfast. (Note: this is right close to the Altamira cave, and we were glad we took the time to visit, even though it involved finding our own route back to the regular tour). Much better instructions are needed to find the ferry into Santander - we nearly missed it even after 30 minutes of going back and forth when hot and tired. Take all the small side trips the instructions suggest - you'll never be sorry and could easily miss amazing views and beaches just a 1/4 mile off the route.

Amazing riding with different terrain each day. Wonderful scenery. Bikes good. Company good. Food good. Guide very good. Best cycling trip I have been on and I have been on a few. Can't wait to go back to Ireland.

I recently returned from a bike and barge trip in France which I booked through Tripsite. The trip was from Montargis to Paris and was provided by Bike Boat Tours based in Amsterdam. This trip was exceptional as it was for myself and 9 of my family members, eight of whom had never traveled to Europe before. I have personally used Tripsite many times in the past and as in all previous instances they were totally professional. They handled any communication to the tour provider, provided a link for trip insurance and all last minute advice regarding clothing, tipping, currency exchange, location where to board the boat, etc. Working with Tripsite is key to making foreign travel easy and I'm sure I will be contacting them again.

This is the best kept secret for those of us that enjoy intimate, caring, luxurious adventure with people that will care and spoil you along the way. Quo Vadis will always be our first choice if available and the standard by what we measure all of our other trips.

The beautiful scenery along the Mosel River is the star of this Bike and Barge trip! The vineyard along the steep mountain face for miles and miles, the gorgeous river meandering , the church steeple in every village, and the ancient castles on the mountain top! I could not believe I was there in the midst of this! Would not hesitate to recommend this trip to anyone and I have!

Loved the buffet meal in Poland-delicious food, great sitting outside by the water, great band & fun dancing!

We loved the scenery and the overnight communities. The trip was well organized and easy to follow with the Garmin. The bikes were excellent. I highly recommend this tour!

Barge trip out of Paris was special. Great way to begin trip and see Paris on Sunday morning. Biking through back roads and trails of France and Belgium was great.

Excellent hotels! Make sure your bike is fitted by a mechanic at the bike store the day before your first ride. Our local host Ian was excellent but would never have been able to adjust the bikes to our requirements. We brought our own seats. A second device for holding the cell phone on the handlebars should have been provided.

What a trip! I felt like it was meant to be since we had just started talking about going on a Xmas market trip just before the email came announcing this maiden voyage. Every stop was memorable. Landschaftspark and getting to see the industrial side of the Rhine was an added bonus to the beautiful Xmas markets. We didn't think we'd want to spend too much time outside while the boat was cruising, but we even had some comfortable cruising time outside. The crew and the other passengers made the trip though. What a great bunch!

Seeing the Netherlands by bike is an enjoyable way to do so. It was also fun to share our experiences each day on the barge with a group of like-minded people. Our bike leader made sure that our needs were met.

Our guide was wonderful. It made our bike riding less stressful. Meet some great people from different countries. Enjoyed our dinner every night. The staff was helpful.

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The itinerary, written directions and maps were great. Taking the ferry out of Venice and riding through the historic town centers were definite highlights.

My favourite parts of the trip were spending time in Cochem, the happy hour the entire group would spend “debriefing” at the end of the day on the deck of the boat, both vineyards that we visited and the incredible gardens we saw as we rode along the Moselle river.

My suggestions:

Clear instructions about the day we board the boat. Everyone was confused about whether we simply drop off our luggage, stay on the boat, is there dinner on the boat?? Etc.

It would have been nice to have some background music on the boat during breakfast, happy hour, dinner or the evening. I heard a number of people mention this.

A few planned activities on the boat would have been a lot of fun. A theme dinner, trivia night, learn to make the local cocktail, a local historian gives a presentation, a quick and simple local language lesson, etc. People also commented on this and would have gladly paid another 100 Euros for a few little “extras” like these.

Gorgeous Mosel with quaint towns cycling and being on a gem of a boat! Surrounded by great people and a great crew!
Thank you for wonderful memories!

The biking and our tour guide Jack amazing and so knowledgeable!

I have been traveling for many years and have had many amazing adventures. I can honestly say that this is one the the best holidays I have taken. I loved being active and after a day of exploring to come back to the boat for a cocktail, wonderful dinner and conversation with the other guests. The crew made us feel at home. I cannot recommend this trip enough! We are already planning the next holiday. Thanks for a great experience.

Zeaantje barge is very nice. Crew was great. Our guide, Andre, was the best we have ever had—very knowledgeable about the route and special sites to see/visit, adjusted our route a couple times to accommodate the rain. Frank, the cook, was really outstanding—creative meals, good variety. My only, minor, complaint is that the barge’s lounge can be very noisy when a group is in it, especially at meal time. Bikes were ok but could use some TLC; we had a lot of flats, and some brake issues, but everyone pitched in to make repairs.

Windmills, cycling and millions of tulips. What could be more wonderful? The barge, Sailing Home, was by far the nicest vessel we have stayed on for a bike and barge. The food was amazing, the Captain very welcoming, and the staff efficient and friendly. The itinerary was interesting and well planned. Do be sure to dress for the changeable weather!

Fantastic value! Ship accommodations, food, bikes, tour routes exceeded our expectations. Most important crew and guides were the best!

The views along the Mosel River were fantastic and of course, the wines.

Too many memorable parts to decide. The staff aboard the quo vadis, the food, the beautiful scenery both on the bikes and barge. All were superior.

The hotels were great & friend

The whole trip from start to finish was excellent. Boat staff were exceptionally helpful and always ready to assist as needed. Food was varied and tasty too. Will be booking another bike and barge trop on the future.

The rides were wonderful...the e-bike was excellent and the overnight harbors/ports were lovely

This was a tour of coastal Croatia including a number of islands. The scenery is positively breathtaking,the people are great and the cycling was a blast. We lived on a boat which was so much fun, meeting lots of new and interesting people who became our cycling companions. Overall a first class trip that could not have been better.including the gorgeous Medi weather. I cant say enough good about this country,Croatia has it all.

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I was impressed with how many sights we were able to fit into the 5-day tour and with such variety! The countryside was so beautiful and biking was a great way to see the landscape. It was exactly what I was looking for! The tour guide (Win) and barge crew (La Belle Fleur) were very professional and accommodating. I always felt very safe when biking behind my guide and the bikes were very well maintained. Everything was as expected or better! Would definitely book with Tripsite again!

Very well organised. Beautiful scenery, brilliant guide, lovely food, good company, fantastic weather. Have booked to go on another one!

This was our first bike/barge trip. We loved the bike trails along the river ... did not like the times we were in busy traffic...when we left Koblenz day 1. The patria was a great place to call home...food was awesome and accommodations were fine.