4 Star Germany Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 349

We had so much fun! This trip is great for a variety of mobility and fitness, as the trails are straightforward and easy terrain. You go past castle upon castle and through timber home towns. We went during the fall, so got to enjoy the crisp air and leaves changing. Very glad we planned ahead with the right layers. There were great options for activities and sights to see along the way. Make sure you do your research around operating hours, tickets, and what options there are to get there. We loved Eltz Castle and Cohem Castle. Some required hiking to get to. The tour operator offered a lot of additional activities as well that were really fun like a historical walking tour, wine tasting, and etc. They were very thoughtful to accommodate a variety of languages for us to join.

Great tour leader and staff on board. Interesting itinerary. Accommodated our food preference.

Riding along the Moselle amongst the vines and stopping at gorgeous little towns.

The scenery and the historical cities were so wonderful. Especially loved the last day of biking through wine country and small villages. Food was excellent, and accommodation was comfortable. Only complaint would be the lack of clear, English directions during our information sessions each evening. A guide out on the course would be recommended.

Scenery was great bikes where good boat was excellent would have been bocce if helmets could have been provided or rented as hard to pack and carry one to Europe .

We had an excellent time on the tour. The sites we great, biking path was paved, food and the care on the Iris was excellent.
Biking on the city bridges were not always easy. A little scary with the traffic. Loved the e-bike. Would definitely go on another bike and barge trip.

The first day and last day of biking were beautiful. The route the other days weren’t as nice.
The boat staff were wonderful and the food was delicious.
Only downside was having to be on the boat for a certain time as the boat moved all night long. I prefer the tours when the boat moves as we bike and stays in port all night. Nice for after dinner walk in towns.

Guides were great. Trip was very educational. Side tours were great even in the rain. Would to have more time to spend in each city. One day is just not enough to enjoy the local flavors.

This was our 2nd self-guided bike tour in Europe. It was a little different than our first where everyone leaving from our hotel was on the same schedule. With this company, you are basically customizing your tour by chosing to stay extra nights in some cities. The route chosen by the local company was qood. We had a variety of small villages and towns, crop fields and forrests. Lodging in the Category B hotels was good to excellent. The cycle paths were very good most of the time with little mixing with cars. We did this in Sept and it seemed alot of restaurants/cafes along the route were closed, so you might bring a lunch with you. The bikes were good, but do not have mirrors, which I had inquired ahead about. We did bring our own.

Liked the disco night. The fourth ride was beautiful.
Meals were also good and super service.
My e-bike was too heavy for me- suggest a more compact and less heavy bike for smaller women. Also, we had wanted to book a guide for the 9 of us and there were only 2 on this boat. We would have enjoyed having one to eliminate getting lost and also helping us find fun locations to stop enroute. We did this on our Italian trip and it made a large difference to our enjoyment.
Your staff are very helpful and pleasant. Well done overall.

This was a spectacular time to tour the German countryside. While biking the countryside, we took in castles, churches and farmers markets. We watched the amazing grape harvest, talked to the vineyard owners and tasted great wines. I would do it again!

Staff was amazing, wanted to help and please you al the time. Food was good. Meat portions could have been a bit bigger since we need lot’s of protein to bike. We need non guided and I would not do that again, missed the knowledge of the area that a guide provides.

I would strongly recommend taking the guided tour as opposed to non guided. The app to use is very average and doesn’t give you any information along the ride.

the boat, service and routes. we'd have preferred to have more time in viena and budapest

Our group truly enjoyed the week on the Vivienne. The bike trails were well maintained and routes well marked which enabled us to enjoy the amazing scenery each day. The staff on Vivienne was incredible.
Two complaints were the e-bikes were very heavy
and there were no water bottle holders on the regular bikes.

Biking the Wachou valley, outside Vienna. It was an incredible ride, with great places to stop along the way. The trip was great, the crew handled all those bikes great. Would have liked more time in some of the cities, and more diet options.
But, that’s being kinda picky, it was a great trip and would recommend.

This was my first trip on the Merlijn Bike & Barge. I was with a group of 3 couples that had done this trip before on the Merlijn. I found it outstanding, the equipment was excellent,( my wife and I rented electric bikes ) the cabins were very nice and roomy. Our meals were breakfast and dinner, the breakfast was good but I believe it could have been better, The dinners were first class....The barge also had a nice coffee bar and Bar that were excellent too. The trip was memoriable and I highly recommend the Merjin...

The scenery was beautiful! The Merlijn was beautiful and very comfortable. But, the standout for the trip was the staff. Coen and Christina made our week so wonderful and kept us well informed. “Cat” at the bar and serving was very charming and fun! He knew all our names by day 2! Simone kept our cabins tidy and did a great job on our laundry. June was always tidying up the ship and keeping it looking great. Ilsa was a really good tour guide and was very knowledgeable about the history of Austria.

The room on the boat was lovely and the food was very good. We did a guided tour and I felt our guide was inexperienced She did not have many safety measures that I have had on previous bike trips. i.e a sweep and ensuring everyone is ready to go before taking off. Also would have been better to be able to visit some cultural places like the Abbey, museums or churches. We were not given anytime on our rides to do this. The highlights was the wine region and wine tasting.

It was a great trip overall. We loved that part of the route also went inland a little through villages etc.

It would be great to have more lunch/food options marked on the maps and how to make sure they are open.

We also noticed that on the last bike day parting the route was over a blocked off and hard to ride dike so we were forced to find our way around via a main road.

It was well organized as nd we would do something similar again.

Lots of comfortable cycling over easy terrain, even in extreme summer heat. The cities that are visited are unique and interesting with lots of things to see from cathedrals to the Gutenberg museum. Keep in mind that except for one evening, travelers are not on the boat when it is traveling along the Rhine. Instead, the boat goes from port to port while travelers cycle from port to port. Also keep in mind that this is not the most scenic portion of the Rhine except for the last day, where we cycled through vineyards on the slopes down to the Rhine. Otherwise, the terrain was mostly flat with dikes between the cycle path and the river making it hard to see the river. Once we got out of the heavily industrial cities, the ride was pleasant and flat through wooded areas, grassland, and farmland. Roughly one-quarter of the ride was along the Rhine, one-quarter through cities or industrial areas, and one-half through grassland/forest, and farmland. Food was outstanding; the rooms on the boat were clean and comfortable, but a little worn. Staff was outstanding -- very helpful and friendly. We would definitely do another bike/boat cruise on the Olympia.

We had a great experience on this trip! We chose the Standard hotel package, and overall the accommodations were excellent. Here's where we stayed:

Prague – Hotel DAP

Melnik – Pension U Zámku

Litomerice – Pension Dubina

Decin – Hotel Česká Koruna

Bad Schandau/Krippen – Hotel Erbgericht

Dresden – Hotel Martha

Our favorite stops were Prague and Melnik. Prague was incredibly clean, walkable, and felt very safe. Hotel DAP is about half a mile from Prague Castle, and walking to the main sites was easy and enjoyable.

Melnik is a charming little wine town perched above a valley, and sipping local wine right next to the vines it came from—while enjoying that view—was a definite highlight.

The one hotel we didn’t love was in Krippen. To be fair, it was raining that day and we didn’t feel like taking the ferry into Bad Schandau, but the hotel itself felt a bit dated and in need of some updates.

As for the biking: the Czech bike paths vary quite a bit. One minute you’re on a smooth trail, the next you're riding along a road with traffic, a dirt path, or a bumpy gravel section. The terrain is also hillier than expected, and sometimes you don’t get much notice before a climb.

We’re in our mid-30s, not regular cyclists but pretty active (we’re runners), and we did the tour on standard bikes. There were definitely a few hills where we had to hop off and walk the bikes. The standard bikes were a bit heavy and could have used some chain lube and a tune up. If that doesn’t sound ideal, I’d recommend going with the e-bike option for a smoother ride.

Weather-wise, we got lucky—just a little rain, and temps were mild overall. Most hotels didn’t have AC, so it got a bit stuffy at night, but opening a window helped.

All in all, we loved the tour and highly recommend it. The scenery, towns, and experiences made it a trip we’ll always remember.

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.

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 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 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

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

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

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.