5 Star Germany Tour Reviews — 421 to 450 of 1145

I felt strongly the pull of the Mosel River as it flows across 2,000 years of history, spanning the Roman Empire, centuries of struggle between France and Germany culminating in World War II, and the formation of the European Union in 1985. From the bike saddle, we observe workers pruning vines and collecting grapes, children attending school and residents running daily errands. The experience unfolding before our eyes is enhanced by knowing a bit of that local history -- imagining Roman life here from 2,000 years ago, contemplating daily life in a medieval castle in the 16th century, and understanding World War 2 and postwar efforts to establish the European Union and the Euro common currency. All these historical events shaped life along this river; the evidence surrounds you, from Roman ruins, to castles, farms, footpaths, commercial barge traffic, and agriculture. Part of this journey is taking note of the layering of the modern world over deep historical foundations.

Riding along the river the entire time with beautiful scenery and good bicycling surfaces.

We highly recommend the Rotterdam to Cologne trip. We went early September and the weather was beautiful. Water level worries caused some anxiety but in the end, there was no issue and the boat travelled along just fine. The E-biking was effortless as it is relatively flat. The scenery, especially in Netherlands, wonderful. The staff on our boat were friendly and helpful. The food was very good and our selections for our packed lunches was wonderful. We returned each day to a nice tidy cabin with our bunks pulled up to allow seating. Housekeeping did a great job. One suggestion: the maps need a review and update. In some instances, our group and other members from the boat were all at a particular location, quite confused as to the next step. Eventually we all ended up in the correct place but a few times, it was a large group consultation to solve it! Be sure to have a live smart phone at hand. We resorted to it a couple of times to navigate.

Using Tripsite to book our bike/barge trip took a lot of stress off of our trip planning especially during the pandemic. Whenever I emailed, I got a quick response and I was able to rebook easily more than once. The boat, Princess Katherina, was well run. We met many new people and even though we were the only USA participants, we were seated with other English speakers who became quick friends and travel mates. I was always pleased with the vegetarian options for dining and all food choices overall were exceptional. The 34 staff onboard contributed to efficiency and support whenever we had questions or needs. The bike routes were well marked and the panniers and front pack for holding the map worked perfectly. I would definitely get an e-bike next time as I struggled a bit with rainy weather but as seventy and seventy-two year olds exploring a new country, the trip was flawless. If you like castles, abbeys, river trails, this trip is perfect! Don't miss the pear cider at the small farmhouse on day two or the Mauthausen Memorial if you go. The Memorial and the Abbey in Melk were highlights of the trip even though they were a bit off the beaten path. Also, having an upper deck cabin was essential for me as I had never slept in a boat before and I preferred to have access to fresh air. Book this trip and have fun!

The route, the people we met

Great biking on an iconic river through the major cities in grand luxury.

A wonderful experience! Good food, lots of fun. Leslie the cruise director was phenomenal! I'm not sure its possible, but it would have been nice to have a little more time in the major cities. The bus trips were a great introduction for a return trip.

This was the best trip ever, which makes it hard to think of just one memorable part. Truly everything was memorable, the sights, the food, the experience of biking through small towns, the crew especially Leslie our cruise director. If I had to pick one special moment it would be while biking through the countryside we came across a quaint Food truck selling homemade lemonade. We rested, ate our lunch, shot some darts and drank the most delicious glass of blood orange lemonade.
When the trip was over, we all said “let’s do another one next year!”

Our trip along the Moselle River from Metz France, through Luxemburg, to Koblenz Germany was a fantastic adventure! The route was easy to follow, especially with the GPS coordinates we were provided along with the detailed description of the towns. Our group of four travelled along the river following the mostly paved trail through fields and forests, vineyards, and city trails. The September air was crisp and cool and the vines were rich with clusters of grapes. Traveling comfortably an average of 35 miles on well-maintained e-bikes, we arrived at our destinations with plenty of time for exploration and discovery. Each town had its own charming character. Trier, one of the oldest cities of Germany was an incredible architectural experience with Romanesque arches, palaces and cathedrals. We discovered outdoor markets and enjoyed local Luxemburg cuisine as we learned about the creation of the Schengen agreement which led to the EEU. Old Roman castles dotted the terraced mountains and we took the time to visit a few of them, marveling at their size and strength, The small village of Neumagen-Dhron, with its historic and colorful architecture welcomed us with open arms as they celebrated their annual wine festival in the streets. Koblenz at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle shared its dynamic march through history with monuments and statues. Accommodations were consistently excellent in quality and service.
This was my first adventure with Tripsite but by no means the last. Thanks to all at Tripsite for making this such a memorable vacation!

Our most memorable part of the trip was the lovely riding along the Mosel and Saar with our family. As well as, the wonderful hospitality of the Flora crew (Berthus, Jonne, Christiana, Stephan) and great conversations with our guide, Wieger.

Our suggestion/tips for others would be: be prepared for intimate living quarters with others and enjoy the bike riding through a beautiful part of Germany. It is about the journey, not the destination. And, DO take the tour at Burg Elz!

Every day was a blast. There are several Lake Constance (Bodensee) tours. We selected the 12-day (11 night) package, which had 9 days of bike rides and one day of "rest" at St Gallen, Switzerland. The rest day turned out to be another adventure because we decided to take the Appenzeller Bahnen (Appenzell Railways) to explore Appenzellerland, per-Alpine landscape, where we hiked up to beautiful lake Seealpsee.

Tips for others: don't stress the biking. Take it easy; take a lot of pictures; make a lot of memories

Most memorable parts? Food, people, the rides through the country

The biking throughout was excellent: we had great guides and the barge crew was friendly, accommodating, and VERY professional. Plus there seemed to be a castle on every hill, like biking through a fairytale.

I was very impressed with the ship, food, crew and all around organization of everything. I expected the photos from the website to enhance the appearance and size of the ship, but in person it was just as impressive. I wouldn't say our cabin was large, but it offered all that we required. There were multiple storage areas, a safe box, refrigerator, coffee station and the outlets were where they needed to be.
The ship was very clean. All cleaning seemed to be done while passengers were at meals or on excursions. I did not see anyone pushing a vacuum or hauling trash, but yet the carpets were free from dirt, and all public spaces were tidy and well-tended.
The crew were helpful and friendly. We got to know a few of them (Patrick, George, Samwell and Dida) and have fond memories of them. I hope we didn't pester them too much with our questions and demands.
The meals were wonderful - well presented and more than enough to satisfy any appetite (I now need to diet to make up for all my indulgence). Some dishes I preferred more than others, but it was good to get a taste of the local cuisines. There were generally options for vegetarians, seafood lovers and meat eaters, and always a choice of a tasty dessert.
We chose a Bike and Barge excursion, so we got to explore the area on bike. We had reserved electric bikes. These were easy to get the hang of, well maintained and easy to peddle. The scenery was beautiful and most of the biking was on bike paths although there were some challenging areas involving traffic and finding our way. The afternoon before each bike day, we were given a presentation detailing the path we needed to take and what we might encounter. We were also given a booklet with maps, points of interest and more details.
I would highly recommend choosing Tripsite for your next vacation.

I really enjoyed my trip on the Swiss Crown. The boat is beautiful, the food is fabulous, and the staff is amazing. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. I especially loved the city tours we took. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to see a variety of places and people. The Danube is gorgeous and was surprising sparsely populated in places. Gliding along with a drink on the sun deck is a wonderful way to experience the river itself. I did not ride the bikes, but my entire family enjoyed them and said they were easy to ride. Please take this trip. You will have a great time!

Beautiful vistas daily as we cycled along the Danube

The most memorable part is the memories of our group of 8 being able to experience the biking and river crusing together. The staff on the boat were marvelous and a lot of fun.
A suggestion is to have the full itinerary of the trip available at the beginning of the trip. Often we had no idea what time we were arriving or leaving from the dock, or what time we were getting on the bikes and waht time we had to be back to the ship. So more clarity of the weekly schedule would have been very beneficial.
Other than that the trip was incredibly scenic and overall we had a wonderful experience.

How can I choose a most memorable part? There were so many! Cycling across the New Bridge to Bratislava, and in the breathtaking cities of Budapest and Vienna, relaxing drinking wine with new friends on the upper deck of the barge floating down the Danube. The whole trip was filled with memorable and precision moments.every day.

Very well organized
Suggestions: make coffee available before breakfast.
Food was great and we loved the 4 course dinners, but the wait between courses was consistently a bit too long.

Wonderful trip! Beautiful scenery, easy bike trail, nice accommodations. Tripsite did a great job organizing and setting up the trip. The representative at Austria Radreisen (the on-site bike company) was friendly and helpful in fitting our bikes, answering our questions, and making sure we were satisfied. The bikes were especially nice, easy to ride and shift with plenty of storage. Our luggage was always waiting for us at each hotel when we arrived.

Lake Konstance was a wonderful biking experience. The ebikes were great! I would recommend some type of rearview mirror on the bike. We did the 5 day “easy” trip but there were 3 fifty mile legs. We cut thing short by taking the ferry and that worked well. Anna from Tripsite was excellent switching our hotels as a result of shortening. Luggage delivery to the hotels was seemless! Both hotels were great with excellent breakfasts.
We had perfect weather the whole trip.

The cycling was fantastic! The beauty of the towns along the Danube and the chance to get a closer look with the ability to stop to rest, shop or taste wine or beer at will was just phenomenal! The food on board was so good, and the staff was very welcoming.

Riding through beautiful countryside and picturesque towns. Guide was informative about Bavarian history.

This was the best river cruise we’ve been on. We were longing for something more active & this cruise was perfect. Cycling along the Danube was unforgettable & everything we imagined..stopping in the beautiful little towns, meeting friendly people, experiencing the food & drinks along the way. The Swiss Crown ship & staff were an added bonus! Thank you! We can’t wait to come back

First time on a bike n barge. Awesome!

Bike and barge touring is wonderful way to explore a country with an experience no other way of travelling can match. With the immediacy of biking and expert guides to facilitate while backed by the secuŕity of the barge 'Quo Vadis' one can really settle in to enjoy the trip. All logistical details are taken care of and an excellent array of cuisine is available. Best vacation ever!

This trip is mostly between towns and villages each day, but with the opportunity to "bookend" the cycling with visits to a number of famous large cities in the area. I stayed several days in Cologne first, and in Strasbourg and Frankfurt at the end. All are easily reachable by high speed train. On the cycle trip, I particularly enjoyed the portion out of Koblenz where we cycled right through the vineyards on the hillside slopes rather than right along the river.

This was my fifth cycle trip and by far the most luxurious boat, the Merlijn. Summer temperatures were HOT but somehow the paths along the meandering Mosel were often in the shade. One unpredictable factor for any trip is the quality of the guide. Lia was top notch. As were the bikes. And the food.

Helpful hints... I choose my trips according to what discounts are offered, as every tour has something worthwhile on offer. Germany is a beer drinking country, and I found non alcohol beer available everywhere.

the staff onboard the Swiss Crown provided excellent service

Wonderful trip. The crew of the Fortuna was wonderful along with the 5 course meal every night. Our guide, Axel, was a treasure. I cannot recommend this trip enough. The biking was lovely and not too hard. The countryside was beautiful. Most amazingly, the trip went off without a flaw, especially when you consider how many moving parts were involved to make this work. We were constantly going through locks, which was always interesting, while sipping beer or wine on the top deck after a day's ride. I just want to thank everyone who made this unique and luxurious experience possible.

The Moselle is a storybook beautiful valley with vineyards sloping up the river valleys and quaint towns along the way with castles on the hills. I couldn't ask for a more beautiful location. The Merlijn crew were amazing; the food was wonderful and our tour guide Leia made the trip enjoyable and informative. I really appreciated they took us to visit Berg Elze, I loved the castle. All around, this was a fabulous vacation that I would recommend to anyone who knows how to bike!