Germany Tour Reviews — 1351 to 1380 of 1767

Amazing scenery, fantastic hosts, first class accommodations - a winner all around! Highly recommended, and would take another trip on the Merlijn in a heartbeat.

It was a fantastic way to experience several new cultures, communities and cities all while loving the interactive journey! We loved the challenge of finding our way and the delightful anticipation of our next destination and accommodation - which always truly splendid! Without speaking the language, ( German or French ) we met several wonderful nature loving and kind ppl who helped us when we seemed to veer off the route. We always got to the next destination and spent time exploring area and local cuisine. The best part of my experience was the sense of overwhelming ahh and appreciation I experienced when I had my 'around the corner 'experiences' - meaning that I suddenly came upon a fantastic site that I did not anticipate in magnitude or beauty and there I was, right there with it! Beautiful.
Thank you sincerely for the amazing trip! We loved every moment and strongly recommended to to all the soul inspired adventurers out there!! Xo

Fantastic countryside, towns and beers!!

Highlights: Our daily biking trips, having a varied ride each day with different kms, visits and scenery, plus even a hike to a castle as well. My only suggestion is to keep this spontaneity as each day is an adventure with the known luxury of the barge awaiting us at the end of each ride.

Most Memorable Part? That is so hard to answer because there were so many of them. I do plan to enter your contest very soon. As for tips or suggestions for others...By all means considered a Tripsite bike trip for your next vacation. It has so much to offer. And don't let your fear of being able to complete the daily bike rides stop you. We had in our group of 21: an 80-year-old, a person with a "boot" on his foot due to an injury, a person with a sore back, and several people who don't bike regularly. All of them were able to not only complete our daily rides, they did so with no struggles and enjoyed themselves. E-bikes can be used by those who have trouble with longer or more challenging rides. There is something about riding in a group that bonds cyclists together. You go slow enough to have conversations and see all the details you could miss when going by bus or car, yet fast enough to cover miles of interesting terrain.

Riding the Danube was the most memorable part. This trip was trying to do too many things for too many diverse folks at one time. A bike trip and a boat trip are different experiences. For biking, I think a smaller boat with more cycling is important. The staff worked hard with several languages, those who wanted to sun, those who wanted to tour cities, and those of us who wanted to bike: tough job. They did a great job, but for bikers, I think another option should be recommended. There was a great deal of confusion because of the diversity of activities. The cyclists actually lost a full day of cycling due to conflicts/changes/who knows? Descriptions of the next day's activities were very confusing, because they were trying to give instructions for a variety of different folks. We were always wondering, confused about our ride instructions for the next day. Thank goodness for the bike guides who tried their best to keep us informed!

Fabulous bike/barge adventure in Germany/Austria! We'll be back! The cycling was on beautiful paths along the Danube. The food and service onboard were extraordinary.

Most memorable part: Discovering new and very interesting places with good friends.

Biking through the wine country around Melk. The villages were amazing and the people were friendly. I'm only 5'2" and the bike's weren't a good fit for me I needed a smaller frame but none were available. The bike I was given for the 1st day of riding was in very poor condition which made the first 27 mile ride rather uncomfortable but several people complained and the staff fixed the bikes. Make sure you get on your bike the 1st day as early as they will let you so there is time for fixes if needed before the boat leaves and you need to ride off on your first journey.

Traveling on the Merlijn is always a delight. The accommodation are great and the food was delicious. Our trip along the Mosell was utterly charming. This was my third sailing with Jantien and Henck and I hope it wasn't my last.

Memorable and very satisfying tour. The Merlijn and her crew were wonderful, friendly, and efficient, even while operating one member short (due to illness). The route along the Rhein and Moselle Rivers was beautiful, historic, and made for great cycling. The extras offered by the tour, wine tasting trip, winery tour, Roman mosaic and others, were highlights, and the food on board was great. I'll be back.

Cycling through the countryside, seeing Stein-am-Rhein, the Rheinfalls, taking the boat across the Wallensee, seeing the Schattenburg in Feldkirch, and visiting the Abbey Library in St. Gallen were all highlights.

The boat and crew were all fantastic and the cycling was fun and easy through beautiful scenery.

Konstance was very bike friendly, and interesting.

Riding through the countryside, seeing the roadside farms along the way, was far and away one of the most beautiful parts of the trip. We enjoyed finding places to eat, visiting museums, taking an excursion to the monastery outside Stein am Rhein, and finding cool drinking fountains to refill our water bottles! We had some trouble finding the path at times, but the longer we rode, the easier it was to decipher the guide/route. We took one really long, uphill (very steep) wrong turn on day 2- at least riding back down to the correct path was easy. Overall, it was the best part of our trip! Would have loved to have seen Rhein Falls, but I think it may have been too far away.

We really enjoyed the rides through the countryside in this trip. Our cruise director was fun and very helpful. He gave us many tips for the route and how to experience the culture of the places we went.

The visit to Strekov castle was one of the more memorable moments. We had time to explore the ruins. Otherwise, we did not stop anywhere for long. The other spot where we stopped for a while was Terezin, site of a Nazi concentration camp. At Pillnitz castle near Dresden, we were given 15 or 20 minutes to tour the gardens if we wished. Overall, the pace was fast and the trip felt a little rushed. The description of the ride as easy is a little inaccurate. There were some hills to contend with, especially on the first day. I would have liked a little more free time in the pretty towns of Melnik and Litomerice. Most accommodations had no air conditioning, and it was very hot when I made the trip in late July-early August.

The trip was very good throughout so it's hard to pick one thing as the highlight. Exploring the Roman remains in Trier was something we won't forget, and so was singing sea shanties on deck with the crew!

The whole trip was great. We thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want it to come to an end.

My wife and I did a July cruise on the Merlijn that started in Merzig, Germany and ended in Mainz, Germany. What an adventure. Henk (our captain) navigated the ship perfectly as we sailed the Saar, Moselle and Rhine Rivers over 8 days and 7 nights. We were told that the Merlijn barge was converted in 2006...but the rooms and decor were still very modern. We were pleasantly surprised at the size of our rooms and bathroom. Our two twin beds were placed together, creating a very comfortable king sized bed with "air" controlled mattress firmness. As a 6'3" tall man, the shower accommodated me well, with an adjustable shower head. An inexpensive laundry service provided clean clothes daily if needed.

Jantien (our cruise director and chef) provided great service and the food was excellent....even providing a vegan menu option for my wife. We enjoyed getting to know our fellow passengers, sitting with different people at each meal. Jantien was always there to provide any additional details or service if needed.

We really enjoyed Lia, our bike tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and spoke fluent English, but was fluent in other languages as well. She knew her stuff and provided excellent details along the way. She even walked into the towns and villages with a small group of us at the end of each day.

We enjoyed seeing the beautiful German countryside from a far different perspective than a typical visit would entail. We couldn't recommend a trip on the Merlijn more....and plan to do another bike and barge tour in the future, but next time, we will bring friends too.

Lack of access to bicycles/ guide did not do anything but lead the route.

What a dream vacation! Eating like a king every morning & night, and riding far enough in the time between to feel like you're burning it all off. My wife and I had a wonderful time with the three couples from our church who made the trip with us; the pace was leisurely enough for the least athletic of us, yet brisk enough to keep everyone's attention, with lovely scenery throughout. We're only back a few weeks and already thinking about where to take our next biking vacation! Thanks for such a memorable trip.

What a delight to pedal with a small group meandering along three major scenic Germany rivers in the company of a caring, experience guide, then settling into a comfortable bed on the Merlijn. I highly recommend the Merzig to Mainz route and don't miss the climb to the castles.

The most memorable part of the trip were the people I had the opportunity to meet including the staff who were extremely courteous.

Everything was great! Even when the ship had a mechanical problem, the staff made sure everyone was happy.

Best Part: The small towns and villages we biked along the way.

Most Memorable: Arriving in Budapest just at dark and seeing the city all lit up and riding through the Wachow valley. The visits to the cities, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, were too short and left us wanting more. This particular boat was geared more towards German speaking guests and English was a poorly translated afterthought.

Excellent value for money. Food was great and the crew were fantastic. Great fun on the bikes and beautiful places to visit. Only let down was the tour guide Jochen Winkler. Did the basic of roles and did not engage clients.

The staff and food were excellent, as well as the ambiance of the river boat, not too crowded, a good mix of nationalities, great info dissemination and communication with passengers. Very relaxed and customer service was wonderful.

This is the BEST way to experience Europe! The countryside, scenery and little villages were breathtaking! We absolutely loved the food and experience on the barge! An experience for ALL your senses!