Germany Tour Reviews — 181 to 210 of 1767

All of it. The Merlijn is small, cozy and a lot of character. All staff including the owners made me and my husband feel so welcomed, like family. This is something you will not find on big boats/ships. The meals that were prepared by Christina were fabulous, and they were very accommodating to my husband who has a picky palate.
The bike trails were easy and beautiful! The little towns in Austria that we rode through were breath taking.

This was my third trip with Tripsite, and third aboard the Merlijn. This section of the Danube seemed quieter than other trips I’ve taken giving us a different experience. We saw the palaces and monasteries along the way, rode through sleepy villages, passed the occasional fishermen along the river front. The biking was easy and along the river for the most part. We took a wonderful hike one day, saw some giant mushrooms along the trail. The last day of riding we had the option of riding extra or swimming off the barge, I took the swim, definitely a highlight for me.

I loved everything about this tour. The pre planned routes were great and very doable in daylight hours. The hotels were from good to awesome! The breakfast was a big plus every morning. I had downloaded the “ride with gps” app but found it wasn’t easy to use and switched to the “Komoot” app as per the advice of other travellers. The ride was “mostly” flat as advertised EXCEPT for the ride from Bregenz to St. Gallen - which was a trek up a mountain, a train ride up higher, then the ride down into St Gallen. The vistas were incredible & I totally enjoyed every minute of it BUT, some of the people on this tour who weren’t aware of this elevation were not happy about that specific ride. The luggage was always at the next destination when we arrived and when I forgot something in my hotel, I chatted with the trip site agent & they retrieved it and it was at reception when I arrived - excellent customer service!

Wonderful crew and guides. The group was great fun. The guides made efforts to accommodate any concerns about the rides that were planned.

The guides and crew were outstanding. The accommodations exceeded our expectations.

This trip was amazing from start to finish. The itinerary was spectacular. Biking was easy and comfortable. We did e-bikes which helps with long rides. Food, accommodation and staff were fabulous. Would highly recommend a bike and boat tour.

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...

This was our fourth and BEST trip on the Merlijn! As usual the Capitan and Christina were marvelous hosts and Kat our bartender and greeter made the trip so fun! The bikes and our guide Thomas were excellent, the routes were lovely and the stops were interesting and informative. I plan to visit the Merlijn again and enjoy another tour.

This was a very scenic trip along the Danube river. The Merlijn is a hidden gem of the river. There is no compatible ship like the Merlijn. The interior of the ship and cabins have all been remodeled and are top notch. The chef and staff are all amazing and welcome you with open arms. If you want an active vacation, you are in the right direction.

Merlijn is top notch service and food. All staff including Thomas, the bike guide, were very friendly and funny.

Route was beautiful. Guides were careful, knew the routes and had good senses of humor. Also patient.

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.

Budapest at night. Cycling the the Wachusett Valley and Vienna

Biking experience was awesome. Any person can ride an electric bike but our guide made the trip so comfortable

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.

Our guide for biking was not very good. We have taken 3 other bike trips and the guide on them were far superior.

The trip was fantastic! From beautiful accommodations, to the fabulous staff on the barge and the outstanding tour guide! We couldn't have asked for a better trip! We will definitely be back. Thanks Tripsite!!!

This is the 3rd Bike and Barge Trip That my friend and I went on. The problem was that the trip is geared to German speaking people. English was given we felt as an after thought. We also took the guided bike trip which had it perks, but we had the worst guide. The guide was not concerned with our safety and we had to continually ask for English. We were not warned of obstacles or any other dangerous situations. After I spoke to her she was kept checking with me but bit the other 7 English speaking riders. Also the electric bikes were so big and heavy, I would have been better off with a non electric bike. The staff was excellent. The cruise director terrible. Not happy with this trip

Our cycling holiday in Austria was simply wonderful! Everything was perfectly organized: the carefully chosen routes, the spectacular landscapes along the Danube, the comfortable accommodations, and the excellent bikes. We felt pampered and couldn’t wait each day to discover the next chosen location. A heartfelt thank you to the organizing company for their professionalism and attention to detail — thanks to them, we had an unforgettable experience, our very first of this kind. Because of them, we’re already looking forward to repeating such adventures in the future

The outstanding professionalism by the crew. That includes the restaurant personnel, the administrative staff, the domestic staff and of course the captain and fellow officers. However, there should be more time allotted for Vienna exploring.and some of the very historic and interesting smaller cities along with Danube.

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.

Great hotels
Beautiful country side
Good bikes
Special vouchers

The biking was the absolute best. It is a great way to see the countryside, the small villages and the cities. We had an excellent itinerary. The sites were beautiful, the tours interesting and the crew was great. We got a lot of exercise and didnt worry about overeating.

Meeting new friends

Tour Guide was not well trained and did not highlight the sights.

The crew were outstanding. They went above and beyond to ensure we had a fantastic trip. The route was gorgeous. Bikes and barge well equipped.

Cochem to Metz Tour
We are believers! Now we know why so many people love the boat and bike (bike and barge) thing. The boat was excellent, we loved the Princesse Royal. Even more so, we thoroughly enjoyed the personable service of the staff ~ boat crew and the bike guides. All of them "bent over backwards" to make our experience seamless and memorable. The food and drink was excellent and the overall organization of the trip was superb. We will definitely be doing more of these, with the same providers and "Princesse Royal" fleet.

Excellent trip with first class service and facilities
Easy pace for cycling and good quality bikes
Staff and customer experience was exceptional as was the food - A wow every day!

We love bike and barges! Unpack once, meals provided and spectacular scenery exploring new parts of the world on a bicycle. This was the largest boat we’ve been on with 150 bicyclists, but at no time did we feel that it was too many people. We met new friends and overall it was a great experience. Bicycling Austrian countryside and vineyards, Old world Bratislava and beautiful Budapest were highlights of the tour. And the strudel! The chefs on the boat made the effort to provide meals that were characteristic of the area. The Vivienne cruise Director, Leslie went above and beyond in his duties and was a delight! It was a wonderful bicycling vacation.