Germany Tour Reviews — 241 to 270 of 1690

Unfortunately, the most memorable part was the weather--10 degrees, 25kph winds and rain for a goodly portion of the tour. Suggestion? Never believe the long-term weather forecast.

The staff were uniformly friendly and eager to serve, the food was excellent and the quarters very nice. Places we visited were lovely.

A few of the routes were shared with motor vehicles, and this wasn't clear. While it was not an issue for me, my wife was uncomfortable with it. Drivers in Europe are generally much more polite and tolerant than those in the USA. I would not have liked the experience as much in the US.

The TripSite team took care of all the details, was responsive to questions, and made our trip easy and worry free. Prague to Dresden was our second trip and we hope to book many more. We select the upgraded hotels and add on extra nights for an even better experience. The new navigation app made biking even easier. Advice to bikers: do your homework on the suggested side trips - some were nothing burgers but a couple were spectacular and worth the time.

Guide Fabian was wonderful. Guided tours were good. Loved the scenery. Sixteen in group was too many. In fact two chose not to ride and 14 was still too many due to varying abilities.

Cycling along the Danube and entering small villages as we cycled. It felt very “intimate” like we were part of the life of the village.

Vienna and Budapest at night. Coffee and cake at 1600. Breakfast buffet. Large lager.

Unfortunately, I tested positive for Covid 19 the evening after the first ride. Nevertheless, the trip was very enjoyable, especially because of the kind attention of the staff on the IRIS, especially our hostess, Kim. I have to say, sitting on the deck of the IRIS, cruising along the Main in Bavaria, is not such a bad way to go! I did get in two days rides at the end so also got to enjoy the biking.

Magical trip thru the villages and vineyards of northern France and eastern Germany. This trip has a great pace for getting to feel the atmosphere of the region. Definitely would suggest anyone coming from a far distance give themselves a couple of days to acclimate before starting the trip!

The Spa Triangle biking tour - late August 2024 was more rigorous than we anticipated...lots of hills. Four of us went and we are in our mid-late 50's. Two of us chose acoustic bikes and two got electric bikes. This worked out well because we are all around the same height and could switch off as necessary. Plus the electrics carried the paniers with all the food/snacks, drinks and all extras.
A couple things I'd like to mention. The Trip site partners were very friendly and for the most part very responsive. Sometimes there was a language challenge, but we got through it. We upgraded to the Superior Hotel category and glad we did because we can't imagine what the lower category would have gotten us. With that said, the first hotel: Schlosspark in Karlovy Vary was very dated and in 1 of the 2 rooms, the air conditioning was not working properly and it was very warm on our first night. We mentioned to the front desk and were told a technician would come by. By the time we returned after dinner, the room was still very hot and we mentioned again but were told there was nothing they could do. I then reached out to our Trip Site partners and they said they would speak with the hotel. The hotel offered another room but it too had no a/c. We were promised an upgraded room the next night. I ended up putting my mattress on the floor of the room my sister & cousin were in to be able to get a comfortable night sleep before our first day of cycling. As far as the "upgraded" room...it was equally dated and had a tub instead of a shower but it did have it's own mini-split for a/c.

Our riding that day was greeted with perfect weather and we had a picnic lunch at what looked like a castle. We also passed a nice covered bridge along the route. The one thing we definitely wish we had known and been advised of is that the only place in the Spa Triangle with Thermal spas is Karlovy Vary. The other towns you will stay/visit do not offer the thermal baths. Unfortunately, we didn't find this out until we were at the next town. The town itself is lively and we happened to be there at the time of a music and wine festival and lucked out with all the music in and around the town.

The next town of Frantiskovy Lazne was all painted in yellow and we stayed at the Spa & Kur Hotel Harvey which was by far the best hotel of the 3. It was the most modern and best breakfast spread. Although, don't get spa services here, they were disappointing...lots of oil being rubbed all over and nothing more. The town is sleepy but beautiful. There are lots of green parks in this town as well. Our rides from this town included stopping at Soos, a nature preserve to see natural springs. On our final day here, we biked out through the town of Cheb which was lovely and then had another picnic lunch at a church stop that had picnic tables. We also saw a herd of elk and ram along this route which was a wonderful surprise.  SHOW MORE 

The ride was always a. ‘bucket list’ item, & the scenery was outstanding, & the GPS was very beneficial. However, I wouldn’t rate the ride as our best experience, as there were a few disappointments. The Augsburg hotel was not very good. At the outset (day 1) the instructor was briefing a large group of German speaking cyclists, (for ~20 minutes) & advised he’d brief the English speaking cyclists afterwards, but he just came over & said we could start the ride, but we mentioned that we were advised to go to the Dom Hotel for instructions, & he just said - ‘what do you want to know?’, & it was annoying that we had to wait ~1 hour & cycle an additional 2km to get that instruction. Plus, the bikes did not have drink bottle cages, which would have been beneficial. I acknowledge the advice regarding 20kg weight restriction on luggage, & when we left Australia, our (3 pieces) luggage were weighed at the airline checkin at 19kg, 20kg, & 21kg, & we redistributed some luggage to the bike panniers, & then received notices on the end of day1 that out luggage was overweight 1 x 23kg & 1 x 21kg, & that we had to reduce the weight or the luggage would be left behind (we relocated the required amount to my backpack), but I suggest your partner recalibrate their scales (plus it surprises me that 20kg is OK, but 21kg is not). Additionally, we were only provided 2 luggage tags each, so we couldn’t buy another piece of luggage, to redistribute the weight (despite the instructions provided that we’d receive 3 luggage tags each). Additionally, once we arrived at our daily destination, there was no directions given to our accommodation hotel, which resulted in additional cycling (I had to use my Australian iPhone to access GPS, which was costly). Occasionally, there was a few trail signs that conflicted with the GPS, & a couple occasions when the written instructions provided a 3rd point of view.

What a trip of a lifetime. We made wonderful memories and saw beautiful country side and the architecture is unreal.
This was a easy bike ride and recommend it to any rider.

Had a wonderful time on the bike trip, it was an excellent way to see the countryside and small towns along the way. The hotels were very nice, right in the center of things. We would certainly do this trip again.
The only issues we had were occasional navigational problems, particularly on the first day, but for the most part the route was easy to follow on dedicated bike paths. Having a data plan for Europe is a must as that can solve a lot of navigation issues.
Overall this was an outstanding experience for us, and it is an excellent way to travel and really get to know the local area.

4-star experience aboard this ship! Fun adventures and beautiful scenery off the ship. Staff was exceptional, so courteous and friendly. The meals were simply amazing, every single one without exception. I enjoyed the daily cocktail special each day in the lounge and the fun onboard activities too.

Riding through the grapevine vineyards.
Riding through the forest in aschaffenburg.
Riding into the little towns

Leslie our Cruise Director was Great! We were lucky to meet a lot of new people. All the people working on the boat were wonderful and did a phenomenal job! From the Food to the cleanliness of the boat! Loved Disco night!

The whole experience was wonderful ! The boat, service , food and rides. The
Programming was so fun and the rides were incredible. Rented and ebike which I
Was happy with. I was able to enjoy it all stess free

The only recommendation I would
Have is to have mirrors on bike

We had the opportunity to evaluate the Iris so don’t have anything to add

This tour onboard the Merlijn was amazing. It was very well organized.
The crew, staff and tour guide provided to give us a magical experience.
We biked and toured through well crafted locations. We laughed and ate delicious meals. We made new friends!
I will cherish this week forever! Can't wait for the next one!

The Wow factor was everywhere.
Gourmet Vegetarian options at every meal. Old towns, palaces, castles & beergardens. The pristine bike paths along rosy vineyards. Most memorable -probably singing after sunset on the boat deck with John & Felix playing guitars. Yet the picnic along the river and the wine tasting were highlights too. Loved this bucket list experience!

Our cycling guides were fantastic, so knowledgeable and so easy to be with. The crew on the Iris was also wonderful and so easily accommodated everyone’s individual needs.

In fact, the whole trip was memorable! There are a few reasons why the whole trip surpasses by far the "one memorable moment" that most people enjoy taking from a trip. Firstly, the captain, the cook, the guide, and the rest of the members of the crew demonstrated one of the highest levels of professionalism and also a most friendly welcome aboard throughout the trip. Secondly, the Merlijn was kept in such a state of good care and good taste that it was the perfect "home away from home". And thirdly, although pure coincidence, from the very first moment we set sail and, again, throughout the trip, the best rapport and camaraderie permeated the whole group of twenty people who didn't know each other previously and came from so many different walks of life.

Having dinner at Fisherman’s Bastion overlooking Budapest at night was just magical. Also, our first day ride at Danube Bend was a fantasic experience with the bike road along the Danube and the little bike ferries we used (and the Schapps wasn’t bad either!). All in all, great ship, great bikes, great time!

Our Tripsite bike and barge tour with the Merlijn was absolutely fantastic!!! We now have such wonderful memories of the crew, food, our cycling guide, and the new friends we shared this adventure with. We can’t wait to go on another trip!!

Our favorite parts of the trip was the day in Budapest and also the last day of riding. The scenery and stops were all beautiful.
While the daily itinerary sessions with the cruise director were well done and informative the timing should be rotated between the different language groups. The other group was larger and therefore always ran longer than planned.
We found the bikes to be of good quality but you may need another crew member to service them after each ride. We pointed out that there was an issue with my wife’s bike but on the next ride the front brake was still rubbing. Also another member of our group’s chain was quite noisy. Still dealing with these bikes is a massive job and I give the crew full credit.

The trip was a great way to see rural eastern Germany and Denmark. The bike paths and low-trafficed roads were a great way to see a part of the world I had only seen in pictures. Saw things I never would have imagined seeing. Only for a very small fraction of the trip, well under 5%, did one have to be concerned about significant vehicle traffic. The accommodations were more than satisfactory. Please note though the accommodations met European decent quality standards NOT what some North Americans would expect. Some of the rooms were a bit smaller. no AC and low volume flush toilets. The quality of the breakfasts more than made up for any minor issues regarding the rooms. The map data was well laid out. Would definitely recommend downloading the GPX route files and using them on your phone to go from town to town.

We had a great time on our bike & boat trip down the Danube! We were aboard the Primadonna. The highlight of the trip was Budapest. What an amazing city! It was a rest day so we had all day to explore. We left by night when all those incredible buildings were lit up and reflected in the Danube.
Optional city tours were available when we weren’t cycling. I recommend them because we learned history & facts about where we were. The organ concert in Linz was a wonderful experience too.
The boat was great. The staff was helpful and friendly, the meals were good, reflecting the region and our lowest deck room was comfortable. It did surprise us the first morning how close to the water level our window was!
The last day, cycling through vineyards and villages in Austria was delightful.
We would recommend this trip to others. The terrain is easy so you can enjoy your surroundings. We were glad we opted for the e-bikes. The Primadonna doesn’t provide helmets though but sold them in their little bike shop on board for €35, so we bought them.
Most of the people on the trip are retirees. Not many young people. They still have to work! They would enjoy it too though.

We had a great time on our bike & boat trip down the Danube! We were aboard the Primadonna. The highlight of the trip was Budapest. What an amazing city! It was a rest day so we had all day to explore. We left by night when all those incredible buildings were lit up and reflected in the Danube.
Optional city tours were available when we weren’t cycling. I recommend them because we learned history & facts about where we were. The organ concert in Linz was a wonderful experience too.
The boat was great. The staff was helpful and friendly, the meals were good, reflecting the region and our lowest deck room was comfortable. It did surprise us the first morning how close to the water level our window was!
The last day, cycling through vineyards and villages in Austria was delightful.
We would recommend this trip to others. The terrain is easy so you can enjoy your surroundings. We were glad we opted for the e-bikes. The Primadonna doesn’t provide helmets though but sold them in their little bike shop on board for €35, so we bought them.
Most of the people on the trip are retirees. Not many young people. They still have to work! They would enjoy it too though.

The people on the trip and the staff were all memorable. The scenic trails and the system of rivers and canals. Visiting the towns and villages on our own.

The evening cruise out of Budapest with all the illuminated building was so amazing.
Take your time in the smaller towns and cities as you bike to the larger cities. Most of the big cities are more difficult to get around. With the exception of Vienna, the guided tours were superb.

Our Merlijn adventure was a magical package- from the cozy cabins, fabulous food, smooth! charming bike paths, and superior guide -to congenial fellow bikers. And the ebike made it possible for my elderly knees. The scenic rides were away from the hustle and bustle of large cities. Idyllic, highly recommend.

The route was amazing and the guides were great. The food was average at best. Folks were assigned a table for dinner. Despite that, the waiters still had to ask everyone whether they had ordered the fish or the chicken. Folks should have been able to sit with whomever they wanted to. Being stuck with someone who was a pompous ass for a week is ridiculous when the waiters can't even get who ordered what correct anyway.