Greece Tour Reviews — 61 to 90 of 94

Biking the various islands is always a delight. The views can be magnificent and the riding a lot of fun.
The boat, however left a lot to be desired. Their was a significant amount of black mold in our bathroom. Several of the cabins leaked in the rain. There is no reason for this except for poor maintenance. Wood requires varnish and that was sorely lacking on this boat. On other trips (4) that we have been on the crew was always busy working on the boat. Not so with this boat. The crew sat around and did not do a good job of looking after the customers. I would never recommend this boat to anyone.
On the other hand, the two bike staff members were outstanding. They were able to react quickly to changing weather conditions and provided an outstanding experience.

The bike rides and touring the cities where we docked the boat. Some of the hills were steep and tiring and more e-bikes would be great.

Two weeks before our departure, we were notified that a negative Covid test was required to board the boat. This was after the date for cancelation. Two of the members in our party tested positive and could not board the boat. Neither one was symptomatic.
We experienced rain on the second night of the trip and two cabins leaked… a lot. Beds and clothes were soaked. No one offered to clean the clothes or dry them, and the leak was patched. It leaked again the next night.
The trip was cut short due to weather and we were loaded onto a bus and sent back to Corfu.
There were def opportunities to continue with some biking, but it was not a consideration.
Disappointed to say the least

The guys in the itineraries were awesome! It was a beautiful trip even though we got delayed with rain. They always had something interesting for us to do. My only constructive criticism would be the actual crew members on board the boat. They usually were just sitting around, smoking or reading on their phones. They should’ve been wiping down tables and chairs on the deck after a rainstorm so that we could sit outside. This was never done. We had to ask them for water to drink and or towels to wipe down I feel for the money they should’ve been coming up to us and asking us if they could get us anything or do anything for us. My roommate and I were also in a cabin that leaked on the bed every time it rains!. This should’ve been remedied long before the boat left off! The captain was great he did a good job! It really was a fun adventure. Thank you!

Beautiful scenery on some of the islands.

When on a trip that has many destinations, especially where travel includes boats and water, anything can happen to change the trip and require you to alter our expectations. I had one thing in my minds eye while the sea and the boat had another. This trip was a test of the adage "go with the flow". Even though we didn't get to visit all of the islands in the itinerary, because the group of people on the tour and the guides and crew, they made the best of it. Substituting a bike ride in the rain for a visit to an olive oil museum and winery. Swapping a long rolling boat ride for a bus and ferry that included a tour of a beautiful cave and folk museum.

The boat was old. You can look at this two ways, unique or in disrepair. I chose to look at it as unique, but others on the trip were forced to live with the disrepair issues. Be prepared to have your patience tested with some of the "features" in the cabins.

These are memories that, along with the bike rides, gave me more that what I was expecting for this first time trip with Tripsite and the country of Greece. I'm looking forward to the next trip in the Netherlands with a Tripsite Boat and Barge tour.

A.
The Thalassa, the boat on which we traveled needs immediate repairs to the holding tank/sewage system. The smells emanated into our cabin day and night. To resolve the only thing we could do was open the portholes, run the air-conditioning, and leave our cabin door open all at the same time. We left the boat one night early due to the smell. Two other couples did the same. We were told from day one of the cruise the smell would improve once we began sailing but that was not the case. Our room smelled of sewage fumes the entire trip. Additionally the smell of diesel fumes while in port was excessive. While the captain, crew, and tour guides were good, this boat is not ready for taking people on vacation.
Suggestions:
1. Rework venting systems for ship
2. Leave port the day of embarkation. No need to stay in port and smell diesel fumes from the boats (including the Thalassa) until the next day.

B. The e-bikes we used for this trip were tired and in need of serious repair or new bikes need to be purchased.
Suggestion:
1. Maintenance and repair review of each bike should be undertaken and new equipment installed as needed.

C. We did a tour extension in Athens for 3 days. Tripsite did not send any information about our extension ahead of time. So, while we had a driver pick us up at the airport and we had a nice hotel, there was no tour guide. We had to figure out what was planned for us on our own. Tripsite referred us to our Greek contact of whom there was none.
Suggestion:
Better contact between Tripsite and their overseas vendor to be sure travelers have made appropriate contact with local guides.

The entire experience was wonderful aboard the boat and biking the islands. The crew ensured we were fed healthy delicious food and we safe biking the hilly terrain.
The only bad experience was poor communication prior to the trip about COVID requirements.

The scenery was fantastic, especially from the high points and we were fortunate to have dry sunny weather all week.
The guides and crew were great and once you had adjusted to the compact cabins it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Outright tip: the e-bikes really take the sting out of the challenging climbs

My wife and I have just recently finished this trip and we can highly recommend it.We have done three boat and bike tours and this has been the best. The Thalassa is well appointed for such a trip,from the adequate cabins with AC ,lots of space to relax,frequent stops where the Captain would drop the anchor for swims,friendly crew and excellent meals.The two guides Catarine and Johanese made this run so smoothly.Catarine s background in Archeology most informative for us. The group on board were a mix of families and single travellers twelve in total . The bikes were of good quality,made in Germany.I am seventy years of age and we chose E bikes which I recommend as there are some challenging hills on the islands. The islands and coast lines are stunning. For us it ticked all the boxes.

Crete is a fabulous place - breathtaking beaches, a rich and ancient history, wonderful food, warm, welcoming people. However, the island is rugged and mountainous, and presents some serious challenges for the cyclist. While we were dropped off each morning high in the mountains, there were still many steep sections that were challenging to navigate, and at times the winds at the summits were quite serious. The trip is listed as "easy to moderate", but our experience suggests that it should be in the moderate to difficult category, and - certainly for less experienced cyclists - we would highly recommend renting an electric bike to help with the steeper slopes. In any case, the tour was a great experience - the cycling was rigorous and exhilarating. We enjoyed the chance to ride through remote mountain areas, stopping in small villages, visiting historic sites along the way, breaking for lunch at small taverns with stunning views to the coast. The beaches on the south coast were stunningly beautiful, with crystal clear water and long, sandy stretches of coastline. And the food - indescribably delicious!

The guides were fantastic—could not have been better. Rides were beautiful with little traffic, and food was great.

This was a great trip. We had a group of 6 people, all recently retired (to give you an age perspective). We did the van assisted, electric bike version of the trip. Probably could have done any one day on a non-e-bike, but could not have done the week since we are not hard core cyclists. with the e-bikes and the assistance of our guide the trip was great, and stress free. We got to see the majority of the middle of the island, starting in a different direction everyday, with varied landscapes and things to see.
We did do the upgraded hotels, which was not a big added expense, and the hotels were nice, but can't tell you if the normal accommodations would have been an issue. The two towns that we stayed in were different, one a small beach town, the other a bigger city. This also added to the experience. Breakfasts at the hotels were huge, and meals on our own along the way were more of the wonderful Greek food, and not expensive. Would highly recommend this trip.

This was a trip of a lifetime! What a way to see the Ionian islands. We are bike riders but opted for the e-bikes, just in case. It was perfect- and if you wanted to push yourself- you could turn off your bikes. Which maybe necessary with the unbelievable food served on the boat! Our guides and crew were incredible- sleeping below deck was a little warm, but they have an air conditioner- but If you could bring a battery operated fan to fasten on the curtain rod of porthole- it would make a difference- but this minor suggestion is not a complaint by any means! Highly recommend the trip and trip site made it that much easier! I look forward to the next adventure!

Meteora tours and the tour operators. They really went out of their way to make this a good experience for me. Ditat and Spiros at the Monastiri hotel made me really feel at home. They helped me navigate the COVID testing. They were the most involved hotel operators I've ever met. Meteora e-bike was amazing. Two really good bike tours around the area, right at my skill level. The food and wine tour was not just food and wine, there was a lot of area background with it including a tour of a restored hermit cave. I would do this trip again. Most people do a 1 day tour from Athens and really miss a lot. Four days was just right. Highly recommend staying longer.

We felt like we were stars in a movie. People came to stare at our boat and see what all the Fun was about. Our swim stops in coves and bays were magical. The bicycling was a blast. Our guides we like friends we had known for years The food was better than excellent. We really didn’t want to leave.

This was a great trip! Awesome beaches and food! This is where the locals in Thessaloniki come to relax. The route was pretty flat (days 1 and 4 were somewhat hilly, but totally manageable). Roads were good with wide shoulders and less traffic.

The food was outstanding and very reasonably priced. The people were so friendly and were very happy to answer any questions that we had. The biking was spectacular and the beaches were indescribably wonderful. We had plenty of biking up hills and then spending time on the beach swimming and sun bathing. The hotels that we stayed at were all excellent and offered us great relaxation and sleep; in a few cases our own private beach as well! Our guide, Nick, was extremely good, and was always available for questions, meeting points along the routes and recommendations for restaurants. Our group would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

It is difficult to pin point the most memorable part of this trip as it was all so fantastic! The guide was one of a kind, he was extremely helpful and so fun. The views on the ride along with all of the beaches were magnificent. I've never seen a more beautiful region. The bikes worked well and I can't wait to take another tour with TripSite.

Encantador tour por bellas islas con paisajes increíbles y un mar fantástico ... cálido y tan transparente que su color encandila...grupo de compañeros de viaje solidarios y con un plus de ensueño... Ferdinand un pequeño de 9 años ,nos deleitaba todas las tardes con su práctica de violín y navegando.. se puede pedir más?.Nuestros guías Catherine e Yannis unos schnuckiputzis adorables ..

We just finished this tour of Crete, and for context I should say we are both in our 70's and ride quite a bit. So, Crete: The scenery, mountains and beaches are beautiful, the people are friendly, warm and accepting, the food is out of this world, and the biking was great for us. Some thoughts about the bike tour itself:
We were provided with new Ideal eBikes that were exceptional.
The routes were varied and generally perfect for us.
Routes were described adequately, but GPS directions were great.
Total elevation gains were substantial, but ok with eBikes.
We were driven to each daily tour starting point, generally at high elevation.
Our driver driver was excellent and extremely helpful.
The price of the tour was very reasonable.
We should have upgraded the hotels - some were minimally adequate.
Overall we give the tour a thumbs-up and are very glad we went. The operator is very competent and provided a wonderful experience.

Most Memorable Part? Bicycling to the monastery on Patmos

Best Part? Getting to know new awesome people on the trip!

As we biked on the Cyclade islands of Greece, it was the amazing views across the Aegean and the myths and stories told to us by our guides that was the most memorable. The Greek food on the boat was also fantastic!

An amazing experience with great friends

Loved the various opportunities to swim in the sea, off the boat and at the beach. It was interesting to learn the unique history of each island we visited.

The rides were the most memorable, very enjoyable and scenic. However there were a few issues. Disappointed with the bikes, for example the rubber on the pedals were so worn that my shoes constantly slipped on the exposed metal of the pedals. One of the guides switched his pedals with my bike, the guides seemed aware of the problem and it was obvious this issue had been raised before. Our toilet was leaking when we first arrived on the boat and we had quite a bit of water on the floor of the bathroom. Also the generator of the boat was switched off at night making the rooms uncomfortably hot. I don't understand why shore power wasn't utilized.

Breathtaking views on hilltops on all the Greek islands. The narrow streets of Patmos and Lesos islands were fun and charming. The guides were knowledgeable and agendas fit the the groups ability. Thank you!

The boat was very tired. In our room the sink tap was not connected the pipe letting water into the toilet tank fell off the wall. The porthole wouldn’t open. Very few of the lights in our room worked. There was no comfortable seats on the boat, and we did not go where the tour was supposed to go because of the boat not being able to handle the weather. The crew was great.

Great Staff and Crew and Fellow Passengers.