3 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 271 to 300 of 327

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!

My wife and two other couples did this trip in August 2017. The crew was great the boat is very well appointed, the rooms are small but function well. The evening meals were great, breakfast was limited most days to bread cheese and cereal.
Now the bad part:
The crew turns off the air conditioning at 10:30 at night and does not come back on until the morning. So one would wake up in the middle of the night sweating and not be able to go back to sleep, The bedding, our clothes and all other items in the room would get moist and moldy from condensation.
The Bicycles were not the best, they were quite used and most of the seats were loose and could not be tightened which made for long days of riding...

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.

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.

I learned and saw things from the Netherlands that I had never seen before. I loved the cycling through the dunes.

We were doing the tour "Around Venice". We did not get to finish our tour due to unusual weather, as we had heatstroke on the second day of cycling during an unprecedented heatwave. We continued by train and bus.Therefore, I feel we cannot really make a recommendation about the cycling part of this tour. We were very disappointed as we have never been unable to complete a tour before this. All other aspects of the tour and staff involved along the way were excellent. Our bikes were picked up by the tour company, so we did not have to worry about getting around with them when we weren't feeling well. Hotels were great, and Italy has the best ice cream on the planet! (And due to the heat, we ate quite a bit.) Fortunately it is very easy and inexpensive to get around by bus and train, and we had lots of time in each lovely town to rest and recover, while exploring. This is a really beautiful part of the world.

The bike riding and the scenery in Croatia were stunning. Many interesting things to see and the beaches are beautiful and refreshing after a hot day of bike riding.

The trip was fun despite almost nothing going as expected. It rained so much we often could not ride so we had fewer days of riding and less distance when we did ride, it was impossible to get clothing dry once they got wet, the cabins were tiny, and neither the guides nor the crew were Scottish or knew much about Scotland. And other than this superficial survey no one has asked for any substantive feedback. Nonetheless, the group bonded and we had fun.

This tour should be rated moderate/difficult. There are many steep climbs. I had an E bike so not bad for me. The non E bikers had a big job. If everyone had an e bike, a very enjoyable journey. The scenery was gorgeous. The hotels were beautiful and welcoming. The maps provided by the trip organizer and rather GPS could have been more detailed.

Riding through southern Bavaria was simply beautiful. Murnau, Garmisch and Wallgau were amazing towns. The route that this ride took was perfect, if only the bikes were better. Close to a third of this trip was on gravel/dirt roads, with a few decent climbs, and the heavy clunky bikes definitely took away from the enjoyment. This was my second trip through Tripsite, but I would be hesitant to do it again or recommend it to others simply because of how bad the bikes are.

While the scenery was wonderful, I don't think that I could recommend this type travel to someone who would like to take more time to see the sites. This tour, just in my opinion, is much better suited for someone prioritizing cycling over site seeing. I (and some others in my group) discussed how there was a "rushed" feeling to the trip. That being said, the itinerary is posted online for all to make an informed decision. Lastly, there was almost a sense that we, the customers, were an inconvenience to many of the staff until the second to last day when there was an announcement that a tipping envelope would be left in each cabin. Staff personalities completely changed for the better on the last day and a half. This opinion was quietly shared by most of us who had done this type of tour numerous times before.

My wife not getting adequate vegetarian food on two occasions. Left a bad impression.

The food and scenery were magnificent. The boat was better than I had expected. Don't pay extra for the upper deck cabins on the Normandie because they are identical with the exception of being able to open the window on the upper deck. Our tour guide was rude. He spent a lot of time talking to the Germans and very little time talking in English. He scolded us if we asked questions that could be found in our book or were only relevant to the next day's bike trip. Peter at the front desk was also very rude. He made you feel stupid for asking any questions. He is in the tourist business and should expect questions and answer them gracefully. I wouldn't tell someone to avoid this trip, because of the beauty, but don't expect a lot from the staff. The rest of the staff were quite nice, but there were three men that should not be in this business!!

Although the weather was rather rough in April, the tulip fields were lovely. Our guide was sweet and attentive, but her lack of experience in working with large, diverse groups created some difficult situations. With more experience, she will be super. Two bikes needed basic repairs within the first twenty minutes of biking, indicating that they had not been checked prior to our group's arrival. The captain of the Jelmar was skillful in managing the barge, but his people skills are still developing. Enough said.
Jelmar April 2017

The trip was fun but I don't think the description of the trip was accurate. The trip was about 85% bike riding and 15% site seeing. I would have liked more time to explore the cities we were riding through but most of the time it was too late or placed were closed. Not sure if I would do another tour like this. The riding was beautiful but I really expected more site seeing according to the trip description.

Lanzarote is a beautiful destination perfect for a week of cycling! The volcanic landscape, mountains, caves, architecture, ocean views, climbs and downhills are all amazing. Unfortunately, our experience with our fist hotel and Papagayo Bike could not be described as beautiful or amazing. Our first two nights in Costa Teguise were spent at a hotel geared toward toddlers (H10 Lanzarote Garden Hotel). The room and breakfast options were quite good but the hotel was exceptionally overrun with toddler, strollers, and toddler oriented entertainment. This "toddler hotel" became even more disappointing when we found Papagayo bike shop located at, and nearly inside, a much more adult oriented hotel on the water. Again, unfortunately Papagayo Bikes did not meet our expectations. As a nearly two meter tall person I had specifically asked about bike fit and been told they could fit me just fine. The employees at Papagayo knew little about bike fit and how to move seats and bars. I had not brought my own tools because I had been told I'd be provided a small tool kit. I had to beg to take a hex key from the shop so I could make small adjustments along the way on my too small bike. The hybrid bikes provided were rather worn out and not at all up to the standard of the road bikes being rented out at this shop. We had to decline the first bike provided to my wife due to poor shifting and noisy brakes. The second bike seemed okay and she rode that for the first day of the tour, only to have difficulties with the brakes throughout that day. Although the route description we signed up for said we would be staying in Haria at the north end of the island our second night, we were not booked into accommodation in Haria and instead had an 80 km first day to get back to Costa Teguise for another night at the toddler hotel. Since we were nearby the bike shop, the next morning we brought my wife's bike back to Papagayo. They said the brakes could not be fixed right then and received what was now her third bike. She rode that one, dusty from being in storage, for the rest of the tour. When she got a flat on a long climb we discovered her spare tube was for a mountain sized tire! Luckily, the tube in my own pannier was the correct size and we were not stranded. New, correct sized tubes were immediately dropped at our second hotel the Florida. Our experience at the Florida was lovely in every way. The room, the food, the entire experience was just lovely. Our experience, and disappointment at the start of the tour, were smoothed over and tempered by the amazing island of Lanzarote and the much more adequate accommodations after those first two nights. We had a lovely experience despite the less than stellar first hotel and issues with the bicycles.

The Route Guide that we received was in German. We called Velociped and they said that they ran out of English guide - Basically we were SOL and not getting the Route Guide in English. They knew it way before hand that they did not have any English Route Guide - they should have let you or us know and maybe sent us written instructions for the route. We had difficulty in the first 3 days of the trip. We did not even get any instructions of how the electric bikes worked or how to operate it. The first day - my wife struggled on the ebike because it was not working right- we had to call. Instructions on what to do and how to start it would have been good. Very poor customer service. In addition, we signed up for CLASS A hotels, which was supposed to be 3 or 4 stars - not one of the hotels provided was a 4 star. The scenery along the Mosel River was spectacular, the luggage transfers between hotels was great.

Route descriptions need significant updating and elaboration. There were many detours that are not indicated in the guide - took us off track, added many km and much confusion to the ride. Became VERY frustrating. Bikes need much better maintenance - friend had a broken chain day 2 . Arranging the repair was difficult - they lost a day of cycling. Very poor communication around the repair, no one seemed to know what they were doing. Really took away from the trip. Would have been much worse had we been in a more remote area when the break happened - would have been stranded for hours. The most helpful person was a local tow truck driver - he saved the day. Never saw a representative from the company in person for the whole trip. What??? Should, at the very least, have one at the beginning to review procedures, answer questions. Liked the biking, but some routes along canals got boring. We ended up going off route - saw much more. Hotel, luggage transfers were smooth. With the exception of the hotel in Bornem, hotels were nice. Overall, quite pleasant when things were going well, but did not feel that we got good personal support or service for the money we paid. Emergency support services need a LOT of improvement.

Lovely being in the area at this time near harvest but the routes, route preparation in the evening and historical information that might enhance the experience were severely lacking. The GPS devices were difficult to work with and virtually no help was given as to how to correctly operate them.

It was lovely being in the area at this time near harvest but the routes, route preparation in the evening and historical information that might enhance the experience were severely lacking. The GPS devices were difficult to work with and virtually no help was given as to how to correctly operate them.

It was all enjoyable. Food was amazing. Staff were very accommodating. Rooms were spacious and clean.
Only negative was it said it was a 7-day bike trip and only rode bikes 5 of the 7 days. Falsely advertised.

The tour we did was aboard the MS Andante in late September. The riding was easy, and for the most part trail was easy to follow. A few times riders had to be rescued by Garrett, our tour leader,as the route had changed. The scenery was beautiful with rolling hills, castles, vineyards, and of course the majestic Rhine. The Andante is an old ship that could really use some refurbishing. The lounge feels like you're in an old Sinatra movie, the dining room is cramped and there's no option of sitting with other passengers. The chef did a very nice job with the dinners, they were not overly elegant but were quite tasty. I can't say the same for breakfast. It alternated between boiled eggs and greasy sausage, to scrambled eggs and greasy sausage. The staff was not overly friendly, the front desk girls seemed more interested in their afternoon smoke, than greeting passengers. The cabins were accessed by treacherous stairs, but once there they were not too bad. The carpet has seen better days, and the bathroom was shower/toilet combo. Overall, if given the choice I would definitely do this cruise again, but might look into a different ship.

This Bordeaux trip needs a lot of attention and improvement. It started out badly at the Bordeaux train station attempting to catch the bus to embark. It took us 2 hours to find the place to catch the bus. I understand that the station is being renovated but you know this, yet you post no signs, no information, have no greeters, nothing to help people find the bus. The maps were really bad - difficult to follow especially given lack of adequate road signage at each location. We spent more time lost and trying to find our way around that enjoying the scenery in many locations. We eventually just gave up on biking because we didn't want to get lost any more. I am not sure what the local statutes are but you could post little signs marking the way for bikers to follow. This would not be hard and would help your patrons to find their way. The food needs help. Why would you have the EXACT same breakfast items for 7 days in a row? I understand you have limited staff but it would not be difficult to vary it up every other day. There were a three dinners that I did not even eat because the food was bad. Granted there were a few meals that were good, I was overall disappointed with the meals. Some of the crew were fantastic, but I felt like communication was poor regarding when we would have to leave the port for "le mascaret" (tidal surge wave) - it seemed like they were always an hour behind when they said it would happen or there was a last minute rush to get people off the boat or get stuck on it for the day. The captain seemed impatient all the time with getting people off the boat. Many things could have been better communicated in the evening "tour talks." And the tour talks were really boring....they weren't especially helpful for biking on the next day. They would literally put us to sleep. Also, we spent 3 nights and two days in the village of Cadillac. While it was a very charming place that I enjoyed, 3 nights and 2 days in such a small place was too much. Why not spend 3 nights and 2 days in Bordeaux, where there is a lot to see and do? I am glad I went on this trip but I would not do this trip again, nor would I recommend it. I met people who have been on other Tripsite boat/bike tours who said this one was far inferior to others they have been on. I would like to call out specifically two staff members who were really great - Arnaud and Sebastian. They were always smiling and fun and really seemed to enjoy their jobs. They made the trip so much better.

My grades given to this trip show my displeasure with several items encountered while on our trip. First, the pickup at the airport was bungled by "Pepe" our guide. He did not have a sign for us to recognize the tour! It was a miracle he finally found us. The boat was laid out well, the crew was very pleasant, however none of the 3 crew members spoke fluent english (necessary for the Americans, Canadians, Dutch, and German passengers). My major complaint was regarding the cabin Air Conditioning. The captain only turned on the AC from 6PM to Midnight. In August, the temperature was in the mid 80's - too hot to sleep in an enclosed cabin after midnight! I would discourage any potential guest not to take this trip unless the captain changes his AC rules and provides cooling throughout the night!
The food was OK with little variation from day to day but the last "onshore meal" at a local restaurant was inedible!! Skip the restaurant meal and eat onboard (not a current option) or give the guests an upscale restaurant or eliminate the meal altogether and each guest is on their own for the last supper.

We knew the barge was old, but weren't prepared for the very tiny, cramped cabin space which was definitely not the one advertised!
Most of the bicycles were in fairly good condition, but my husband got one on which the chain kept coming off and had a fall because of that.
The barge operators, Stephan and Florence, were lovely and worked very hard to provide a good experience, cooking traditional French meals each evening complete with dessert. The tour guide, Jan, did an excellent job keeping the cycling group on track and adjusting our days to accommodate the extreme temperatures during the hottest week of the summer!

Janine was the ultimate host and an excellent chef. She worked very hard to assure guests were satisfied with the trip.

I would recommend it, but with reservations. I think there should have been two guides, one to take a faster group and one for a beginner group. A few people on the trip should not have been. They were not comfortable on their bikes, and were a daily danger to whomever they were near. Something should have been done about it.
I also would have liked to ride faster, and spend more free time in the little towns.

I have planned to contact you with feedback, but haven't. The staff was great except the guide. He was not friendly or helpful. We were all disappointed in his lack of leadership and "guiding". Of the three trips we have taken, this was the least appealing. The route was not attractive, and mostly industrial, urban or rural. We were near places we know were charming and interesting, but did not visit them. I'm left wondering if it is that tour company. For 35 people biking there really should have been more staff on the road with us. Still love you!

Sorry, it rained the entire trip. Route and scenery would have been fine if not for that. Barge has seen better days. Staff (Stephan and Florence) are very pleasant.
Suggestion: Give the tour riders a sew-on patch to remember the tour.

The guide seemed lost most of the time. He didn't know where to stop for a picnic and one day we ate our lunches at a bus stop. I realize cafes mostly close in France between 12 and 2, but his lack of knowledge of where to find a toilet after lunch was a problem. He chastised us for being slow to re-organize, but then later we'd stop for no reason and wait for up to a half hour with no info from him. He was good at describing architecture.