4 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 271 to 300 of 1278

We were a self-guided pair that was added on to a guided tour. So we travelled with them when bus transfers were needed but we did not have any meals apart from breakfast included in the deal. So when we arrived at small villages the others had set meals pre-booked for them and we were needing to find meals either at the same or different places. So we felt disconnected from the group. That was fine. But if you want a group experience go with the fully guided bookings. The Italians in the riding group wanted to eat at 8 pm and we wanted to have early nights so that we could cycle before the heat of the day. The Italians did not want to get going until 9 am, so if there was a bus transfer prior to the day’s ride we could not start riding until after an hour or so in the bus, starting at 9 am in the bus. It was summer, it was hot. The bikes were basic commuter bikes, in my opinion. They weren’t suitable for riding on the lose gravel, sand and large stones and cobble stones. So we ended up pushing our bikes in the heat of the day for anywhere between 250 meters and 800 metres. After a while it certainly did not feel like my idea of a holiday! The 2 and 3 star accommodation was clean but basic. No kettles, no teabags, no fridge. So for people like myself with dietary needs (and who likes to drink copious amounts of tea) it was difficult to self cater. The guide Romas, was knowledgeable, but when a change of plan was needed he did not excel in forward planning toilet or cafe stops. Some cafes were closed until noon, but we arrived at 10:30-11 am, if he’d rung ahead the day before they may have opened at 10:30-11 am for a group booking for 10 hungry cyclists. Picnic lunches could have been planned. Warning for group riders: the group only goes as fast as the slowest rider! We often passed the group, who were waiting at a crossroad for the beginner rider to catch up. We’d arrive at our accommodation hours before them. The maps synced with the Ride with GPS app, after a few hiccups which were quickly rectified by the Company. It’s mainly flat terrain and pine forests so not particularly exciting, pleasant, but not exciting. It was as described; “gently rolling hills” was the description I think.

Our 2 guides, Philip and Bubi were excellent. Always in great moods, funny and receptive. They did everything to ensure our safety while on the bikes and instructing us in where we were going. Very helpful with arranging Ubers at the end of the trip and taking time with us.

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.

I forgot to mention in my earlier review that there was a miscommunication re where to pick up our bikes in Lubeck. The hotel rep at Jahreszeiten, and the notice she handed us with our documents, stated that we needed to go to the Radisson Blu to pick up our bikes. (Tripsite booked us at a hotel outside the Alstadt.) After much back and forth with the Radisson reception and our local tour rep, we discovered that our bikes were not at the Radisson but were waiting for us at our hotel. This error cost us time and cab money, as well as an hour of anxiety at 10pm at night as we tried to figure out where our bikes were.
Nonetheless, we'd like to thank the local rep and the transporter who delivered our bags from hotel to hotel.

We loved most of the locations, esp. Lubeck, Wismar, Zingst. Rerik, which was swapped out for the destination promoted on your website (Kuhlungsborn), was a nice alternative, small and relaxing.
On Day 4, we would have liked to stay in Warnemunde, but were lodged in a large, noisy, ugly youth hostel/low income -type place in Rostock had a long line at check-in and was a 20-minute walk to the nearest Sban station. The room wasn't bad; however the location, building, and breakfast did not meet our expectations. (The staff at Reception was nice.)
We chose Level 1 accommodations because we wanted quaint, quiet BandB type places - not big chains - in lovely locations.
Also missable is Ribnitz. We had a nice seafood dinner at the port, but otherwise not much of interest here. And the town had a strange vibe -
I would recommend an alternative that skips Ribnitz and includes Binz, a lovely seaside resort town on Rugen.
The bikes were solid even on cobblestones and dirt roads but a bit heavy, esp. on the many hills between Lubeck and Wismar.
Overall we had lovely rides and enjoyed our route very much.

O que mais gostei foi passar pelas cidades pitorescas e lindas do trajeto, ver o mar e a natureza singular dessa região. A manutenção das bikes deixou muito a desejar, por duas vezes tivemos que parar e buscar apoio para conserto, o que também ficou por nossa conta apesar de utilizarmos os telefones de apoio. Já tive outras duas experiências com a tripsite e as bikes eram ótimas, o que não posso dizer dessa vez.

The scenery was amazing. The hiking was challenging. The guide was passionate. She could have done a better job of briefing the group about each hike so we could better prepare ourselves. Since there was only one guide, if we thought the planned hike might be too difficult, the only choice was to go or not go on the hike that day. The lunches need to be more varied. Everyday we prepared our own lunch from food bought by the guide. We ate processed deli meat, cheese, wraps, and snacks from COSTCO and potato chips everyday. This became unappealing after several days. Extra water was provided in single use plastic bottles. This is not environmentally friendly. I would have preferred being given a large reusable water bottle with the company logo that could be refilled with water from a large container carried in the van. At the end of the trip the guide sent each couple an email requesting a tip equal to 20% the total cost of the trip. We were all surprised at the amount. If this was the expected amount this should have been shared prior to the trip in a FAQ. Many of us did not have that amount of cash on hand.

We had a sewer odor in our cabin and the crew had a tendency to leave the door open for the dining room, even though it was 96° outside. They wanted fresh air, even though it was hot air!

The vibe on the boat was great! The chef was amazing, and so accommodating to my food allergy! Two great bike tour-guides!

Suggestions - budget for at least one beverage included for dinner. It was a nice treat on the first and last day to have a complimentary drink pairing. The wifi on the boat was really bad; I know we were warned that it might not be strong, but it just didn't work most of the time. That was frustrating, not being able to communicate with family, check the scores of Eurocup games, etc.

I enjoyed all of the villages/cities I stopped in and the lodgings were excellent. My pannier was broken and it was replaced right away which was much appreciated. Several of the GPS maps had sections which did not accurately reflect the route or were confusing. One route did not indicate that a very large road construction project was in progress and it took me an hour to figure out how to get back on track. Parts of the routes were marked as unpaved and while true, several miles of the unpaved roads were difficult to navigate. That being said, I always was able to find my final destination.

Unfortunately, the most memorable part of the trip was the presesence of rain every day we rode. I understand that this was one of Denmark's wettest years on record.
I would like to suggest that the fitting of the bikes be more extensive other than matching the frame size to the persons height.
Because a GPS was not provided we had to purchase a phone mount so we could use their app to follow the route maps. Don't plan on using the printed directions otherwise you'll miss a lot of the landscape.
We did find it an issue that the route maps provided did not always have us arriving at our hotel at the end of the day. Instead they left us at a location that was often miles away from the hotel.
Overall, the hotels were very clean and comfortable. My only negative comment about the hotels was that some were located in sections of town that required us to uber to dining and sightseeing options. Breakfast was always plentiful and delicious.

the best part was the absolutely most beautiful scenery in Belgium and the Netherlands! Be sure to check ahead for the latest weather to be prepared for biking and be prepared to have very spotty internet on the boat.

The boat/barge Merlijn. We have done more than a dozen bike barge boats and the Merlijn is by far the premier of the lot. The service and cuisine on board was superb as well.

The staff on the barge, Gandalf, were friendly and accommodating, Meals were exceptional; kudos to Chef Hans!
I thoroughly enjoyed the Green Belt biking of Holland, the fields, forests and windmill areas!
Our tour leader, Patrick, did an excellent job of leading and managing the group.
However, I do feel the local partner fell short; by not having an extra staff member biking in back of the group, as the “Sweep”.
Patrick asked for someone to volunteer, each day, to be the Sweep and I don’t feel we paid for this tour to have this job and responsibility.

Boat, bikes, Crew, food, cabins, and service were fantastic. Memorable was the villages visited. I just wish we had more focus on the history of the places visited as well as the wines of the region. We had to do that by ourselves, I was glad the GPS app used work great and we could ride on our own.

Having issues with the battery while bicycling in Friesland where it was very windy was the most memorable part of our trip! We had to ride our e-bikes with no power assist for approximately 10 kilometres. The food was good, the option of the drink package was really nice. The staff were well trained, they were courteous and friendly. When I had an issue with my bike, it was replaced the next day. This was a self guided trip, the guides who reviewed the route for the next day failed to inform us that there was a route detour, some of the guests became lost and had trouble finding their way back to the boat. All guests should have a Sim or eSIM card on their phone ( Canadian and Americans) or cell phone coverage (Europeans) so they have access to Google Maps when there is an issue with navigation. The App was very good, but it did not assist when there is a route detour.

The scenery on the Connemara trip is spectacular. Mostly beautiful back roads, always in sight of several mountains, lakes and ocean.

Feedback/Critique:
1) Bike-wise, the first day was pretty awful. The plan was to fit our bikes on day 2 at 9:45 AM, which took 30 minutes. The bike shop gave us one e-bike with only 1/3 of the battery charged, and another one was spotty - didn't respond every time to power request! Owner said problem charging overnight, and he didn’t really apologize… said “that’s the way it is… I don't have another backup battery, so just try to use the battery less…" Then it was at least an hour to transport us to the starting point in Cong and ready our bikes for the ride, bathroom break, etc.. Because of the 1/3 charge, the stronger of our group pedaled a lot without battery. There was no cell service so we couldn't call the bike shop until later in the day - left a message to bring us another bike and another battery. The owner brought us a replacement bike and battery the next morning - The bicycle brought to us was a different brand - and was lighter and peppier. Why not just use that brand?? 2) The ebikes were not Giant as advertised on Tripsite - they were Devron, which I suspect were heavier and less quality. Compared to the bikes we used in our Croatia bike/boat trip in June 2019, these were much heavier, and less peppy. However, the bikes given us on the Aran Islands were lighter and had more power (they really zipped along). If we hadn’t been pretty athletic individuals, I think the trip would’ve been harder. 3) The estimated route time given inside the RIDE WITH GPS routes must not include any time to take photos, get some hydration or snacks. So by the time we got to the ONLY 2 possible lunch spots - Maire Luke's Bar and O'Toole's pub, they were closed! SUGGESTION: STRONGLY recommend - in the BEGINNING of the route description to purchase lunch in Cong before beginning the route. 4) None of the 3 bikes had a bike pump as promised. One bike had an incompatible plug so we had to use a personal plug converter!!! At the end of the tour the owner gave a lame reason... 5) The ebikes were not peppy enough to carry us up several morning hills on day one, which added to our time and so we didn't make the lunch spots. THEN in the afternoon stretch we had to push our bikes up the 2.5 km long hill -- when we were pretty hungry. 6) THE FLAT OPTION ROAD WAS CLOSED, and no one told us until the end of the day. In my opinion it was unacceptable for your partner's contracted bike shop NOT to have a back up battery! In the future, if possible the bikes should be fit THE DAY BEFORE in the late afternoon, and a) the driver could take riders, luggage and bikes to Cong to stay overnight, OR, pick up riders, luggage, and bikes at Galway lodging at 9 AM day 2 then drive to Cong.

By the way after day 2 we did call your Dublin partner to report the bike problems. That's where the corrections need to be made.  SHOW MORE 

The scenery in the Costa Brava is non-stop. From seaside to countryside to fields full of sunflowers and ancient villages, everyday had at least one "wow" moment. Tripsite support was spot on and the ebikes were flawless.

All very enjoyable but particularly spectacular from Grein and through Wachau Valley. Durnstein ruins and abbey particularly memorable. Last night (Vienna) had been cancelled by mistake by Tripsite so some worries and no communication from Tripsite but eventually sorted out by the hotel.

I the whole experience was memorable, but the most exceptional was the food. Danny was truly a chef who was interested in preparing the meals with a purpose. He also kept good eating habits in mind, offering a great variety of vegetables in each meal.

We had the most delightful Guide, Ilenia. She was just beautiful and so considerate and kind. We enjoyed only having 13 riders in the group. On 3 of the days, we were treated to authentic Italian food in little villages or out of the way places. Sadly, the choice of hotel in Lecce proved to be extremely disappointing. The other places we stayed were quite good and one, in particular, at Gallipoli was outstanding. There was quite of bit of road riding at times. The scenery in the Puglia region was average - lots of dead olive trees and in the back streets there is lots of dumped rubbish. Having said that, the trip was excellent and the group we rode with was fabulous.

The crew was supportive, professional, personable, friendly, and quick to respond. The meals were delicious and better than most restaurants ! Our bike guide was knowledgeable, supportive, funny, and adaptive to our needs as cyclists. It often felt like we were a family. The scenery from the bike and barge was beautiful. I often felt Mersey in the culture of the small villages we passed though.

The guides were very good. Some of the bikes needed to be replaced Definite bike problems

Great scenery; safe ridding;
We should have stayed an extra day touring around St Emillion.

The site that inspired van gogh’s stary night.
We didn’t see as many lavender fields as thought

Due to flooding, it was cancelled. We were put on similar boat and trip. Is there a price difference between the two trips ? Mainz to Heidelberg on Olympia was the substitute trip

The staff and guides were very committed to everyone having a good time. Although the weather posed some problems for us, the guides pivoted quickly to make sure each day had something special to offer.

The landscape, ocean paths and excellent hotels are the best of this trip. I love cycling and do that regularly. This trip is classified as “easy” but I actually think it is very challenging. There is a variety of terrain, some parts are easy but others are very challenging with rocky hilly roads, passing streams and among walkers that do El Camino. The mountain bikes are great and I would not have been able to complete it without an electric mountain bike. Be prepared for many challenging hills. This is definitely not a trip for beginner or occasional cyclists.

The Provence region of France is exquisitely beautiful, and biking is very much a part of French life. Everywhere we went, we saw beautiful medieval villages and gorgeous countryside. However, my strong suggestion would be to encourage E-bike rentals. Although we are strong bikers, the hills we encountered made it very difficult to get to some of our destinations. Also, the App we used in order to access our daily riding maps was not user-friendly and we had a difficult time following it.

The trip leader was excellent. Enjoyed the routes we took everyday. Interesting scenery in the town/villages we visited. . What was most disappointing were the group dinners no choices. Some of the hotels could have been more centrally located for free time sightseeing. Overall it was good value for the cost of the trip.