Bike Tour Reviews — 4711 to 4740 of 5059

Venice to Poreč
Italy, Slovenia, Croatia

I found the trip operator a bit disorganized. Nobody told us that the tour guides & map etc were put in our room, and we did not know until the briefing time. During the briefing we went through the material kit, but we were not offered any additional info. The options re the accessories with the bike were not chosen by us, but the operator insisted we chose it and refused to exchange reading board for bike bag.
The map and guide do not always match. We expected bike route would be traffic free and for bike only, but apparently 90% of the time it was not the case. The bike was a bit heavy for me, especially I am only slightly over 100lbs.

Heart of Alsace
France

Green Hills of Abruzzo
Italy

The Green Hills of Abruzzo was great. The guides were wonderful and the accommodations were were perfect (some better than others but all good). The difficulty listed on the Tripsite Guide lists the trip as Moderate but I think it would be more fair to categorize the routes as Moderate to Difficult (based on the elevation changes). We recommend the trip highly.

  My Story Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Only hitch in the whole experience was confusion when we arrived at the boat for check in. In our group of twelve, those who had paid extra for upper deck rooms were assigned lower deck rooms and vice versa, causing a few flared tempers and a less than welcoming start to our excursion. After that was sorted out everything went smoothly. We liked some of the extra excursions more than others but the biking was really the highlight of the trip. Biking through the Wachau Valley with vineyards climbing the mountains on either side, many with castles on top, through charming villages - priceless!

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Our first bike and barge experience made unforgettable by creative, delicious and healthy meals, an outstanding guide with a great sense of humour, extensive knowledge of the areas we cycled through, and much patience and warmth. We arrived as nervous neophytes and left feeling we were part of the family....and cycling athletes to boot!

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Best trip ever.

Portugal Atlantic Route
Portugal

Tour operator got us from AP to hotel, fixed us up with two able bikes with all accessories, and provided thorough pre-ride instruction including, most-importantly, how-to operate the provided gps. But there is more: One of our ride days was stricken with particularly bad weather (30 km headwind with gusts to 50 km, dead against us). About 25 km in, exhausted, wind with rain now, tour operator tracks us down with his van and transports us to our next hotel. Great attention to detail, we couldn't be happier with the whole experience.

  Normandie Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

With 100 passengers & half German speaking/half English speaking I would recommend 2 guides instead of one. At times our guide seemed overwhelmed with questions, assistance, etc....

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The whole experience was awesome! Mantova is a great little place to visit. Lots of history, architecture, fine people, good restaurants. The barge was comfortable, spacious, clean. Food excellent. Staff extremely courteous, helpful, upbeat. Bikes were adequate for the terrain, sturdy, in excellent condition. Some of the trails were uneven, even rocky, but I personally had no issues. Some of the less experienced riders felt a little uneasy on them. The city of Venice was a disappointment (crowded, polluted and dirty) but Venice is Venice... The whole bike 'barge adventure was, plain and simple, unforgettable. Highly recommended. Thanks to everyone for making it so special!!!

  MS Andante Mainz to Basel
Germany, Switzerland, France

I was pleased with the points of interest on the tour (Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Colmar, Breisach), however, the route was very industrial at times and there was just nothing special about it. The maps and route descriptions were terrible and I'd say that was the number one complaint of fellow passengers. I talked to the guide and he said they will redo the route for next year so hopefully with some changes, it will be much better.

  My Story Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

I had a good time on this trip, however, there was not enough time on the bicycle. As well, compared to the other biking trips we have taken, this one was very dependent on time. We did not have all day to get to the next spot. I felt rushed on three of the days, and we only biked on four. Also you lose the sense of discovery when every spot is picked out for you ahead of time, as to where to eat, shop, etc. The cruise staff were wonderful, but it seems to me that they think people only want to see cities, whereas I love the countryside and the villages. I would not do a combined boat and bike again.

  My Story Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Great way to do an active vacation. Will definitely book again!!

  MS Andante Mainz to Basel
Germany, Switzerland, France

The boat itself is nothing remarkable, but quite comfortable and clean. The staff was amazingly friendly. Route descriptions were sparse in some sections so there was some guessing involved. The maps themselves didn't have any road names on them if you did get lost they were of no use. We honestly didn't rely on the maps/route descriptions as much as the info from our daily meetings with the tour guide. There were good and bad days as far as scenery on the rides, a few days were pretty boring with not a lot to look at, while others were quite beautiful. We docked within walking distance to town on all days except one (where you had the option of one lonely restaurant). On board you are provided with maps and flyers for each overnight town. The bikes were super heavy and cumbersome (not bikes I am used to) but this is the norm in Europe. The food on board was excellent. I would recommend this trip as I know the routes are being reviewed and descriptions/maps updated.

  Normandie Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

The Bike and Barge cycling trip was a great way to experience new countries. The cycling paths along the Danube are excellent and the riding was very enjoyable. We will be looking at other bike and barge options through Tripsite.

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

Marcel is a great guide/tour leader.

  Mare fan Fryslân Bike & Sail the Frisian Sea
Netherlands

The Wadden (Frisian) Sea Netherlands sail/bike trip was tops. From the initial greet to the end of trip farewell to "old friends", my only recommendation for improvement could only be that one uncontrollable element - weather. Most days were punctuated with moisture but this did little to dampen the spirits of all who took advantage of this wonderful excursion.

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

There was some disconnect in passing along information. For example the barge had to leave earlier than 6:30 but info was not passed on. Fortunately my friends and I arrived and boarded the sister ship and got the info that the Angela Esmee was instructed to leave the port due to some Dutch holiday celebration. Good thing we took the initiative. There was no one waiting on the dock to give us this info.
Info about running a tab for drinks was false. We had to purchase tokens from a machine to use at bar. Bikes were somewhat rickety, having seen their 2nd season (according to a mechanic I talked to). Mine and some others made a grinding noise the entire time. The mechanic tried to fix it, but eventually I just tolerated it. I heard one mech say the bikes had a couple more trips this season. Good luck to the next owner.
Food was very good and the staff were very friendly. I would recommend a Bike and Barge trip to friends, but we ran into another group on a similar tour riding green bikes...they LOVED their bikes. We couldn't come close to saying that about ours. The green bike tour paid similar costs.

  Normandie Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

They need to provide better maps or route sheets. Manager of the boat (Peter) was very unfriendly and sometimes rude.

  Normandie Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna
Austria, Germany

Staff was incredible. Only change I would make is in the dining room. To be allocated to a table with the same people for every meal was restrictive. We go on trips to meet people from different countries and to make new friends. On speaking with other travellers they mentioned that open seating would have made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. We thoroughly enjoyed our dining companions, but what if you didn't you were stuck all week.

Can't say enough about how accommodating the staff were, especially in the dining room. Many thanks! Want to do the trip again next year add bring my siblings.

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

I found the conditions of the bikes quite poor. They were obviously wearing out after a season of use. The food was adequate but not spectacular. The information about how to get clean towels was given 5 days into the trip.
The routes were well described but I would have liked further information about the towns we were passing through and where we were staying the night. Our group happened upon a cemetery with Canadian war dead but it was just luck. That type of information should be included I the route description of the day. Despite the things mentioned I did enjoy the trip and would recommend it to others.

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

Marcel was a very good guide-Johnan helped keep our bikes in very good order.

  Normandie Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Would be helpful if bikes had water cages

  My Story Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Thanks for providing us with a lifetime of memories.

  Princesse Royal Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

I already have, but warned them about the wind! Which I personally found made the cycling very difficult. I will opt for an electric bike next time.

  My Story Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Overall we had an outstanding trip. The boat was a little better than we expected but very well maintained and managed by the staff and crew. Leslie, our cruise director, was fabulous. I think we overwhelmed the boat with our large group and American ways. Leslie did a great job of balancing our fun trip and the ship's need to do their jobs in a certain way. We will definitely look to Tripsite for another boat/bike adventure in the years to come.

Danube Bike Path - Vienna to Budapest
Austria, Hungary, Slovakia

The bike route and description was really good except on 2 occasions. First, riding out of bratislava is confusing. There is trail construction and NO sign saying where to turn for detour. The second poor section was the last 5 ish miles riding into Budapest. Route poorly marked. We ended up just asking how to get to our hotel since we couldn't find any signs.

  Harmonia Dalmatia from Dubrovnik Plus
Croatia

I loved every moment. The guides and crew were outstanding. My fellow cyclists a delight. A top drawer experience. Can't say enough positive.

  My Story Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Main reasons for not recommending: Too many people. I would prefer a smaller group especially for lunches and stops along the way. Too much time needed for logistics with such a large group. (That being said, Leslie and the crew did a great job being as efficient as possible with this given the numbers involved.) The trip was marketed as meals all included. However, it was clear that we were "expected" to eat lunch at restaurants during our biking days. That would have been okay except we were always at the same place as dozens of other people (mostly people from our own boat who had not elected to take the guided trip option) so that the experience was not at all enjoyable. The restaurant staff were obviously harried at having to deal with such a large group at one time.
We always seemed to be in a rush to get back to the boat before its departure. I hadn't realized that the boat would have such a tight schedule to get from one docking point to another. I would have paid slightly more to have better food. There was way too much pork served; I felt starved for good quality, fresh vegetables by the time the tour ended.