Bike Tour Reviews — 4771 to 4800 of 6274

Biking everyday on a different path through diverse scenery and able to stop at any time to see different landmarks. Getting to see more of the countryside than if on a tour bus. This itinerary was very doable for all ages and levels of fitness.

Really enjoyed getting to know the staff on the barge. This made the biking (which I found somewhat challenging) to be a more memorable experience. As a result, I would do this type of trip again.

We were on a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest last year, and we noticed that the rivers we were on had beautiful paved and much-used bike trails, often on both banks. Then our friends from Chicago, a couple our age, learned about a barge biking trip in Europe and went on it last fall. They invited us to join them this year on a similar trip on the Moselle River, from Metz, France to Cochem, Germany. Here's the concept: at Metz, we arrived at the Iris, a small ship fitted out for 24 passengers and five crewmembers. Besides the passenger cabins, the ship had a dining room, a lounge, and an outside deck- not all the other things you associate with a cruise ship. Each day at around nine or 10 o'clock in the morning, we would get off the ship with bikes provided by the outfitter, and bicycle about 30 miles along the bike path on the river. We were led each day by Wouter, our guide, who was a history major as well as a very competent tour guide. He and the other four members of the crew were all Dutch, as was the registry of the ship.
When registering for the trip, we included our physical measurements so that the bikes were almost perfectly fitted to us when we arrived. I was pleased that my bike was large enough for me because I am tall. Dianne had reserved an e-bike since she hadn't had a lot of experience in doing long road rides over multiple days, and because she had just had knee replacement surgery at the end of January. Five of the 24 people in our group used e-bikes, and they were all very happy with their performance. The bike does between 20 and 60% of the work (three levels—20, 40 and 60%) and you do the rest. It's not like a moped-- you still must pedal. It also has a readout that gives your speed, distance, and battery power.

The bikes we used didn't employed derailleurs but instead had gears inside the rear hub that worked very smoothly with the two lever system on the handlebar. Most of the bikes were Gudereit hybrids, a German brand. All the bikes had front and rear lights, which turned on automatically, and were powered by a generator device inside the front hub that involved rotating magnets, so there was no friction. I was impressed with the smoothness and comfort of the bike I was given. The outfitters provided the bike, a pannier, and a helmet for each cyclist. Helmet use was not required but highly recommended.

The nice thing about the bike paths along the Moselle River is that they were quite level, with only occasional small climbs when we needed to go up a ramp to cross a lock and dam for a bridge, and once when we made a little more of a climb to get up onto one of the tiered roadways in the vineyards. The Moselle Valley is wine country, and there were vineyards every day in every direction. Every morning we made a coffee break in a small town, and later we stopped again for the lunch we had packed that morning before leaving the ship. Each day, we’d see the Iris passing us on the river on its way to that day’s destination city, with Jacques, the captain, waving from the pilot house. On two of the days, we could opt to stay on the ship longer and join the other bicyclists enroute, or leave the ride early and “sag” on the ship. Guests also had the option to just stay on the ship all day and not bicycle if felt they needed a day off. But most biked the entire way.  SHOW MORE 

We had an exceptional guide. He had a lot of local knowledge and often altered our route in order to extend our cycling experience.

Highlight: Biking in the Wacchau Valley

My most memorable part of cycling along the Rhine River was seeing the beautiful country side hills with castles and fortresses and stopping for coffee and delicious baked goods in villages.

The guide was attentive to each rider and knowledgeable about the towns and history.

Everything about the trip exceeded my expectations. In particular, the dinners were truly gourmet. Keep that chef (Leroy)!

Most Memorable Part: The people on our tour were great. A bunch of fun people.

Amazing tour...Loved every minute of it! The staff was awesome. The bikes were great! The hotels were all very clean, with friendly staff and great breakfast. The route was beautiful. The towns were fairy tale dreamy. Did we get lost more than once? Yes of course we did, it's a given and expected when you're not familiar with the rout and towns, no matter how good the map and directions are. Having said that, getting lost was part of the charm of the trip, we got to explore more areas/places. Most trails and routs are very well marked and if you follow the "Bike Route" marks you will not get lost too much, maybe a turn here or there. We used Google map along with the paper map/directions provided. In some areas Google conflicted with the provided directions and that's how we got lost ... but it was fun exploring. If you're the daring type who considers every turn a new adventure you will have a blast. But if you're the type that everything has to be precise then you might get frustrated.

Highlights: Seeing these countries via bike paths. Going through small towns and villages with an excellent guide to highlight the history and out of the way places.
Tip: get in shape! You will enjoy it more if you are fit to bike these distances.

This was our first bike and barge trip, and we loved every aspect of it. Yes, the weather was a challenge, but even that was rewarding in retrospect. The guide and crew were great, the food was wonderful, and the boat was very comfortable (and a good size). We got to know all our fellow passengers and that was the icing on the cake. Now I'm spending way too much time, probably, reading about where to take our next trip!

We participated on this Bike N Barge tour in May of 2017. The Carissima is a former "Viking Cruises" ship which is now doing the bike and barge tours for a year or so and it provides such luxury in accommodations, living quarters, dining rooms, swimming pool and so on that is unlikely to find on any other ship and tour of this type. The bike paths are by most standards quite good and the scenery is simply wonderful. The first day or riding the Engelhartszell - Aschach bike path is majestic and the Great Loop of the Danube unforgettable. The Wachau / Krems - Melk trail on the last riding day is by far the best and most interesting. We also rode our bikes on our own through the city of Bratislava and also through most of Budapest which is by far one of the nicest cities east of the Iron Curtain. We did not take a day of rest in Vienna. We rode our very comfy e-Bikes for 4 hours throughout the city and stopping at the huge number of venues for photos as time in Vienna is absolutely very limited. If there is something wrong with this trip is the fact that this ship does not stay overnight in any of the main stops on the tour so it lacks the opportunity to explore the city at night and enjoy some of the local events and specialties. The ship leaves almost as soon as your requested time of return from cycling is scheduled and you spend much of the time on the ship deck watching the river go by. The tour guides were outstanding and the directions given are flawless. Having been given the gps routes in advance was immensely helpful. By the way, while e-Bikes are not essential they are good to have if you plan to climb the hills to see the castles and other high up the horizon venues on this tour. If you stay on the assigned paths regular 7-8 gear bikes are just fine. The Hungarian dance evening excursion is quite good and recommended and so is the Vienna Orchestra evening excursion if it is your first ever classical music show. It provides some of the well known classical music by well known music geniuses but leaves a lot to be desired if you are well aware of this musical era. The orchestra is small just 16 or 17 musicians in a small and poorly designed venue for that type of music. 3 out of 5 for this excursion. The overall trip is well designed and gives nice riding opportunities, great views, lots of culture, great comfort and the Danube is a treat. The meals on Carissima are less than good in quality and taste but better than most for showing off. The breakfast are excellent. The rest is average at best. The crews are all top quality for service and attendance. I dislike sitting at the same table with the same 6 persons every days every meal. It supresses the opportunity to meet people and reduces the fun of getting to know others from different countries, cultures, ethnicity and customs. For the reasons of not overnight stops and the food quality and table seating system we rate this at a 7 of 10 stars or 3.5 on this scale.

Once again the "Patria" gave us a wonderful trip with an excellent crew from top to bottom. The rooms are small but comfortable and spotlessly cleaned on a daily basis. The food on this ship never ceases to amaze. Breakfast and dinner for such a lot of guests it is always served with smiles, tirelessly by outstanding servers and the chef is a master in producing meals of top restaurant quality. Bravo. The guide Carsten was "spot on" with his PowerPoint presentations, never shy of answering any and all questions and always riding the course. The handouts were excellent. Not to be missed is the wine tour in Nierstein, a fun outing without the pretentious tasting and showy put-ons. Must make sure you arrive 2-3 days early at Koblenz as it is a great place to explore on your own on a rental bike. Also after Bad Wimpfen take a short train ride and stay a couple of days in Heidelberg to see and enjoy the many historical venues. Yes, it is a touristy place, but worth it. Castles and more castles the first 2 days, vineyards and fields the next 2 and rolling hills the last 2 days gives you a trip that showcases everything that is so much fun in the "Bike and Barge" style of vacationing. Enough bike riding every day to enable you to have the extra glass of wine or cold beer at dinner. This trip is a 10 out of 10 hands down, particularly if it is sunny and dry as it was for us this September of 2017. Our 6th trip with Tripsite and we looking forward to the next one in 2018. Thank you all.

Bordeaux the best city on trip for us. Trip is not easy because of traffic and hills---scary!!!

Everything was excellent! There were a limited number of available rental helmets, I highly recommend bringing one's own from home.

Passenger/participant/staff group dynamics were excellent.
Barge had no laundry service, so go prepared with the necessaries to look after it yourself.

Biking through wine country in Germany and going into the fields themselves. Take this trip!

This trip exceeded our expectations on every level. We'd never done a bike and barge excursion and decided to jump in with both feet on this trip. To say that we were thrilled is an understatement. The incredibly comfortable boat, the friendly and hardworking crew, the delicious meals, the fantastic guide, the varied and beautiful route... it was all more than we imagined. I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to experience three countries and their cultures with the intimacy that a bike tour allows.

We're experienced travelers and think through our options carefully. The combination of activity, education, relaxation and total immersion was so appealing... and this excursion did not disappoint. To top it off, given everything that is included, this trip is a tremendous value. We can't wait for our next adventure with Tripsite!

The trip started out with high winds and rain but it didn't dampen the spirit of the group. We were always going downhill with the wind on our back! The comfort of the barge and delicious meals were outstanding. The Mosel valley was probably the highlight for scenery and seeing the grape harvest in full swing. Our wine tasting evening was one of the best we have ever experienced. The Captain wanted us to have a real experience and we did.

The guides were excellent and the biking was gorgeous!

Cycling gave us a good look at south Holland. Wonderful variety. Passed through peaceful farm land and enjoyed the many small towns we passed through. Getting lost from time to time forced us to interact with locals and many of those occasions turned into highlights. Found the Dutch people to be most helpful.

Most Memorable Part: The small towns set in the beautiful mountains with it clean air and pleasant residents.

Biking through the Wachau Valley was spectacular, thus it was the highlight. The staff on the "barge" were super friendly and helpful. The biking was easy if a person is reasonably fit. A little practice doing long distance biking is a good idea.

Especially enjoyed the days cycling through the vineyards along the Mosel River.

It was quite an adventure! Best way to see the real country and people of Holland.

Gourmet dining aboard the Clair de Lune was five star fabulous! The tour guide, Henry, was extremely knowledgeable about the area, and inspired the highest level of confidence in his ability to handle any situation. The Clair de Lune was very clean and in excellent condition. All the staff were wonderfully friendly, helpful and welcoming.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. A suggestion for others would be to prepare for wind if going during that time of year. The route may be very flat but the possibility of a constant headwind can make it feel uphill. Knowing this, some guests may opt for using an eBike.

We loved Germany the best. The coffee stops were the best. Great brats and pastry.

We were on the 9-16 Sep sailing on the Bordeaux from Castets-en-Dorthe to Libourne. The provided daily road maps were difficult to follow and easily confusing; most folks saved the $200 euro apiece, and did the self-guided rides -- and folks were going off trail everywhere. Luckily, I had downloaded Ulmon maps, so I could always find my way back to the trail. They did offer 3 bike computers with pre-loaded maps which were very helpful. You state they can be rented for $15 euro, actually, they are available for free, with a $100 euro refundable deposit, unless it is lost or stolen.
Otherwise, the trip was a delight, and great kudos to the bike guide Victor, the ship's owner Pascale, and her fine crew.