4 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 451 to 480 of 1207

Bike rides and beaches were very good.

They really..really need an automatic self serve espresso machine. same as our other trips with Tripsite...Harmonia charged E2.50 per serving! Better choice of yogurts, theirs was bland and runny Edible bacon and sausages, i e not 95% inedible lard (not exaggeration). Dinners were very good. Both my ebikes malfunctioned, one needed to be "rebuilt" but the guides were superb and switched bikes.

The itinerary was excellent and well selected, and the stages well judged.

We loved the inclusion of events, museums tickets. the vouchers were exxcellent!

For us the best part was the two excellent Hotels and amenities in Uberlingen (St Leonhard) and St Gallen (Einstein) - Many levels above the other Hotels selected - provided a welcome feel of quality and luxury. In general and in particularly for the less challenging tours as it is the Tour of Lake Constance, it would be good to offer at least two levels of options (and prices) with 3 ***/4 **** hotels and an option with 5 ***** stars hotels.

The one thing we did not like
, is the invariable time arrival of our luggage at the next destination. It was always 18.00 pm or slightly later. In case we arrived at our next destination earlier, that severely limited our options of what to do or even go for a swim as we have no alternative clothing options

Overall the entire biking experience was fantastic even for non-bikers like 3 of the 4 in our group. E-bikes made all the difference. There were some miscommunications with the Tripsite team hear in the US, but the actual tour operators, Active Tours, who are in country did a phenomenal job of picking up the ball. If it has been a while since you were on a bike, I would double the time to get to each scheduled reservation for wine tasting. But once you get into the groove, being able to ride the "Route of the Grand Crus" and taste the wine along the way it will be an unforgettable experience.

This was a great week mostly due to the people. The crew, Capt. Luc, Francesca, Jen and Annita were first rate. Our fellow passengers made it so much fun and made for delightful dinners together, as well as, riding throughout the French countryside. The people we meet each trip is the reason we keep coming back as we develop lifelong friendships with riders around the globe!

Beautiful countryside. The route book gave direction in tenths of a kilometer but our odometer only had whole kilometers. We got lost a couple of times.

The scenery was breathtaking, the biking was not difficult with the e-bikes, and the swim stops were amazing. We were riding on roads and some were quite busy so I would not do this trip with children. The air conditioning in the cabins was just ok so if I were to go on the Magellan again I would bring a small fan.

Museum in Spakenburg was self directed but very interesting and beautifully laid out.
Using an e bike for the first time really made the daily biking more relaxed and enjoyable.
I would suggest the evening meal be presented as family or buffet style and available earlier than 6:30.

The Feniks was a fine boat, and the accommodations were better than I expected. There were only 4 other passengers, with 4 crew, so we were well cared for. The bike was comfortable and efficient. The (vegan) food was EXCELLENT. It would have been nice to have more of a mixed group (others were ALL Dutch, but it worked out ok.

Few pointers: there was no internet on the boat, some days we rode as much as 70K, but mostly flat, we mostly docked outside of towns/villages.

Meeting all the pilgrims on the trail was lots of fun. Everyone was friendly and kind. The trail was a challenge at times with lots of rough rocks, quick hills, little streams to cross but we had e-bikes and can’t imagine doing it without them. Probably avoid doing this route in July and Aug because of the number of pilgrims on the trail.

The Primadonna was comfortable, well-organized, had good food and created a good tour of beautiful parts of Europe. The bikes were easy to ride and very high quality. My biggest concern is that without GPS, the routes were impossible. Even the few German speakers had trouble with the routes. I would not recommend this trip to anyone who does not know how to use it. I believe you have to have a specific plan for your phone ( and/or a European SIM card. The ship claims to have wi-fi but it is erratic. I could not text or email most of the trip. The tv’s in each room had no English channels so we were not able to track the news. We were the only Americans on the ship so we good friends of other nationalities and that was great.

My daughter and I had an incredible time! The crew and the guides were amazing and skillfully managed any complications that arose. Despite weather complications and a variety of skill levels every day was wonderfully executed and incredibly enjoyable for all! The food was delicious and served in portions that ensured no one was leaving the table hungry

Leaving Innsbruck on the bikes was so exciting! It was wonderful to know that our luggage would be safely transported to the next hotel and we could just enjoy the scenery. The paths were well marked and going in and out of little towns was such a joy. The route was wonderfully planned and each day was just the right amount of biking. Definitely take time to swim in the Kalterer See. It felt so wonderful after a day of biking on a hot day.

This was our second Bike & Barge trip. If you are thinking about it, do it! Both trips were with a group of friends. We had a wonderful time together with the crew. I'd recommend going with a group of friends or family. This trip required longer distances which at times were a bit exhausting but much of that had to do with our pace and the weather. Most of the biking on this trip is in the countryside, not many towns to see. Arriving in Venice on the boat was incredible and a great way to end our trip spending two nights and a day in the city.

The Merlijn is a fantastic ship. Great to be escorted by the owners themselves. Cabins were perfect and the small size ideal.

The Zwaantje, Captain Martijn, and his crew were among the highlights of this trip. We had an amazing time exploring the different cities. The routes were easy to follow and the guides were great, friendly and personable, though I would have loved more history/information during our rides. We enjoyed the variety of scenery, the option to go off on our own, and the opportunity to socialize with many other adventurous people :)

A good range of hotels.
Good company.
Good route suggestions.

The gps worked well, but it would be nice to have attractions or sites on the gps as well. Would have been nice to stay on paved roads, because trails were muddy and wer (weather did not cooperate for us). My bike was a coaster bike with very poor brakes. Very unhappy with. The other bikes in our group of 5 were ok, but brakes needed to be adjusted.

The Croatian islands were beyond beautiful. The boat crew couldn’t have been more helpful. The food was plentiful but just average. Some of the meals would be more appropriate for fall and winter…very heavy.
Surprised that the boat /merchants didn’t accept charge cards American money. That was extremely inconvenient. That should have been emphasized!!!!

The trip was absolutely fabulous. The staff was fun and friendly. The food was phenomenal! The only problem was the riding was way harder than described. My friends and I are very fit and ride regularly but these hills were brutal!

The guides and boat employees were very good. The food was excellent. The boat’s air conditioning was okay to poor in the rooms and nonexistent on the main deck. Many people had daily issues with their bikes (brakes, gears, e-bikes not always working, etc.). The guides were excellent but had limited bike mechanic skills. These trips need a full time bike mechanic and extra bikes available to trade out when some bikes are not working well.

This trip exceeded our expectations. I think that was mostly in part to the breathtakingly beautiful country of Croatia, and to the awesome guides (Mario and Srdan). We were pleasantly surprised by the size of the cabins on the Harmonia. We had a lower cabin with a port hole, and I believe had more space than the upper cabins. Since most of our time that we were on the boat was spent on the upper open decks or in the Saloon, we didn’t miss the window at all. Because we traveled with carry on luggage only, the one thing missing in the cabin for us was soap and shampoo in the shower. I have padded shorts for bike riding, however I didn’t bring them because I thought riding an ebike would have a more comfortable seat than my bike at home. I would totally recommend bringing your padded shorts for the biking. Some in our group brought a padded seat cover which would also be helpful. We brought our own helmets, however, there seemed to be enough helmets to use theirs. Don’t underestimate the elevation gain on the bike rides. Even though you have e-bikes, you will still need to work. On the longest ride of this trip, there is quit a big elevation gain and it is recommended to conserve your battery and not use higher levels of ebike assistance because you will use your battery up before the end of the ride. I would recommend some training before. On one of the days on the Island of Korchula, there is the option to have lunch of a traditional Croation meal. I would highly recommend indulging in that meal. The one port I was not impressed with was on the last day on Šipan This was one night where dinner was not served on the boat. The town was very run down, and there was not many choices for dining or any night life. But, it turned out to be a relaxing evening before heading to Dubrovnik. Again, this trip did far exceed our expectations and It was mostly due to the very experienced guides. They worked very hard to keep us informed of what to expect on each ride. They kept the group organized and on schedule each day. They knew each island front and back, with informative stories of the landscape and history. They were very personable, fun, and made everyone feel safe. Lots of laughs had by all.

Biking and scenery was the best part

The friendliness of the Czech people and the peace and quiet of the countryside and villages. The recreation of the bunker by the enthusiasts in Slup was very interesting. The towns en route were architecturally stunning.

As our trip leader was well aware, I preferred the scenic countryside to the hectic intersections of the bigger cities. Though I was glad to see Leiden, Haarlem and Delft, it is a consideration when picking a tour. Crew was great and the meals surpassed expectations!

We were dissatisfied with the fit of the bikes. Care was not taken to size the bike to the rider and several of our members dealt with bikes too big for them - a safety issue! Also, my nephew had to trade seats with me to make my ride much more comfortable - that left him with a less desirable seat - those options should be the responsibility of the tour company and back up equipment should be available on site.

The accommodations were very good in each case.

The GPS for the 3 of us had problems and others riding with us from Hong Kong (They may not have been trip site) had GPS problems also.

An opportunity to see and bike the less traveled. The barge moored in quiet off the beaten path places - but each had something to offer. The crew on AveMaria was amazing, worked well together, made our travels very comfortable and the chefs were top notch. It would have been nice if half way through the trip the bed linens were changed out. We appreciated access to the wonderful cappuccino maker and access to chilled drinking water (both still and bubble). It would be helpful to include that guests should bring along their own water bottle. It was a very memorable adventure.

Most memorable were the seaside and inland bicycle and leisure experiences: swimming the Adriatic was a surprise along with the picturesque medieval coastal cities and medieval hilltop towns. All in the company of fun staff and other bikers, despite the fact that there were only 2 of us from the US. Almost everyone on board spoke English. Mid-June was a great time to go, with lovely green vineyards and olive groves, lots of blooming flowers, more moderate air temperatures with refreshing water temperatures for swimming. E- bikes made the otherwise challenging uphills easy.
Patsy Venema

Everything went very well. The crew did an amazing job!

Staff were really good!
Boat was really good!
We loved the journey!
From the website and any tour information we were not aware that there was a mountain bike and mountain biking option on this tour. There is a brief mention that a person could ask for a mountain bike BUT there is mo mention that mountain biking is offered. We would have chosen this option.

We took an extension tour. The saving grace of this extension were the guides. The tours were very good and the pipe organ concert a sir oak treat. However this tour had a considerable amount of “downtime”. Our excellent transportation dropped us off early so we had to wait for our room in Tracoscan where there wasn’t a lot of options for things to do. Our tour of castle was to occur 6 hours later! The next day we had a considerable downtime before our 6:15 pm city guided tour was to begin as well. Our suggestion is to put these two tours in one day.

We did have a transportation issue but this was resolved by the attentive staff. We appreciated the responsiveness!!

This was my first experience riding an electric bike and I was skeptical at first, but now I’m sold! I’ve done many bike tours in years past and am older now and haven’t ridden enough to be in shape for riding hills. The e-bike allowed me to greatly enjoy the tour AND have energy left over for enjoying evening activities! My favorite part of the tour was riding through the champagne area. The vistas were breathtaking and visits to the vineyards for wine tasting were such fun. I loved riding off the usual tourist paths through quaint villages filled with cottages that looked like they were from fairy tales, complete with beautiful gardens and clay tiled roofs. Stops along our daily rides to enjoy coffee in a cafe or maybe a beer or glass of wine in the late afternoons was an added treat. We often squeezed in a little shopping during these stops. The crew of the Zwaantje couldn’t have been more pleasant. The meals prepared by Chef Frank were a delight each evening!