4 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 451 to 480 of 1196

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!

Loved all the beautiful scenery and being able to see it by bike. We particularly liked being in a small group (9 couples) who we got to know quite well and had fun socializing with. The crew and guide were very attentive and made the trip extra fun.

We chose this tour for its scenic appeal, and it delivered! We really enjoyed the routes (including the hills - we like to have some climbs). The ride from Parthenonas to Porto Koufo was particularly beautiful, in fact we circled back and did one section of it twice because it was so scenic and was a great nearly car-free paved section. It was almost comical -- another beach and gorgeous view around practically every curve. This area of Greece is beautiful. The routes do go through Mediterranean forest as well, which was also nice. The hotels were fine, and in some cases exceeded expectations (e.g. the Porto Kofou Resort). We weren't thrilled with the Explore (Garmin) app used by the provider, because it did not provide voice prompts, nor alerts when we were off course. There were some technical issues with getting the routes to load on an iPhone, but we ultimately figured it out. The weather was quite good during early June, yet we were ahead of the crowds so it was not overly busy. We recommend this tour if you are seeking a scenic location with beaches, beautiful Mediterranean coastline, and waterfront villages!

Olympia is an excellent choice for a bike and boat trip. The comfort and food were excellent and the serving staff exceptional. The Trails were super being mostly off road and either along the river or in the trees with birds singing. Some of the berths of the boat in the bigger cities were difficult to find so make sure you have accurate directions

The excellent mix of people on the boat from at least 8 different countries. Everyone was very friendly and interesting. We ate dinner with different people every night. A very fun group! My advice to other is to step outside of your own group and talk with your fellow travelers, the crew and the guides. Struggle through using your high school French or German. It's well worth it.

The trip was great but we were disappointed our room configuration requests were not included in our hotel bookings. When we followed up after the first night the Tripsite employee suggested we follow this up. We didn't think this was very good customer service.

beautiful weather, really great tour guide (one of the best!), food was reasonable (not the best).

Excellent well marked bike path. Be prepared for rain.
Do your homework in advance to make plans for eating if there is a holiday and your lodging is not near an open restaurants or a grocery store.

You definitely get to experience the beautiful country of Croatia on this bike & boat tour! The boat drops you off at one end of an island and you and your group bike up and over to the other side, where the boat meets you. I would strongly recommend an ebike… some says the elevation and distance was quite high. We had a lower cabin that was very spacious with two beds but only has a small (and I mean small!) porthole you can’t see out of. It doesn’t really matter because you don’t have WiFi or television in your rooms. This is nice because it makes passengers gather in the common decks! The food was fair… they did their best to accommodate people’s dietary preferences. Our cabin was not clean when we arrived or cleaned during our trip. They only make your beds and change towels once. Our guide, Cresco, was passionate about his country and biking. He arranged optional lunches and wine, cheese and olive tastings with local establishments. The only thing that can be bothersome is how many people smoke in Croatia.

We really enjoyed going to three capital cities that we had not visited before, while being very active and seeing the countryside. The rides were not difficult but we were glad that we rented e-bikes for the occasional steep spots and headwind. We will definitely do a bike and barge trip again. Since we like sightseeing, next time we would look for an itinerary that includes more villages/places of interest and less long distance biking in isolated areas.

The times together with others. Dinner, riding etc.

The boat was very nice. Swiss Crowne. The crew and cruise director were wonderful, always very helpful. The food was very good. The only recommendation I would have is that the timing for the cycling and meeting the boat could have been better. We rode each day and we would have liked to have had more time while riding through some of the towns., The weather in the morning was a bit of a hindrance - but we realize that could not be helped. In the future I would prefer a trip that has guided cycling tours so we can get more historical background.

All in all, we enjoyed the trip, very relaxing and would recommend this trip for people who want a combination of cycling and touring.