4 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 691 to 720 of 1207

Weather was great! no rain at all. Biking was very easy. I had no idea. I was the sweeper for the group. There were quite a few Americans that really had no clue about the rules of the road for bicycles and how bikes interact with cars and pedestrians. A quick overview at the start would be helpful for them. Especially who has the right of way at intersections. At times the group was too big and therefore the train too long. Also a break-up according to ability might be wise. My bike was really too small for me. It was an "L" frame and it should have been an "XL" frame, which is what I had requested.

The most memorable part was the biking itself. We had an E bike so the trip was very comfortable. The bikes were in great shape, it seems even the regular bikes. The route chosen was very memorable and scenic. Marjan the guide, was very capable as it was a challenge at times to keep the group all together. And some suggestions: one guide for 24 people really was not enough. Although we had a sweeper in the back this should not be a paying guest responsibility. If there have been a serious accident, not sure what the rest of us would’ve done if Marjan had to take this person to a hospital. Also the speed was very slow probably due to the fact that we had 24 people in one group. Going too slow also increases the chance of accidents. It was also challenging in towns and busy areas like Amsterdam for safety reasons. It also would it be nice to learn more along the route. Marjan gave some titbits of information but more of this would have been appreciated. We stopped at a wooden shoe making factory but no actual tour and it would’ve been nice to have a tour like this included and some other interesting tours. Also all coffee stops we had to pay for ourselves which would’ve been a nice touch to include. Seven full days of biking was also a lot and it would’ve been nice maybe to combine the biking with a couple of interesting outings. We did get to cruise a little bit after a couple of bike days so that was enjoyable. We only saw one other bike tour once so it was nice not to be herded along with a bunch of other tours. The staff were all very friendly and capable, the cabins were comfortable and clean and the public areas had enough space for everyone. We would definitely consider another type of trip again but maybe as mentioned a combination of bike and sightseeing or something else. Thanks very much

Beautiful beaches, great rides in the country.
Download maps.me before to help you with directions. Invaluable…

The scenery was incredible. The bike paths are well maintained and made for an easy trip. My only suggestion is to have the hotel in Bolzano closer to town. It was pretty far from downtown however the people were very pleasant. Luggage was late a couple of times. One was due to car trouble. Can't predict that.

Most Memorable Part: The extensive bike trails along the river and in the larger cities

The garden festival at Chaumont-Sur-Loire was probably the nicest surprise visit for us all tho there were lots of high points and each person of our group would have slightly different takes different.
Quality of routes and ease of following was wonderful.
Canoe and wine experiences could have been better.
Better indications of facilities for coffees and sandwiches en route would have been helpful as well as advising impact if weekends and bank holidays.
Hotels quite variable - one excellent, two good albeit rooms not great, one disappointing - I had to generalise in giving rating below but Amboise for example would be very satisfied on all and Cheverny ‘neither’ apart from food which would be ‘satisfies’
All in all a great trip

Beautiful countryside and amazing cheap beer. A few of the roads were a bit busier than I would have imagined but that didn't stop us enjoying the awesome scenery the Bohemian countryside has to offer. Rides are challenging (a little hilly in places) but well rewarded with some great beer in every town.

There are some great recommendations for lunch stops on the tour and it was nice to be able to see smaller villages that you wouldn't normally see.

Prepare to put on a few pounds as even the cycling won't work off all the amazing food and beer!

Cycling from Vianen to Schoonhoven, and the walk through Bruges beautiful historic city. Bring cycling waterproof gear and be ready to take lots of pictures…

The scenery was incredible

The guides, Senad and Martin, were fabulous. The Romantica crew we’re also excellent. Meals were great. Cycling was generally good, although there was one day where the roads were a bit busy and there was really no scenery to make it worthwhile.
The Romantica is an older boat, and some of the mattresses and pillows are much too soft. The other thing is that there is no soap or shampoo supplied for the shower. Supplying that wouldn’t cost much and would go a long way to increase satisfaction.

It was amazing biking through the country side of Hungary and Austria. It is not your typical USA tourist destination but I am so glad we were able to experience it.

Biking through the amazing Wachau alley wine region of Austria was a highlight, but the lesser-known towns of Krems and Melk were amazing, too. I just wish there had been more time to explore, but the 7-day tour needs to keep moving, so we understand. Great crew, if obviously overworked (7 days per week for 21 weeks straight?!), made the trip.

Hotel in Caldas de Reis was outstanding as wel as the last journey to Santiago de Compostela.

Our tour Guide Joao in Oporto was excellent, he was always worried how the trip was going on and ready to help us in case something went wrong

The weather was perfect and the food out of this world. Just be aware that off season means just that. While not a huge issue but some of the restaurants etc were on reduced hours.

The trip was all memorable--the scenery from the boat, the biking in Austria, the cities of Vienna and Budapest. The staff and crew were outstanding, especially the tour director. Our only complaint was that a vegan menu option was promised and the kitchen struggled to deliver the quality and variety we expected.

Beautiful area. The small towns were charming.

The hills were a little more difficult than I anticipated. Suggestion for others would be to prepare for a lot of hills.

Great staff. The staff went out of their way to make all guests comfortable. Our group of 9 fit in well with the 11 others on tour. The close quarters make this necessary. The Staff works hard at making sure that all feel welcome.

Pros:
The tulips were gorgeous, Keukenhof was a highlight and a nice break.
The bike paths were easy, fun and relaxing,
Food was plentiful and the chef did a good accommodating various diets and planned varied and delicious menus.
The other guests were friendly, fun, and interesting.
The crew were all kind and patient.
The hybrid bikes were comfortable.
The guide (Piet) was knowledgeable, and gave historic walks almost every night.

Cons:
Riding in the cities was stressful. There was too much urban riding with many treacherous intersections, bike and pedestrian traffic. It seemed very unsafe.
The e-bikes mixed into the group were a problem. Some of the riders couldn't control the e-bikes. Also, riding up and down hills through the dunes, with a strong head wind was gave the e-bike riders an advantage.
The size of the group (24) was too large for a single guide. He struggled to be present for everyone.
The large gap in abilities of the riders was problematic. This tour was rated easy, but some riders were extremely fit and pushed the pace.
Some of the schedule didn't work well. On the hardest riding day, we started the bike tour very late, after shopping in town and museums. We barely had time to eat lunch that day . But the ride through the dunes was difficult. I'm not sorry we went, but I wish we had left earlier and taken some breaks.
We were close to the end of tulip season and so didn't see as many as earlier tours.

Visiting the beautiful cities of Bruges and Ghent

The fellowship on the Magnifique IV was wonderful. However, several of our fellow travelers tested positive for COVID right after leaving the ship. More options for testing and keeping the travelers free of COVID need to be provided.

Had water issues at two hotels. Nothing you could have done. Hotels were great. Anna Caspari the best service.

1. Kukenhof gardens was our favorite part of the trip- absolutely gorgeous.
2. The staff was awesome- friendly, cheerful, energetic.

Incredible countryside! The boat was very clean and the staff was great. The evening food was a bit disappointing but the overall experience was fantastic and a great value!

The most memorable part for me was riding through the tulips with friends. I really enjoyed the many stops that we had along the rides with so many interesting places to see.

Riding through such beautiful countryside...make sure to include a planned trip to Keukenhof when it's tulip season

There were two main memorable parts of this trip. First, the Dutch countryside and cycling infrastructure are amazing. We were fortunate to have clear weather and lovely, cool riding temperatures for our trip through the Green Heart of the country. The route planning was excellent, giving us opportunities to see farmland, cities, beautiful small communities, polders, and of course, picturesque windmills. Second, the Merlijn is a memorable ship: beautiful, comfortable, hospitable, and first class, no one could ask for a better barge/cruise experience.

The horrible weather. I know that the weather was so bad that everything was altered due to this and this is not anyone’s fault. I would however have to reconsider doing another bike trip. I am not an avid biker, but I do bike. The one day that we actually got to bike I was very frustrated in that we rode so slowly I could hardly keep my bike upright. 7 kg/hour was just way to slow. We did this due to one of the customers being very slow and rest of us had to wait. I do not have an answer to this but for me it ruined the one day we got to ride. The one group had real bikers so they went faster and longer rides, that may have been better than being with the group I was with. I would not do this type of trip again without having some reassurance the same thing would not happen again.

Interested in more info

Scenery riding on the bike. Sunrise and sunset. The staff were amazing and the food delicious. The staff went above and beyond to handle special requests.
Disappointed the AC didn’t work and the room was between 75-77 F at all times. The WiFi rarely worked. The staff did get fans for some of the rooms. With the rooms being so hot and no option to have laundry done other than in the sink, things took days to dry.
Thirty people riding as one group is too many.

Overall, the scenery was pretty-perhaps a trip in the summer would have been more brilliant. I would suggest bringing your own helmet or the boat supply appropriate helmets.

The ability to cycle along the countryside, enjoying a peek around the many small villages/towns, and be exposed to the 'day to day' observation of locals e.g. harvesting wine, picking walnuts, walking paths. The scenery along the Mosel River was absolutely stunning.