4 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 721 to 750 of 896
Susan W.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
La Belle Fleur Lorraine Tour
France, Germany, Luxembourg
Meals were basic, but tasty and filling. Els did a nice job of accommodating my dietary restrictions. Ample cooler filtered water was available on the boat - remember your water bottle. Lunches were packed in zip lock baggies. Bring your own insulated lunch bag / Tupperware to keep your lunch fresher.
GIANT bike were like new and well maintained. I was disappointed we could not use the bikes during the city stops that were part of the day trips or after dinner when we returned to the barge. Even though the bikes have locks, Sander and Els don't allow this to minimize theft risk. Besides my husband and I, all participants were in there mid-60s to Read More mid-70s and didn't seem to mind.
Our guide, Weiger, did an outstanding job of leading our daily tour as well as guiding us through the cities we were docked in at night. He managed the multiple languages within our group with ease. The participants on our trip were German [6], Spanish [3], Austrailian [2] and American [2-us]. By the end of the week, our group had bonded even though our shared vocabulary was easily less than 50 words!
The countryside between Thionville and Wasserbillig was very beautiful and what I had envisioned - river and hills covered with vinyards. The other days were nice paved bike trail with the river on one side and trees on the other. I could have taken a picture and convinced friends that I was still in the US Midwest. I guess that is why there are so many French and Germans in Wisconsin and Iowa! I think I would have preferred more time off of the trail and in the countryside, but perhaps if we did do that, the car traffic would cause me to have a different opinion. Certainly the cities we stopped in were old and had a quaint European feel.
Robert G.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Melody Southern Dalmatia E-Bike & Boat
Croatia
Croatia/Dalmatian Coast and islands are a beautiful vacation destination that we highly recommend. However the roads, lack of a shoulder, narrow streets, and lack of safety make it a very difficult and unnerving biking destination. Bikers need to fully understand that this area is not bike friendly.
Jehiel • 8 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hi Robert!
Thanks for sharing this feedback. You are right that parts of the tour the shoulder and streets can be narrow. This is very common in this part of Europe. I can assure you that we take safety very seriously and work with our local partners to provide cycling routes with your safety in mind. You will also find the terrain and difficulty rating described on this tour page. Both should be taken into consideration when evaluating this tour. Glad you had an enjoyable and safe trip!
Pat L.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Normandie Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary
The most memorable part was Day 6 Rossatz - Pochlarn was the most scenic part of the trail. Magical small villages - wish the whole route could have been like this. Most of the trail was uneventful, some of the trail was in poor shape and rough riding.
Unfortunately, there was a language barrier between the Americans and the tour guide, so instructions were not always clear, and we needed to fend for ourselves most of the time. Certain sections of map were confusing and trail was not well marked. We made it though, and enjoyed the adventure!
Beautiful cities and villages to visit - wish we would have had more time to explore! All in all very good trail ride and good trip!
Mark G.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
Overall a great trip and experience. The Mosel exceeded my expectations.
Collaborative and friendly staff; very good chef, very good captain and crew. Host was efficient but not overly friendly. Bike tour guide was ok but not very organized.
Gloria S.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Elodie Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France
Accommodations were too small. The rest of the journey made up for lack of space. No room to put our belongings.
Jehiel • 8 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hello Gloria,
Sorry to hear the Elodie was too small in your opinion. France is known for it's narrow canals so as a result the ships have to be smaller in order to navigate the waterways. We provide information including dimensions and note "... storage space is limited in the cabins". You can find more information on the Elodie Boat Page.
Sinéad D.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Around Lake Constance
Austria, Germany, Switzerland
This was my 4th cycling holiday but this year the quality of bikes was poor, only had 7 gears, had 21 gears every other year and did not like the back pedal brake.
Most memorable part was Stein am Rhein, and also liked the fact we could stop cycling and jump into the lake whenever we wanted.
Robin V.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Sailing Home Amsterdam to Cologne
Netherlands, Germany
Fantastic dinners & wonderful guide, captain, staff!
Susan B.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Sailing Home Amsterdam to Cologne
Netherlands, Germany
Loved the Netherlands countryside. Beautiful flowers and farmland and great trails.
Also the friendly and professional staff.
Jeff E.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Discover the Dordogne-old version
France
Fantastic trip! An amazing area of France to explore by bike. The views were amazing, lots of interesting history, great food and drinks. The tour was well organized and staff were friendly and helpful.
Our only comment: it was rated as 'moderate', and ratings are averages and are relative of course, but there were sections of the route that were quite difficult, e.g. steep dirt/stone roads that we had to walk the bikes up (and we are in good condition and have done a lot of bike tripping before). Should probably note this in the description.
Jehiel • 7 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hello Jeff,
Thanks for submitting feedback for this tour. I wanted to point out in the Skill Level section above, that we mention "Terrain consists of rolling hills that may be steep at times". Also, there is an option to chose a shorter distance ride every day.
We are glad you enjoyed your trip!
D. Van Ruiten
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Along the North Sea - a Tulip Tour
Netherlands
The Hotel and Bike store did not know each other and the hotel had to look up on map where the bike store was. It would be better if upon arriving at the hotel, they could point us in the right direction immediately.
Our GPS on the bikes were a little old - very small- so it was hard to make out sometimes - if we were following the map correctly. We had to double check on our own phones a few times which gets into roaming charges.
The bikes were clean and had good tires/brakes so that was good.
Both staff at hotel and bike stores were good.
J. House
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Everything was A-1. I was totally surprised when our tour guide Tom managed to reunite me with my lost "zebra" luggage on a cobblestone street corner 4 days into the trip! Thanks, Tom!
K. Macwilliams
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Merlijn Magdeburg to Berlin
Germany
We had a lovely time. The barge and entire crew were wonderful. We were very disappointed with the bike guide though. She was not at all knowledgeable with her directions and we many times retraced steps on the bike. We feel we could have seen much more but her choices for stops were terrible. We would spend way too much time at a stop when we could have been seeing a lovely park nearby. Her choices for stops were not well planned out and some were just very disappointing. The captain, in our opinion should consider another guide for this trip. There is much to see in this area and easily done so on a bike. The guide was not good with directions and perhaps a bit more planning on her part would have made it a far more enjoyable trip. Berlin and the surrounding ares are beautiful and offer a wealth of history to be seen. We have taken other bike and barge trips and honestly, the guide truly is the person that makes or breaks the trip.
Jehiel • 8 years ago Tripsite Staff
Very sorry you hear you were disappointed with the guide. We will pass this information on to our local partner. Thanks again for your feedback!
M. Sciulli
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Dolomites to Venice
Italy
The trip itself was amazing! Spectacular scenery and just the right amount of cycling every day. We loved the fact that it was self-guided so we could go at our own pace. The description of easy to moderate was accurate, but I know it would have been much harder had we not had electric bikes. I have 2 specific complaints: First, the quality of the hotels was not up to par. A friend described one as exactly like his dorm room in college...small, smelly, run down, not properly air-conditioned, out of the way, and generally unsatisfactory. Secondly, the directions and the maps need to be updated. More than once we found ourselves at a dead-end or could not find a turn we were supposed to take. We wasted a lot to time going back and forth trying to find the supposed route. Thankfully we speak Italian, so we could stop and ask locals for directions. At other times we just ended up relying on the GPS on our phone to find a proper route. Overall, if these two things were improved this would be a perfect trip. I highly recommend the trip.
Judy Wolf • 6 years ago
Would you recommend this bike tour for two women? Not that we can't take care of ourselves, but you seemed to have more than your share of problems. We have biked in Austria without any problems at all...
Carla from Tripsite • 6 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hi Judy,
Just wanted to let you know that we now have GPS tracks available for this tour. We can email them to you and you can download them to use offline!
In case you missed it, there is a blog post about this tour you might find helpful.
Marjorie • 6 years ago
I think 2 women could easily do this, especially if you’ve done a similar one in Austria. However, I would recommend you have a working GPS in case they haven’t updated their maps and guide. I would also get a local SIM card so you can make calls if you run into any problems. It is stunning, especially at the beginning.
R. Kocher
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Danube Bike Path - Passau to Vienna - OV
Austria, Germany
The reason I gave the first question a 4 out of 5 is because the daily rides were long enough that it was hard (tiring) to get back out in the evenings to see the local sites or to see some of the sites along the way. That was probably also a result of trying to coordinate and corral too many people (9 on our trip) to get things done in a timely manner. I suspect the 10-day option for this trip might have been better for us.
Regarding route and description guides, sometimes it was a little too much to remember to coordinate the route book, the additional instructions in the travel documents (voucher) book, and Rad & Reisen's Travel Information book, not to mention the daily itinerary in the literature advertising this trip. In fact, the worst mistake we made was the worst one we could have made: ignoring the instructions to take the Read More van transfer from Grein to Gasthof zum Aigner Kreuz, Bad Kreuzen to avoid very steep inclines. However, some of the literature given to us suggested we go to Klam Castle (a good way up the incline to Bad Kreuzen), which was not on the way to Grein, and that is what we did.
I've now taken 5 bike trips in Europe: 2 using hotels, 3 using boats/barges. Barges are easier: you only have to unpack and repack once while riding.
Thank you for all your help putting this trip together. Overall, it was a great experience.
K. Hatcher
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Clare & the Burren
Ireland
The most memorable part was the scenic route along the Burren and the Wild Atlantic Way. It was 22 km of beautiful ocean views and incredible landscape. It was also amazing to see the Cliffs of Moher.
C. Baird
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Dolomites to Venice
Italy
The Guide gave us very little information about either the equipment or route before he left us. Just simple things would have helped significantly. He was abrupt, especially with women and certainly less than helpful. The guidebook was good for the most part, but some sections were completely useless. Some of this may have been due to translation, but improvements are needed. When we entered cities, we always had to ask for assistance.
We have taken about 10 European bike trips and expect some difficulties finding our way, but have never encountered the degree of problems we had on this trip.
T. Petersen
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Deriya Deniz Amalfi Coast - Tyrrhenian Sea
Italy
Loved our guide, the food quality and variety was the only disappointment.
L.G. Germishuys
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Bordeaux Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine
France
Really impressed by the effort and kindness of the staff on the boat.
M. Collins
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
My Story Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary
The boat was not in location we were told it would be. But once there the boat was good. The tour guide didn't seem to know the route as well as he should have. The directions on the maps could have been a lot better But we did have a great time but would recommend a different route next time.
Tripsite was great. Would highly recommend booking with them.
C. Thompson
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Dresden to Magdeburg
Germany
Some of the directions from the bike path to the hotel were not great. In 2 cases, when hotel was far from bike path, it was only with GPS in our phone that we were able to find our way. Loved having the meal plan where possible. Thanks for setting that up.
C. Machado
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Bordeaux Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine
France
Try and offer more non-meat entrees for dinner. Too much meat. Also, try and incorporate rail trails( voies ferrees) when possible. They provide relaxed cycling without worrying about constant traffic.
Very friendly staff and good display of professionalism. Bikes were easy to ride! And, it was hard to have to drink only what the boat offered. Can we have more choice, especially in wine country like Bordeaux? Thanks for everything.
Wendy • 7 years ago Tripsite Staff
Thanks for your response Craig. The bar is restocked for the 2017 season and we think everyone will be pleased with the varied selections.
J. Backes
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Fabulous trip. Great, hospitable staff willing to please, answer questions, professional, share information. Boat was clean, comfortable, well equipped. Food was excellent and there was plenty to enjoy.
C. Radcliffe
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Romantica National Parks of Dalmatia
Croatia
Overall I was very pleased. Croatia is a beautiful country. The Romantica was perfect! Thank you to all the staff.
C. Robinson
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Zwaantje Champagne Tour
France
Rooms really small; Guide was lost a lot; Staffers not very good with knowledge of E bikes;
But food was great..staff was kind..trip was pretty.
K. Hagan
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Southern Alsace - Basel to Strasbourg
Switzerland, Germany, France
This is our third trip with Tripsite and this was our least favorite so far. The scenery was not particularly stunning and in France we were on more roads than we would have preferred. We also stayed in larger cities such as Basel and Freiburg than in previous trips. It is a personal preference, but we prefer the smaller towns such as the ones we encountered on our trip from Amsterdam to Brugge and from Prague to Dresden.
On the positive front, the lodging and equipment were the best that we have had from the three trips. The hotels were quite nice and truly were 4 star accommodations. The bikes had cushy seats and comfortable handlebars. Even the panniers were a step up with easy snap on and off functionality and very good water proofing.
We enjoyed the trip and it was high quality as we have enjoyed with Tripsite. The scenery just wasn't as nice and that's why we rank this as our least favorite of our trips so far. Have no fear, we will go again next year and are already looking at the Barcelona/Girona trip. We love working with Tripsite and will be long-term customers!
J. Kister
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
When I first heard of a bike & barge trip, I thought I would be sleeping on a cot under the stars! After obtaining more info, I realized we would have a comfortable room but I was very impressed with our accommodations. It was like being on a mini cruise. Food was great, tour guide was personable and entertaining, friendly staff went out of their way to make this trip extra special. We had an arranged canal boat tour complete with champagne after arriving in Amsterdam! I would highly recommend the Magnifique and this crew, for an awesome way to experience Belgium and The Netherlands.
S. Burwell
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
My Story Along the Danube - Four Country Tour
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary
The plan changed from recommending biking in Budapest...to it not being recommended - and therefore no briefing/description of the route was provided. While the stickers on signposts helped to guide the way, the book could have been more fully annotated. The boat was too full, there were not enough dishes for all passengers, dinner took 3 hours (2 hours too long). Bikes were generally in good repair and available when promised. Although the food was very good, bottled water was not provided every day as contracted.
W. Watkins
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Deriya Deniz Amalfi Coast - Tyrrhenian Sea
Italy
We had the time of our life and look forward to our next bike and boat tour. Thanks so much for everything!
J. Backes
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Exceptional staff, welcoming, friendly, informative, knowledgable. Perhaps on the rides having a buddy system so the guide doesn't need to count all the people to make sure everyone is present would be my only suggestion. I sometimes got the sense that people wanted to stop more often to take pictures and no one told them not to but then it can take time away from getting to visit town at the end of the day. Perhaps that needs to be discussed in more depth. Sometimes some of the breaks were longer than necessary. Again they were fine but took time from visiting a town at the end of the trip.
Linda Reiland
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Princess Diana National Parks of Dalmatia E-Bike & Boat
Croatia
We just completed this tour and enjoyed it BUT there are some caveats to be aware of. We did not follow the itinerary as described. We did not tour Nin even though it was listed in the itinerary. We rode on some very busy roads/thoroughfares which were not fun. The map was not an accurate depiction of what we actually did on the mainland. That part was very disappointing. The food was great... The e-bikes were very heavy but the only way to do this tour. There were some VERY long hills to climb. Our guides were good, especially Bjoran. Just be aware that the itinerary changes and that seems to be at the whim of the boat captain, guides and weather. I was really looking forward to seeing Nin and spending a little more time in Sibenik. The boat was very nice and generally comfortable. Igor, the bartender and waiter, was fabulous. I'd rate the trip as a 3.5-4 star.
All Tour Reviews by Country
Boat/Barge Reviews
- Magellan
- Magnifique I
- Magnifique II
- Magnifique III
- Magnifique IV
- Mare fan Fryslân
- Merlijn
- Florentina
- Normandie
- Princess
- Olympia
- Panagiota
- Pape Prvi
- Primadonna
- Princesse Royal
- Prinzessin Katharina
- Romantica
- RV River Kwai
- Sailing Home
- San Snova
- Sarah
- Stella
- Sundial
- Swiss Crown
- Thalassa
- Flying Dutchman
- Vietnamese Junks
- Vita Pugna
- Vivienne
- Wending
- Zwaan
- Zwaantje
