4 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 61 to 90 of 1236

Very much enjoyed riding and seeing all the seaside towns and stops as we rode. Just beautiful!

This trip was a great experience! This was not a luxury tour, but it was a tour for those of us who like a little adventure and to feel like a part of the host country. The slower pace of the tour allows one to really experience the culture and lifestyle of Norway and Sweden. This is a trip for people who are ok with last minute changes to the itinerary, weather unpredictability and not always knowing what will happen next!

Un general the castles we visited and the ride the last day was the best one in terms is the mix of castles and view a round the road.
On data 2-3 it was a little bit too “underpopulated”, not mucho too see for a big part of the day.. and we experienced lot of wind!

We went on the premier version of this tour. Madeira is beautiful and the hotels we stayed at were great, with good breakfasts. When the weather was good, the biking and hiking were wonderful. On rainy days, the paths were extremely slippery, creating a real challenge. There were many things to do and see outside the planned activities.

We found the local tour operator to be somewhat disorganized - late to pickups, sometimes slow to respond to texts, and unclear information about which of the extra activities had transportation and which didn't. The bike guides and drivers were great.

All in all it is a beautiful tour. However, be sure your biking skills are top notch and don't expect an easy ride. Lots of long uphills and downhills with sharp hairpin turns. The vineyards are beautiful and so are the views. I would not call it a wine tour, rather a castle tour, as the long daily distances leave very little time - if any - for wine tasting. Also, only a few vineyards are open for tasting after pre-arranged visit. But, enjoy the excellent, inexpensive local wines with your lunch and dinners.

We really loved the Alsace region. The first few days we followed the Alsace Wine Route and you really do ride through the middle of vineyards. The scenery is beautiful and the villages are very picturesque. We opted to spend the day in Colmar and I was so glad we did. It was a highlight of the trip.

We found the description of the ride as Moderate to be misleading. We expected rolling hills and some climbs, but the steepness of the hills going into Riquewihr and Kayserberg was extreme. All the other riders we saw on the route that day were on e-bikes. So unless you are a very strong rider, I would recommend getting an e-bike.

The only disappointment with the itinerary was that the trip was changed to end in Saint-Louis, France rather than Basel, Switzerland. There really isn’t much to see or do in Saint-Louis. If this is going to continue, the trip description on the website really needs to be changed.

It was wonderful travelling through the vineyards and chatting with the local farmers as they harvested the grapes. We also enjoyed travelling along scenic rivers and canals. Almost everything was paved, and only a small percentage of the trip was on roads with traffic. But the description of the ride is misleading. it should be described as moderate to difficult. In the material, it gave estimates of the grades of the various climbs. I rode with a Garmin GPS and it showed much different grades. For example, the last (#5) climb on Cycling Day 2 from Obernai into Riquewihr is described as a 3.3 percent grade over 5.06 km. What it doesn't say is that 3.3 percent is the average. In fact, much of the climb was between 3 and 6 percent, and a portion was over 9%. I registered 13% on my Garmin. This is not a moderate activity. We experienced similar discrepancies on some of the other days.

Biking the Wachou valley, outside Vienna. It was an incredible ride, with great places to stop along the way. The trip was great, the crew handled all those bikes great. Would have liked more time in some of the cities, and more diet options.
But, that’s being kinda picky, it was a great trip and would recommend.

Wonderful biking throughout! App was helpful as was the route book. The arrow stickers Leslie put out were great. Bus/walking tour in Bratislava was good. Would have been nice if we stopped to taste some specialty foods. Not much time to explore. The bike tour in Budapest was fine while we were on the bike paths, but then the guide took us on some VERY busy streets with no bike lanes and mingling with cars, I was scared. then he lost three of us. Vienna concert was lovely. The Vivienne staff was very friendly and worked hard to get the bikes in and out, feed all of us and serve drinks. Great job by all of them. Leslie was always around and did a great job of managing all aspects of the trip.

Since we only got to spend 1 day in the champagne area, that part was not memorable. The historic features we did see were WEI museums and cemeteries.

The entire crew on the boat were wonderful. The two guides, Mieke and Wim worked very well together. The chef prepared wonderful meals for us each day. Scenery was fabulous.
Now that most riders are riding ebikes that should be all that is offered. The push bikes with only 8 gears were impossible for riders to keep up with the ebike riders, Never had enough time to stop and take pictures.

The mix of beautiful countryside and vibrant cities and towns.

The ability of the captain and crew to change itinerary based on weather and sea conditions. The experience was not detracted from by moving to plan B or C.

The great people we met & the staff on the boat.
My negatives about the boat was the lack of an outdoor seating area to enjoy - probably due to the size of the boat. Also I felt 18 people for one guide was not great from a safety perspective. No mirros on the bikes or communication capabilities between the guide & the person identified as the ‘sweeper’.

This was my first trip on the Merlijn Bike & Barge. I was with a group of 3 couples that had done this trip before on the Merlijn. I found it outstanding, the equipment was excellent,( my wife and I rented electric bikes ) the cabins were very nice and roomy. Our meals were breakfast and dinner, the breakfast was good but I believe it could have been better, The dinners were first class....The barge also had a nice coffee bar and Bar that were excellent too. The trip was memoriable and I highly recommend the Merjin...

The scenery was beautiful! The Merlijn was beautiful and very comfortable. But, the standout for the trip was the staff. Coen and Christina made our week so wonderful and kept us well informed. “Cat” at the bar and serving was very charming and fun! He knew all our names by day 2! Simone kept our cabins tidy and did a great job on our laundry. June was always tidying up the ship and keeping it looking great. Ilsa was a really good tour guide and was very knowledgeable about the history of Austria.

The room on the boat was lovely and the food was very good. We did a guided tour and I felt our guide was inexperienced She did not have many safety measures that I have had on previous bike trips. i.e a sweep and ensuring everyone is ready to go before taking off. Also would have been better to be able to visit some cultural places like the Abbey, museums or churches. We were not given anytime on our rides to do this. The highlights was the wine region and wine tasting.

The views cycling Bruges, the countryside, windmills etc
Boat was nice, food was good, nice staff.

I recently completed the Authentic Holland trip aboard the Magnifique II. The vessel was well-maintained, staffed by an excellent team, and featured outstanding cuisine. I greatly appreciated the expertise of our guides, Erna and Niels, who provided valuable insights into the region. Our itinerary included cycling through wooded areas, along dykes, and through scenic towns and countryside. Each day, mid-morning, we sstopped for coffee and toured historic villages.
The only aspect that did not meet expectations was the absence of a visit to Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot. Although we stopped in Muiden for lunch and had time to explore, the tour description included a photograph of the castle, which led to the assumption that the site would be part of the program. Guests were permitted to visit independently, but time constraints made this challenging. Incorporating the castle’s entrance fee and allocating a dedicated visit period could enhance future experiences. Overall, I found the bike and boat tour to be highly rewarding.

The Boat was very comfortable. The crew were amazing! They were always smiling, quick to fill requests or anticipate needs. Very hard working and clearly worked as a team. The chef did an excellent job with the food.
Riding bikes in then Netherlands is a dream. The country is so bike focused.

There were a couple of times that could have been improved or communication could have been better.
I feel we wasted a lot of potential exploration time in Antwerp due to waiting hours for a bridge to be raised. I know this is not the fault of the Captain or crew but I do think that an alternate way for getting us to Antwerp could have been found, a water taxi or even disembark and hop on a bus. We were so so close to the city but were stuck on the boat.

Additionally time in Ghent was minimal as the boat did not stay in Ghent

Overall the trip was very enjoyable.

It was a great trip overall. We loved that part of the route also went inland a little through villages etc.

It would be great to have more lunch/food options marked on the maps and how to make sure they are open.

We also noticed that on the last bike day parting the route was over a blocked off and hard to ride dike so we were forced to find our way around via a main road.

It was well organized as nd we would do something similar again.

The most memorable part of the trip was the gift of breezing through the many changing landscapes of this region, at our own pace, stopping for a coffee to be part of the community for only a few moments.

All along thebjourney the countryside evolves from the super cycle friendly amsterdam end to the more car centric life at the Masstricht end. The towns and vilkages are interesting but not stunning in the way the Mosel tour us. There is large scale terraforming going on to modify the flooding pattern of the Mass River which I found of great interest. And not least is the instant group dynamics of the folks on the tour.

Food was great. Boat was very nice - this trip was my third boat/bike trip and the Harmonia was the finest boat yet. Crew was excellent. Guides were excellent. From my perspective of riding road bikes in the Colorado mountains, I found that the e-bikes pretty much leveled the hills. I can see the attraction of e-bikes. I would have liked the riding distances to be longer, but we were riding on islands and that limits riding opportunities somewhat. Our group had a few opportunities to swim off the boat prior to riding. I think that we all ended the week with a 'perma-grin' as a result of the accommodations, the swimming, the easy biking and the gourmet food.

Seeing the poppy fields in bloom was best part. Worst was map book not matching gps file for first few directions of isle de sorgue to st. Remy ride. Hotel in St. Remy was excellent.

Lots of comfortable cycling over easy terrain, even in extreme summer heat. The cities that are visited are unique and interesting with lots of things to see from cathedrals to the Gutenberg museum. Keep in mind that except for one evening, travelers are not on the boat when it is traveling along the Rhine. Instead, the boat goes from port to port while travelers cycle from port to port. Also keep in mind that this is not the most scenic portion of the Rhine except for the last day, where we cycled through vineyards on the slopes down to the Rhine. Otherwise, the terrain was mostly flat with dikes between the cycle path and the river making it hard to see the river. Once we got out of the heavily industrial cities, the ride was pleasant and flat through wooded areas, grassland, and farmland. Roughly one-quarter of the ride was along the Rhine, one-quarter through cities or industrial areas, and one-half through grassland/forest, and farmland. Food was outstanding; the rooms on the boat were clean and comfortable, but a little worn. Staff was outstanding -- very helpful and friendly. We would definitely do another bike/boat cruise on the Olympia.

We had a great experience on this trip! We chose the Standard hotel package, and overall the accommodations were excellent. Here's where we stayed:

Prague – Hotel DAP

Melnik – Pension U Zámku

Litomerice – Pension Dubina

Decin – Hotel Česká Koruna

Bad Schandau/Krippen – Hotel Erbgericht

Dresden – Hotel Martha

Our favorite stops were Prague and Melnik. Prague was incredibly clean, walkable, and felt very safe. Hotel DAP is about half a mile from Prague Castle, and walking to the main sites was easy and enjoyable.

Melnik is a charming little wine town perched above a valley, and sipping local wine right next to the vines it came from—while enjoying that view—was a definite highlight.

The one hotel we didn’t love was in Krippen. To be fair, it was raining that day and we didn’t feel like taking the ferry into Bad Schandau, but the hotel itself felt a bit dated and in need of some updates.

As for the biking: the Czech bike paths vary quite a bit. One minute you’re on a smooth trail, the next you're riding along a road with traffic, a dirt path, or a bumpy gravel section. The terrain is also hillier than expected, and sometimes you don’t get much notice before a climb.

We’re in our mid-30s, not regular cyclists but pretty active (we’re runners), and we did the tour on standard bikes. There were definitely a few hills where we had to hop off and walk the bikes. The standard bikes were a bit heavy and could have used some chain lube and a tune up. If that doesn’t sound ideal, I’d recommend going with the e-bike option for a smoother ride.

Weather-wise, we got lucky—just a little rain, and temps were mild overall. Most hotels didn’t have AC, so it got a bit stuffy at night, but opening a window helped.

All in all, we loved the tour and highly recommend it. The scenery, towns, and experiences made it a trip we’ll always remember.

Beautiful scenery and villages to visit. We had a wonderful holiday. Everything was organised well and went smoothly.
We were met on the first day by Petra who made sure our ride with GPS had downloaded correctly, and who advised us about places to visit and restaurants to go to.
Paulo then came along with excellent bikes, which worked perfectly for us for the week.
Given the poor state of the roads, we would recommend gravel bikes and NOT road bikes for this trip.

The guides’ flexibility and attention to detail. The food, group dynamics, and the area we toured. There was a snafu at the hotel for the add on pre and post trip nights. Staff , Wilma, was exceptionally helpful.

The guides’ flexibility and attention to detail. The food, group dynamics, and the area we toured. There was a snafu at the hotel for the add on pre and post trip nights. Freewheeling staff , Wilma, was exceptionally helpful.