5 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 2011 to 2040 of 4514

The biking throughout was excellent: we had great guides and the barge crew was friendly, accommodating, and VERY professional. Plus there seemed to be a castle on every hill, like biking through a fairytale.

Wonderful trip! We were a party of eight, ages 55 to 72, and did the 8-day self-guided tour. The scenery was spectacular, the e-bikes were almost new (two of them were brand new), the GPS route finding was excellent, the hotels were all very comfortable, and the baggage handling was flawless. Most of the riding was on dedicated bike paths, backroads, or elevated wood paths. There were a few short sections of sand that required pushing the bikes and a few busy stretches of road (all with good shoulders). Two memorable hotels are Parador de Baiona in Bayona which is inside a castle, and Torre do Rio in Caldas Dos Reis which is in a remodeled 18th century textile mill featuring a waterfall pool and spectacular gardens.

The GPS guidance takes you from door-to-door of each hotel on the tour. We got off track at least once a per day with the GPS it is easy to get back on route. I recommend using both the Garmin GPS provided by Top Bikes (the tour operator) and the "Ride with GPS" route that Top Bike will help you load on your phone at the orientation session.

We had a few days of rain near the end of the trip but fortunately is came in short intense bursts that we could wait out in a sheltered spot. We did the tour in early September so it was quite warm. I recommend taking a bike rain coat and possibly a helmet cover. The panniers provided by Top Bike are water proof.

We are already planning our next self-guided bike tour!

I was very impressed with the ship, food, crew and all around organization of everything. I expected the photos from the website to enhance the appearance and size of the ship, but in person it was just as impressive. I wouldn't say our cabin was large, but it offered all that we required. There were multiple storage areas, a safe box, refrigerator, coffee station and the outlets were where they needed to be.
The ship was very clean. All cleaning seemed to be done while passengers were at meals or on excursions. I did not see anyone pushing a vacuum or hauling trash, but yet the carpets were free from dirt, and all public spaces were tidy and well-tended.
The crew were helpful and friendly. We got to know a few of them (Patrick, George, Samwell and Dida) and have fond memories of them. I hope we didn't pester them too much with our questions and demands.
The meals were wonderful - well presented and more than enough to satisfy any appetite (I now need to diet to make up for all my indulgence). Some dishes I preferred more than others, but it was good to get a taste of the local cuisines. There were generally options for vegetarians, seafood lovers and meat eaters, and always a choice of a tasty dessert.
We chose a Bike and Barge excursion, so we got to explore the area on bike. We had reserved electric bikes. These were easy to get the hang of, well maintained and easy to peddle. The scenery was beautiful and most of the biking was on bike paths although there were some challenging areas involving traffic and finding our way. The afternoon before each bike day, we were given a presentation detailing the path we needed to take and what we might encounter. We were also given a booklet with maps, points of interest and more details.
I would highly recommend choosing Tripsite for your next vacation.

The scenery was fantastic, especially from the high points and we were fortunate to have dry sunny weather all week.
The guides and crew were great and once you had adjusted to the compact cabins it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Outright tip: the e-bikes really take the sting out of the challenging climbs

The riding was relatively easy given the flat countryside. The rides along country lanes and through farmland was magical. The stops in towns were a great opportunity to experience small town life in the Netherlands. The food on board the sailing home was wonderful, and the staff were great--attentive, available, friendly, enthusiastic. So few people did so much--it was remarkable.

The one thing I forgot to mention in the survey while I was still on the barge ( while still basking in the glow of such a wonderful trip), is regarding the first evening. The plan was for a short "shakedown" bike ride to check out our bikes, and get used to them. By the time we got outside, it was nearly dark. There were some bikes that needed some attention and the short ride through town was difficult in the dark. It was a frustrating and anxiety provoking first outing. I think the solution would be easy---either make dinner that night earlier, and/or, at the least, postpone dessert, head out to the bikes with more daylight remaining, and then have a post-ride dessert available. It could be something simple like pastry, cookies, or fruit so that the chef doesn't need to stay on any later (she works hard enough as it is).
My high ratings overall for the trip are not inclusive of that first evening, which wasn't a good experience, but then faded into the background since everything afterwards went so well. Thank you for taking this into consideration.

I really enjoyed my trip on the Swiss Crown. The boat is beautiful, the food is fabulous, and the staff is amazing. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. I especially loved the city tours we took. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to see a variety of places and people. The Danube is gorgeous and was surprising sparsely populated in places. Gliding along with a drink on the sun deck is a wonderful way to experience the river itself. I did not ride the bikes, but my entire family enjoyed them and said they were easy to ride. Please take this trip. You will have a great time!

Beautiful vistas daily as we cycled along the Danube

The scenery along the route is amazing. Rolling vineyards and hills are gorgeous. The chateaux were stunning with Chenonceaux the most spectacular (pro tip, GET THERE WHEN IT OPENS at 9am. You must reserve your time to visit online before you go. Also, get the audio guides whenever you can; really adds to the visit). We also took the canoe tour along the Cher river and saw Chenonceaux from the water; HIGHLY recommend doing this.
The chateau in Blois and Chaumont-Sur-Loire were gorgeous, as was Chambord. Cheverny was a treat with the hound pen and Tin Tin exhibit.
We found a winery on the route from Amboise to Vouvray (Caves Cathelineau in Chancay). We did a tour and then a tasting and it was one of the highlights of our trip
The route is rated Easy to Moderate. My wife and I are both experienced recreational cyclists and we opted for E-bikes. There ARE numerous hilly sections and wind; unless you truly love riding up hills, would strongly recommend an E-bike for this trip. Also, opt for the GPS guided route and use the app BikeGPX. I spent the $10 to upgrade the app and it was the best investment. I cannot imagine taking this tour using paper maps. Far too many twists and turns along the way to stay on track.

Kudos to chef Joost! Great food.
Also to tour guide Ingrid who gave us background into Dutch culture and history.
I did fine on the heavy Dutch bike but if you want to have an easier time of it, rent an e-bike and have no worries about the cycling.

The most memorable part is the memories of our group of 8 being able to experience the biking and river crusing together. The staff on the boat were marvelous and a lot of fun.
A suggestion is to have the full itinerary of the trip available at the beginning of the trip. Often we had no idea what time we were arriving or leaving from the dock, or what time we were getting on the bikes and waht time we had to be back to the ship. So more clarity of the weekly schedule would have been very beneficial.
Other than that the trip was incredibly scenic and overall we had a wonderful experience.

What a truly wonderful trip. The team at Top Bikes, specifically Sergio, John, John N and Miguel were totally fantastic. We had so much fun. The E-bikes were brand new and very useful on the trip. They loaded the GPS maps (which were very reliable) onto my Edge 1030 which was very helpful. They did a great job getting us setup. Miguel happily led us out of Porto on our first day. While this trip is relatively flat the first three days the terrain is extremely varied. Paved roads, cobblestones, narrow streets, wooded paths with branches and pine needles through forests, boardwalks (some elevated) and SAND. The portions of the path particularly on the first two days with stretches of sand along the coast required some walking. But the scenery is varied and beautiful and all the pilgrims on the route are very pleasant. All of the hotels were quite nice and two are in beautiful centuries old buildings. We did self guided but were lucky enough to meet up with Sergio, Miguel, and John N on our sixth day when the group they were leading caught up with us. We had a great hilarious dinner with all three of them. These guys know their stuff and love helping their clients have a great vacation. We are already telling other folks to come do this trip with them next year!

The beautiful water of the Adriatic Sea and the beautiful coastal views. Food on board was exceptional and bikes were excellent. I would suggest e-bikes for those shy of hills as there are a few tough climbs. Also bring water shoes as the beaches are more rock/pebbles. Kuna is most easily acceptable currency so have lots on hand

The beauty of the whole trip with the sea, the forests and the quaint towns.

The beauty of the whole trip with the sea, the forests and the quaint towns.

The trip was well organised, we saw lots of interesting new places, loved, the rides through the forests and the food was amazing! The most memorable part of the trip was the way the entire crew worked together to give us all a wonderfully enjoyable trip.Highly recommend a trip on board Feniks!

The wonderful guides who helped me, the splendid rides, the friendly stafff

It was amazing! The most memorable part was the people! The crew of the Pape Prvi were personable, friendly , professional...a complete joy! The guides were the same; very enthusiastic, engaging and fun. The food was delicious. The cycling was more challenging than I expected. Many big climbs and steep, steep downhill runs. The scenery was indescribably beautiful...coastal beaches with clear turquoise water, grape vineyards, fig and pomegranite trees...

Suggestions for others: train on hills if possible!

Bike and barge was amazing! We were on the Fluvius, staff there were great! Pre-trip planning with Trip site and Anna was stress free and informative! We have already recommended tripsite and bike and barge trips to our friends. We will probably book another one next year!

How can I choose a most memorable part? There were so many! Cycling across the New Bridge to Bratislava, and in the breathtaking cities of Budapest and Vienna, relaxing drinking wine with new friends on the upper deck of the barge floating down the Danube. The whole trip was filled with memorable and precision moments.every day.

The family/crew of the Pape Prvi provided excellent service and friendly advice. The food was wonderful and always enjoyable. The Croatian islands and coast were very beautiful and memorable. The guides, Dora and Shinz were fun and made the trip even more enjoyable. Thanks for such a great trip.

When I first heard about Friesland from an acquaintance, I didn’t know much about that part of Holland. But I’m sure glad I did my research because biking in Friesland was one of my favorite bike trips ever! The countryside and the sea were so beautiful and full of life. The hotels we stayed in were both modern and quaint, with comfortable rooms, and well connected to town for dinner and shopping. The breakfasts were fit for a king with so many choices to be had. The things I will remember the most are: 1. The many many canals along the ride with people in their boats waving to us as we rode by, 2. The beautiful green farmland with cows, sheep, horses grazing and farmers working their fields, 3. The houses and buildings in the very clean towns with the interesting colorful facades, 4. The sheep grazing along the path on the coast; so fun to watch them graze, rest, and wander! 5. Seeing old windmills in a few places but many modern windmills dotting the landscape, 6. The sea in all its splendor, 7. The French fries and mayonnaise, a true taste treat! At the end of each day it became a tradition for us to have a beer to celebrate our ride that day, especially on the very windy days along the coast! Our 27 speed bikes were sturdy and comfortable and easy to use the lock and key, though it might have been helpful to have someone help us the first day to get acquainted with the bikes. The maps with the numbers were well done and helped us navigate, though getting in and out of the towns was sometimes a challenge. Also, not all of us had maps (couples share one) or a pack attached to hold a map; so with only 2 of 4 of us navigating, it was sometimes tricky; every single person should have a map on a self guided bike trip. One thing I wish we would have done was perhaps to stay an extra day in a couple of the towns along the way, both for rest and exploration, and maybe have gone to one of the islands; more emphasis that this was an option could’ve made the tour a bit longer, but less rushed. But all in all, this was an amazing trip that I would highly recommend to anyone that enjoys both biking and adventure!

The most memorable would be the countryside, farms, the wonderful bicycling trails. The cows and sheep :)
very bucolic landscape.

One suggestion for the future to consider.... I think it best to do the trip in reverse of what was laid out. The reason I say this is, because of prevailing winds of the North Sea (Waddell Sea), we had head wind (sometimes severe). Had the tour been as I suggest, we would have a tail wind to our backs. I noted that most of the Dutch weekenders did in reverse of us (They obviously knew their country side best!) great time was had by all! Cheers :)

Loved riding through the farmlands leading to Gent at the beginning of the trip. Beautiful scenery and so peaceful! Our boat tour up the canal was magical.

I would rate this trip excellent and well beyond my expectations. The staff were always cheerful and accommodating. Guides were informative and all of the days were well paced and eventful.

The bicycling each day through fabulous scenery led by a wonderful guy and guide - Mark Van Rossom. The leap-frogging of our comfortable barge each day to pick us at at a new spot along the way from Netherlands to Belgium.
Also extremely impressed with our barge’s captain Coba.

Every aspect of the trip was delivered as advertised. Crew and cycling guide were outstanding. Sailing Home was more than comfortable and food was plentiful and delicious.

The beautiful scenery, wonderful camaraderie, and helpful guides made this a remarkable and enjoyable experience. For those not comfortable cycling who might be traveling with an experienced cycling partner, I highly recommend an e-bike. It took all of the stress away for both is us!

Very well organized
Suggestions: make coffee available before breakfast.
Food was great and we loved the 4 course dinners, but the wait between courses was consistently a bit too long.

The Magnifique IV was a lovely barge, we’ll set out and nicely appointed. Meals were delicious, the suite was spacious and the bathroom was the equal or better of many we experience in quality hotels. The staff including the guides were excellent and contributed to a delightful week of seeing the Netherlands and Belgium.

Wonderful trip! Beautiful scenery, easy bike trail, nice accommodations. Tripsite did a great job organizing and setting up the trip. The representative at Austria Radreisen (the on-site bike company) was friendly and helpful in fitting our bikes, answering our questions, and making sure we were satisfied. The bikes were especially nice, easy to ride and shift with plenty of storage. Our luggage was always waiting for us at each hotel when we arrived.

It was a fantastic trip. The magnifique 2 was classy with a hard working and friendly crew from the chef to the captain and beyond. We enjoyed everything about the trip. Cycling everyday through farmlands, quaint towns, along dykes and rivers was a truly memorable experience.
We plan to book another bike barge adventure soon. We felt very well taken care of. We highly recommend it !