3 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 181 to 210 of 340

The Moselle-Maar Cycling Trail offered a lovely change of scenery from the also beautiful Mosel River paths we followed most days.

See the beauty of the country and spending time with wonderful co-travelers. I was moved to realize the deep history of Germany, see vineyards EVERYWHERE, castles in nearly every view of the mountains, the lovely quaint villages and the friendliness of the people.

The crew were great and meals above average. Unfortunately there were not enough ebikes and the ride is very tough. The e bike riders were always way ahead and it was almost a race instead of enjoying the country side. Only stopped to swim twice, the captain seemed more concerned with rushing to the next port to get a spot on the dock. We were below deck and the ship stayed running when parked which made it very noisy to sleep. Wifi was very limited on the boat and most cabins did not have wifi. We had a great trip with friends but would suggest looking at all cruise line options for your trip needs. The Dalmatian Coast is beautiful.

The people we traveled with and the shared adventures as well as the beauty of Ireland

Loved the off day in Clifden. Ireland is beautiful and the people could not be more warm. But do not recommend biking in Connemara. Many, many hills make it moderate at best, and there are no shoulders on very narrow lanes.

We only had 6 in our group so we were self-guided. From day 1, we felt the tour was incorrectly rated as easy-moderate. All 6 of us are seasoned riders but the hills, especially Day 1 were in the “difficult “ category. Four of the riders had been on previous tours with other companies. The directions for each day were lengthy and confusing, often requiring us to stop often to reread them. Some of the restaurants suggested we’re out-of-the-way only for us to later come across a nice one on our route. Caused us to question whether the person writing the directions had ever taken the trip. Luckily, we had a rider who would use his GPS which proved more helpful than the written directions. It was a fantastic trip because of the riders and the beautiful countryside. The ranking of difficulty needs to be changed as a novice biker would not be able to complete this tour.

Overall the trip was enjoyable. But the food was quite bland. Also they asked about food restrictions/ preferences, but did NOT accommodate them in any way. The directions for the biking were lacking in detail and the maps could be more zoomed in, especially on the days with many turns and route marker variations. It should also be made clear that many of the routes were directly beside busy roads. It is a great itinerary.

The entire crew was fantastic. The ship, Fortuna, is over 20 years old and it had some issues. In particular the air conditioning, The upper deck rooms had adequate a/c but the lower deck rooms, the lounge and the dining area were very uncomfortable. There were several people on this cruise who did not partake in cycling, some had mobility issues, the elevator did not work and it was difficult for them to get from there rooms to the other decks.
The food and the meal selections were excellent. Leslie, the tour director, was also fantastic. He constantly went out of his way, above and beyond, to ensure that all guests were taken care of.
Most of the biking route was scenic and safe, there was one stretch, appox 4km's that was on a very busy highway . The highway was narrow and carried many large buses and trucks. At the captain's party on the last night of the cruise, it was mentioned that the Fortuna was going to be replaced by a newer ship next year and also the routes were going to be changed to avoid that particular stretch of highway. This is a positive sign and I would have rated this trip much higher if it were not for the 2 above mentioned problems.
I would recommend the Budapest by night folklore show, it was very entertaining. Again, the entire crew did a fantastic job.

We just returned last week from the 4 country Danube trip on the MS Fortuna. I have to begin by saying that the entire crew was fantastic. The food was great and the food selections were plentiful. The cruise director, Leslie, was the absolute best. His knowledge of the bike routes, the cities of Vienna, Budapest and all of the small villages in between were very helpful. The optional Budapest by night folklore tour was a lot of fun.
The ship, Fortuna, is 20 years old and it had it's drawbacks. We had upper deck suites and it was well worth the extra cost, the suites were great. Many of the people that we meet were in the lower deck cabins with little air conditioning. The air conditioning on most of the ship was poor, especially the lounge area and dining room. The elevator did not work. There were several people who opted not to cycle and just take the river cruise, some needed assistance and the boat was not at all handicapped friendly. We were told that the ship Fortuna will be replaced by a newer vessel next year.
The bike paths themselves are well marked, and for the most part very scenic and safe. There is one stretch near the end of the trip that requires cycling on a very busy and narrow road. One cyclist was run off the road and spent the next day in a Vienna hospital being treated for a broken foot. At the end of the trip, at the Captain's party, we were all told that in addition to a newer ship next year, that that particular route would be changed to avoid that dangerous road.
Based on this particular trip, I can only give this trip a rating of 3. With the changes schedules for next year, I would rate this much higher. In finishing, I have to say that the ENTIRE crew was fantastic, they did an excellent job!

This is a ride through the Inn Valley and Southern Bavaria passing through charming towns and villages with unsurpassed scenery. Hotels along the way are as expected. However, the route on Day 5 is extremely difficult, with almost 2700 feet in climbing. The bicycles provided are fine for the flat portions on the first three days of riding, however, not adequate for the extremely challenging route on the fourth day of riding. There were other minor details that could have been addressed make the entire tour more pleasant. Overall, we enjoyed much of the tour and the memories made. This tour has great potential, but some changes should be made to make it more enjoyable.

We really overall enjoyed our bike & boat cruise from Bruges to Amsterdam taken July 2-9, 2022 on the Fluvius boat. But there are few comments that I would like to make in hopes that Tripsite finds them useful.
First of all, we worked with Anna Zdancewicz at Tripsite and she was an amazing communicator. She provided clear and detailed answers to any questions we had and was very timely in her response to us via email. We also spoke with her on the phone a few times and enjoyed the conversations as well as the information. We would definitely use Tripsite again for another booking and we often recommend Tripsite to others.
The upside of our trip was Jack, our bicycle tour guide each day. He was great and very knowledgeable of the sites we rode to and also he gave a few evening guided walking tours which were also excellent. We really enjoyed Jack and his helper Johan, who was the “Sweeper”…taking the rear positon of all bike riders keeping us all together.
The downside of the cruise for us were issues concerning the boat, Fluvius. The Fluvius is a small and pretty old boat with up to 44 passengers. This boat is well-worn and old and definitely shows it. It is clearly in need of a facelift and major update throughout the entire boat. Even the bed linens and bed comforter was just a little too old and did not seem crisp and fresh. The dinners served on the boat were very good and well presented. We did not want to eat fish and they kindly gave us something else as a substitute. However, the breakfasts were really lacking and uninspired. But worst of all were the lunches that everyone had to put together themselves every day to take with them on their bikes. The bread for the sandwiches was always very dry. And overall, the items one could pack for lunch were very limited and not very tasty or appealing. If you wanted to just have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you had to open about 7 or 8 small packages of each to make one sandwich. The choice of fruit was just so very limited and the drinks offered were juices boxes that tasted not great. For water, you were given a reusable plastic bottle that you were expected to fill yourself each day in your bathroom. We never did that. Instead, we bought bottled water to take with us.
The cabin we were in (which was one of the two very best ones) did not seem very clean. The shower did not seem well scrubbed out after the previous guests. I understand that there is not much time between one set of guests disembarking from a cruise and the next group arriving. However, rooms need to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between groups and clearly this was not done. I also felt that the overall ship could have been cleaner.
Another aspect of this cruise I would like to comment on is the bikes. The majority of riders rode ebikes. The ebikes on the Fluvius were old and should be replaced. I noticed also that most of the bikes were dirty even on the first day of use which proved to be just a sign of their overall condition which was poor. My own ebike required maintenance twice during the week. There was only one guy who was in charge of maintaining all the bikes and he definitely seemed overwhelmed with the responsibility of this.
Our tour guide Jack mentioned that the boat had recently been purchased by a young entrepreneurial type of guy. Perhaps Tripsite might let the boat owner or local partner know about these short comings and needed changes. Also, it might be helpful if Tripsite conducted an annual review of the boats you represent to be sure things are up to par and meet your standards and the expectations of your clients.
On a final note, I would like to say that we enjoyed the daily rides and felt that Jack, the tour guide, did an excellent job. Without him, the overall experience would have been less enjoyable.  SHOW MORE 

On the whole it was a great trip and I would like to do something like this again. But as with most things in life it could be improved. I would leave out Azay le Rideau. It was not much of a town and the hotel was below par. I would include “rest days”. For example I would have loved to spend more time in Chinon. So cycling all the way to chinon on day one then a rest there. And so on… For mid summer I would include an option not to have a hotel breakfast. On the really hot days (40c) we tried to get away at 6am to avoid the heat and have our cycling mostly done by lunch. It also means less traffic on the road. We had some good hotels and some rally poor ones. I think tripsite needs to work on consistency.

This was my third Tripsite Barge Biking Trip and as good as ever again.
Highly recommended.
Excellent guide who ensured that everybody was happy.
Despite the large age difference from10-92 years, the group of 18 pax jelled well together.
A trip that combines nature, culture,exercise, education and relaxation in a most balanced holiday that one could wish for.

Being in France on a bike with new friends and having a wonderful barge and crew to meet our needs.

The most memorable part was the quality of the bikes. Negatively memorable. They were very heavy. Definitely not of the same quality we had on the barge. I recommend a different supplier. Otherwise enjoyed the area and the hotel.

The trip provided an excellent introduction to the countries and cities visited - the bike tour guide, and some of the extra options, we’re very worthwhile. However communication between Tripsite and the contractor, Rad and Reissen, was poor and marked by numerous breakdowns. Most significant was that the Covid protocol we were told would be followed wasn’t, at all, and several people, including both of us, contracted Covid during the trip. Between us we missed seven days of activities while confined to our cabin.

Once we cleared historic Porto and hit the bike trail along the seaside, we enjoyed visiting the small coastal cafes and seeing the beautiful long beaches. Along the route, the size and quality of the beaches blew us away!

The crew and food and boat comfort were all great. The ebikes were good quality but such a flat topography and not much riding each day made them unnecessary, save your money! Another tip…this is ALWAYS a group tour, no self guiding so you only move as fast/well as the slowest mover in the group. There were several inexperienced cyclists on our tour so unfortunately, we moved like snails.

The Ave Maria entire crew and our bike tour leaders were fabulous. Food was awesome as well. Our only complaint is that we thought we would be on a self-guided tour and most of the trip that was not doable. Therefore we were in a group of 30 bikers at all different levels making stops for sites and commentary, often which we would have passed on. Riding in a group of 30 was not at all what we had in mind and very disappointing. Our tour leaders did a great job herding us and really did their best to meet everyone's needs and desires. The country side was flat, mostly farm land however and not terribly remarkable. We were told that Italy was not very advanced as far as bike paths went. Even though the countrysidewas not that great for us, we did get to see some beautiful and historic cities in the areas and of course ending in and around Venice was beautiful. So if you enjoy being part of a big group tour, then you will love this. If not, look for one of the bigger boats that give you maps and let you go your own way and pace.

I loved the Clam Castle we toured.
Amazing that a count and countess actually live there with their children!
One disappointment was that the cruise director spent most of his time giving cycling directions in German and very little time in English.
I found the route difficult to navigate but fortunately one of our friends was able to figure it out.

Riding in the countryside was wonderful, the ride in the urban parts was much more stressful. Our barge was divided into two groups which had significantly different experiences. Group one (which we were not in) had 2 guides while ours which was the same size had only one which meant that one of us had to take on the role of sweep. Our group leader did not stop or explain anywhere near as much as the other. Our group leader was unwilling to wait to make sure everyone was accounted for. For one example he took part of the group to a canal tour and said it should return on time. When I asked if he would wait for us if it was a few minutes late he said "I don't know, maybe" and when we were still getting our bikes out of the racks, he left with the rest of the group and was out of sight. luckily we were able to catch up but this incident seemed to characterize our whole experience with this guide.

Staff and food were wonderful. Caprice barge has nice upper deck and dining facility. But cabins are beyond tiny, which we could have been happy with (and given 5 stars) if not for the following: Each guest is issued one towel set to be changed only once during the 8 night stay. The problem is during a humid or hot athletic trip, there's no way to dry the towels or to wash or dry athletic clothing, no place to hang them in ventilated area. We packed light with intent to wash, and couldn't. Clothing was "toxic" by end of trip! On an active trip, there needs to be laundry available, even if guests do it themselves. We found out on last day of trip there was full size washer/dryer on boat, but not accessible to guests.

-Excellent itinerary and beautiful country
-great customer service from Anna
-excellent equipment

-poor navigation instruction compounded with misinformation when cross referencing map instruction versus navigation instructions
-poor (lack of detail) wording on some of the daily instructions on what and where to go. Anna helped tremendously with this.
-moving map wouldn't work on the entire trip causing many instances of confusion
-very poor briefing from company liaison handing off the bikes at the beginning of the trip. He seemed overwhelmed and inconvenienced.

Compared to our other trips, the Caprice felt very cramped i.e very limited on deck room for groups. Probably should add a Caprice clothes line to dry clothes, minor but very handy
breakfast was ok but repetitive, other trips had a buffet and especially cooked hot items
suppers were hit or miss, I thought ok but most of our group thought mediocre
guide was excellent as were bike stops, especially the Aqueduct-Pont du Gard, Palais des Papes, swimming in the med, light show. Probably should add a visit to a winery. Consider precharging for some events i.e. colosseum, light show kamisky and Cezanne) , museums,--Palais des Papes, Van Goughs asylum etc) rather than make them optional as some folks are tightwads and really miss out on a fuller experience.
Cycling guidebook is excellent

Good crew

The trip was much harder than I expected. The rating was easy to moderate but I felt it was moderate to difficult. Going through the sand and gravel paths was challenging even though I had an e-bike. My first trip was from Bruges to the Amsterdam and I had wonderful experiences on a regular bike. But if this Mazuria lakes district was my first trip, I would not have signed up for a second. The Magnifique 2 was much more comfortable and there was free coffee, tea, and even hot chocolate all day long. On the classic lady, there wasn't even free water. The state rooms were comparable on both trips. But the magnifique had a sitting area where we could gather and talk. On the classic lady, we had to sit at the dining room tables to socialize. The food was good

Not moving and sitting next to a mud bank and a muddy river made the first couple of days disappointing. The rest of the trip was very good with Bordeaux and St. Emilion being the highlight of the trip. The staff and food was exceptional!

The bike routes were good and some of the stops at vineyards were excellent but other vineyards were not really interested in providing tastings even when they had been pre-arranged by the boat company. The old bikes were in bad shape but the new bikes were of excellent quality. The e-bikes were a godsend to riders that struggled with the hills on the second day. Unless you are are a fairly strong rider the e-bikes were needed on 2 of the days. The bike mechanic was great and the GPS was helpful when it worked but it was not reliable. Paper maps were needed as a back-up. The rooms on the ship were cramped but OK overall. Our biggest concern was that the food was really BAD. We could not eat several dishes and they sometimes ran out of the main course.
Overall, given the steep price, we would not recommend this tour. Other barge and bike tours are much better value.

Great traveling companions and great boat and food!

I always love the Merlijn and the new owners were great! However, this is the least favorite of my Tripsite tours I didn't find the stops very interesting and when we did have an interesting place to visit, our time was very limited. Fun group, great food and pleasant weather but very short days of cycling. I will do another trip next year but do suggest some changes to this itinerary.

Overall the trip was good and we enjoyed our time. However, we did have some things that could be improved -
firstly the e-bikes that we rented had several problems with them and were unreliable
secondly I found the choice of food strange for being on a tour in Europe - we had Mexican food, followed by Asian food & sushi. What was wrong with french or belgium or even North American (seeing that we were all from NA). There was no flexibility or accommodation of other types of food.
The group leader should have allowed some of us to go ahead with maps rather than keep us in a long line of 20 people strung out with the slowest members behind the leader. We are all adults and professional people and do not wish to be treated like children.