3 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 181 to 210 of 298

 


Ronald B.
September 22, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna

We thoroughly enjoyed our cycling trip , the sceneries were absolutely beautiful.
We were disappointed to learn , three days prior to our departure from Canada, the MS Arlene 11 was in repairs and not be ready for our departure date.Trip Site offered alternatives,using the same route the group were accommodated in hotels along the way .The group did NOT have any representatives at any hotels from Trip Site except a very brief meeting on our very first night.We were basically left on our own , with somewhat mediocre instructions to and from city hotels.
Allowing for a scénario that was beyond their controls, we would have appreciated TripSite going further to assure the comfort and reliability in this unfortunate incident.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany

Bonnie B.
September 21, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

Riding along the Danube offered many beautiful vistas. The bikes were great, the seats very comfortable, which made for a nice ride. We met some fun people on board although a greater mix of English speaking to German speaking would have been even better. Suggestions as mentioned to Tripsite staff would be to make this tour guided (the entire group of 100 passengers were lost on several days which minimized the opportunity to make it to some of the sites), to include ferries in the pricing, so that passengers aren't always searching to make sure they have cash (our previous trip included the ferries so wasn't an issue.), and the excursions were sometimes canceled so these could also be improved. All in all we had fun and the cabin staff took great care of our rooms...I'd make a different selection though next time.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Sally F.
September 20, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

This is my 3rd bike/boat tour, and the 1st unguided. I love to travel this way. But the number of people on the boat -- 100 -- were just too many for the crew to serve in any special way. The food and accommodations were excellent. The cruise director and schedule were below average. Out of 7 days, there were 4 days of biking -- 3 of these were spectacular along the Danube. The Wachau ride was simply stunning. However, the ride around Bratislava featured few, if any, interesting attractions, and many of us got lost. The cruise director suggested stopping at a restaurant as a highlight of the day -- but the restaurant was not in operation. The briefings for English speakers were later than those for the Germans and we were then constrained by the boat schedule in the afternoon -- making at least 2 of the biking days a dash to finish the ride and get back on time -- not leisurely and not affording us to stop much. All the staff on the boat work really hard and it shows. But I prefer a guided tour with a smaller group and boat for better biking and a better overall experience.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Jennifer S.
September 18, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

The journey and visiting the 4 capitols was the best.
However too many people on the boat - the noise level in the dining room was excessive. The cruise director was obnoxious especially towards women and favored the Germans on the boat. Our group of 18 was split into 3 tables and we always sat with the same people. Never mixed with other groups.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Heather H.
September 17, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Slovenia

From the US it was very difficult, time consuming and costly to get to Radenci, Slovenia and from Lendava back to the airport. Except Lendava, the villages had little to offer for additional tourism and places to eat. The Mineral Spas were mainly full of elderly and some families. Not really an exciting place for 30-40 year olds without kids. The countryside was pretty but in my opinion not worth the extensive travel. I would like to go back to Slovenia but to the west side of the country.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Hungary, Slovenia

Cathy
September 12, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

This is my 3rd trip with Tripsite and they do a good job...but the instructions to the boat were a tad misleading. If there are detours/changes, I believe they should keep on top of that and be sure to report to their customers.The bike ride was amazing. The scenery was like all the other reviews stated......I would NOT recommend the ride in Vienna or Budapest; way to much traffic. The crew was not customer focused. The cruise director/bike tour director, Monica, was often short and rude to passengers. Unlike the other 2 trips I took, the crew was not welcoming or eager to help. There were a few in housekeeping and wait staff that were nice. The captain was cold and never engaged at all with the passengers. This is NOT a tripsite issue but this crew needed a kick in the pants from above to treat the passages better........recommend the trip but I hope you don't get this negative crew.....

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

kevin k.
September 10, 2019

Verified Reviewer

Three Capitals of Russia

Sadly, the most memorable part of the trip was a crash in which one of our cyclists suffered a serious head injury. It of course had nothing to do with the quality of the tour, which was OK. Negatives included, firstly, the food. The menus at the restaurants and hotels were boring and the food itself was bland and not particularly healthy. We were given the same basic set of courses every night, and breakfasts were more like dinners than US style in that they featured pasta and meat, with little fruit or grains. Positives: our guide, Vladimir, was conscientious and personable. Most of the cycling routes were on quiet roads, though some were on busy highways. Too much time was spent in the van -- about as much as on our bikes. The spirit of the group was good, and we all seemed to get along well. Highlights included the cycle tour of Moscow and the walking tour of Novgorod. The walk in St Petersburg was not as informative. Accommodations were basically fine, though I was assigned a noisy room in Petersburg on the second floor above a heavily trafficked street and the management would not change it despite my requests.

Countries included in this tour?

Kathleen S.
August 27, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· The Elbe River and Prague

The boat was very clean and spacious. The crew very friendly and accommodating. The food delicious and a good variety.
The trails we rode on were not very good, however. A lot of pot holes and very narrow. We could not look around and enjoy the scenery as we had to keep our eye on where we were riding.

It was a good experience for all of us.

Countries included in this tour?
Czech Republic

Lou O.
August 26, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine

Guides were absolutely world-class in all respects: knowledgeable, safe, proactive and TOTALLY guest-oriented. Is there a description more favorable that "FANTASTIC?!"

Countries included in this tour?
France

Wendy R.
August 24, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube-Iron Gates

This is a great way to see four capital cities (Bratislava, Belgrade, Budapest and Vienna as well as get in 10 days of cycling! It's also fairly low mileage (less than 35 miles per day) but training to prepare is still a must. The scenery is very nice and it is about half on roads - mostly slower village streets. The group of people we dined with and rode with were all terrific and we all worked together to find our way since our tour was unguided. The days when you visit the cities can be a little overwhelming - so my advice is to pick one or two things you really want to see beforehand and focus on getting to those. At least in the summer the crowds were large in Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. As for boat living - the dinners were tasty and served by a friendly staff each evening but I'm vegetarian so I had much more of a struggle with getting any protein. I would have also appreciated a little variety with the breakfasts and lunches. My advice also is to avoid the hotter weather months like July or August - we had days of over 90 degrees which made cycling tough - but the Theodor Korner is not well air conditioned either. Overall it was a nice trip and certainly the staff was terrific!

Countries included in this tour?
Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia

Marlene Z.
August 22, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Along the North Sea - a Tulip Tour

Biking through the dunes of the North Sea is incredible. The rental bike is a heavy Dutch model and it is windy so you make like an e bike. The fresh herring and fish are amazing. Also there is bus 385 that runs from train in Voorhout to Noordwijk for 2 euro 20. So you don't need that 20 euro cab.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

jean h.
August 21, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Poland’s Lake District

The sandy and gravelly trails that we rode through the forests...I felt that the rating of easy to moderate was not quite accurate. I had such a good experience on my first bike trip from Bruges to Amsterdam on a regular bike. But I wouldn't have been able to do this one if I didn't have an e-bike. I even stayed on the boat the 4th and
6th days. Also, on the Bruges trip, coffee, tea, water, and even hot chocolate we're always available. But on this trip, you even had to buy your water at dinner. The breakfasts and dinners were both good everyday and the salads were especially delicious. If this was my first trip, there wouldn't have been a second. Maybe if I didn't have the Bruges trip to compare it to, I would have been more satisfied with this one.

Countries included in this tour?
Poland

Allen A.
August 16, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Metz to Cochem

The barge and crew were amazing as were the bike guides. I would not change a thing.

However . . . the bikes were horrid and it was a bike trip! They were dated . . . poorly maintained . . . and dangerous. I had a piece of my front fender break and get stuck between my spokes in the front tire. I could have been badly injured if not going so slow through construction. I would think a "bike" trip would offer much better bikes in the future. I would not recommend this trip to friends because of the bikes . . . everything else was top notch . . . the food, the staff, the rooms, the bar . . . too bad about the bikes not meeting expectations.

Countries included in this tour?
France, Luxembourg, Germany

Helen W.
August 15, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· North Holland Tour

Scenery was great, bring a camel back if you like to drink water while riding, most bikes did not have a cage for the water bottle, instead you kept it in the pannier. Our guide, Eduaro, did not seem to know where we could stop to take a break or use a bathroom, he said everythng was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, this was a problem for the women in the group, it was hot and we needed to keep hydrated.
The captain, chef and assistant Vera were wonderful and did all they could to make us comfortable.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

janet a.
August 3, 2019

Verified Reviewer

Heidelberg to Koblenz

Best part: Route we rode. Some of the small towns and countryside.

Countries included in this tour?
Germany

Cynthia Y.
August 1, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· The Elbe River and Prague

It was nice just to boat and bike along in the river, seeing the Czech people relaxing and enjoying life along the riverbanks.

On the negative side, we had an uncomfortable experience when we first arrived at Prague train station, needing to get on the bus. The email that Tripsite sent us said to wait on the side of the train station OPPOSITE the car park - near the restaurant inside (restaurant name has changed, so did not agree with the name given in the email). Well, the bus was parked on the OTHER side of the street for at least a half hour. I did not notice it over there, as I was focused on the station/restaurant side of the street, checking every bus that arrived, but none said "MS Florentina". Well, eventually the bus did drive to the side of the street we were on, but when we got on board there were not enough seats for us! We were willing to stand, but the driver would not allow that. The tour guide didn't bother to come on the bus, so no one was in charge. Eventually, four of our friends exited the bus and took an UBER. I think they were reimbursed for that expense, but not right away. This was very uncomfortable for us! All the German speaking people on the bus must have thought we were idiots, and holding up the entire show!
Later in the week when two buses drove us into Prague, they told us repeatedly that the bus would return to the boat at 4pm. When we arrived in Prague and were exiting the bus, the driver told us 5pm!!! There really seemed to be a breakdown in communications between the bus driver and the boat.
I also didn't like the markup on the drinking water. You can buy a big bottle of water for about 75 cents, but the boat charged the equivalent of $3.00. When we booked this trip were had no idea there would not be potable water. Then to have that kind of markup seemed petty.

Countries included in this tour?
Czech Republic

Nancy Q.
July 31, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· The Elbe River and Prague

We booked this tour last fall with 10 friends and unfortunately the route had to be changed in Jan due to repair work done on one of the rivers that prevented the boat from departing from Prague. Unfortunately miss directions were given to us about where to wait for a bus that would pick us up at the main train station and drive us to the new location of the MS Florentina. This caused much confusion as we were waiting on the wrong side of the street. Once we boarded the bus there was not enough room for everyone to be seated. The driver did not speak English nor was there a representative on board from the MS Florentina who could direct us. Four of our friends had to take an Uber. This set the trip off on a very disturbing note and delayed our arrival.
In addition our guide, Frank seemed condescending when asked questions about our activities and often times gave us miss information about the routes. Our bike paths often took us past areas that were not scenic and quite bumpy.

Although we enjoyed being with our friends on this journey the logistics of the trip were less than satisfying.

Countries included in this tour?
Czech Republic

Emily H.
July 31, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· The Elbe River and Prague

The most memorable part of the trip was actually the time spent with friends. We had five couples join us on this trip. They were all new to bike and boat, and it was our fifth. They all enjoyed their experience. Since we were the only group of Americans on the trip, we were happy to be joined by friends who spoke English!

Countries included in this tour?
Czech Republic

Eileen E.
July 26, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Tulip Tour - 5 day

The most memorable part of our trip was the Keukenhof. Would recommend packing clothes to layer, gloves, and rain gear.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Donna G.
July 12, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

Best Part: Interactions with passengers from around the world

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary

Mik L.
July 12, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Castles of the Loire

The Loire was wonderful, Jon the guide was wonderful and Lunch in Adon was Magnifique!

Countries included in this tour?
France

Geraldine D.
July 10, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Mainz to Strasbourg

We really liked the MS Arkona, the staff and our F&B head mgr. Routes were Ok, but need better route descriptions esp for English speakers. Electric bikes were excellent! Def the better way to really enjoy the ride!

Countries included in this tour?
Germany, France

Richard F.
July 10, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Silver Coast of Portugal

Our self-guided Bruge/Amsterdam had given us a detailed book as well as GPS. This was [portugal coast] only GPS and one road was not usable due to a rock slide, so we had to go around a mountain with no real help with map. Also, they warned us of bad road conditions due to fire last year in their big forest. They were surely right as 15 miles of solid potholes and loose rock were what we got.

Countries included in this tour?
Portugal

Cheryl M.
January 18, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· South Holland Tour

Loved the little towns, biking through them. Really nice trails. Sadly rain a couple of days but can't control the weather.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Susan M.
December 24, 2018

Verified Reviewer

Loire Valley Bike and Boat - 2019

Most memorable-one big friendly group. Chef and Pilot were fine; guide and barge were adequate.

Countries included in this tour?
France

Janis B.
December 6, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Around Lake Constance

The scenery, hotels and food were great. People were very friendly. The maps for this self-guided trip around Lake Constance were not detailed enough, did not provide information for intersections and turns. We had many times that we did not which way to go. Definitely need better maps.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Switzerland

Kimberly H.
November 29, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Central Greek Aegean Sea

Loved the various opportunities to swim in the sea, off the boat and at the beach. It was interesting to learn the unique history of each island we visited.

Countries included in this tour?
Greece, Turkey

Barry N.
November 7, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Innsbruck to Bolzano

It’s quite difficult to review this trip as there were many great experiences like the scenery after we escaped the narrow valley from Innsbruck to about Imst but there were some cons. In the beginning of the trip we felt the cycle path, even though fantastic to have, was often too close to the railway or an autobahn (and the associated noise) to make for wonderful riding.
The hotels and half board were mostly good but some noisy and the one in Imst not only noisy but also the food was definitely (for half board), poor.
Some hotels were standouts - the small excellent hotel in Mals and the food in the hotel in Meran.
The guides were not accurate with addendums with corrections and GPS (as per our previous bike trip) would have been better.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Italy

Gloria C.
November 6, 2018

Verified Reviewer

Famous Villages of Provence

My trip was the Villages of Provence. A wonderful area to bike through. I would suggest that the orientation be set for a determined amount of time to allow for complete question and answer time. Also it would be helpful to go through the use of the GPS thoroughly. The bike maintenance was not done prior to our week long trip. The tail light and the computer on my bike did not function properly. All in all the hotels, service, food, and ambience were wonderful. I’d highly recommend this trip to intermediate to advanced cyclists.

Countries included in this tour?
France

Estela B.
October 16, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Along the Danube - Four Country Tour

This is a great tour, with wonderful cities to visit and scenic bike rides. The barge was perfect, great food and service. We enjoyed the evening music and dancing very much. A heat wave happened while we were there, so we had a great time on the sun deck
I was not as happy with the bikes. I was in charge of a group of 25 and at least 6 of them had bike issues: brakes that worked only in the front or back, e-bikes that only assisted when pedaling at full throttle, and more. Even though we reported this, and we were told they would fix the bikes, in reality the bikes were not repaired by the next day, and it took time and effort to get them replaced. I expected more from Rad & Reisen, the bike company. Also there was very little instruction on how to use the e-bikes. My suggestion is to have a person at the dock on the first day to give a 10 minute one-on-one instruction on the e-bike and make the person do a little test ride. It was not as intuitive how to use them if you never have done it.
Another issue that could have been better is a bigger, clearer map on how to get to the path from the barge location. That part is usually the hardest.
All that said, it was still a nice, memorable trip.

Countries included in this tour?
Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary