3 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 211 to 240 of 340

I really enjoyed the staff, Sylvia and Barbara and the delicious dinners! They were so cute and fun. Loved the cheese factory, and Antonella was a wonderful tour guide.

The boat and staff were nice.
Food was plentiful and good
Our hotel the night before did not have our registration, very difficult to get anyone on a phone
The people we picked up the bikes from were surly and just plain painful
The bike was the same weight as a Sherman tank
The boat was poorly equipped for handling bikes although the crew worked hard to make it less painful
We never had enough time to ride and see the sights, we were always under the gun to get back to the boat
Really thought we were going to be able to sit and have lunches and drinks and see all the sights during our rides
As it turned out there was only one day where we weren’t in a deadly hurray and even that day we had 20 minutes to drink a beer at a local outside bar
Came back in the dark often, dangerous
Directions we revived sucked! Language interpretation was always an issue
The boat was often not where we expected it to be when we returned
Still enjoyed my vacation but it could have been so much better

We very much enjoyed this trip but it was a real adventure. At times I felt we were filming an episode for the Amazing Race! The maps we were provided with were very confusing. For example, we were not made aware that we had to make a detour as portions of the National Park were closed. Google Maps wasn't much help as they do not provide bicycle routes for Slovakia and Hungary. Fortunately, other cyclists told us to download the MAPS.ME app and this was a real life saver. I would advise anyone doing this trip to use this app or have some sort of GPS. We encountered other cyclists that were travelling with other companies that were provided with far more detailed maps, yet they too had difficulty. A GPS is a must.

We were dismayed that on a couple of occasions our luggage left unattended in the lobby area of hotels. I feel the luggage should always be stored in a secure area.

I was extremely disappointed in the quality of the bikes. I had assumed from what I read that the bikes were hybrid bikes similar to what I own: less than 30 pounds, gears, maneuverable, easy to ride. These bikes were very heavy, hard to pedal, hard to walk. No one got the bikes off the barge for us to ride or put them back on. That means I had to struggle with the bike up and down a steep and dangerous metal ramp. I was more tired from riding 30 miles on the flat on one of these bikes than I was after riding a metric century up some pretty big hills on a road bike. I do not believe that a bike and barge trip should emphasize the biking and provide such poor bikes. Electric bikes were an option, but I do not choose to ride one. I want to ride a good quality hybrid or road bike. Riding was so much work that it took away some of the pleasure of seeing the Dutch countryside. The rest of the trip was very nice, but the biking was a big part of why we went on the trip and it was a huge disappointment.

Krumlov, Telc and Znojmo are truly heritage towns, and worth more time than we had to explore them. Moravia in general is a great biking area, with more and prettier villages and squares.

Riding through the area that was hit by the storm of the century. We were not advised of all the route closures, only some of them. Therefore we did a lot of backtracking! The company Lazypedals that organized the tour did not personally investigate the travel route. As a result we were left on our own with insufficient maps and GPS. Overall we enjoyed the trip and the scenery and made it to our destinations, however, this trip should not be rated as an Easy to Moderate tour, take out the word easy!!

The castle tours were amazing. Sophie (coordinator on the Anna Marie IV) was adorable. Really enjoyed her and her nightly meals. The trip was not the Loire, because of water levels and sorry to say that it was just OK, but not much more. The main thing missing that I had expected was a trip to a vineyard. That would have made a big difference.

Lovely countryside, getting lost a lot. I would strongly recommend that the company heavily promotes the trip ap, as directions often were not clear and we got lost a lot. Due to type of hybrid bike and being lost there was not time to fully explore the region - so I would recommend the use of e bikes or shorter days.
Also reminding people that nothing is open on Sundays and most small towns did not have any shops for food/drink.

The scenery was absolutely beautiful and thankfully the weather was the same. If I had to make one suggestion it would be to improve the food on board. I don't think that can vegetables are a great reflection of the fresh vegetables that were all over the countryside. I also think that there should be more options for vegetarians.

The trip was well organized once we got there. The guides and staff on the boat were great. The booking agent for Tripsite was extremely poor. I had a gluten allergy (I'm a celiac) and I informed her of this allergy 8 months prior to the trip. The month before the trip it became a huge concern that the boat could not accommodate my allergy when your website claims differently. The agent told me that Croatia is not aware of gluten free food and it would be near impossible to help me. As a result I purchased a huge amount of food to bring with me and had to check extra baggage to accommodate this $75 each way. When I got there, I noticed that virtually every food store had a huge selection of GF food, even the smallest ports had GF items. The agent clearly did not know what she was talking about, I am very dissatisfied at the huge grievance she caused me, the extra baggage I had to bring and the hassle and cloud she put on me. I did not appreciate this at all. It is curious to me that on your rating form you do not provide me with any place to rate the booking experience. That's what needs the most attention.

The best memory of the trip was a spectacular meal at Auberge de la labourer in Chenonceaux. They were fully booked but set up a table in the bar and gave us the full restaurant menu. It’s a great restaurant and the extra work the staff put in added to the experience.

We had two complaints. First, neither of our odometers worked so we had no way of measuring distance. This meant constantly stopping and checking to make sure we were on the right way.

Second, the directions to get to Cour Chevigny had one massive error. When we came off the trail and onto Route 52 the directions said to turn right, go to the roundabout, and follow the sign to Route D102. There is no such sign. The only sign to Cour Chevigny is for Route 52, the road we were already on. So, thanks to some help, we turned around, followed route 52 for five kilometres and came right to our hotel. THIS SHOULD BE FIXED.

This is our 5th bike and boat trip, and all of the others have been 5 star experiences. This tour was very nice, but we had one major problem. We were absolutely unable to keep up with the tour guide. Another Canadian couple was in the same boat. Many of the German guests brought their own e-bikes along. Thankfully, the Dutch wayfinding system is excellent, but we really missed going with the group. Also, the tour guide did not stop at cafes, churches, wineries, breweries, etc. like we have had on other tours. He did make reservations for an interesting water works plant, but the entire group needed to pedal as fast as possible to get there by 2PM. I went to see the plant the next morning on my own. The boat was super fun, especially when the sails were hoisted. The food was great, the crew was great. I would urge anyone looking at this tour to rent an e-bike to keep up, or not pay extra for the tour guide, and just do the trip on your own.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.....

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!