4 Star Slovakia Tour Reviews — 91 to 120 of 172

Beautiful countries, great bikes and fun tour. Flexible dining seating would be preferred.

The Beauty of the Surroundings, intimate boat, fantastic food, met new great friends!
Instructions for biking could have been better.. with mileage.. to better time management for return to boat. Cruise Director too pompous for me... had better.. but think his last tour with you

Loved the opportunity to cycle along the Danube and see more of the countryside and visit the small towns. Could have done without the wind though! Need to be prepared for all kinds of weather in October. Each day was different - Vienna and Budapest were amazing to visit (once again!).

I really loved the last day of the bicycling - we rode through the beautiful Wachau valley’s vineyards. The towns were quaint and the landscape was breathtaking! Also, we had a sunset while on the barge that was unforgettable.
Tips: *Be ready to adapt and roll with things. If you want a boring, unexciting trip, take a bus! *You will be in close contact with lots of other people. If that makes you uncomfortable, maybe this is not the trip for you. *Bring some salty snacks and other electrolyte-replacers, especially if biking in warm weather, as these are not available on the ship.

Most Memorable Part: Visiting wonderful towns and cities.
We found that the bikes provided were very heavy, making them a bit tough to ride. We were there at the end of the season and the brakes on the bikes were worn out. The bike maintenance was not ideal

The Theodor Korner is an older boat. A little loud sometimes with the bedrooms a little small. Otherwise, the dining room, the lounge, other areas – all were fine. The meals, both breakfast and dinner, were very good. The staff were friendly and helpful. And the tours, whether guided or on your own, were very-well organized and led.

One problem with the Bike and Boat tour – the bikes. I do not consider them well-maintained. Mine had bad brakes and wobbly steering, leading to accidents. And the “sailors” responsible for maintaining them did not seem to have much of an interest in doing so. They were the least helpful people on the boat; it wasn’t even close.

Would I go on another B&B tour? Yes, overall it was a lot of fun. Would I take the Theodor Korner? Maybe. Would I recommend that a biker INSIST upon a good working bike – no matter what you have to do, who you have to talk to? Absolutely.
And good luck on your trip.

The efficiency of collecting and dropping off the bike at the beginning and the end of the day could not have gone smoother. The guidebooks were very helpful though it would have been nice to have more information on sights along the way. The bikes were extremely comfortable and we had no issues. We are already planning on our next tour!

My trip from Passau to Budapest was what I hoped it would be. The original information and directions were excellent. However there was almost no communication with Rad+Riesen once the trip started. This was not really a problem except for one day when my hotel was changed without notifying me until I arrived at the wrong hotel. Luggage transfer was smooth and breakfasts were good. Generally a very positive experience with a bit of adventure. The trip from Passau to Vienna was smoother than from Vienna to Budapest in all aspects, but both were memorable and enjoyable.

We really enjoyed the biking. Most the trails were very nice and the scenery was beautiful.The most memorable part was probably the Wachau Valley. The bikes were very good. The rooms on the boat were good and the food was also plentiful and tasty.We enjoyed the entertainment put on by the crew.

Best Parts: cruising, dining, kitchen, bar, admin, cleaning staff - wonderful, friendly, helpful. couldn't be better
food - very good variety and quality. lunches especially good
cycling and tour director and staff - excellent every day with information, quality equipment, attention to questions
ship public facilities - quite adequate quality and quantity. updating on decor is needed
hotel staff - very nice, accommodating and efficient
hotel - needs cleaning, air conditioning was not working every day, which was a problem. air quality was not great. updated decor is needed.

Best Part? Biking along the Danube the first day in the beautiful countryside. Spectacular!!

The biking was absolutely wonderful; so incredibly beautiful especially through the vineyards and orchards. The ride around Bratislava was not marked well at all and 90% of the riders got lost going in all different directions, thank God for smart phones. The food on board was well prepared, always hot and nutritional. Where this trip fell short was the crew abroad the Normandie. Unlike the other TWO Bike and Barge Trips I experienced, this crew was a bit unwelcoming, rude, and times condescending and scolding. Not everyone but it certainly was the feel on the boat and many were talking about it. I know the crew work long hours and they all have to help with most tasks on the boat; however, there would be nothing to do if WE weren't there. I absolutely love this way of travel and will do another one again very soon. This was NOT a Tripsite issue but am hopeful this information will be passed to the appropriate people. Tripsite has been excellent in providing information and always seems to offer a great deal.

I loved the convenience of all the planning and coordinating by Tripsite which allowed my party to really enjoy the biking, hotels and experience of the trip. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and care of the bikes which could make or break of this trip. Working with Tripsite was easy and pleasant.

The Cycling and travel along the Danube River. Still more markings on the Bike routes.

Most Memorable Part: Food & last day of riding + Vienna

We really enjoyed Wachau. Definitely stop for the wine tour, and enjoy the biking through the vineyards. It was absolutely beautiful.

Fantastic Value; super helpful staff. Only 80 riders. Very friendly guests attracted. Beautiful sights. Good food. Bikes heavy and clunky with no choice in quality except electric. Excellent trip overall.

Briefing by tour director daily with clear instructions on the following days ride. Highlighting and suggestions where to break for coffee and lunch, and points of interest along the way.
Breakfast and evening meal was delicious.
A great range of reasonably priced good quality bike attire, including wet weather jackets ,and bike helmets for sale.

Riding in the foothills/vinyards in Austria. Stopping for a beer and a slice of homemade cake at a hotel on the trail.
The boat was too slow traveling upstream against heavy current. This meant we were late in docking for our next ride. Yes, the current was heavy but this is likely to happen every spring.

Best Part? The nice people on the boat

Earlier this year (May), my wife and I did the 4 country bike - barge tour, on the Danube. First I have to remark that everything "Tripsite" advertised was delivered at what we thought to be a reasonable price. In spite of unusually cold (damp) weather, our first experience (s) in Passau, Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna were very memorable highlights. However, aboard the "Normandie" we did have some concerns with the overall tour management. There were some particularly disappointing moments with an apparent strategy to keep the English speaking guests, and non-english speaking guests (mostly German) separated? For our part, we were keen to mingle - assimilate with all the guests aboard. That should not reflect our overall impression of the boat crew, who were very courteous and helpful.

Sailing down the Danube at night under the full moon we witnessed the beautiful lighted bridges and magnificent buildings of Vienna. It was magical!

This was a great experience. Andreas was a wonderful tour director/leader. 2 weeks aloud us to have a great experience. As this was the ship's first cruise of the year we did experience a problem with our room but Andreas resolved the problem promptly and provided some compensation for our troubles. The crew provided excellent service. The meals were better than expected( I am not a gourmet but enjoyed every meal). the bike routes were very interesting. Our only issue was with the a/c but as this was an older ship some things are not always up to modern standards. Great value.

Simple the thrill of cycling through Europe along the Danube River.

We really enjoyed the Abbey in Melk, Tulln Gardens and the short walk about tour in Bratislavia

The most memorable part of the trip was sitting on the top deck in the evening, wrapped in a blanket, watching the clouds sail past the moon as the barge moved on to our next city on the Danube.
Ensure you respond to the call to choose a table for meals on the barge if you wish to sit with or close to friends.
Stay an extra night in Passau if you have the time...there is a lot to see and do.
If possible, do some cycling before your trip to prepare you for the daily tours.
If you would prefer to cycle with a guide let your agent know and they may be able to arrange it. It may be an option and worth an extra cost if it would make your trip more enjoyable.

The beautiful bike paths along the Danube and the great food on the MS Arkona. Found the unguided bike tour confusing. Comfortable beds but loud vibrating boat motor at night made it impossible to sleep. Yay sleeping pills.

This was a wonderful tour with many interesting & historic stops along the way. The portion in the Czech Republic included challenging terrain while the ride from Vienna to Budapest was fairly flat. The hotels were all unique and very different, from botels to spas to penzione. Locations were great, had delicious breakfasts and were clean with the exception of the last one, which I'll discuss later. This trip would have been perfect if a few simple things had occurred: we received detailed information for the trip the day we left for Prague. Since there were some modifications, I lost half a day in Prague getting those worked out. That easily could've been taken care of before we left if we had the detailed info sooner. When we arrived in Prague, the cycling company sent Maps.me files to load. Because of the types of phones we have, it again took some vacation time to figure out how to download. We discovered that these were imperative to smooth navigating along the routes so I recommend that those files be sent in advance. The only other disappointment was that the hotel in Budapest was very dirty with mold all over the shower floor and walls. We had been told we'd be in a much nicer hotel, but i'm assuming they were unable to book it. Fortunately, we had booked our extra nights elsewhere. Bottom line, I would recommend this trip with the modifications above.

My wife and I just finished this trip with another couple. First of all, remember that you get what you pay for. This cruise is much cheaper than Viking or Avalon or some of the others so you can't expect as much opulence or fine cuisine. That said, everything was fine. The food was good but not great. The walls to the cabins are thin so if the person in the room next to you is a loud talker, you will hear every word. Also, try to avoid the lowest level of rooms - the windows don't open and are noisier as you are close to the engine. The trip it self was great. The cycling was easy and scenic. We had Axel as our guide, and seriously, he ruins you for any other guide. If we went on another cruise, it would have to be with Axel - any other guide would suffer in comparison I suspect. He is Austrian with a very keen sense of humour (He would have to be as he is an Arsenal fan). He went above and beyond.

We had a mixed experience on this trip, having completed two other bike and barge trips on smaller boats (and smaller waterways). This is a wonderful region for riding - much of the route follows bike paths that parallel the river and provide gorgeous views of river towns. Unlike our other trips, participants ride on their own without a guide, and this worked well for us. Because the boat travels from Passau to Budapest and back again, there is quite a bit of travel time on the boat. At times, we enjoyed watching the scenery, but this also meant that our time on land was quite limited. Food was decent and several options were available at each meal. The dining room was noisy and it does take quite a bit of time to serve everyone, with the staff clearly working hard! During our tour, there were engine problems which resulted in a change in itinerary. The company struggled to manage this and identify reasonable options. In the end, they have promised us a partial refund, which seems quite fair. We would have preferred that this offer had come sooner in the process, without the numerous conversations that were needed to help the company understand the concerns of passengers.