Bike and Boat Tour Reviews page 19
- Argentina
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- Bosnia and H…
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- Croatia
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- France
- Germany
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- Holland
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- Vietnam
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★★★★★ Emma Broadfield
An excellent way to explore the Istrian Peninsula
The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
This is a fabulous way to explore the Istrian Peninsula, as you have the opportunity to see the coast and also explore inland. The boat is very comfortable and it is great to be able to get away from the crowds at the end of the day! The towns and villages that you get to explore are gorgeous and the coastline spectacular. Being able to swim off the back of the boat and cool off is an added bonus!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- One
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Joza Groboljsek
I had an absolutely amazing time on our trip!
Ionian Islands Multi-sport Family Cruise
Everything went smoothly from star to finish, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Destinations we visited were absolutely breathtaking. Accomodation on the boat was comfortable and hospitality & service of the crew was amazing. The tour guides were fantastic too. There was never a dull moment.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
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★★★★★ Ina Graham
Beautiful scenic biking
Amsterdam – Gouda – Bruges by Bike and Boat
Fun, knowledgeable guide. Great travelling companions. Amazing gourmet suppers on boat. Extremely helpful crew when husband needed medical attention.
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★★★★★ Francis Farrell
A Family Danube Adventure
Danube Bike and Boat: Passau-Budapest-Passau – MS SE-Manon
As Grandpa, I organized this adventure for my daughter, son and his family. This seemed an ideal year to do it since my grandson, 16, wouldn't be bored and my granddaughter, 12 and the youngest passenger, would be able to manage the biking and appreciate the countries and cultures she'd experience.
The ship, cabins and, except for the grand kids, the meals were good.On the downside, there were very few English speakers including the tour director. He spoke only German but his wife would do a reasonably good job of translating. Many of the crew and other passengers were capable in English. Also, the cruise line offered a "Drink Plan" with unlimited alcohol for 15 Euros/day for all seven days. This would have been 630 Euros for us, all but me non-drinkers - ridiculous!
I'm sure we will take another "boat & bike" trip but I doubt with CD Cruise Lines.
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★★★★★ Karen Donnelly
Beautiful biking and barge
Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique IV (and reverse)
The biking was easy and rode most of it unassisted with 3-5 others. But the first day was with a guide, who was very helpful and knowledgeable about the area. The App we were provided was very good and gave us various lengths of the routes we could follow and places to stop along the way.
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★★★★★ Tim Yancy
Relaxed ride along the Danube River
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
We enjoyed the structure of the tour, with 3-4 hours of riding per day and details on the many sights to see along the way. Onboard service and meals were excellent, and the boat had a nice mix of people from all over the world. We also liked the time to explore several cities on non-ride days.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Jill Kaufman
Amazing experience!
Provence by Bike and Boat
The small barge experience turned our group of strangers into good friends; the food was excellent; the routes and countryside beautiful; the tour guide was knowledgeable, skilled, and fun! This tour exceeded our expectations.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Late August 23
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Allen Terrell
Great sites, good value
Amsterdam – Gouda – Bruges by Bike and Boat
We had a wonderful trip. Many Thanks to your staff, Mariam and Taylor, in helping us..
For the price, the barge was fine, the food excellent and the barge crew terrific.
Caution you to except overly positive reviews from passengers who all filled out reviews on the last night while receiving free champagne. Aliso, while nice, the leader was not too helpful and not much of a mechanic [4 of the E bikes were not charged on our first ride].
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★★★★★ Daniela Veludo
Unforgettable Danube
Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty
Perfect way to see Bavaria and Austria, exercising safely with the bike and enjoying a very comfortable motor boat. Very good organization.
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★★★★★ Charles Stahl
A Bit Dissapointing
Provence by Bike and Boat
Compared to the previous five bike/barge trips I have done with company this tour was disappointing. The boat and it's crew were great, the cabins were clean and as comfortable as possible. No problems there. The breakfasts and afternoon snacks were plentiful and good. However, the dinners were often not edible. The Italian cook was very sweet, but the food was often unrecognizable and tasteless. I am not a fussy eater, but I along with my dinner companions often sent the food back uneaten.
The printed material does say that riding is done mostly along country lanes, but the amount of riding on gravel was daunting. I feel that should be mentioned in the literature. The guide was extraordinary, both knowledgeable and well spoken, not to mention very approachable. The highlights were indeed highlights, but negotiating the busy streets while riding through small towns was scary at best. Perhaps doing this trip is mid-summer would be more picturesque, but the weather wouldn't be as perfect as it was for us in late August/early September. Had this been my first bike/barge adventure perhaps I would be less critical, but with many other tours co choose from, I would not recommend this particular tour.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Larry Siegler
Great trip
Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique II (and reverse)
The bike and barge trip exceeded our expectations greatly. We highly recommend this trip. The crew was wonderful and the meals were delicious. There were many additional items that made the trip memorable ie canal cruise, nightly walking tours of the towns, great stops on the cycle ride. It was a spectacular experience.
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★★★★★ Annik Stahl
Could have been better
Provence by Bike and Boat
The tour leader (Helmut) was great, as was the boat crew. There were some fun times biking but the miles and miles of harsh gravel was not in the description of the trip. (This was not "country roads" -- this was ROCKS and my back ached for days afterward.) Had I know, I would not have chosen this trip as I just had surgery. I found the food to be absolutely awful. The dinners were beond strange and hey, maybe something besides HAM HAM HAM every day for lunch? I lost 4 pounds during that trip.
While I know there are some great trips to be had with this company (my dad has been on several and said this one was the worst). this was not one of them. Like I said, some fun time biking but not enough to recommend this trip.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Lorinda Troppmann
Trip of a lifetime
UNESCO Highlights of Dalmatia by E-bike and Boat
The trip exceeded all of my expectations. Coming from Alaska, it was refreshing to see the people of Croatia to be set apart from what we see in the USA. I did not see anyone passed out on the streets or strung out on drugs. You could walk freely in the evening on the islands and feel safe. The beauty was breathtaking and the crew was generous in their hospitality. My friend that joined me on the trip talked me into doing an E-bike, and I am so grateful that I did! I was able to enjoy the entire trip that way and still got a great work out. I would do this trip again!
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Joanna Havener
Loved every minute!
Provence by Bike and Boat
Our tour leader was fun, knowledgeable and very safety conscious. The route was almost all flat, only one big climb on Wednesday. The ship's crew was helpful and saw to it that my husband had potato chips in his lunch. They accommodated my wish for vegetarian meals. The small towns were charming and I loved learning about their history. Highly recommend this trip. (My husband and I are in our 70s and the ebikes were a great help to us.)
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Ellen Speare
Danube waltz bike tour
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
I chose this trip for my 70th birthday with friends. riding through the beautiful countryside was wonderful. sitting on the deck going through the Danube river was so relaing and lovely. The food and accomadations fro perfect. Loved this whole trip.
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★★★★★ Chuck Gottschall
Great Trip!
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Great way to see Europe! The biking was GREAT! The staff was GREAT! The food was GREAT!
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★★★★★ Richard Goldsmith
A step into the world of Germany
Germany, Netherlands, Belgium by Bike/E-Bike and Boat
The A-Rosa Sena is a brand-new river boat. It is great. Every spacious room has a balcony. The food, all served buffet style, is abundant and delicious with many choices. The biking was well-planned and executed. They took very good care of us English speakers. The pace was fine. The countryside was beautiful. The trailside lunches they prepared were lovely. The leaders were knowledgeable and friendly. All around it was a great trip. Oh, there were only three passengers on the boat and one in out tour, who spoke English but we enjoyed that as we got to brush up on our Gremna.
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★★★★★ Tom Hawkins
Trip postponed
Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Fluvius (and reverse)
We were unable to do this fantastic trip due to an injury. We are how every very excited about doing it next year. It sounds like a fantastic experience!
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★★★★★ Elizabeth Gray
Beautiful trip on the Danube
Danube Bike and Boat: Passau-Budapest-Passau – MS SE-Manon
This scenic trip is beyond description!!! Boating on this beautiful river, in and out of small towns, bustling cities and incredible mountain and grapevine views was fabulous!
The boat was nice, clean ( very cold pool) and plenty of service, however; instructions were poor at best.
There were a couple that provided directions on the routes and many other events upon the boat, SE Mannon, however one spoke no English and the other struggled with describing in English the sometimes complicated routes. 85% of the travelers were non English speakers and were well informed by the German speaking gentleman. Many English speakers became lost in Bratislava and some in Vienna. The routes were beautiful and not too challenging to ride if you paid close attention during the briefings and asked a lot of clarifying questions. When you are t quite sure, ask again until you do. We found not understanding the German and Austrian speakers frustrated them a great deal but don’t get offended. You need the correctly translated information. As simple as “up stream or down stream” can be miscommunicated.
We had one bike that needed to be changed out, however, the people checking the bike said it was ok and we suffered 2 days with a bike that was not shifting properly. Day 3, new bike, no more problems.
Do not waste your money on ANy of the drink packages! It is only honored after 4 pm, even soda or coffee is charged outside the 4 pm- 11 pm hours. Dinner drinks are included in restaurant. Breakfast includes coffee but not soda as many drink in AM. Bring snacks back on board if you want anything to eat outside breakfast or dinner.
Now for the food: we had “guess that dish” every night Everything was covered in some kind of gravy. Pork for dinner the first 3 nights! Desserts were the most disappointing. Very bland puddings, and some had breakfast cereals mixed in. After day 2, we started eating dinner out when possible. One night we had spaghetti which wasn’t too bad however we couldn’t get any Parmesan cheese or extra bread to fill up. Breakfasts offered many options, however, the omelettes were not always cooked through. Stick with the waffles, they were good. Plenty of meats and bread to make sandwiches for your lunch ride. We generally stopped at a pub or beer garden for goulash or French fries and beer! Lots of little places to choose from although good places could be recommended in the route book! No one on board would suggest any restaurants in the towns. That was disappointing. We found a great restaurant on top of a hotel in Vienna with a fabulous view of the city and river.
In our info from Biketours. Com, we were told not to book travel from the boat before 12. The boat wanted us out of our cabins by 8:30. We waited up on top of the boat until our taxi arrived at 11:00. We were the last party to leave. None of the Americans got off the boat until 10-10:30. Lack of communication again.
It was nice unpacking only once for our bike tour, however we will probably stick with the bike/hotel version in the future! Croatia here we come in 2024!!! Still had a blast with our party of 6! Thanks Biketours! SHOW MORE -
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★★★★★ Linden Bentley
Great organization, fantastic biking.
Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Fluvius (and reverse)
The biking staff we very helpful and knowledgeable. King and welcoming, understanding of all levels and the territory. The daily rides by digital “ride with gps” was pretty much flawless, and the app staff very fast and helpful when a problem arose.
The boat staff very warm and helpful. The cleaning staff timely and great for cabin cleaning. The chef; warm, funny and talented. Food delicious.
