Rhine River Bike Tour Reviews page 4
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★★★★★ Peter Hitchen
Enjoyed very much. Well organised.
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
I felt that we were safe and in good hands should something have gone wrong - which it didn’t.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 20265
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Stuart Burns
Great experience
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
They say cycling is the ideal pace of travel, fast enough that the scene is always changing but slow enough that you can take much of it in. While the App is at time challenging to give accurate information when you need it on the whole it was a huge plus over using paper maps and probably better than Google Maps.
The accommodation was of mixed standards, some of it in less ideal locations and/or looking tired on the outside but internally the rooms were all clean, comfortable and with excellent showers.
We were lucky with the weather but if you got a good soaking every day you may struggle to dry kit, but the bag moving service worked impeccably, sometimes the bags were even waiting in our rooms rather than the lobby.
The question is would we do it again and would we use bike tours and the answer to both is yes. The support was very good and the experience was memorable, hugely enjoyable and a little bit of an adventure.- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Lynn S
Magical ride along the Rhine
Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
An amazing way to experience the Rhine - beautiful scenery at every twist and turn! The friends we were with had done a riverboat cruise in the same area last year but said that this was such a better way to experience it. Every promise made by the company was kept - bikes were there on time and well-equipped, luggage was ported safely and on time every day, hotels were clean and comfortable and always had great breakfasts to get us ready for the day of biking. Distances were good - shorter distance days were on days when there were lots of places we wanted to stop, longer distance days were still very beautiful but didn’t have as many places where we would have wanted to stop. The app was excellent - it isn’t easy to get lost biking along the Rhine but the app made sure that we didn’t. The only thing that might have made the app better is if it was possible to highlight any of the spots that we wanted to see. We really appreciated the effort made by the company to adjust our trip by one day so that we were able to visit the other couple’s son who was living relatively nearby one of our stops. We wouldn’t hesitate to book with this company again! Thanks so much!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Laura S.
Bike, Barge, Fine Dining!
Amsterdam to Cologne along the IJssel and Rhine
What a super trip! The Merlin is a beautiful barge and the crew exceptionally welcoming. Meals were gourmet, the scenery beautiful, and the cycling was so perfect. Ilsa was a terrific guide - the picture of patience, a font of knowledge, and an expert cyclist. The small group size meant we were able to become acquainted with each other very quickly, which was fun. The staterooms were so comfortable and inviting. Superb service. This trip certainly exceeded my expectations.
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★★★★★ Roxanne
Best ever bike and barge tour!
Exploring the Neckar and Rhine Rivers and Valleys
We have been on five bike and barge excursions in Europe and this trip was by far the best ever experience in so many ways. Fantastic !
Our trip route had to be rerouted shortly before we started because a lock on the Neckar River was not working properly so no boat traffic was allowed. Instead we biked from Wurzburg to Mainz. The crew must have worked overtime to make modifications for our journey and should be commended for this effort.
The Merlijn barge is without a doubt a classy vessel. The barge was remodeled recently and it was truly a pleasure to travel on it. The beds were comfortable and the room spacious. The bathroom as well had nice shower and other upgrades like the lighted and fog free mirror. Plugs for devices were numerous and handy. Storage plentiful.
The crew of five were all very accommodating and hard working. They were a real team and this helped to create a very positive atmosphere. I can’t say enough about how each crew member helped to make the trip so memorable
The food was gourmet. Each day we started with a healthy breakfast ; we received a packed lunch. When returned from biking we had snacks and were WOWED with outstanding dinners. Truly incredible service and hospitality.
The biking paths were mostly paved and our stops in the small towns and villages for breaks and lunches were so much fun because you get the opportunity to see Germany. Thomas our leader was experienced and always concerned about safety. The riders had helmets outfitted with technology so he could communicate as we rode giving directions, cautions and interesting
points of interest. A review of the next days ride was explained after dinner each night. Almost every evening after dinner Thomas took us for an excursion around the town where we were docked. Because our riding route was changed Thom had to scramble to re familiarize himself with the path so he should get extra credit for this effort. There were 24 on this tour and it was well organized with safety a priority. ( I personally prefer smaller groups).
The route itself was fine especially given the last minute modifications. The paths well marked and very few challenges. Cobblestones in the towns we visited do require riders to be mindful.
We loved the trip. Our fellow passengers were very friendly and upbeat.
Thank you to the Merlijn crew for a truly wonderful trip.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 8-15
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Roxanne
Best ever bike and barge tour!
Exploring the Neckar and Rhine Rivers and Valleys
We have been on five bike and barge excursions in Europe and this trip was by far the best ever experience in so many ways. Fantastic !
Our trip route had to be rerouted shortly before we started because a lock on the Neckar River was not working properly so no boat traffic was allowed. Instead we biked from Wurzburg to Mainz. The crew must have worked overtime to make modifications for our journey and should be commended for this effort.
The Merlijn barge is without a doubt a classy vessel. The barge was remodeled recently and it was truly a pleasure to travel on it. The beds were comfortable and the room spacious. The bathroom as well had nice shower and other upgrades like the lighted and fog free mirror. Plugs for devices were numerous and handy. Storage plentiful.
The crew of five were all very accommodating and hard working. They were a real team and this helped to create a very positive atmosphere. I can’t say enough about how each crew member helped to make the trip so memorable
The food was gourmet. Each day we started with a healthy breakfast ; we received a packed lunch. When returned from biking we had snacks and were WOWED with outstanding dinners. Truly incredible service and hospitality.
The biking paths were mostly paved and our stops in the small towns and villages for breaks and lunches were so much fun because you get the opportunity to see Germany. Thomas our leader was experienced and always concerned about safety. The riders had helmets outfitted with technology so he could communicate as we rode giving directions, cautions and interesting
points of interest. A review of the next days ride was explained after dinner each night. Almost every evening after dinner Thomas took us for an excursion around the town where we were docked. Because our riding route was changed Thom had to scramble to re familiarize himself with the path so he should get extra credit for this effort. There were 24 on this tour and it was well organized with safety a priority. ( I personally prefer smaller groups).
The route itself was fine especially given the last minute modifications. The paths well marked and very few challenges. Cobblestones in the towns we visited do require riders to be mindful.
We loved the trip. Our fellow passengers were very friendly and upbeat.
Thank you to the Merlijn crew for a truly wonderful trip.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 8-15
- How many tours have you completed?
- Five
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
-
★★★★★ fudledudle
Allsace wine route
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
This tour is fairly easy to do, great scenery particularly on the French side of the Rhine, some minor detours due to missing signage, all in all a great tour
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★★★★★ MaryB
Biking Adventure of a Lifetime!
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
This was the perfect bike tour for us to combine with a visit with our son and his family who were living in Freiburg for the year. The bike company was very accommodating and let us rent the bikes a few days early so that we could ride around Freiburg with our kids. Getting the bikes early was a good chance to get
familiar with the bikes so that we could exchange one of them when we found out
that it was too big. Although we gave our height so that the tour company could estimate the right size bikes for us, it might have been more helpful to give our inseam length to determine if our legs could swing over the bar or touch the ground from the seat. Estimate your height a little lower than you actually are to get the right fit bike. The bikes were a great weight, had nice sized tires for the type of terrain we rode over, and they shifted very well. The saddlebag was roomy and held all my day gear, but the weight of it tended to tip the bike over on slanted hills. You might want to get a saddlebag on each size to balance out the weight more evenly. There is no mirror or water bottle holder on the bikes. I carried my water bottle in my back pack and trusted the cars and bikes behind me to pass carefully! I loved the countryside and trails through the woods. Riding on the Rhine was awesome. The quaint villages we rode through and stayed in were beautiful. Our hotels were all lovely and had delicious breakfasts. Our luggage arrived every day on time or early and we had secure locations to park and lock up our bikes every night. We did have trouble following the maps and directions given. It was almost like going on a scavenger hunt when you aren't sure that you are interpreting the clues correctly. The map was way too small to read and the written directions were on a separate page from the map so you had to keep flipping back and forth to get the full picture of where you were going. It seems that the directions and/or maps were old and had not been updated recently. We ran into construction along the Rhine River path and had to take a long detour----following the German signs was hard and it added many miles to that day's ride. We also had construction in two other cities and had to find our way on our own as the detour was not obvious. Sometimes there are bike signs at an intersection that say you can go in directly opposite ways to the same place. Quite confusing. One time we were told to turn right in our written directions but according to the map we should have gone left....what to do? We were directed to ride on one way streets going the wrong way. There were no directions to get to the hotel in Strasbourg if you took the new bike path over the river. That was very difficult. We were quite frustrated with having to figure out if we were on the right path or not. My suggestion is to have the tour company check the current directions before each trip and indicate detours and update street names. Definitely provide new directions for getting into Strasbourg over the bike bridge. The German tour company should try following their directions with someone who is not familiar with the route and who does not speak German - then correct each turn where it is confusing. That would saved a lot of frustration and make the trip more enjoyable. Or, provide GPS devices for everyone. If we had had one, it would have been easier. It costs $10 per day to use our smartphone as a GPS device so we opted not to. It might have been worth it. I think adding an option of staying an extra day in Strasbourg and Colmar would be nice...a break from biking every day and a chance to see more of the cities. Other than the directions, we loved the trip and felt a real sense of accomplishment when we were done. Our kids and grandkids were very proud of us for going on such an adventurous bike tour! SHOW MORE- What was the date of your tour?
- April 24 - 30, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was the first.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France, Germany
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★★★★★ Biabattistella
A great trip
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
The trip was great, the landscapes are fantastic, the little villages are very charming, well preserved! What could be better is having gps files for the path. The orientation, sometimes, are not clear and cost some kilometres more!
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★★★★★ Leonard72
Beautiful French Wine Countryside
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
The bikes, the hotels, the French Wine Country Scenery were beautiful, the German side was very uninspiring. We cycled through Agriculture farm country on the German side. Freiburg a wonderful, beautiful shopping town is geared to hiking in the Black Forest.
- What was the date of your tour?
- MAY 13, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- Completed four, this was #5.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France, Germany
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★★★★★ Stephen Graham
Great area, careful with cars in France
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
Fascinating area, half German half French. French side has the cutest towns, German side the safest biking. Beware biking on the French side on weekends, as locals drive to the vineyard towns for lunch or overnights, and they drive fast. Often no shoulder or bike path, drivers not always courteous, a lot of energy on avoiding catastrophe for less-experienced riders instead of enjoying the scenery. Support was good, replacing a bike with brake problems mid-trip. Navigation had one major error, sending us to a small bridge across islands in the Rhine near Strasbourg that had in fact been closed for months. A bit stressful at the end of a long day riding, but we found another way across. Minimal guidance as to where to stop for cafes, lunch, etc.; could use a more detailed list of suggestions. Some of the budget hotels are not in charming locations or walking distance from restaurants. The Grand Hotel in Strasbourg has seen better days.
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★★★★★ BH
Half and Half
Freiburg and the Alsatian Wine Road
Maybe it was the extreme heat but we found the first 3 days to be less than exciting. We were just thankful we didn’t have a strong head wind as we rode along the very exposed Rhine River embankment. Strasbourg was gorgeous but it was 98 at 4 pm. The ride west out of Strasbourg was beautiful, shady as it followed an old canal. Alsace was fantastic even though a few hills were probably at least 12%. Most surfaces were very nice. Obernai and Colmar were highlights. We rode our own touring bikes.
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★★★★★ MaryF
Strasbourg France to Mainz Germany
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
Great value. Would have appreciated option for rooms with AC even if it meant a higher cost. Would have appreciated a sticker with the arrow and the E in order to see the actual size. The signage was much smaller than we expected and did not find any until the second day. Also, the instructions need to be rewritten by a native speaker who is actually biking the route. The instructions appear to be translated from another language. Much was lost in translation. The instructions were confusing. We originally thought the instructions were in British English until we met up with couple on the same tour from Manchester who found the instructions as confusing as we did. (There was a brand new app for navigation this year but none of us were able to get it to function on our trip. Once the bugs are ironed out, I suspect this will help a lot. We used Google maps to assist in navigation.) I would suggest giving stickers to actual bicyclists to place over top faded stickers or to add stickers in areas of confusion. Overall, it was a good experience and am very glad we did this tour.
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★★★★★ Martin
Lovely trip along the Rhine
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
This trip starts in France and crosses into Germany on the first day of riding. The bicycling was very pleasant; the towns were interesting; the locals helpful and friendly. The written cycling directions were only marginally helpful, but the signage in both France and Germany is excellent. It helps to have google maps. Download the google map in your hotel the night before with hotel WiFi, or have a data plan. The hotels were fine. Ibis has very small but adequate rooms. It is somewhat generic. The non-ibis hotels were definitely more interesting and rooms were larger.
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★★★★★ Rob Gage
Great, but different from expectations
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
The mapping software was essential in staying on the recommended path, as sign posting wasn't always clear. The whole trip was more variable than we had expected, both from road quality and scenery.
One suggestion is that the instructions on picking up the bikes could have been sent out ahead of time and made clearer. -
★★★★★ William Sholten
Our Alsatian Bike Trip
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
We have enjoyed 2 other bike trips in the past. This route was not easy to follow without GPS. We used a Garmin GPS to help confirm our path along the way (and highly recommend this). There are many intersecting bike paths around towns, so we had to stop often to determine which route/path to take. There were several detours due to construction (not indicated on our route plans) which made travel both longer and more challenging to navigate.
We cycled on gravel roads in addition to the bike paths, making the ride somewhat longer than anticipated.Hotels were comfortable, but not all hotels in Category A had air conditioning. Hotel staff and breakfasts were first rate!
Rental bike performed well but were heavier than expected.
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★★★★★ Craig Brockway
First time Europe cyclers
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
Transfers were efficient and on time. Bikes were well maintained and easy to ride. Accommodation was comfortable, especially liked the guest house in Nierstien. Friendly host who told us about the great veiw from the hill.
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★★★★★ Alfred B
Biking along the Rhine
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
If you are our age, 75-80, we recommend using an e-bike. We enjoyed the trip but definitely too hard with a touring bike at our age! The signage was 90% OK but there was about 10% questionable signage which needed google's help.
In our modern times, where everybody uses a handy, all hotels should have USB outlets, which was not the case -
★★★★★ Thomas Murphy
A lovely experience
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
The cycle was a great experience we cycled on gravel routes and centuries old cobbles one more thing off our to do list. The towns we passed through were lovely. Some exquisite old buildings sights i will never forget. We did have a little panic one day. When we got to the ferry it wasn't crossing on the day. We did have an alternative route but about 5 or 6 k into that route there was roadworks so we were diverted off our diversion route. For awhile we got completely lost. Luckily we met a local couple out cycling who cycled with us to the bridge we were looking for..I have to mention that all the locals all along the way were friendly and helpful when needed. Yes I would recommend this cycling trip to anyone who would like to experience something slightly different from your normal cycling trip
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★★★★★ Ed & Jill Nyland
Trip Was As Expected
Strasbourg to Mainz: Imperial Cities and Charming Landscapes Along the Rhine
The trip was enjoyable, the bikes were top notch, the trails were mostly well maintained except for a couple of remote and rough areas. The hotels were pleasant except for a very horrendous experience in Heidelberg. We were told that they were overbooked and they “stuck us” in a 7 story walk up hotel across the street., no elevator and no lobby. The hotel was dirty and not secure. We had to carry our two large bags and all of our bike gear up and down. The comment was “you look like you’re in good shape”. There was no real apology or accountability for their mistake. We were extremely angry and disappointed because we were looking forward to Heidelberg.
