Boat Bike Tours Reviews 

Our time biking on, and boating to, the Aeolian Islands was magical and all we could have hoped for. The setting was beautiful, the water warm, the boat comfortable, and the espresso and Aperol spritzers plentiful! What made the experience most memorable, though, was the crew and the guide. Andrea did a wonderful job of leading each day's adventure, whether it was a bike ride around one of the islands, or a hike to see an erupting volcano. He was always one step ahead of us thinking about how he could make the time special, while keeping us all safe and comfortable. He was very knowledgeable about all the islands and shared that information throughout our time. The Captain and his son & daughter (who were part of the crew), were always pleasant, courteous, helpful, and competent. Our cook, Augustino, was brilliant with the food that he masterfully created from his small kitchen below deck. He made delicious seafood dishes for the passengers who enjoyed fish, and meat dishes for those who preferred this. Once he learned that we enjoyed coffee cake for breakfast, he began making it each day. He put his love and skill into each dinner, and knowing he truly cared about how much we enjoyed it, made us appreciate it all the more.

Also, we learned a couple days before we arrived, that the company was providing a new boat for us (because of some mechanical issues with the initial boat we were slated to use). The company handled this transition with competency and good communication.

This was our 4th time with Bike/Boat tour company, and not our last! We look forward to planning our next trip with them, and will begin reviewing the fantastic options.

We had a fabulous time. The boat was clean and comfortable. When water levels of the Rhine meant revamping our route, the crew and tour leaders handled it professionally and with grace. We loved biking along the Moselle River and through the villages. Beautiful scenery and the weather was perfect!

The Food on the boat was great as was the eBike.
However, I was put on a table with German speaking people, rather than English speaking people. So I chose to ride with a group who spoke English.
But the navigation while cycling on most days was difficult.

The tour was well organised and all the logistics worked very well. Disappointed that we could get to Budapest but understand why the itinerary had to be changed. Apart from the receptionist (who was very grumpy) all the other staff were lovely. The food was great. The cabin was functional but the beds were very uncomfortable. All in all a great trip

We finished a wonderful week on the SE Manon (Passau Budapest Passau) this morning. It was a fabulous week. The ship was great, the food was delicious, and the staff was superb. The tour director, Frank, was knowledgeable and so helpful with his daily presentations. When the river level was too low to get all the way to Budapest, he arranged comfortable coaches and tour guides to make sure we could still experience that amazing city. All the bike routes were so much fun, with beautiful scenery. And the boat staff were top-notch. Always smiling, and such hard workers. We especially enjoyed mealtimes with Anga, Adi, and Win taking such good care of us. I definitely recommend this trip!

It was a fantastic week with challenging, but reasonable biking, new sights to explore, comfortable and adequate quarters and a very attentive staff. The guides communicated and led us well, and were able to share knowledge and history of the areas we toured. We always stayed together as a group, not what I expected, but it worked. If you want to know in advance exactly what you will do each day, you may be disappointed. But if you are capable of relaxing and trusting the guides, they will show you a great week mixed with cycling, swimming, walking tours, and lots of fun!

Great views
Good food
Good bicycles
Nice people
Very good service

This was an excellent boat and bike tour. Giorgio was an excellent guide. He was informative, kind, resourceful, fun and amazing. Silvia was excellent chef and Gabriele was excellent captain and Fabio was excellent as well. They made the trip enjoyable and safe and we felt welcomed and taken care of. So kind!!!!

Truly an amazing vacation. Everyone involved was stellar. It was so organythat the only thing to worry about was the weather. Thankfully we only had one really bad weather day.

The crew was wonderful in every aspect of their jobs. Knowledgeable and fun guides, great chef, wonderful captain, sailor and housekeeping.

Trip was amazing. Awesome guides, great food, excellent boat staff.
Already looking at my next trip with Boat Bike Tours.

The best trip ever! The boat had larger cabins and we enjoyed the smaller group. The crew was VERY accommodating! From the welcome to the good bye. The Guides were knowledgeable and flexible and trying to make sure they accommodated the guest desires

A wonderful holiday.

We just returned from the Paris-Amsterdam trip on the Magnifique X. It was off the charts amazing!! The food was top notch, the staff couldn't have been more helpful, and the boat was absolutely beautiful!

The staff was fabulous! From booking - when we had lots of initial questions - to sailing, where we spent a week interacting with the crew, we were impressed with the high quality of care, friendliness and service. The onboard instructions were clear, the Prinzessin Katharina was lovely, food was delicious. The highlights of biking were well planned and took us through beautiful countryside and sights along the Danube.
Our only difficulty - boatbike tours contracted the trip through SE tours, which we didn't know at first. We did not receive any information prior to the trip regarding altered routes due to the drought along the Danube. Even an email to say that the situation was being monitored would have been appreciated. Also, we weren't sure where to find the bus to Passau, and SE tours only had a phone loop in German available, which was no help at all. On the other hand, Monika and Uver were excellent guides!

The guide, Sergio, was just a joy on board the boat and biking. He made the trip a big success. The food was top shelf. The chef presented us with great dinner meals. The capt and first mate also balanced out the fabulous time we all had on board. We introduced a few first timers and they say they will do other bike trips with your company because of this trips experience.

Not everyone can navigate apps and technology. It would be better if you provided more detailed maps for those times when the app is not working or not available. The bike routes are not clearly marked and it’s very easy to miss a turn and get misdirected.
The food on board was very disappointing, especially as compared to much larger luxury cruises. We looked forward to eating off the ship. You need to provide more snacks that can be purchased, like chips, nuts, fruit, granola bars. We get HUNGRY at different times.
More music during dinner! Better entertainment in the evenings, even one night of karaoke or game night. Maybe “tell a joke night.” Maybe even have ice cream sundaes available. How about longer time to have cake and coffee in the afternoon. We like to have light snacks and eat, especially after riding bikes… not just drink BEER!

First time on a Boat & Bike tour. It was great in every respect - accommodations, food, staff, and biking. Will do another Boat & Bike 100%. Understand why we were the only ones who were not repeat Boat & Bike patrons in the Mosel Tour.

Dear Boat/Bike Tour,
I am writing this letter, because I am disappointed with this ship and I feel you should know. We booked this cruise with you, because we have booked with you before and everything was so fantastic that we convinced four of our friends to join us on this adventure. We also plan to make this a yearly trip for this group of friends and are looking forward to many more cycling trips. However, I feel that many of the things we bragged about have been missing on this ship.

Our check-in was very confusing. The lady on the top of the ship that took our luggage told us that we had to go across the street to complete the check-in at the hotel. Then, we were told to go downstairs to our room, still no check-in, and when we went back upstairs the man did not know what we were talking about to go to a hotel to check-in. We never got forms that other people had so I went back to desk and then they gave us stuff and said there was no hotel to go to.

Then, we were told about a beverage package. We were told that when we return to the ship we would have non-alcoholic drinks for 1.5 hours, then nothing. This meant for dinner that there would be nothing served, INCLUDING water! No coffee, tea, or Water with dinner. I have never heard of that before. First of all, that is absurd. Second, that should have been in the notes when signing up for the cruise. I understand sodas, juices, etc, however, water with dinner is basic. Three of our girls are on medications, so they allowed our table to have water. I feel this is just a way to nickel and dime customers.

Prior to the cruise we received an email that there would be a fuel surcharge, which I was originally fine with paying. I understand that the fuel cost has risen and that is beyond your control. However, due to our route change, which I understand is also beyond your control and a perfectly nice route was established as a replacement, but the original route was cut in half. Therefore, the fuel being used was also dramatically decreased thus the need for the surcharge should have been negated. I see no reason to pay a surcharge for a route that was cut in half and for those that already paid it they should be refunded.

Now, this ship and especially our room has serious issues. This ship needs refurbishing. The community rooms are good and pleasant. The room quarters have serious issues. Our room, 125, has a serious sewage smell to the point of gagging. And there are little flying bugs that I believe are coming from the drains and are all over. I have asked for assistance 3 days in a row and one day they sprayed something, but they are still present. They were literally flying around my head at night while I was trying to read my book. I think the light attracted them more. I am enclosing pictures. I see on the website that another ship, Veloria, is getting ready for refurbishment in December 2026 and I am curious if that is replacing this ship and we are on the last season before the Arkona goes in for refurbishment? I hope so, but too bad for us and our experience. This is completely unacceptable.

Our guides, Harry and Patricia, are wonderful and truly care that we have a wonderful safe ride. I would definitely suggest that this boat invest in flags to mark the ship especially upon arrival. But the other time it would have been helpful was when we returned to the ship and were in a remote industrial shipyard. We spent 20 minutes trying to find the ship and markers would have been helpful after the long ride. I also feel that more assistance with bikes on/off the ship and batteries would have been nice.

We did love the singer on the ship and are looking forward to the wine tasting. More evening entertainment would be a bonus.

Please respond to this letter, as I feel I deserve some answers, especially concerning paying the fuel surcharge and ways to select our future trips or do we just look at other cruise lines?

Sincerely,
Lori Schweiger
Pam Patranella
Patricia Burrows
Terri Wilson
Luz Sackett
Joyce Deeb

We loved the tour. Everything was done well by the crew and Georgio our tour leader. We saw so many great sites and Georgio’s humour made it so much fun. The food on board was a delight and the staff were so warm and friendly. Highly recommend. We certainly will look at another one in the future. ❤️🙏