Carissima boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 30 of 122

Our first bike and barge and we are already looking forward to many more. We are two 60 yr old couple who all love the outdoors, adventure and travel. Our cabins were on the top deck of the Carissma, roomy enough, turn down service each night and big picture windows. Excellent food, especially the dinners. Albert was the tour guide on board and he was organized, knowledgeable and patient! No problems with the bikes or directions - we were self guiding, 21 speed bikes. Easy terrain. We highly recommend the city bike tour of Budapest and Vienna as you otherwise may miss great hidden gems, interesting stories and local guides. We stayed at Hotel Residenz in Passau for one night before departure and highly recommend the visit to this beautiful port city and the hotel! We could not recommend trying this style of vacation more. The staff on the Carissma did everything to make the week comfortable, easy and well organized. Wonderful way to see cities in 4 countries in a week.

Biking was just ok, could have been more challenging but I knew going into this tour the biking was rated easy. The towns and villages are beautiful. The breakfast was good but the lunches they gave you for the tour during the day were horrible, thankfully there were places to eat along the way. The dinners were also poor quality, many dinners were a repeat of the day before presented differently ,especially the fish dinners. There also seem to be a discontent among the staff they could’ve been a little bit more accommodating and friendly. The rooms are basically neat and clean and comfortable the bikes were also good and the mechanics that maintain them were readily available to assist anyone in the morning before the ride. My main concern was the constant smell of sewage that was present throughout the boat and especially in the main lobby ,they often kept the sliding glass doors on both sides of the ship open to alleviate the smell. This was an obvious problem they couldn’t solve. At times, we were rafter up to other ships at port and had to walk through these other boats to the Carissima, it was obvious that the Carissima was no- frills compared to these other boats. If you are considering a tour along the Danube I would suggest looking into other cruise ships.

Traveling on the Danube was the most beautiful and fun experience we’ve ever had as a couple. Starting the day biking and being active, having great food, meeting lots of interesting people and seeing amazing countries and the culture was Incredible. I hope I can travel on Tripsite again for another bike and boat tour soon!!

The trip was amazing, the biking was very scenic and not difficult at all. The boat staff was very friendly and very upbeat. The food was to die for. I would recommend doing this trip you will really enjoy it.

The scenery was wonderful and the biking very enjoyable. It was a nice balance between biking and being about to see the sights. Especially loved the day in Vienna. It was all lovely.

This was the most amazing bike tour that I have been on. We had a guide, Axel, and that made the trip so relaxing because we didn't need to worry about where to meet the boat or language issues. Axel had lots of extra information along the trip. The boat was very relaxing. Dinner was excellent with choices for entrees every night. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. I would recommend this trip for families with children 12 or so, and seniors (an E bike can make a big difference.)

Great biking and lovely boat.

This trip was amazing...so much to see and do. Great shore excursions. Food on the Carrissima was so good!

Every day was beautiful and different from each other. The first day we rode through forests and plenty of shade with wildflowers such as columbine. Other days were fun with stops at hidden cafes or using unique bike ferries that crossed from one side of the river to the other. One morning I opened the curtains & we were docked under the ruins of a castle. Every day held surprises such as Hapsburg palaces, groomed gardens or rolling vineyards with stops to sample wine and brandy. Ancient monasteries beckoned. Artisan shops required our attention. After touring, we returned to the ship for perhaps a swim and cocktails before unique dinners offering a taste from local cuisine.

I loved the trip. The crew was very attentive, the itinerary was beautiful, the meals positively surprised me, the room was well equipped and spacious. I recommend the tour.

The most memorable part of the trip was that we could ride our bikes everyday in the countryside while being guided by Liacha. Then back to the barge where the captain, chef and steward were so lovely to us. They went beyond their duties and always with a smile.

Biking along the river was absolutely beautiful. We were able to do some site seeing in Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna. Highlight was the bus trip back from the Hungarian dancers in Budapest, we went up to a beautiful view of the city with all the city lights, it was after a day fighting the rain, so the rain had let up and we could enjoy then view.

The food was fabulous! 5 star for sure.
I would suggest either doing a cycling tour or sightseeing tour but not combining them.We had to rush to get back to the boat from cycling sometimes.
Not enough small towns/villages when we cycled on this tour. The tour guide was extremely bad.

The staff was fantastic, food was great, bikes were good. Met great folks there at the dinner table. Enjoyed being able to have walking tours in Vienna and Budapest, broke the week up nicely.

Such varied but scenic bike riding!

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

Loved the day by day review of what was to happen. On board entertainment was spectacular.

This was an amazing trip. The MS Carissima was very comfortable, the people were lovely, very helpful and friendly . The food was very varied to fit in with the countries and was always delicious . The cycle routes were leisurely and the scenery beautiful . We made life- long friends and had a wonderful time .

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 can't really choose one memory as the whole trip was absolutely wonderful on and off the barge. The food, accommodations, and staff were absolutely top-notch, they didn't miss a beat. Loved cycling through the beautiful scenery of the rural, small-town areas, and the opportunity to visit several of the larger cities with the added excursions. I wish I had researched the area of the tour beforehand to familiarize myself with its history.
I would have liked a more detailed daily map of the route with distances between landmarks noted. We missed several turns but were able to get back on track. Also one of our bikes in our group of ten did not shift properly even after being replaced, making for a frustrating experience. All that being said we will definitely do another bike and barge trip.

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

Excellent cruise director, wonderful bike trails with good instructions as to how to follow them, excellent food. It was a great trip.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our Danube 4-Country bike and boat tour, Our ship the Carissima was very comfortable and the staff were great. The food was amazing- beautifully prepared and good variety for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. The bike trails were easy to follow for the most part and the scenery spectacular. We had so many memorable moments. One of the highlights were the bonds we formed with our fellow passengers. We got to meet some terrific people who became instant friends and who we will stay in touch with.
My only suggestion would be to provide easier trail maps and directions. The briefings were helpful, but hard to remember all the details. Finding our way at times was a comedy of errors and we muddled through with other fellow riders. I guess all part of the experience.
Overall an amazing trip and would highly recommend to others.

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.

The most memorable part of this trip to me was the Operetta symphony concert at Schlosspark in Vienna. This is an experience that no one should miss.

Just returned from this trip on the Carissima and it was a wonderful way to see the Danube. Booked the guided package and Axle was wonderful-took us to out of the way places we never would've found on our own and no other guests saw. Glad we rented Ebikes as there were a few long climbs and stiff winds several times. Kalkoff bikes are fantastic! Light rain a few days but nothing which impeded our rides--just be sure and take waterproof everything so you can still bike. Crew on the Carissima are great--rooms are clean, beds comfy, sufficient air con, nice hot water and water pressure in the bathroom. No real TV except a European sports channel and a few other Austrian channels--we didn't miss it at all. Meals were good but VERY small portions at dinner--not a problem for us but others complained. House white wine was good, red not so much. Packed lunch consists of a bottle of water, small sandwiches, fruit and granola bars--sufficient but we opted to eat at a local cafe a few times when we stopped. Two complaints: the boat doesn't dock at town centers every night so you can wander around and hit a pub or listen to some live music. Understandably some nights its moving and a few guests complained that the lower deck cabins were very noisy, especially when going through locks. In Passau, it docks several miles from the town center, and we were told there were only SEVEN taxis in the entire city and nearly impossible to get one. So the cruise director, Albert, said he hired a bus to take us to the train station upon disembarking, and the charge was 15 Euros per person. For a 10 minute ride--he only took cash and gave no receipts. This is highway robbery given that upon arrival in Passau we hired a taxi at a cost of 10 Euro for 2 of us. We would've taken a chance on an Uber but the ship was over 30 minutes late getting into Passau and we had a tight train connection on Sunday. We didn't do any of the optional activities however others said they enjoyed the concert in Vienna, but no one liked the Hungarian Folk Show in Budapest. Be sure and hike up to St. Mattias Church in Budapest at night--the view is spectacular! Finally, the Danube shoreline is largely undeveloped (a great thing), so you don't see a lot of towns and villages-I mention this because lines like Viking and AMA promote their balconies,huge window walls and gyms/spas/etc-and charge thousands of dollars more for the same itinerary-but you're not ON the boat for about 8 hours of the day, and when you are, 90% of the time you're looking at trees. If we'd spent $5000/pp to do this trip we'd have been really disappointed--bottom line--this trip is a great VALUE and you're seeing what everyone else sees. This was our second trip with Tripsite after doing the Tulip Tour last spring, and again they handled everything flawlessly--another couple on our trip also booked with them and said the same. Very satisfied and looking forward to our Mantova to Venice bike and barge trip next year-  SHOW MORE 

It was a real memorable trip. Everybody in our group of 20 peoples loved it . Everything was great the cabin, the foods, the staff ,the entertainment and specially the bike ride . We had great bikes , the maps were good even the weather was hot and dry. We had a lot fun during the bike ride and when on board . Would love to do it again

Everything! The trip was very well planned and easily do-able. The bikes were great and were very comfortable. We had thought about bringing our gel seat covers, but did not and they were not needed. The routes planned were great and having downloaded the gps tracks we had no problems finding our way. The food on the boat was fantastic, my only complaint would be the length of time some meals took. The rooms on the boat (Carissima) were very comfortable.

Two wonderful ways to travel and see the world: on a bike and on the sun deck of a boat.