Boat Bike Tours Reviews 

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. ❤️🙏

Weather was good crew very friendly and helpful staff very friendly people very friendly the routes were well marked and the trails were all well maintained with no potholes places we went were interesting and not too far apart plenty of time to get there

The activities, cycling, swimming, being in the Adiatic sea on a sailing boat were great. I liked the two guides, they did a good job. Room service, however, was aueful. My room, I had to clean the toilet myself, make my own bed if I wanted the sheets to be straightened, had to ask to have soiled towels removed.

This trip fullfilled our hopes. We recommend it.

Our bicycles were well-maintained and comfortable. The hardtail front forks and seats minimized jostling from riding on cobblestones.

Our middle floor rooms were quiet and immaculate, with comfortable mattresses. I was glad we had reserved rooms with large windows which could be open to peacefully enjoy the view and the sound of the water.

The meals were good and elegantly served, with multiple menu choices at each meal. Dinner was served with multiple elegant presented courses. I appreciated that coffee, tea, water, and sparkling water were always available. For packed lunches, sandwhich and lunch bags were all we needed (no boxes, though others used them).

Staff was friendly and courteous.

The rad-reisen app for finding and following the bicycle routes was excellent. It is important that Guests download the rad-reisen app and have continuous cell coverage in order to access the course directions. The booklet also had useful maps.
The in-person previews by the guide in English were appreciated, but sometimes confusing, perhaps losing something in the translation. For days when the route must be changed in the last minute, I recommend making paper maps/directions available to the bicyclists in English & German.
My trip was unable to boat beyond Bratislava due to low levels in the Danube. I felt the options offered were excellent: either another local cycling loop, or a guided bus tour of Budapest. The tour guides were excellent and flexible in meeting the mixed wishes of our group.

Our guides Eddy and Tara were the best! the food was amazing!

The Southern Aegean Boat & Bike tour was nothing short of fabulous! Everything was so much better than we expected, from start to finish. The boat was terrific - lots of shady comfortable places to hang out and also plenty of gathering places for everyone to be together as well. Lovely and comfortable rooms with spacious bathrooms (seriously, I have stayed at hotels with smaller showers). The crew was even more fantastic, they worked so hard to make our trip a fun one and went above and beyond. The chef was amazing - we went to a Michelin star restaurant the night before departure where we ate the same exact meze dish the chef prepared and his was so much better! Every meal was delicious and he enjoyed talking with us about the food and even sharing recipes. Then there were the guides! They took us on some incredible rides on the most varied and beautiful islands. Emma, Ali and August were terrific leaders in every way. They led our big group with great care and everything was so well organized. I give this trip the highest recommendation!

The crew and group leaders were great and very accommodating. Food was good and the cabins were very comfortable.

This was our fourth bike and boat trip and, once again, it did not disappoint. Despite the tremendous heat (it WAS summer 2026), we had a vacation to remember touring Venice and the Po Valley.
We were delighted to see Hein again as our tour guide. He is the best: funny, knowledgeable, and patient. Every day he clearly laid out our route and covered history, architecture and culture along the way. But our entire crew was absolutely wonderful. We loved hearing the singing and laughs from the kitchen every day. Every crew member was so kind and helpful. They were very patient answering the same questions over and over.
Speaking of the kitchen, the meals were wonderful. Lots of variety at every meal, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and great snacks after returning overheated from riding-the cold watermelon was the best!
Our cabin was comfortable and spacious. I loved the storage space. And, of course, the air conditioning was such a relief every afternoon.
Also the bikes were so well maintained we didn't even have one flat all week.
In all it was a wonderful trip (except for the heat) and we can't wait for our next trip.

One suggestion. Would love yoga mats available for exercise on the deck (if it were not so hot).

A very enjoyable experience. The service and the food on board was outstanding. The low water route was an excellent alternative, although would be nice to not have cycled the same parts of the valley on the return when there were stretches we hadn't experienced. Having more local wines on board would have been nice. The guided tour of Trier was great, as was the wine tasting. A few more experiences like that would be appreciated.
We felt like the guides did a great job but did not seem to have deep local knowledge ( as we have had on other BnB trips) so the route and point of interest content wasn't quite as rich as we have come to expect.
Overall very good value and most importantly we made new friends,.

Marije was a fun guide, the food was creative and delicious, the cabins on the top luxurious and the crew delightful. A gentle cabin, lovely Romanian bartender/cabin who took special care of me and a small enough group (35) to get to know everyone. Routes & scenery and bikes were amazing💙

Our boat, The Arkona, was fantastic. The cabin was clean, spacious and comfortable, and the facilities on board exceeded our expectations . Above all, the staff were simply amazing. They were polite and courteous, and nothing was too much trouble for them - they were always smiling, and cheerful.
The tour leaders were great, and kept us updated at all times.
We would do it all again.

BoatBikeTours has done an incredible job with their Moselle Metz-Cochem 9 day tour. The boat was fantastic, all of the boat staff were right on their mark and performed wonderfully. The bike guides were informative, available and always kept things moving. The meals were wonderfully prepared and served with enthusiasm and skill by the attentive staff. The entire trip was as much or more than we expected in quality and with the wonderful weather we enjoyed on our cycling week, the entire experience was superlative.

Staff was amazing every day. Accomodations were very nice.

We loved our barge/ bike from Venice to Mantua. Our accommodations were comfortable and Ave Maria a very nice barge. We had such excellent guides, who were extremely conscious of our groups ability including the need to find some shade as it was extremely hot. Hein’s sharing his knowledge of Italy and her history was wonderful and Simone was always so very helpful! The rest of the crew were incredible too, making us feel so very welcome and pampered, the food top rate! We were lucky to have such a nice group of bikers on this tour. We will always have the best memories of our week!

The guides, meals and accommodations were excellent

Having highly rated a Boat Bike tour from Paris to Brussels that I did last year, this tour from Mantova to Venice run by Girolibero was not of the same standard. 31 riders in one group is far too many and as a result safety was compromised. We only had one leader and an ‘apprentice’ leader and the riders themselves were dealing with safety eg hand signals etc, Our leader needed to wear a high visibility vest and more drink stops would be appreciated when you are biking in 38°
I was given a bike where the electronics didn’t work and at one stage right behind the leader on the wrong side of the road I was very nearly collected by a bus pulling into a bus stop - very scary!
The food and accommodation was good and although I enjoyed the experience unfortunately the tour guides did not compare with Ronald and Désirée on my previous trip.

The boat is nice and well appointed. We enjoyed swimming and relaxing time aboard the ship. Our only suggestions are we felt the midday meals were heavy and offered at odd times. Often a 3 course lunch meal was provided on board at 2-2:30 pm. We thought lunch could’ve scheduled on the islands during our bike rides at earlier time. Eating breakfast at 7:30 then riding 30 or 40 miles without a meal provided until 2 or 2:30 seemed like too long of a period of time. Especially since dinner was generally provided at 7:00 or 7:30. We would have been happier to have either packed a light lunch or had time on an island for lunch at about noon. We do not generally eat a 3 course lunch. But we did enjoy the 3 course dinners. Also, we thought off ship dinner nights would have been better on evenings when we were on a couple of the nicer, more developed islands like Korcula. The nights we were responsible for getting our own dinner were frequently on islands with very few choices for restaurants.

Beds could have a second pillow option for those who didn’t like the side sleeper pillow.

Also, there was no communication that clean towels would be provided if you left towels on the floor or that laundry could be done for guests. Lack of communication here.