Danube

Excellent trip. Great guide and driving

Norman Weinberg Prague to Budapest Ride

I had never been to this part of the world & this trip was an excellent way to experience it. We were a small group of 5 & our guide, Jan, was amazing. He knew so much about the area since he was from Slovakia. He individualized our adventures based on our interests. The Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia & Hungary are rich in history, great architecture, local cuisine & culture. Do it!!! 😊

Anna Dowd Prague to Budapest Ride

The bikes we got weren’t Kelly Bikes as advertised on the initial trip notes but Czech bikes – Leader Fox Sumava. These were old bikes with cheap components, the gears slipped and jumped on all the bikes as the bikes had been fitted with new cassettes but not new chains. The tyres were bald some down to the canvas, the front chainrings were old and worn. There were no spare inner tubes and tyres. The bottle cage on the Ladies bikes was on the lower tube and couldn’t be reached when riding. After never ending mechanical problems, punctures & a broken chain, we asked the guide Andrej to get replacement bikes from the company which arrived the following day. They were the same model but the gears changed on these ones, so we had a mechanical free morning. After lunch there was an accident when the mudguard supports on a riders bike had broken off and attached to the rear tyre, the rear wheel jammed and the rider was thrown over the handlebars, followed by myself and partner. Had this occurred on a downhill section the injuries would have been far more serious. The rider whose bike had the dodgy mudguards was taken to hospital as his hand was very swollen, no fractures but he couldn’t ride his bike for 2 days. Fortunately myself and partner had cuts and bruises which we managed to get patched up using dressings from other members of the group. Andrej’s first aid kit consisted of a few plasters, betadine and a packet of tissues – not much use in the event of an accident. The group’s health and safety was compromised on this trip due to faulty bikes which is unacceptable as it was a CYCLING TRIP. The capital cities that we visited were great, as was the accommodation, just a pity the route to them hadn’t been more enjoyable. The trip notes stated that there would be full vehicle support which was impossible due to the cycle routes and narrow roads which the big bus and trailer were unable to negotiate. On several occasions we had to wait for the bus to appear as the driver had no smart phone or sat nav and relied on a paper map. Fortunately we had excellent weather and didn’t have to wait in the rain. This was an expensive trip and I don’t feel that I had value for my money. None of us had any confidence in the bikes wondering what was going to happen next. I always thought that Exodus looked after you on their trips but sadly this wasn’t the case on this one.

LINDA REID Prague to Budapest Ride