SE-Tours
SE-Tours GmbH is a German tour operator founded in 1993 that sells direct-to-consumer Bike & Boat cycling vacations and river cruises across 12 European countries, serving active leisure travelers via its own fleet of seven river cruise ships and a proprietary digital booking and navigation platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersBremerhaven, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What SE-Tours does
SE-Tours GmbH is a German tour operator founded in 1993 and headquartered in Bremerhaven, specializing in combined cycling and river-cruise vacations across Europe. The company sells Bike & Boat packages (where guests cycle during the day and sleep aboard a river cruise ship each night) and standalone river cruises along six major cycling route networks — Danube, Main, Moselle, Neckar Valley, Oder-Neisse, and Rhine — operating in 12 European countries including Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, France, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, the UK, Croatia, Greece, and Slovakia. The fleet comprises seven named vessels including MS Prinzessin Katharina (140 beds), MS Switzerland (113), MS Princess (102), and MS Olympia (94), collectively providing the company's accommodation backbone.
The core technology stack centers on a direct-to-consumer e-commerce website (se-tours.de) with integrated price calculators, online booking, and multilingual support (English/German). Digital infrastructure is augmented by the proprietary GUIBO mobile application, which delivers offline-accessible route books, GPS tracks, and travel documents, replacing printed materials. Rental bicycles and 8-gear e-bikes are sourced through an exclusive partnership with Velo de Ville (special SE-Tours edition). The company employs roughly 30 office staff and 25 tour guides, supported by named tour consultants (Sabine Miedlich, Ann-Christin Neue, Pia Blechschmidt) and Managing Director Jörg Gövert.
Revenue is generated primarily through per-person tour package sales (€799–€1,199+ for 8-day tours) with full-board accommodation, complemented by ancillary revenue from bike/e-bike rentals, optional equipment, excursions, travel insurance, parking, and gift vouchers. Pricing incorporates early-booking discounts, group pricing, and seasonal promotions. Go-to-market is exclusively direct-to-consumer via the website, supplemented by phone/email sales, contact-form inquiries, travel-fair presence, and paid/organic digital marketing across Google, Microsoft Bing, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), YouTube, LinkedIn, and Cleverreach email newsletters. Customer satisfaction is reported at 4.8–5.0 out of 5 stars across rated tours.
SE-Tours firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SE-Tours
- Legal name
- SE-Tours GmbH
- Website
- https://se-tours.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SE-Tours GmbH is a German tour operator founded in 1993 that sells direct-to-consumer Bike & Boat cycling vacations and river cruises across 12 European countries, serving active leisure travelers via its own fleet of seven river cruise ships and a proprietary digital booking and navigation platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SE-Tours industry classification
Industry- Product category
- River Cruise Tourism
- NAICS
- Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210), Tour Operators (56152)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury River Cruise Lines (THAEABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Small-Ship Expedition Cruises (Under ~500 Guests) (THAEADAC), River Shore Excursions & Onshore Programs (THAEACAG)
Keywords
Where SE-Tours is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bremerhaven
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
SE-Tours business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Tour Packages: Package tour sales including bike & boat tours and river cruises with full-board accommodation aboard cruise ships. Pricing varies by route, ship, and cabin type. Includes early booking discounts and group pricing.
- Bike and E-Bike Rental: Rental of 7-gear trekking bikes and 8-gear e-bikes (Velo de Ville special SE-Tours edition) with pannier bags and rental insurance included.
- Ancillary Services: Additional revenue from excursions, travel insurance, parking reservations, transfer services, and on-board purchases (drinks, optional equipment like helmets, phone holders, power banks).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Danube Bike & Boat (Passau - Vienna - Passau): 8-day self-guided tour from €799 per person |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Moselle & Saar Bike & Boat (Koblenz - Saarburg): 8-day tour from €1,099 per person |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Berlin - Stralsund Bike & Boat: 8-day medium-difficulty tour from €1,199 per person |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Optional Equipment Rentals: Bicycle helmets, phone holders, power banks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Parking Options in Engelhartszell |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
SE-Tours product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SE-Tours is a German tour operator specializing in combined bike & boat tours and river cruises across Europe. Customers cycle through European destinations during the day and stay aboard cruise ships at night, with full-board accommodation, digital navigation via the proprietary GUIBO app, and route briefings across 12 European countries along major cycling routes such as the Danube, Moselle, Rhine, and Oder.
Product overview
SE-Tours is a specialist tour operator offering Bike & Boat tours and River Cruises across Europe. Their core product portfolio consists of combined cycling and river cruise vacations (Bike & Boat) and standalone river cruises, featuring their owned and operated ships including MS PRINZESSIN KATHARINA (Danube), MS OLYMPIA and MS SWITZERLAND (Moselle/Saar), and MS PRINCESS (Berlin-Stralsund/Baltic). Supporting services include rental bicycles and e-bikes (Velo de Ville special editions), the Guibo App for digital navigation, gift vouchers, and travel insurance. The company operates from Bremerhaven, Germany, and serves 12 European countries including Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, France, and Italy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bike & Boat Tours Combined cycling and river cruise vacations where passengers cycle through European destinations during the day and stay aboard the ship at night. Tours include full board, route briefings, and digital navigation materials across 12 European countries.
- River Cruises Standalone river cruise vacations along European waterways without cycling component, featuring scenic routes and full-board accommodation aboard partner cruise ships.
- Rental Bicycles 7-gear unisex trekking bikes (Velo de Ville special SE-Tours edition) with hand brake and freewheel or coaster brakes. Available in 45cm, 50cm, and 55cm frame sizes. Includes pannier bag and rental bike insurance.
- E-Bike Rental 8-gear electric bikes (Velo de Ville special SE-Tours edition) with hub gear available with freewheel or coaster brake. Includes pannier bag and rental bike insurance.
- Gift Vouchers Gift card service allowing customers to purchase vacation allowances as gifts for friends and family members.
- Travel Insurance Partnership offering travel insurance coverage for trip cancellations, medical emergencies, baggage, and accidents during tours.
- Guibo App Free smartphone companion app providing digital route books, GPS tracks, travel information, ship details, and contact information accessible offline during tours.
Quantifiable outcome
- Customer satisfaction rating of 4.8-5.0 out of 5 stars based on verified reviews
Companies that use SE-Tours
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SE-Tours technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
SE-Tours partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and support.
- Velo de VillecoreExclusive partnership with Velo de Ville bicycle manufacturer to provide special SE-Tours edition trekking bikes and e-bikes for rental fleet. Bikes feature 7-gear hub gears with hand brakes and freewheel or coaster brake options, available in 45cm, 50cm, and 55cm frame sizes.
- TEFRA GepäckservicesupportLuggage service partner for transporting passenger luggage during tours, enabling customers to travel light during daily cycling excursions.
- Guibo AppcoreDigital travel documents and GPS navigation platform for route guidance during self-guided cycling tours. Provides offline access to travel information, ship details, and cycling routes.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SE-Tours competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AmaWaterways: Premium river cruise line with extensive Danube, Rhine, and Moselle sailings. Overlaps in itineraries and premium positioning but offers a broader, more luxury-led product portfolio.
- Viking River Cruises: Global market leader in European river cruising with a much larger fleet and broader itinerary set. Competes for the same customer wallet but operates at significantly larger scale and includes ocean and expedition products.
- Avalon Waterways: Part of the Globus family of brands, operating river cruises across European waterways. Competes for similar itineraries and active leisure travelers but with a larger fleet and broader marketing reach.
- Hapag-Lloyd Cruises: German premium cruise line (ocean and select European rivers). Competes at the higher end of the European travel market with overlapping German customer base but different product focus.
- TUI / TUI Cruises: Europe's largest integrated tourism group; TUI Musica-style river and ocean products overlap with SE-Tours' broader tourism demand and compete for the same German-speaking leisure customer.
Direct peers
- Boat Bike Tours: Dutch-founded bike & boat tour specialist operating small river cruise ships across the same European waterways (Danube, Rhine, Main). Direct overlap in product concept, target customer (active leisure cyclists), and delivery model.
- Rad+Reisen (Rad und Reisen): Austria-based cycling holiday operator offering guided and self-guided bike tours throughout Europe. Directly comparable active-travel target market with overlapping river-route portfolio.
- Eurobike: Austrian cycling holiday specialist with deep coverage of European long-distance routes including Danube and Rhine. Directly comparable in product offering and active-tourist customer base.
- A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH: German river cruise line operating multiple ships on Rhine, Danube, Main, and Moselle. Direct competitor for the standalone river cruise portion of SE-Tours' offering with a comparable fleet scale.
- CroisiEurope: France-based river cruise operator with a large European fleet (Rhine, Danube, Moselle, Main, etc.). Direct competitor in the European river cruise category with similar mid-market positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SE-Tours social profiles
Digital presenceSE-Tours financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SE-Tours leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
SE-Tours funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SE-Tours M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SE-Tours
What does SE-Tours do?
SE-Tours is a German tour operator specializing in combined bike & boat tours and river cruises across Europe. Customers cycle through European destinations during the day and stay aboard cruise ships at night, with full-board accommodation, digital navigation via the proprietary GUIBO app, and route briefings across 12 European countries along major cycling routes such as the Danube, Moselle, Rhine, and Oder.
Is SE-Tours a public or private company?
SE-Tours is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SE-Tours founded?
SE-Tours was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SE-Tours based?
SE-Tours is headquartered in Bremerhaven, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does SE-Tours make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tour Packages are the primary driver. The others are bike and E-Bike Rental and ancillary Services.
Who are SE-Tours's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AmaWaterways, Viking River Cruises, Avalon Waterways, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and TUI / TUI Cruises. Direct peers are Boat Bike Tours, Rad+Reisen (Rad und Reisen), Eurobike, A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH and CroisiEurope.
Does SE-Tours have an API?
No public API is recorded for SE-Tours.
What industry is SE-Tours in?
SE-Tours's product category is River Cruise Tourism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAEABAC, Luxury River Cruise Lines, with a secondary code of THAEADAC, Small-Ship Expedition Cruises (Under ~500 Guests). Its NAICS code is 487210 and its SIC code is 4400.