4 Star Amsterdam to Bruges Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 35

Biking the windmills of Kinderdijk, South Holland.

Amsterdam to Bruges

8 days from €1265

4.8 out of 5

Amsterdam to Bruges

Easy Bike + Boat Tour in Netherlands, Belgium

From Holland's intriguing capital to Belgium's artistic gem, this bike and boat tour follows meandering rivers and canals from Amsterdam to Bruges. The Golden Age of the 17th Century was a peaceful…

 Stars:  4     
4.8 out of 5

 


Don S.
6 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The people on board. And the food. Stella was great, too. I liked the open windows in the upstairs rooms. Also, coffee or cappuccino, espresso 24/7.

Andrew H.
6 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The quality of the boat's amenities, the cuisine and the areas travelled through were exceptional.
My last bike and barge was more than a decade ago. Since then the growth of e-bikes has accelerated. On this tour, 24 of 34 riders were using e-bikes. I'm not convinced that mixing e-bikes and regular bikes is viable.

Alice T.
6 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Good trails, good food and the app “Ride with gps” was the best.
The bikes were good, seats comfortable.
The bar on the ship had reasonable prices.
The Fluvius boat needed updating. The room smelt musty and the air conditioning didn’t always work.
The first day something made us late so we were given our bikes at dusk to try them out and get adjustments made. Not enough time before it was dark.
It was pretty bad to run out of water numerous times.
The ice machine didn’t work so occasionally they bought ice.
The staff turn over was incredible. None of the staff seemed to be with the company very long.
The guides were excellent. We did self guided and we think that had GPS on us as everytime when we weren’t sure which way to go a guide would show up and help us out. The app was very good to tell you when you were off course.
This was my first bike and barge trip so I can’t compare it to another.

Neil L.
7 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Peaceful transit through canals and rivers.

David Z.
7 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The most memorable part of the trip for me was the interpretation the trip leaders gave of their culture. It felt very personal and caring. The food was very good and the onboard staff were excellent. The ship is sound but needs refurbishing. Be aware that the Dutch and Belgians make their beds with a bottom sheet and a duvet only. You may want to bring a top sheet and a wash cloth or two.

Really enjoyed the camaraderie with other participants & the captain & crew members & our tour guides. Some suggestions would be a few more stops to drink water & take photos on the rides. Also, the gluten free accommodations were very much appreciated.

Tina R.
7 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Crew and meals were awesome. Would be great if they introduced everyone at the first meeting or meal. Also would be great if they had a signup sheet for emails to keep the group connected.

Susan J.
9 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The excellent mix of people on the boat from at least 8 different countries. Everyone was very friendly and interesting. We ate dinner with different people every night. A very fun group! My advice to other is to step outside of your own group and talk with your fellow travelers, the crew and the guides. Struggle through using your high school French or German. It's well worth it.

Robert S.
10 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Daily countryside rides were wonderful. Our guide Marianne was great.
Suggestions- staff should wait until all courses are served and tables cleaned before eating. Waiting half an hour between servings not good and takes too long. Should make enough for seconds! Missed out on visit sites due to timing. Everything was closed by the time we were done with dinner. Notwithstanding the above, was a wonderful trip.

David W.
10 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The staff and guide were wonderful. My only criticism is regarding the food: put out some snacks when returning to the barge after riding. One small bowl of chips for 22 people is insufficient. Secondly, the time from start to finish dinner talked too long ( 1 1/2 hours). While of course the staff must eat as well, they shouldn’t be eating after putting our plates down. Our dirty plates sit in front of us for 30 minutes while they eat. The food is very good though.

Brenda G.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

It was an active adventure where you got to see so much of the country not just the tourist attractions.

Ed Paquette
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

Amsterdam to Bruges was our first bike and barge experience in 2016. The experience of small group travel, seeing villages and countrysides at 12-14 mph, and the coziness of barge life intoxicated us. We have since done six more tours. Everyone unique, quirky, full of beautiful vistas, and future friends from all over the world.
If you are considering this type of travel adventure for the first time, this tour is for you. AND for you stubborn Americans, there is absolutely no stigma attached to e-bikes. In fact, they are prolific throughout Europe.

Rodney H.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

The trip was very enjoyable. The scenery and bike paths were great. The staff and cook were excellent.
Suggestions:
The bike groups should be split up into smaller groups (6-8 riders), especially when using busy routes.
The strong bikers should not be grouped with the more leisurely bikers.
The guides should have good skills in GPS navigation and/or riders could use an app such as "Ride with GPS".

robert w.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The enthusiasm of our tour guides was excellent. They helped the family (our group of 6) a couple of times by sacrifice of their personal time and attention.
Some better orientation on ebike and gears would have been helpful. The "sore-butt" syndrome for inexperienced riders was worth it.

Bob W

Karen Melby T.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Loved the great bike paths

Fernanda D.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Cycling from Vianen to Schoonhoven, and the walk through Bruges beautiful historic city. Bring cycling waterproof gear and be ready to take lots of pictures…

Gloria A.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Visiting the beautiful cities of Bruges and Ghent

Lovelady J.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The fellowship on the Magnifique IV was wonderful. However, several of our fellow travelers tested positive for COVID right after leaving the ship. More options for testing and keeping the travelers free of COVID need to be provided.

Richard R.
4 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The most memorable part was getting to see the countries from a bicycle. The weather was not good and the tour guide did an excellent job of juggling the personalities with varying degrees of athletic fitness. At 53-58, there were people on the boat that were over 20 years older than my wife and I, and as a result, some rides were cut short somewhat - this was a bit disappointing as my wife and I had hoped to ride at least the distances advertised. One additional constructive comment - some of the bikes were not in good shape. The bike set aside for me had its front brakes permanently rubbing and the solution was for me to ride a women's small bike for the week. Disappointing. The trip was excellent overall and we will do a bike and barge tour again.

Dane G.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Did the Amsterdam to Bruges bike & barge tour on the Tijdgeest. My wife & I had a great experience. Arje was a great guide & the entire boat crew made it a fantastic trip. The riding was quite easy & the evening city tours fun & informative. Would recommend to anyone
Thanks All
Dane & Kim

Bob T.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Biking through the countryside of the Netherlands and Belgium at a pace that allowed us to learn about both cultures and their histories was an opportunity not to be missed.

Joyce H.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Recommendation...do the riding prior to your trip that they suggest. I did not and had an uncomfortable bum for a few days, lol.

Debbie H.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Always have two guides. I can’t imagine having only one for such a diverse level of skills. We had one guide who lacked interpersonal skills. She lost her temper several times at several clients. I was one of those on the receiving end.

Neal P.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

It was so wonderful to cycle through 2 beautiful countries taking in the scenery and ambiance.

Peter W.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The trip wasn't exactly as I understood it would be. The staff were absolutely great, couldn't be any better. The guide was also very good, knowledgeable and patient. However, it seems to me that the objective of each day's ride was to get from point A to point B; we didn't stop enough to enjoy & explore the sites along the way. Also, I wonder about riding thru farmers' fields. Perhaps that was the only way to reach certain destinations. We needed better introductions in the first meeting. We should have introduced ourselves at that meeting. We were 32 strangers together for 8 days, let's start with introductions.
The food was pretty average. Breakfast was fine; once in a while there was hot food served but you had to be aggressive to get any, there wasn't enough to go around. Food available for lunch was fine, no complaints. Dinners were disappointing. We didn't need gourmet dinners, we needed substantial meals. The best meal was the Read More

Sue N.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The most memorable part of our trip was people we met, we made some fantastic new friends. The Dutch countryside was especially beautiful, just like out of a fairy tale. Lots of other great countryside and small villages as well, quaint and old European.
The rooms on the Fluvius were poorly ventilated, and the A/C was extremely noisy. The dining room, lounge, bar and upper deck were great.
One of our rides included having to take a short ferry ride. We were all asked to pay .70 cents for this. Many of us felt that was being extremely cheap, and should have been included. Really...70 cents!!!!
For each day of cycling we were only given 1-500ml bottle of water. This is not even close to daily requirements, especially given that on several days we were riding in 30 degrees C. It should have been at least 2L/person/day.
Our guide lacked enthusiasm. He told us to fill our empty water bottles in the bathrooms, he talked about bathroom breaks in the pre-ride briefing but Read More

Jim M.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

This was our 2nd trip this year. We signed up for a 3rd already. Barge and bike is wonderful.

Lynda C.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The the scenery was very very enjoyable as were the other guests on board the boat. The major problem or I should say the major dissatisfaction came from the fact that the bikes were too big and too heavy. I am an experienced bike rider and usually feel comfortable on most bikes but these truly were very very uncomfortable for me and I know for some of the other smaller women on the trip, dangerous. My only other comment would be about the guide..... I felt his attitude was very condescending in the first few days he was barely a guide his aim was to get from point A to point B in whatever amount of time he deemed necessary without any consideration for the inexperienced bikers on the trip. The slower bikers trailed way behind perhaps in some cases almost a quarter of a mile behind him and he barely looked back to see if they were there or for that matter even struggling. I volunteered to sweep and finally in frustration stopped him and told him he must go as slow as the slowest Read More

Brenda B.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Food and scenery fantastic! Jack, bike tour guide was rude at times. Also expected everyone to keep up with his ebike. Several women spoke to him and he got a little better and used a sweep and someone to wait at turns. I expected something a little more leisurely so could take pictures along the way. I did not expect a road race even though I could keep up. However, inspite of this, I have recommended the trip to friends as it is a wonderful experience. I do hope you retrain your bike guides to be kind.

Roberta S.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The bikes were not in excellent condition. Some needed work on them.
A guide better versed in local traditions and history would have been nice.

Patsy Duggan
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

My sister and I loved the trip and have told many people to book the barg trip. One of the best trips I have had.