Authentic Holland Tour Reviews — 1 to 23 of 23

We are so glad we choose the authentic Holland tour on the de Holland. It was a great blend of forests, wetlands, and Hanseatic cities! The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the food was excellent. I highly recommend this tour.

The last day was my best. I stopped to make a beautiful photo and lost my group. It took over an hour of fast riding and navigation to catch them. Great experience. Amsterdam Castle and its Cafe were superb pleasure.

Best Part: Villages

Most memorable part: Small villages & countryside

We loved everything about this trip! The boat was clean and comfortable, the crew was wonderful (especially the tour guide, Andre). We loved the cycling through this beautiful country! It was especially exciting to ride through the countryside and explore the unique towns along the way. We were so impressed with the incredible bike path system and the friendly people we encountered.

The "directions/highlights " paper along with the offline downloaded directions were terrific. The company's expert experienced routing took us thru scenic backways and villages that we may have missed by simply following a directional app ourselves. We enjoyed being able to ride at our own pace, stop where ever we chose, visit sites, museums, villages, or take photos on our own timeline. This also allowed us to begin the day's ride on our own schedule, enjoy a picnic lunch or lunch in a village center, and return early or later, have a coffee or beer along the way, still knowing when dinner was being served!

We loved everything about this trip! The cycling experience, the cruising on beautiful rivers and canals, the opportunity to explore interesting and historic cities, the camaraderie onboard the boat, and the care and support of the crew were all wonderful!

Holland was on my bucket list to visit the country I was born in but left as a young girl. What better way to see it than on this wonderful barge/bike tour with a good friend. Upon arrival where the De Nassau’s docked we were greeted by our wonderful hosts and crew. There is absolutely nothing that I can criticize about this trip. The food, the accommodations and the beauty of biking through northern holland on my E Bike was amazing. I highly recommend these bikes as I usually don’t bike 186 miles in 7 days, but they sure help put “ the wind beneath my wings”. I even bought a smoked eel which we shared with some companions we biked with...not usual Canadian fare! Tripsite has opened up a whole new concept for me and my love of travelling. Perhaps Ireland, France, Portugal...I can hardly wait till the next trip I take knowing that I will not be disappointed. Thanks Tripsite for making my dream come true of visiting this amazing country.

We really enjoyed the rural countryside for our biking tour. We would bike past horses, cows, swans and goats and stop in very quaint towns. I rented a regular bike because I thought the Netherlands was very flat, there was more incline and distance than I was prepared for. I was able to borrow another guest e-bike a few days and in retrospect I should have rented one. But it also made me realize I can go to other countries that are more of a challenge, I would just rent an e-bike. We also brought our own helmets, but the ones they had on the boat looked fine. My husband brought his cycle computer which was a good idea to see our distance etc. We really enjoyed the biking tour!

The whole barge experience with fellow bikers was awesome. There were only 23 of us and we all connected. The dining was exceptional. Our guide lacked knowledge of the tour and did not provide enough cultural experience.

Really enjoyed the bike/barge tour on the Gandalf. The food & scenery were great. Enjoyed cycling into the forest & small towns. On the down side, be prepared for some wind. If new to cycling I would recommend getting the electric assist bicycle. The terrain is mostly flat but there are some hills which can be challenging with head on wind. Our guide, Fred, was very knowledgeable & friendly. He took good care of everyone.

We were a family of 6 adults (aged 22-62) who did our first bike/barge trip and we are so fortunate that we booked the Merlijn and did the Amsterdam trip. It couldn't have been a better trip. Everything was perfect from the accommodations to the food to the bike ride itself. Most of all though it was the crew on the Merlijn that made it so fun for all of us. Henk & Jantien are so friendly and accommodating and their staff, Gisbert (sp) who led the daily bike tours & Jaqui & Clara who do a little of everything were all so kind and awesome with everything they did. The bikes are very new and ride great. The E-bikes are a whole lot of FUN. If you feel too guilty about using an E-bike you can turn it off and pedal like a regular bike. Jantien even went out of her way to get a birthday cake for our daughter-in-law. Henk leads an excellent Karaoke night which should not be missed. It was truly a great family vacation had by all. Thank you crew of Merlijn.

This was my third time on this particular barge the Merlijn. I love everything about the experience and will for sure do it again

I loved everything about my barge/bike trip from Bruges to Amsterdam. Wonderful staff members were very professional and accommodating making all of the guests feel special. The food rose above my expectations. The quality and presentation were superb. I have already booked another bike/barge trip for 2018!!

The route for the Authentic Holland Tour was very attractive and went through some very attractive Hanseatic villages. Our guide Meindirt made every day a pleasant experience. For people looking for a fun and relaxing bicycle trip in the Netherlands, this one will not disappointment you. Enjoy!

Having been on several of these bike/barge tours, this was a different area culturally than trips south of Amsterdam. Interesting history of the area. Our guide was excellent and made the trip.

I would recommend this trip but only if a group of friends were going or if there was some way to know the mix of language of fellow travellers. I was the only person who did not speak the German language. I felt very isolated. A number of German people did try to speak English but it was hard work for them and they were on holidays. One English sailor on board as staff was very kind and attentive. The cook made wonderful gluten free dishes for me!! The guide did an excellent job of switching back and forth from German to English. The cycling and countryside was very pleasant. Sometimes the stops were a bit long but perhaps that was because I couldn't chat around with other travellers.

It would have been nice to have a group photo at the end. It seemed a little confused at the end. Also, with other trips I have been on the guide circulates an email list and anyone who wants to join it can. That way it is easy to connect with other participants to exchange photos etc. Other than that it was a great trip. I'd definitely like to do another one! I think the Gandalf is the best boat in the fleet (or so I hear from others).

The trip was nothing short of Fantastic! The towns we went through on the Hanseatic Route were so charming. Captain Hans on the Gandalf was so generous to me...he knows what he did! ;-) I will specifically seek out trips on the Gandalf. Fred the guide was superb...ensuring everyone got the biking experience they wanted and just a lovely guy all around!! This was my first Bike & Barge but it won't be my last...I've got friends lined up wanting to join me on my next trip...they didn't know such trips exist, but they do now!!

This was such an amazing trip on the Gandalf with Captain Hans and Fred the guide. The description does not do this trip justice. You go through such varied terrain like forests, along the water and the towns were sooo charming! I've been to Holland many times and yet I saw such a beautiful side of Holland that blew me away!