4 Star Belgium Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 120
Kari T.
2 days ago
Verified Reviewer
Bruges to Amsterdam Bike Tour
Belgium, Netherlands
I loved the scenic routes through multiple towns every day. Take some time to stop and walk around in some of the along the way each day. The hotel accommodations far exceeded my expectations. They were all fantastic and in great locations. The staff at each were very helpful.
Be prepared for any weather. The weather can be unpredictable, so it's better to be prepared for anything!
sonya s.
6 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
A trip of a lifetime. The best way to see the small cities of Holland and Belgium at a leisurely pace with like minded people. Our North Star our guides Hester, Ester were amazing. They had very good understanding of the routes and the history of each city. Drum roll for an amazing crew on the barrage. The food and service was spectacular . If you want a slow, luxurious bike tour this is the trip to do!
Knut R.
6 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
The most memorable part was being with friends and meeting new friends from Australia!
Pack clothes for both extremes hot and cold!
Food was just okay
Small suitcase, rooms have little storage
Super nice shower
PLEASE have Tripsite reflective vests available at the START of the trip NOT mailed to us. That would make us a more safe and cohesive group on the roads and especially in crowded cities
Don S.
6 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique IV Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique II Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
Francine P.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Our trip was truly awesome! We were on the Fluvius biking from Bruges to Amsterdam. The biking was great and made easy with the gps they provided for us and the help of our bike coordinators Linda & Hans. They were the best, always there when we needed them, helping us reroute when we encountered road obstruction. My husband had a flat tire and they were right there helping. always making sure everybody was having a good time. The Fluvius provided me with an e-bike, even though I hadn't asked for one, to accommodate me, as they couldn't find a regular bike for my size. I was very thankful for that, making me appreciate the trip even better. All the Fluvius staff were superb. Even the captain made a point of talking with everyone, making sure things were to our liking. The food was excellent as well. The entertainment was a lot of fun and it brought us all together in spite of our language differences. It was a great night.
If we had any criticism whatsoever it would be the moisture challenge for the lower cabins. They would greatly benefit from moisture extractors.
Thank you for a truly wonderful and memorable trip.
Lilach L.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Around Romantic Bruges
Belgium
The B& B was very comfortable, good service and in a great location, the routes were also very scenic.
The main problem was the quality of the bike that was below average. The regular bike were essentially city bikes with technical problems and uncomfortable.
Amy G.
8 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique IV Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
The ship’s crew on the Magnifique IV was outstanding. Hardworking, pleasant, efficient and the ship was very clean. The food was very good.
The tour guides failed to give clear instructions and some times were rude to the passengers. They did not follow the ride GPS even though they insisted on us downloading it. One time they would not allow us to enter a museum because we came “late” even though the museum was opened for another hour. They were not a highlight of my experience.
Neil L.
8 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Peaceful transit through canals and rivers.
David Z.
8 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
David Z.
8 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
The most memorable part was seeing actual Archimedes Screws in the Netherlands that are still in use!!
Tina R.
8 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique IV Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
Anne B.
9 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Feniks Brussels to Bruges
Belgium
The Feniks was a fine boat, and the accommodations were better than I expected. There were only 4 other passengers, with 4 crew, so we were well cared for. The bike was comfortable and efficient. The (vegan) food was EXCELLENT. It would have been nice to have more of a mixed group (others were ALL Dutch, but it worked out ok.
Few pointers: there was no internet on the boat, some days we rode as much as 70K, but mostly flat, we mostly docked outside of towns/villages.
Hannah S.
9 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Zwaantje Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
The Zwaantje, Captain Martijn, and his crew were among the highlights of this trip. We had an amazing time exploring the different cities. The routes were easy to follow and the guides were great, friendly and personable, though I would have loved more history/information during our rides. We enjoyed the variety of scenery, the option to go off on our own, and the opportunity to socialize with many other adventurous people :)
Bryce C.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Sailing Home Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Loved all the beautiful scenery and being able to see it by bike. We particularly liked being in a small group (9 couples) who we got to know quite well and had fun socializing with. The crew and guide were very attentive and made the trip extra fun.
Susan J.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Sailing Home Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
Vikki Z.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium
Walking through the Keukenhof Gardens and seeing the blooming fields of tulips, and smelling the fragrant fields of hyacinths as we were riding was amazing, especially as the pouring rain held off until almost the end of the day! But walking around Ghent, and Bruges were equally delightful, if for a different reason. Of course the fabulous meals Christina prepared for us on the Merlijn were memorable. For future riders on this trip, know that the tulip experience is only one day of the entire trip so that you aren’t terribly disappointed, and be sure to have rain gear at that time of year!!
David W.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Sailing Home Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
Hadassah K.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Iris Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium
There were many memorable parts of the trip, all enjoyable. The barge, the guests and the crew were all great. I used an e-bike which was not great. I am barely 5’ 1” and the bike was a “small” and too big/heavy for me. It should have been an X-small. Another woman of similar size had a small and fell numerous times. I was disappointed that there was no alternative offered. I am an experienced rider and the heavy weight of the bike affected balance especially on curves. I’ve been on a number of bike trips and quality bikes and safety was a number one concern. Also there were no rear view mirrors. This was a safety concern. The answer I received was that the rear view mirrors are not used in the Netherland. This does not make sense as we got helmets and the people in the Netherlands don’t wear helmets. Why would we not be provided with rear mirrors.
Brenda G.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
It was an active adventure where you got to see so much of the country not just the tourist attractions.
Vikki Z.
12 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium
Seeing fields of tulips and hyacinths in full bloom and in full fragrance was amazing as was the Keukenhof Gardens. Disappointingly, however, was that tulips were only one day of the entire trip. Ghent and Bruges were also definite highlights. The cuisine presented by Christina each evening on board the Merlijn was gourmet and delicious. Our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. We were very pleased to have many layers of clothing as we had days of rain, wind, and or cold temps. A few mornings it was only 4C when we started out but did get up to 10C. Although the countryside is flat for easy riding, there were many bridges to cross requiring some decent hill climbing to get up and over! Belgium however was all flat and the much easier portion of the trip. Another tip to keep in mind is that the third week in the Netherlands is a school holiday as it is the King’s birthday. The KG was packed with people.
Ed Paquette
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
Alan L.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France
Biking from Noyon - Compiègne, the Compiegne forest was very beautiful to bike through.
As we neared Paris, the biking was sometimes more difficult due to traffic on some sections of the route.
Tahnee R.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Amsterdam to Bruges Bike Tour
Netherlands, Belgium
A few of the positives and suggestions...
Pros
Great bikes. High quality, both the regular and e-bikes.
Friendly, responsive and helpful staff. When a few of our group asked to exchange for e-bikes after a first very windy day, the local company (Dutch Bike Tours) was very friendly and drove them to us within a couple of hours (for a cost but that was expected).
The Netherlands is amazing for biking. Flat, accessed by a huge network of bike paths (seemingly every roadway), very well signed, drivers unexpectedly respectful to cyclists (compared to the U.S.), and so scenic.
Some lovely towns: we especially loved Gouda, Willemstadt, Zierikzee, Middleburg and Bruge.
Suggestions
Information: While we had contact with the local Read More company in our first trip (Lake Constance), we had no initial contact with the company and had to figure things out more on our own. Information that would have been helpful:
1) It would have been helpful to have some basic instructions on how to use an e-bike (we had to search for instructional videos on the web).
2) how the Dutch bike path system works and is signed was only briefly mentioned in the printed material. More detailed explanation would have been helpful.
Maps: The printed maps provided are not very helpful. They are too big for the plastic window on the bike, the font is tiny and can’t be read while biking, and the print quality is low so even harder to read the maps. We ended up using Google Maps to map out the cycle route the next destination each day. This worked but was not ideal because there is no place to put the phone securely (e-bikes don’t have the front bag) and the route missed the customized route suggested by the tour company. We would recommend anyone to get the GPS option (even just one person in a group having this would be helpful). Or even better, why don’t you just include a GPS unit, or, a Google MyMap link for each day so we can get easier access to the customized route. I think this should be provided without extra cost since the printed maps simply don’t work.
Hotel/Locations: While some of the hotels were quaint, locally owned, and in or very close to the center of town, others felt like chain hotels in the suburbs. Perhaps ask people to select not only if they want a slightly nicer hotel but how important it is to be in/close to the historic center of the towns. For us, this would have been more important than better amenities in the hotels. This was probably the most disappointing part of the trip, especially Pappendrecht, a newer town seemingly without a historic area when we could have easily gone a few extra miles to Dordrecht.
Julie A.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium
The Merlijn and their staff were excellent! The food was fabulous too! The only reason I am giving this trip a 4 out of 5 stars is the tulips were on somewhat dying on May 11th. We booked this trip in 2019 for April 2020 and then COVID took over all of our lives. Then we rebooked for 2021 and had to change 1 week later. Then 2021 was still not safe to travel so when booking again for 2022, we had to switch to start May 3 in Bruges with the tulip part at the end of the trip. I loved Bruges and thoroughly enjoyed biking in Belgium. I developed a cough so unfortunately I missed a lot of biking in The Netherlands. But I did enjoy the river views while on the boat and got to experience locks also. When cruising into Rotterdam, I saw one of the super yacht builders' ship yard (Oceanco) and that was exciting for me as we sell to the super yachts.
Carl M.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Quo Vadis Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 days
Netherlands, Belgium
The food was very good, the accomodations were fine, the crew was very helpful and friendly. The route was less scenic than i had hoped for. Holland is prettier than Belgium (for what we saw) and the dutch bike paths are awesome.
Rodney H.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Sailing Home Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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".
Irene P.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
It was an awesome way to see Belgium and the Netherlands. I can't wait for the next trip to Croatia. A bike is the only way to "fly." The food was surprisingly good and varied despite being served on a barge and to a group. Our bike lead, Carla was wonderful. On the down side, the smell of mold in our room on the Fluvius was disgusting and the attempt to fix it with bleach was just as bad. But even worse was the denial by the manager that I told her about it. The staff did their job and nothing more.
All Tour Reviews by Country
Boat/Barge Reviews
- Magellan
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- Magnifique IV
- Mare fan Fryslân
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- Florentina
- Normandie
- Princess
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