4 Star Belgium Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 162

The views cycling Bruges, the countryside, windmills etc
Boat was nice, food was good, nice staff.

The Boat was very comfortable. The crew were amazing! They were always smiling, quick to fill requests or anticipate needs. Very hard working and clearly worked as a team. The chef did an excellent job with the food.
Riding bikes in then Netherlands is a dream. The country is so bike focused.

There were a couple of times that could have been improved or communication could have been better.
I feel we wasted a lot of potential exploration time in Antwerp due to waiting hours for a bridge to be raised. I know this is not the fault of the Captain or crew but I do think that an alternate way for getting us to Antwerp could have been found, a water taxi or even disembark and hop on a bus. We were so so close to the city but were stuck on the boat.

Additionally time in Ghent was minimal as the boat did not stay in Ghent

Overall the trip was very enjoyable.

The most memorable part of the trip was the gift of breezing through the many changing landscapes of this region, at our own pace, stopping for a coffee to be part of the community for only a few moments.

We are a family of 4 with kids age 12 and 6 and we bike regularly at home, including over longer distances. We had a wonderful time on this trip! The biking distances were just right for us, we enjoyed the solitude and self guided aspects, the maps and instructions were helpful, the hotels were great (including excellent breakfasts everywhere) and we loved the combination of the biking with exploring historical places and culture. We also opted to extend our stay in Amsterdam and keep the bikes, which worked out well for us. Everything related to luggage worked well.

The one thing that didn't go perfectly was the trailer bike for our younger son. The trailer was basically just old - it was giving out and even with my husband tightening it it was veering off to one side. This took away from some of the enjoyment of the rides on the last couple of days. We recommend the company overhaul their stock of trailers.

Great first experience with a bike and barge tour. Excellent guides and barge crew. Biking distances and terrain was very manageable on e-bikes, even for those with only moderate biking experience. Personally I would have preferred a self guided tour, but now I know for our next trip.

Most memorable were the amazing rides through the countryside in the sunshine. Assistance from the cycling crew was amazing!

Disappointed to hear that participants who chose to remain on the boat were restricted to only certain areas.

Would have liked more snacks and drinks post cycling.

The people were wonderful - warm, welcoming and knowledgeable. The countryside was beautiful and historic. The room was clean and comfortable. All in all, it was a great experience.

Trip was great overall. De Holland was also very good, rooms, etc., were very good. Food was ok. On board staff seemed a bit rigid & could have been a bit more flexible. Tour guides were very good though there could have been at least one or two more guides for the number of people riding. Boat crew were very good. Overall, a great trip & would do it again & recommend it to others.

What an amazing trip . We lucked out with beautiful sunny, weather and two good friends as cycling mates. We thoroughly enjoyed cycling from Amsterdam to Bruges The guibo app along with paper information/maps and route numbers helped us successful stay in course. The distance travelled each day was doable and allowed us with time to enjoy leisurely lunches, explore churches/historical buildings and local markets.( great tips in info / map booklet provided) We even dipped our toes in the north sea at two of the sandy beaches,The category A hotel choices were great and centrally located in cities/ towns,. We especially enjoyed the historical hotels -Hotel Mondragòn and Hotel Mauritz . Kudus to the chef at hotel, Mauritz where we enjoyed the best rack of lamb ever.Although we only met three additional cyclists from the Dutch bike company, we had many opportunities to meet other travellers and locals who thoroughly enhanced our experience. Ending at the Velotel in Bruges also gave us the opportunity to meet other cyclists and learn about their trips and travels. We’re ready for our next cycling adventure . Thank you very much.

The scenery. The culture. The guest connections and the helpful guides, not to mention a few amazing dinners.

Beautiful cycling routes.
Excellent tour guides as shown when one of the woman had a bad fall when cycling . This was handled so well as she had to be taken to hospital.
One could put all trust in the tour guides knowing that we were well looked after.
My previous Barge/Bike tours were on smaller barges which I do prefer.
Fluvius twice as big. Fully booked so always standing in queus for breakfast etc.

The entire crew of Magnifique II went above and beyond the call of duty. They were super accommodating and definitely were very client centered in everything they did. The chef was awesome, and all the dinners were five star. The guides were super knowledgeable about the areas we toured, and their narratives were always value added. I will definitely be returning on future tours and will certainly be recommending this tour to friends.

Biking riding component.

The gluten free option was absolutely not satisfactory. When arriving it was not noted. The chef said we had to come see him. We paid 120 euros and we only received two pasta meals and bread for lunch and a cookie jar. The bread put out was 2 slices for each gf person. The rest could have as much as they wanted. The shopping should have been done before hand in Paris where there are gf bakeries not the same stuff we can buy. We got what was in the pantry.
One meal we got baked apples for dessert. How are 2 pastas, 2 slices of bread per day and a baked apple worth 120E? It is totally not appropriate to charge so much after already paying a lot for the trip. It seems like a cash grab as there were three of us. Whomever makes this decision should be ashamed of themselves. Fair $ for fair service. We should all be reimbursed!

An excellent way to visit Belgium and Netherlands. The food was delicious. Rooms were comfortable. We will definitely be doing another bike and barge trip.

Biking through the country was unforgettable. Truly enjoyable.

The sights were beautiful but would have preferred to arrive in the town and villages earlier so we could have seen them in the daylight.

My husband and I loved this trip! It was an amazing combination of cycling and sometimes more difficult cycling due to weather and an incredible opportunity to see some beautiful country! The crew aboard Sailibg Home worked hard to make this trip go off without a hitch and they were successful! We were spoiled rotten! The meals were tasty and satisfying without being over the top or too much food! Lunches for the day were tasty and satisfying. The crew provided a sense of comfort and safety and much fun and laughter.

The crew were super friendly and worked tirelessly to keep us comfortable and happy. The meals were delicious and beautifully plated. Our cycle guide Kitty was patient and friendly in spite of an unexpected reroute. Unfortunately this reroute had us cycling 50-60km each day with very little to see other than country side. Cycling shorter days would have allowed more time to explore the towns & villages. When we docked, our suppers took 2 hrs which prevented us from seeing some villages in the daytime. One final observation: we felt that the cyclers should have been split into two groups each with their own guide. One faster group and one slower group. The faster group often had to wait for the slower group to catch up.

Overall, it was an amazing experience. A huge thank you to Paul, Pim, Inma, Karin & Kitty for making us feel so welcome on the lovely “Sailing Home” barge.

Scenery and the food was delicious every meal. Rooms were better than expected.

We throughly enjoyed cycling through the villages and rural landscape.
We had a few days of strong winds which we understand is very normal for this region - this made for challenging cycling on a hybrid bike.
The bicycles were very old and needed replacing plus 2 bike bags should have been provided to hold rain gear. The GPS app wasn’t reliable and required frequent rebooting. Our cabin was infested with sewer flies - very off putting and disturbing.

We loved the beautiful countryside of the Netherlands and Belgium! The cities of Amsterdam, Antwerp, Ghent, and Brugges were all so unique and beautiful! We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the MV FLUVIUS. The captain and staff that run the boat were excellent! Our cabin and the rest of the boat were freshly updated and extremely clean. The chef was outstanding and made every meal unique and delicious! His curried soups and lasagna were especially popular! The most memorable part for us is the wonderful people that we met and travelled with!!

Meeting other ship mates, seeing the country side of The Netherlands and Belgium, relaxing after a great day of riding.

Scenery, staff was wonderful.
Need better lighting in bathrooms. Hard to put on makeup with a tiny light behind you in ceiling.

O que mais gostei foi passar pelas cidades pitorescas e lindas do trajeto, ver o mar e a natureza singular dessa região. A manutenção das bikes deixou muito a desejar, por duas vezes tivemos que parar e buscar apoio para conserto, o que também ficou por nossa conta apesar de utilizarmos os telefones de apoio. Já tive outras duas experiências com a tripsite e as bikes eram ótimas, o que não posso dizer dessa vez.

The vibe on the boat was great! The chef was amazing, and so accommodating to my food allergy! Two great bike tour-guides!

Suggestions - budget for at least one beverage included for dinner. It was a nice treat on the first and last day to have a complimentary drink pairing. The wifi on the boat was really bad; I know we were warned that it might not be strong, but it just didn't work most of the time. That was frustrating, not being able to communicate with family, check the scores of Eurocup games, etc.

the best part was the absolutely most beautiful scenery in Belgium and the Netherlands! Be sure to check ahead for the latest weather to be prepared for biking and be prepared to have very spotty internet on the boat.

A fantastic trip. There were so many great town and villages along the way. The bike routes and hotels were very good. Unfortunately there was a strong prevailing wind from west to east. If we were to do this trip again we would go from Bruges to Amsterdam.

We have done many biking trips in Europe, most self guided. We did find the pace a little slow, but got into the groove with the group on the very good hybrid bikes-thanks Coene. Cristina's hospitality and food was wonderful and both her and Coene are very good hosts. Their staff were also extremely good.
The boat was very comfortable, cabins big enough to not feel claustrophobic, beds comfy, appreciated the heated towel rail to dry washing.
For us the best part of a trip is seeing the countryside, smelling the roses and taking time to look at the scenery.

The crew was great and the food was excellent. The bikes were good.

The route, due to detours had its challenges

Loved the Merlijn boat , Coen & Cristina were wonderful hosts , Cristina was a fabulous cook & hostess, so accomodating. Coen very knowledgeable & helpful.
Might be helpful to have 2 cycling guides as we found the pace very slow at times , even though we were on the hybrid bikes. Francine did let us go ahead at times. Bedrooms were very comfortable, heated towel rails great for drying biking shorts overnight.
We would consider going again but probably a week trip.