5 Star Belgium Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 804

The boat, food, and staff were all fantastic. The bikes were great- easy to use and very sturdy.

Boat was awesome and the crew was stellar ❤️. Loved riding through the Dutch countryside with a bunch of old friends and some new ones! Guides were great as well. We always felt safe and looked after!

The trip was well run, food was great the tour was amazing look at the country's.

Bruges to Amsterdam Bicycle Trip
I can’t recommend this trip highly enough—it’s a truly unforgettable experience. The bike trails in Belgium and the Netherlands are exceptional, offering a picturesque ride through beautiful countryside.

Our journey lasted seven days, with six days of riding. We spent an extra day in Bruges at the start and two extra days in Amsterdam at the end. The cycling route took us from Bruges, Belgium, to Middelburg in the Netherlands on day one, followed by stops in Zierikzee, Willemstad, Papendrecht, Gouda, and finally Amsterdam. Most of the ride wound through the Dutch countryside, with stunning views at every turn. We chose the A-level hotels. All accommodations were excellent. Breakfast was included and excellent at every stop.

Arriving in Amsterdam was an adventure in itself. By then we were grateful for five days of practice with the bikes—and with Dutch cycling culture—because biking in Amsterdam is intense. With bicycles being the primary mode of transportation, the bike traffic is constant and fast-paced.

Our group consisted of four riders, ages 76, 72, 70, and 32. Three of us started with e-bikes, while the lone standard cyclist switched to an e-bike by day three. We had hoped for tailwinds by traveling from Bruges to Amsterdam, but instead faced headwinds every single day—making e-bikes an invaluable choice.

The trip covered just over 200 miles. We rode more than 40 miles on two days, about 26 miles on one day, and in the 30-mile range on the other three.

Tips and Recommendations:
• Phone holder: Bring one for your mobile phone. The navigation app is essential, and you’ll want your phone mounted securely.
• Navigation: Before your first ride you’ll receive maps and route details, and you’ll need to download GUIBO, the navigational app used for the trip. It’s excellent—providing real-time, detailed route guidance. On days with route options, you can select your preference directly in the app.
• Bikes: The rental e-bikes were well-used but reliable. We had no mechanical issues or battery problems during the trip. If you’re accustomed to using mirrors, consider purchasing handlebar clip-on mirrors in advance, since the rentals didn’t have them.
• Ferries: Some routes require short ferry or water-bus rides. While most accepted contactless payments (Apple Pay or credit card), it’s wise to carry a little cash since not all ferries do.

All in all, this was an amazing trip—scenic, well-organized, and absolutely worth doing.

The trip from Bruges to Amsterdam was outstanding. The countryside in Belgium was beautiful. The bike paths were all safe, wide, and well marked. Arriving in Amsterdam during Friday rush hour was a bit of a challenge but not overly stressful. The accommodations were all very nice and centrally located in the towns/villages with the exception of Dordrecht.
We have recommended this trip to 3 different groups since we got back and they are all very interested.

The entire experience was amazing, and I loved everything, the places we rode through, the lodgings, the food, everyone who took care of us, it was fantastic!!

The beautiful scenery, everything so different from the US - and in many respects, better - food, conservation, transportation.

The bikes were very comfortable and in great shape. The bike leaders were very good at bike fitting and patiently made adjustments. Bike fitting was very smooth.
The boat was wonderful.
Small staff with incredible passion and energy.
Meals were delicious.
Communication was great.

UNESCO Kinderdijk windmills visit was very special on the bike tour. I enjoyed each major city, too.

Tripsite gave excellent information.

Sometimes I felt rushed to leave for the morning bike ride. Perhaps the bike tour guides could have checked out the skill level of those on E bikes as well.

The whole trip was great! The barge was lovely, the food was outstanding. I wish I could give 10 stars! The crew was helpful and engaging. Ride guides were very knowledgable and helpful.

Very easy to follow as Belgium and Holland are sooo geared up for cyclists.
Thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip. Organisation was seamless.

The routes chosen were excellent!
Barge, guides & places visited exceeded expectations!

The entire trip was a wonderful experience. The barge was superior and the entire crew was beyond exceptional.

Getting to see parts of the Netherlands and Belgium this way was wonderful.

Bruges was a very cool city, lots of culture and beautiful architecture. The paths were well laid out and easy to follow.

One of our favorite vacations of all time. The route, although complex in some parts, was easy enough to follow using a special app (as mentioned by TripSite in pre-trip email). The tour sent us winding through beautiful farm country, tranquil villages, historic towns and some nice attractions along the way. And the e-bikes we rented had plenty of power and range so that the riding was effortless and we could add on extra distance without worrying about the battery running out.

The hotels they put us up at were fantastic as were the breakfasts. Overall it was a flawless trip and we look forward to do another trip next year

The Boat accommodations and staff were wonderful. The e-bikes performed well and freshly charged each day.
The guides and routes we took each day were wonderful. The guides were also very knowledgeable of the areas we visited.
Couldn’t have had a better trip.

This was our first bike and barge trip and we had a wonderful time. The Magnifique IV was beautiful and the crew was phenomenal. They were so friendly and they took such good care of us. The food was outstanding! Some advice I would pass on to future guests would be to bring some plastic containers from home to pack your lunch in, containers for sandwich condiments, fruit, etc. for example. We enjoyed getting to know the other passengers but we are a bit more introverted so it was nice having the small seating area in our upper deck suite for some privacy.

Daily rides through charming Dutch and Belgian villages and rural areas.

Beautiful scenery. Amazing guides. Excellent food and drink. Friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating staff.

My husband and I had a wonderful trip aboard the Magnifique II. The crew was great and the biking was outstanding. Loads of fun!

Our Bike and Barge trip on the Merlijn was top notch. There were many highlights including our daily cycling trips guided by our fantastic knowledgeable guide Franciene, who hails from the Netherlands. She told us lots of ‘stories’ along the way and planned each of our outings with great care and personalization. Our Merlin accommodations were top notch. Can’t say enough about our crew. They were amazing professional, friendly and took care of our every need. Christina our co-captain and chef extraordinaire served us fantastic meals every night. I would love to do more exploring with the Merlijn crew in the future.

What a fantastic trip on the Fleur. Captain Steffens navigates a top notch barge. Her staff from sailor, housekeeper, chief, and bike guides were superb.

Biking the pristine countryside with experience informed guides is a unique way to see a quaint part of Belgium and France. Providing e-bikes for all the quests “leveled the playing field” so all could enjoy the bike routes to their abilities and still successfully complete daily rides.

Developing friendships with guests from around the world during the 14 day venture was an added plus.

Thanks Fleur for the memorable trip!

The barge is excellent and the food service great. The staff were very organized and pleasant. The bikes were excellent and the best helmets with the microphone communication with the guide who was also excellent. The routes were well planned and the tours from the boat were good. It was great to have a flexible day where one had a choice to bike and hike, bike and kayak or chose to go on your own excursion which several people did- a day in The Hague and Delft. Highly recommend this tour!

The only worry in the world we had was where to stop for a coffee or lunch. The hotels that were arranged were beautiful and the historic towns we stayed in were really fun to visit.

Imagine cycling along dykes and rivers and canals in the softest light of the morning and seeing on the horizon 19 windmills! That's what happened on the ninth day of our Barge and Bike Tour. We cycled past 19 historical windmills at Kinderdyke. That was how I dreamt cycling in Holland would be. Just magical.
Every now and again you would glimpse through the reeds and rushes, water fowl and swans. and if you were lucky enough to be there just at the right movement, you would see the cygnets climb onto the backs of the mamma swans to have a ride. All that there amongst the fairytale windmills.

The guides were excellent and it was fun when they interacted with us. The entire staff were professional not to mention talented - all were very personable and could not do enough for you. The meals were exceptional!!!! It was fun when guides would add in some things on our rides, like the man who Has created different bikes that we all could try. We were fortunate to have people who interacted! Thank you for a great trip.

This was our first bike and barge experience, yet we had heard many descriptions from friends. We went with excitement and high expectations. And from the moment we were greeted and introduced the boat the Accommodations, pleasantness and service level of the Merlijn crew exceeded every expectation we had by far! Our guide Francine was also superb. Her local knowledge, skill and experience made the ride safe and extremely enjoyable. Highly recommend this boat and crew.

We loved the routes and the stops to view different areas! We appreciated the stops at the WW1 cemeteries, the churches and small towns. The guides were very helpful and friendly.

We had a wonderful time. The combination of biking everyday and returning to our comfy accommodations on the boat was perfect.

The last two days were the most beautiful weather-wise. Loved the scenery, farms, birds, farm animals, gardens, homes, windmills. Just beautiful. The meals on board were delicious. Met some fun people. Loved our upper level rooms!