Belgium Tour Reviews — 31 to 60 of 1097

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

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 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.

There are two aspects to the trip: the booking with Tripsite, and the actual tour.

As for the TripSite portion, I would rate it C minus, primarily because of the lack of transparency in pricing. They price in euros, but obtain payments in dollars. I found their exchange rate was very poor, on par with the worst ATMs in Europe. They charged about 7-7.5% above the official exchange rate. Shame on your, Tripsite!

As for the tour portion, I'd rate it a B. The Magnifique III boat , crew and accommodations were very nice, and the food was excellent. The tour guides were quite good, though I was a bit disappointed that they insisted on us staying with the group -- there were times I wanted t heard off on my own with the Ride GPS app, and my recollection of the advertisement was that we would be able to go off on our own if desired. The mileage each day was appropriate, though there were a couple people on the tour who should have opted for the ebike, since they had a difficult time keeping up with the rest of the group. The bike pace was quite reasonable.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.