Belgium Tour Reviews — 601 to 630 of 1021

Our guide, Geert, would take us on an after dinner historical walking tour of each town where we were staying the night. Geert was extremely knowledgeable about every place we went. Between all we saw during the day while we were biking, and the after dinner walking tour, we learned so much! If Geert is your guide, don't miss a minute of his walks!

Really enjoyed the dedicated bike paths, the small villages/towns we stopped in for breaks. My only concern was the sometimes intermittent contact with the ship (cell service) and contingency plan should a participant become ill or injured or if the bike broke down.

The trip, from start to finish, far exceeded our expectations. We were welcomed aboard by a very lovely crew and shown to our cabin. Accommodations, while "cozy" were clean, attractive and storage spaces were very thoughtfully planned; it never felt claustrophobic. Meals were as good as any four star restaurant and my gluten free needs were met without any problems. I cannot say enough about the crew and our guides; they were outgoing, caring, accommodating and fun to be around. I can say as much for the guests. I felt as if I was with old friends (not just the "old friends" with which we were travelling.) The bikes were in good condition and guides made sure everyone had a bike to fit their size. The tour, scenery, quick visits to churches and castles, even the little unexpected things, like vending machines filled with chilled strawberries, remain fixed in my memory as the most special experiences. We were very lucky that the weather was perfect each day. The ride and short stops in beautiful little towns added to this wonderful trip, and our guides, Tom and Hilko made each stop interesting and fun. I could go on, but suffice it to say, this will not be our last trip with Tripsite!

The whole trip was fantastic. The food was amazing, staff was wonderful and the barge was comfortable and gorgeous. Bruges and Ghent were our favorite stops.

The entire barge and bike trip was superlative! But what impressed me the most biking and barging aboard the Magnifique besides the excellent accommodations, great and varied food, breathtaking scenery, and cultural stops, was the professionalism of the staff. The Bruges to Amsterdam crew of six were constantly working to make our week safe, enjoyable, and deplete of any hitches. If you have never even thought of a trip like this because you deemed it too adventurous, please reconsider! The 30 miles per day of riding were pretty easy even for a casual rider, and for anyone who has concerns about “keeping up” or has some physical limitations, e- bikes were available that leveled the playing field. I think that biking through a country really gives you an appreciation and in-depth feeling you would never get by touring more traditionally. And all those calories burned allows more ingestion of Belgium’s famous chocolates and fries! Absolutely loved this trip!

Magnifique III was so much better than imagined. Great looking barge inside & out! Dining room glowed, friendly bar, wonderful creative chef. I’m a “foodie” and never expected such fresh delicious meals. Room accommodations small neat clean would have liked little more room so 2 people could unpack their suitcases.
Staff was friendly attentive and did their jobs efficiently. Bike trip was well planned, I personally would have liked to have been able to stop a few more times to enjoy scenery surroundings & picturesque small towns.
I recommend a bike/barge trip through Tripsite... I would consider another!

Although this was a bike-barge trip, I did not bike; rather, I stayed on the barge each day as it progressed along the rivers and canals. It was very pleasant and relaxing watching the scenery. Each day I was able to disembark at least once prior to arrival at the destination for the night to walk around nearby towns or along paths. The crew was extremely gracious and accommodating to my presence on the barge.

It would be difficult to pick one specific memory as the most significant. I loved the companionship of my fellow riders. I recall one beautiful afternoon as we rode through countryside reminiscent of a Van Gogh painting. I was impressed by the open friendly manner of the local people in the small towns through which we rode.

Great ship, staff and scenery.

Everything was fantastic. Each day they gave route instructions. I tried to follow along with the instructions with the ride, but in reality, I would have missed several turns if I had not stayed with the group. So even though theoretically, you can do self-guided, I think in reality it would have been a mistake. I believe the first day the route guidance indicated some photo places that we did not stop at. Either the guide didn't want to, or we had gone a slightly different route. I do think the guides modified the routes slightly based on wind, riders etc. But all in all FABULOUS trip - thoroughly enjoyed it.

Our bike and barge trip with Tripsite from Brugges to Amsterdam was a wonderful trip we will remember always! The Magnifique II was luxurious, the food was amazing, the scenery was gorgeous, and our bike guides were fantastic. Overall we would recommend this company to all our friends and we are already planning our trip for next year!

Most Memorable Part? The travel through the countryside and villages. The trip exceeded our expectations. The two guides, Tom and Hillo knew their stuff and created a culture of camaraderie for the bikers. This trip provided an opportunity to witness life in the countries of Holland and Belgium.

The bike and barge from Amsterdam to Bruges on the Magnifique was extraordinary! Whether you were aboard the boat or the bike there was never "a bad view". The route was a great mix of small villages, farmland and cities - our guides were fun and knowledgeable about the history of each region. Thanks to the fantastic staff of the Magnifique, the entire trip was memorable. Our fellow guests were a wonderful mix of folks from many countries and it was fun getting to know them. Thank you Tripsite for making the booking of this trip so easy - I would highly recommend your company to anyone considering this type of trip.

Most Memorable Part: The lovely scenery and the excellent condition of all the bike paths.

Most Memorable Part: Biking thru the countryside of Netherlands and Belgium

The full range of stimulating experiences of all things Dutch with so many things different every day. The impressive first day, in particular, through and out of Amsterdam set up exciting anticipation for subsequent days that was maintained. If one highlight has to singled out, which is somewhat unfair, it would be the spectacular and unique ride over the Zealand Bridge and competing there with the raw forces of nature. Our tip would be to ensure you use the route maps and GPS in combination noting the advice that there are variances, and each evening check out the actual start of the route for the following day.

Most memorable part: We stopped at a small bar and had a fabulous time dancing and singing!

A fantastic tour, with knowledgeable guides that led us through Holland and Belgium. Everything aboard the Magnifique III was top notch and any concerns we had (our room was a little musty) were dealt with immediately and to our satisfaction. The biking was very enjoyable, primarily on bike paths and even when on roads the cars are very respectful of bicyclists. The routes at 50km lengths sound daunting but were the perfect length to fill the day along with frequent breaks for pictures and beer! I do recommend saddle time prior to the trip and bike shorts! The bikes were in excellent condition too. Overall one of the best vacations we’ve ever had. Highly recommend. If you are more adventurous you can download the maps on your phone and go self-guided. Many in our group did that and had no issues.

The bike ride from Amsterdam to Bruges was a great way to connect 2 tourist destinations and get a different experience going through the amazing countryside. The fact that the Netherlands is so bike-friendly makes all the difference! The [local partner](https://www.tripsite.com/about/our-partners/) has a lot of experience with planning the right routes and selecting optimal locations to stop at night.

The experience of being able to see the countryside, remote villages and sites at a slower pace with the experience and knowledge of a guide is the highlight. It is good to leave your luggage onboard the barge and know you return each evening to great food and rest.

[CycleTours](https://www.tripsite.com/about/our-partners/) gave us a unique and thoroughly enjoyable way to see a country that was new to us. We cycled through farms and villages where there were no tourists -- met local folks and saw how they lived. Our delightful and knowledgeable guide made sure that the pace of each day's cycling was do-able by people of different abilities -- often we'd cycle for an hour or two, stop for coffee; cycle for an hour or so, eat lunch. Cycle for an hour and stop for refreshment; cycle an hour and we're "home", where bowls of nuts, cookies, and tea/coffee/juice welcomed us.

It's a shame that the incompetence and the misogynistic attitude of one person can affect what could have been a fantastic trip, our guide on several occasions got lost and we ended up doing many more kilometres of riding including a very long and steep hill climb that we had to walk in the hot sun.
I can not praise the Captain and crew of the Zwaantjie more highly it's a shame he has no control over the guides that are allocated to various trips.

Most Memorable Part: Sharing the beautiful scenery while biking with great friends

The barge staff, tour guides and fellow bike riders were the best part of this tour! Please know that this is definitely a bike tour. We zipped through towns at a steady pace but it wasn’t unbearable for a novice bike rider like me. However there wasn’t much time to visit any towns and do some sightseeing.

Most Memorable Part: Riding through the Belgian countryside

The Brugge to Amsterdam trip was a very flat, easy trip and we recommend it for beginner barge and bikers. Our main criticism was that although the guides were very nice and helpful, we would have liked more information and history on the sights along the way, and more picture stops.

The guides were truly terrific.
The routes and stopping cafes were wonderfully thought out. Bathrooms at stops were very clean. Pace of rides was perfect for a first time experience.
The food on board was outstanding. Chef Alex was sensational!
The lunch meat, cheeses,and bread selections were great for making our road food.
This was our first Bike and Barge experience. It was wonderful!
Thanks to everyone!

A lengthy bike trip through the Netherlands gives you an opportunity to drill down into their culture on a wider scale. It helps that they all speak English. The Dutch really seem to have figured it (life) out. We have much to learn from them and bring back their best practices...such as their capability to get anywhere in the country safely on a bike. How cool is that?

I enjoyed the countryside trails most. The trip was really totally good. As a biker whose biking skills are a bit rusty, it was a challenge, and I am glad I could do it!

We were very happy with the biking experience, the food, the scenery, our new biking friends, our wonderful guide and the rest of the employees on the boat. We were disappointed at the end of the trip when we were advised that we had possibly been exposed to bed bugs. Adding to the disappointment, ship staff blamed us for having brought the bed bugs aboard the ship.

Other than this issue, we had a wonderful trip!