Belgium Tour Reviews — 871 to 900 of 1071

The bike-friendly paths through magnificent landscapes in Belgium and the Netherlands was outstanding.

The most memorable part of this trip was our impromptu swim off the boat. Jumping from the top and getting 22 of us in the water including the Captain.

This was a fun trip full of historic sites. Would have liked to have maps so we could go off at our own speed sometimes. The side trips for additional mileage were great. Got to ride some of the "Tour de Flanders" route with cobbles and hills. Chantilly was fantastic! Also took a side adventure to a roman ruin, something we weren't expecting in that part of France.

The the scenery was very very enjoyable as were the other guests on board the boat. The major problem or I should say the major dissatisfaction came from the fact that the bikes were too big and too heavy. I am an experienced bike rider and usually feel comfortable on most bikes but these truly were very very uncomfortable for me and I know for some of the other smaller women on the trip, dangerous. My only other comment would be about the guide..... I felt his attitude was very condescending in the first few days he was barely a guide his aim was to get from point A to point B in whatever amount of time he deemed necessary without any consideration for the inexperienced bikers on the trip. The slower bikers trailed way behind perhaps in some cases almost a quarter of a mile behind him and he barely looked back to see if they were there or for that matter even struggling. I volunteered to sweep and finally in frustration stopped him and told him he must go as slow as the slowest biker. I thought it was rather interesting too that he made a point constantly of telling us that if we either went on our own or staggered behind and became lost that he would make no accommodation to look for us. He repeated on several occasions that we were to read the map, read the map! We laughed when we realized that he had actually gotten us lost because his GPS had run low on batteries and he missed a turn. Now this was a man who told us he had done this exact trip 16 times this year! Yes you can see that I was very unhappy with his attitude towards his guests, the people who were his bread and butter.

A wonderful experience as my first bike tour. Enjoyed most everything about the trip, even with the boat breaking down and a new bike route added for the day. However, my first hour was stressful as I had been given the wrong pier to meet the boat. Fortunately, the sister boat was able to give me directions. Two other guest had the wrong directions to pier also.

Food and scenery fantastic! Jack, bike tour guide was rude at times. Also expected everyone to keep up with his ebike. Several women spoke to him and he got a little better and used a sweep and someone to wait at turns. I expected something a little more leisurely so could take pictures along the way. I did not expect a road race even though I could keep up. However, inspite of this, I have recommended the trip to friends as it is a wonderful experience. I do hope you retrain your bike guides to be kind.

The bikes were not in excellent condition. Some needed work on them.
A guide better versed in local traditions and history would have been nice.

It was a wonderful way to see the country. Wonderful fellow travelers and the crew couldn't gave been more accommodating . So much fun!

I thought there weren't enough safety precautions: riding too close, no warning of slowing or stopping. Would have liked more stops along the way for photos.

Loved the Magnifique II! The food was spectacular! Variety of routes/terrains.

We did the bike barge trip from Bruges to Paris on the Zwantjie. We would absolutely recommend the trip. Our comments are:
1. While the cabins are small, they are still adequate and good layout in the bathroom ( each cabin has it's own) . They are kept very clean. They all have AC as the porthole does not open.
2. The rides was rated easy to moderate. It was MUCH harder than Bolzano to Venice so be prepared. I would say it should be rated moderate. The second week is easier than the first - perhaps due to improved fitness but also l think there are less hills.
3. Meals were good and wholesome.
4. Staff were incredibly obliging. Nothing was too much trouble. Thank you Martyn ( the Captain ), Michael ( mechanic ), Chris ( chef/cook ), Gosha ( amazingly efficient at serving meals/alcohol and cleaning the cabins ) and our great guides, Christain and Elia.
5. Size of about 24 riders is excellent. For us, better than say 30-40 as on the Ava Maria. You get to know all the riders are we had a great group of people, Australians, Americans and Poms.
6. When we stayed in Perrone we went to Villers Bretonneux. This is particularly relevant to Australians - whose troops saved the town from the Germans in WW1. A stunning memorial site -very moving. We also rode through a number of memorials to WW1 victims. Also quite moving.

The food was excellent. We also enjoyed the guided tours in the evenings.

Accommodations were too small. The rest of the journey made up for lack of space. No room to put our belongings.

The routing was great, food excellent, barge lovely and the staff was outstanding: Nico, Eric, Jan, Martin, - would love to have them lead my next bike and barge trip. Yay for the Elodie, my favorite barge. Thanks Nico for all the help; The crew made this trip one of a kind. I'll be back.

LIa is the best guide we've ever worked with - well informed, good managing people, qualified in every way; and went well beyond what she had to do in her position. All the riding - even in the rain and varied road surfaces - was extremely pleasant.

Because Lia is an exceptional guide; on this trip one guide for up to 30 cyclists worked well. In most cases, however, I think having only one guide for this large a group - especially a group with many novice riders - is bad practice. Also, a water bottle cage and a cyclometer on the bike would have been nice.

Boat and crew were first class as was the bicycles. Lots of fun and enjoyed the evening company. Beautiful scenery and city visits. Most memorable was the 50 km day trip my 86 year old father-in-law did with 7 other family members.

The bike and barge trip aboard the Magnifique was amazing. Could not have asked for a better trip! Can't wait to go on another bike and barge trip.

Truly a wonderful experience. I was the tour organizer for a group of 12 tandem cyclists. Hennie and her staff at TripSite and the Captain and crew of the Quo Vadis were truly above and beyond expectations. This was a life bucket trip for all involved and all were very satisfied with the entire experience!

What stands out is the friendly competent crew - Coba, Marianne and Petra, the gourmet chef - Franco, the experienced knowledgeable guides - Piet and Wouter. Together they made the two week journey both comfortable and memorable.

What stands out is the friendly competent crew - Coba, Marianne and Petra, the gourmet chef - Franco, the experienced knowledgeable guides - Piet and Wouter. Together they made the two week journey both comfortable and memorable.

Wonderful staff - the entire trip was just great! Tome, our guide was exceptional.

Everything was A-1. I was totally surprised when our tour guide Tom managed to reunite me with my lost "zebra" luggage on a cobblestone street corner 4 days into the trip! Thanks, Tom!

My husband and I had a great bike trip. Riding through the Belgium/Netherlands was delightful. The staff made the trip most memorable- Jacob (bike guide), Els (boat captain), Thomas (cook).

Our first bike barge holiday and we loved it. Good mix of nationalities as guests. The Magnifique truly was glorious.

We loved the trip. Hank, Jantien, & staff were super as usual. The electric bike was a bit heavy. My(Anita) electric bike at home feels much lighter--it's smaller. Look forward to another trip on Merlijn & with Jantien & Hank. --Anita & Duncan

The staff of the Merlijn were delightful and very personable. Enjoyed them thoroughly.

Travel aboard the Merlijn is always a wonderful experience. Our guide, Felix, was excellent. This was our fourth trip and we will return for more.

The most memorable part of my trip were the small towns and villages that we visited. These are places where tourists rarely venture. The people are friendly and open for conversations; willing to share their lives and experiences with us. And curious to know about us as well. I have so many wonderful memories.

Having the map to tryi to not get lost was so much fun. Thank you to all the staff for making the bike barge a great activity vacation.

Great trip BUT.. We decided to cycle with 6 others because we are experienced riders. We were counting on the signage being much more complete and easier to follow. At times, there was no indication of where to go. Our path just ended! Also, the bigger group, of about 18, had some inexperienced riders and we felt that riding in this large a group could be dangerous...which proved to be the case.
In one case, a previous rider had taken the liberty to use a marker to write our path number on a sign. Thanks to him/her we were able to continue on without taking out the GPS. Had this been done on several other signs, we would not have had to find our way ...using GPS..on many occasions. There were also 4 other Europeans, who cycled as a group, who experienced the same sense of frustration as us.
We will forward a photo to the Tripsite website. Thanks for providing a most enjoyable and memorable trip.

I would recommend it, but with reservations. I think there should have been two guides, one to take a faster group and one for a beginner group. A few people on the trip should not have been. They were not comfortable on their bikes, and were a daily danger to whomever they were near. Something should have been done about it.
I also would have liked to ride faster, and spend more free time in the little towns.