4 Star Belgium Tour Reviews — 91 to 120 of 120
Lynda C.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Carla • 7 years ago Tripsite Staff
Thanks so much for your feedback.
I'm sorry you had a hard time with the bikes aboard the Fluvius.
Regarding the tour guide, we encourage all of our guests to speak up when something is not going right so we can do our best to remedy the situation immediately. We agree, during your tour that the guide was not on his best behavior and have since had to consider a replacement for him.
There has been some confusion aboard the Fluvius about the role of your tour guide. Because there are 30+ bikers aboard the Fluvius, he cannot be counted on to lead and look after all riders at all times. The guide's role is not to lead the group, but to be sure all riders get from point A to point B safely. If one rider has a flat tire or another becomes lost, it is the guide's job to "rescue" the rider.
For most boats under 30 passengers, the guide will lead and look after the bikers for the day's route. But for some bigger boats, Read More i.e. 30+ passengers, the guide's role is a bit different. You can read on the "What's Included / What's Not Included" section of the tour page the difference between the guide's role.
Brenda B.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
Roberta S.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
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.
Gloria S.
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Elodie Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France
Accommodations were too small. The rest of the journey made up for lack of space. No room to put our belongings.
Jehiel • 8 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hello Gloria,
Sorry to hear the Elodie was too small in your opinion. France is known for it's narrow canals so as a result the ships have to be smaller in order to navigate the waterways. We provide information including dimensions and note "... storage space is limited in the cabins". You can find more information on the Elodie Boat Page.
J. House
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
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!
J. Backes
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Fabulous trip. Great, hospitable staff willing to please, answer questions, professional, share information. Boat was clean, comfortable, well equipped. Food was excellent and there was plenty to enjoy.
J. Kister
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
When I first heard of a bike & barge trip, I thought I would be sleeping on a cot under the stars! After obtaining more info, I realized we would have a comfortable room but I was very impressed with our accommodations. It was like being on a mini cruise. Food was great, tour guide was personable and entertaining, friendly staff went out of their way to make this trip extra special. We had an arranged canal boat tour complete with champagne after arriving in Amsterdam! I would highly recommend the Magnifique and this crew, for an awesome way to experience Belgium and The Netherlands.
J. Backes
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Exceptional staff, welcoming, friendly, informative, knowledgable. Perhaps on the rides having a buddy system so the guide doesn't need to count all the people to make sure everyone is present would be my only suggestion. I sometimes got the sense that people wanted to stop more often to take pictures and no one told them not to but then it can take time away from getting to visit town at the end of the day. Perhaps that needs to be discussed in more depth. Sometimes some of the breaks were longer than necessary. Again they were fine but took time from visiting a town at the end of the trip.
W. Staab
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Great bike leader. Have name tags for participants or for bikes to help us w names. Would like to have been brave enough to ride on my own! Some participants were not really regular cyclists. Would have been good to have a briefing re group bike rules, including spacing, passing, signaling, warnings, etc.
K. Hadley
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Some wait staff could have been more accommodating. We seemed burdensome at times. Running out of food & then having to wait for more or not refilled at all was an annoyance.
Jehiel • 8 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hello K. Hadley,
We are very sorry to hear this. We have since spoken with our partners on the Fluvius and they have taken steps with their staff to correct this problem. We work very hard with our local partners to provide the best experience for our guests. We hope to help you plan your next trip!
Patsy Duggan
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
My sister and I loved the trip and have told many people to book the barg trip. One of the best trips I have had.
Paavo Kivisto
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Feniks Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France
Issues related to the boat: bad smell, cabin room was cozier than we would choose in the future. Laundry facilities were inadequate. We really enjoyed the trip, the guide and the experience!
Craig McGowan
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
All good on our bike and barge trip from Amsterdam to Bruges - especially the fantastic boat crew (I got to spend a rainy afternoon on the bridge with the boat captain).
Robin Bagby
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Barge had bugs in drains. Lots in room every night. Aldo specifically booked comfort class boat for the AC. They turned it off before 9pm every night.
Noel Williams
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Trip was up to high standard and very enjoyable. Great staff and very friendly atmosphere.
Natadha Vickery
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Tijdgeest Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Excellent guide, staff. Very friendly and helpful. No complaints.
Natadha Vickery
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Excellent guide, staff. Very friendly and helpful. No complaints.
George Pappas
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Quo Vadis Brussels to Bruges
Belgium
We have made two bike and barge tours in the Netherlands and thoroughly enjoyed both trips. We are looking forward to another trip this coming spring on a barge with low beds. (Bunk beds are not as easy to use as we get older.)
Diane Denham
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Gandalf Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
I had an amazing time. I loved everything about it and I would recommend it to anyone. In fact I have recommended it to many many people.
Alica Kline
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Elodie Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France
Food was great, would have liked more flexibility on cycling.
Linda Scotten
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 8 day
Belgium, Netherlands
Though not a 'delux' trip the staff and other passengers made it such a memorable trip! It might not suit everyone but we loved it!
John Ummels
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Wending Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Cycling a wee bit fast. Most people were in fifties & sixties and I was seventy-nine.
Anne Moessner
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Fantabulous! Will be back and do another trip. Am a Tripsite ambassador!
Bob Connor
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
The bikes provided were crap. You could still see the cobwebs. What was particularly egregious was the lack of a decent bicycle pump to bring our tires up to pressure on a daily basis.
Richard Krenn
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Gandalf Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Was disappointed that there seemed to be less cycling per day that expected from the website description.
Tamara MacAskill
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Brussels to Bruges
Belgium
Route guidance and maps need improvement. Otherwise, everything was great.
Richard Kurtz
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Cabins were nicer than I expected. We stayed with the guide as found the routes hard to navigate and the guide knew all the great stops. Dinners were good, breakfast and lunches needed more variety by the end of the week. We had fabulous weather and loved the route. Lots to see.
Maryellen Doyle
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Quo Vadis Brussels to Bruges
Belgium
We really enjoyed the trip in general and would just search out a barge with a bit more public space were we to do a future trip. "
Wendy • 7 years ago
Hi Maryellen,
My husband and I are going on the trip this August. Thank you for your informative review. I just had one question. You mentioned rain pants. What time if year did you go?
Any other tips as well?
Thank you so much.
Maryellen • 7 years ago
Wendy
I think our tour started in Aug 30 or close. Note that we did not have any rain DAYS but several times showers threatened and would hit in early afternoon for a bit - or one time linger for a couple hours but we were mostly touring in a city then so ducked into cathedrals etc but then had athree mile ride back to the barge. Note - I brought my helmet from US and I also had a visor which, if raining, i somehow layered with my helmet, then pulled my rain jacket hiid iver too - the visor kept the rain off my face. Have a great trip,
Peter and Janice Vink
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Amsterdam to Bruges Bike Tour
Netherlands, Belgium
This was our first tour in hotels, others have been on barges. I would recommend staying with the barges. There is no contact with a person regarding the tour or the bikes except hotel staff so issues with the bikes were difficult. Bikes were in bad shape we had 4 flats and a broken gear casing so we spent a lot of time in bike shops getting repairs done. Thank goodness ther are lots of bike shops in Holland. GPS was good but one day took us to the wrong hotel some 10 km off course and missed a town we had to back track the next day to see, so that was very annoying. After that we made sure it had the right destination on the GPS. Some hotels were lovely but a couple were very small. We had purchased the meal plan and that was good, though Tripsite said we would have a choice of meals there were 3 places it was just one meal offered to bike tour participants. Holland is beautiful and enjoyable to bike though we had lots of rain and wind so dress appropriately.
Joel Benedito Junior
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
1) In the boat is possible to rent helmet for EU$ 5/week. This renting is good for travelers that spend more time in Europe. I'm not sure if this information is available in the Tripsite's site.
2) I ordered a E-bike for my wife. In the boat I saw that 2 kinds of E-bike are offered to the customers. My wife would love bike in a more comfortable E-bike.
3) According to the staff of the boat, I should speak German. I don't know the source of this information. This information is used to organize the passengers in the restaurant.
All Tour Reviews by Country
Boat/Barge Reviews
- Magellan
- Magnifique I
- Magnifique II
- Magnifique III
- Magnifique IV
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- Merlijn
- Florentina
- Normandie
- Princess
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