5 Star Belgium Tour Reviews — 91 to 120 of 804

We just got off the Magnifique III today. What a wonderful trip despite some inclimate weather. Our biking guides Peter and Edith were fun, knowledgeable, encouraging and brought us to some very interesting local places on our very scenic ride through countryside, fields, forests and towns. We had very full days eating breakfast at 8, on the road by 9:30 and back on the boat by 5 ish, depending on how many miles were covered , or if you took the long or short routes offered. The meals cooked by Chef Steven were magnificent-steak, seafood, fish and lots of veggie option- way beyond what I expected. Meike and Annika kept us very happy on board and took care of rooms and provisions. Captain Hank and first mate Jarre were experts at what they do, made themselves available for questions and occasional tours of the boat and kept us informed of our routes and sights along the way.
We had morning and nightly briefings, and Peter gave lots of history, tours and background info.
I was wowed by how first class this operation is. There were only 20 cabins, with a total of less than 40 in our group-perfect size.i chose an electric bike, with the option of choosing no, low, or high assist.
The terrain was flat, so assist was only needed in strong headwinds. I had wanted a top deck cabin with full length glass doors, but was too late booking to get one. It ended up that those cabins were sometimes blocked by a dock or another boat when docke so I am glad I did not spend the extra-unless you spent time in the rooms while sailing.
We went with a group of 6 and enjoyed our time together as everything was provided for. Lots of options for our athletic to laid back group. I will be booking another trip with them. Highly recommend

The tour was very well organized. Pieter was waiting for us at the Abcoude train station when we arrived and he took the time to thoroughly explain everything about the bikes, the equipment, safety rules and tips, hotels, etc. Most of the pedalling is through the country side and small and quaint villages. The scenery was beautiful and relaxing. All hotels were excellent, with well appointed rooms although a few were on the smaller side. Nevertheless, all hotels had their own unique charm and all breakfasts were excellent.

Before starting, we thought we could average around 18 km/h but in reality, we were closer to the 15-16 km/ average pretty much every day. Main reasons for that were :
1. Head winds (sometimes quite strong) more than half of the time which slow you down
2. Stopping/starting to take pictures, admire the scenery. Every time you stop, you have to get back up to speed.
3. Cycling through towns and villages, you can't go very fast as there are pedestrians and you are cycling on (sometimes very) uneven coblestones.
4. Getting lost. The GPS worked quite well in the country side but not as well once in larger cities. Not all wrong detours were the GPS fault though!

Some tips :
- Leave early if you would like to make some stops along the way (take a coffee, visit a windmill, etc.) and not arrive at your destination at 6 PM. This is especially true if you want to visit something at your end destination for the day as most attractions close around 5 PM.
- Plan your next day's itinerary the night before. Some days there aren't many lunch options along the way so make sure your timing is right. On day 3, we ended up doing a little more than 40 kms before lunch and ate around 2:30 PM because the area where we wanted to stop turned out to be a commercial area with no place to eat.
- Expect to do a few more kms every day because of wrong turns, things to visit, etc.
- Have a data plan. For us, because the GPS didn't always work so well in town, that's what we used to get to the hotels 4 of the 6 days.
- As mentioned in the documentation on how to prepare, make sure you are saddle ready. Based on our experience, the most difficult/painful day was the second one. After that, it got better every day.

Overall, we loved our experience and we highly recommend this tour without hesitation.

A note and not a review. Some colleagues returned to the Fluvius a few minutes after midnight and the sliding glass doors on either side of the main deck were locked. These doors were locked with a key on both the outside and the inside. My concern is that if there were an emergency and crew were not available, passengers could not open the sliding glass doors from the inside. I think this is a safety issue and those doors should have an emergency inside lock that can be opened by any passenger or crew without a key or without specific training.

Overall, a great trip. Excellent meals - thanks to Mirka and her staff. Carla and Laura were great tour guides and I hope Carla recovers from her accident soon.

Another suggestion - review mirrors on the bikes would make keeping groups together a bit easier.

We were on the boat "Sailing Home" and we went from Bruges to Amsterdam. We've never done a Bike & Barge trip before and this trip far exceeded our expectations. From the moment we stepped on board, there was a warm welcome from the 5 fantastic crew members. These 5 could not do enough for you to make your trip a trip to remember. There were 22 travelers on board and having breakfast and dinners with them was so much fun. The food was 5 star every night, the captain was awesome with our boat... smooth and easy travel. Our bike guide was outstanding. We went to so many different places, learned about the history in the villages, she personalized the trip by taking us to a cheese farm and was calm under pressure! The biking was incredible... it was so beautiful everywhere! The rooms were cozy and it was so nice having a bathroom in each room! I highly recommend this trip. It was spectacular!

The route is carefully planned to include as much rural bike paths and beautiful country side. As someone who grew up in the Netherlands, I am very impressed in the careful planning of green and agricultural area versus urbanization. The route led us via these green parts of the Netherland I hadn't experienced before. The cultural aspect in the selection of stop=over cities is also noteworthy and admirable.

All in all a great trip and highly recommendable.

The staff aboard the Magnifique IV were fabulous. We had great bike tour guides. The people we met on the ship were from all over the world and we all became friends. I would highly recommend this tour and we will be doing this again

The biking routes were excellent! The recommended paths of the self-guided tour were well chosen, easy to follow, gorgeous and fun.

Its May; pack for all weather, it'll happen within your 4 hour ride, yes there are hills - spend the money, get an ebike! Such great guides McEel & Marcel. So glad to be lead by them, their knowledge, trail guidance was reassuring, you felt safe with them knowing where the group was going and looking out for you. Stopping to enjoy coffees and "should see" items. Steffie; owner of the boat and also our chef made such delicious dishes; duck, salmon, sea bass and lovely bought the day of vegetables...did I mention the the morning cheeses and breads, yum, yum. It would be nice to know the name of the cheeses...sadly, can't remember them now.
We hesitated taking a smaller boat but thoroughly enjoyed learning how canals work, river tunnels, felt like we part of the water system way, not knowing where the Fleur was going to park added to the excitement of finding her.
Absolutely loved it. Great way to experience the waterways of Europe as they did hundreds of years ago, though with a shower and warm bed...

Another biking trip of a lifetime and this time on the beautiful Magnifique III. What a beautiful ship, terrific crew, great chef and awesome bike guides. Biking from Bruges, Belgium to Amsterdam was just fantastic.

Cycling through farmland and so many small towns and villages, stopping at a bar/cafe, this is a great way to see a place. The other cyclists were kind and friendly, the staff was attentive and lighthearted.

My most memorable part of the trip was the barge and crew. It was a pleasure to be on the barge.

Hello. The trip is nice, beautiful ride! The only thing makes me very upset is the way the chef treat me, his rude. Never in my life, someone talk to me that way. His name is Emilio! All other stafs is so nice.

Our Bruges to Amsterdam trip was a spectacular! From the moment we boarded Magnifique 1 we were blown away by the beautiful interior of the ship, the warmth of the crew and the organization for the bike trip to begin the next day. Each day ended with a short meeting outlining the next day's route and particulars. The riders were split into two groups that remained with their wonderful guides for the week. We always felt safe on our rides and the pace was very manageable. We stopped for a morning and afternoon break and lunch. The food on board was delicious and varied and the presentation was beautiful. Probably our most memorable part of the journey was the consistently beautiful scenery and the making of new friends from several different countries. This trip was so much more than a vacation, it was an experience we will always remember! Thank you crew of the Magnifique 1 for all the incredible memories!

The biking was amazing. Can’t believe how good the bike paths/trails are! And flat

Every aspect of the trip was first rate, but the luxury of the barge, the quality of the meals and the attentiveness of all the staff deserve special mention and praise. Well done everyone!

THE RIDES ... we loved the options for self-guided daily rides - the GPS system for the rides was fantastic and the tour guides were so awesome in supporting us to do the self guided rides when there were issues with the trails and/or tips for the day. We like to go at our own pace and stop when/where we were ready for a break. The ability to use the GPS off data was an amazing benefit and a big PLUS for this trip.

The tour guide(s) and the staff on the Magnifique 1 made this trip memorable as well - they went above and beyond to ensure the trip was MAGNIFIQUE!

This was the most wonderful trip I have ever taken. The scenery was beautiful, the weather was perfect and the trip was very well organized. We met some wonderful people who were also on our barge and the ebikes we used made the trip delightfully doable (we did bring along extra gel seat pads for the bikes which were welcomed after a few days of riding!) Our guide was knowledgable and funny and kept our group on target. Our group was pretty large and it would have be nice to have had an extra guide as our sweep but our guide Maryann did an excellent job of handling mishaps when they occurred.This will go down as one of the most wonderful trips I have taken and I would encourage everyone to sign have this adventure!

Everything. Loved the idea of biking through the country and spending time on the barge with the guests. The boat crew were very friendly and helpful. The food was excellent and the accommodations were great. I would do this again and have recommended it to my friends.

The Bruge to Amsterdam trip was great! It was wonderful to see parts of the Netherlands and Belgium that you wouldn’t see just touring by train or car. Using the ride with GPS App made the self-guided trip seamless and the odd time some unexpected construction appeared on the pathway, the always pleasant tour guides managed to be there to redirect.

That it was PERFECT !
My advice to others would be to book specifically the Magnifique II

Great professional staff. A top notch experience. I highly recommend this trip.

We had an absolutely amazing trip on the Sailing Home! The crew was outstanding and the experience memorable. I would love to do it again. The only complaint that I have is that for such a large group, we should have a rear guide that is part of the team.

The food on the barge was amazing. Our tour guides were attentive to our needs every day. I definitely would recommend an e-bike. It was a game changer on windy days.

Most memorable was the stunning countryside along the Dutch canals-- grass waving in the breeze, sheep grazing all around, wildflowers, and the occasional swan swimming by. Bonus: not a hint of litter anywhere. Honestly, I kept asking myself if it was all real.

There were so many memorable parts of our trip from Burges to Amsterdam. The gorgeous countryside we rode through, the fantastic accommodations on the Manifique II and of course the outstanding crew and guides. We have done similar trips before but this one topped them all. The offer of two different length rides each day , the stops in the countryside to sightsee, traveling through locks, riding our bikes on to ferries and generally feeling like a local. The meals that the chef offered us out of his small kitchen were 5 star. The enthusiasm of the crew added so much to this rich experience. Upon returning to the boat each day they all made us feel like we had won the Tour de France! I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to ride through the beautiful countryside of Belgium and the Netherlands and to have a great time doing it!

From the moment we boarded the Magnifique IV to the morning we left everything was exceptional…Mariela was our cycling guide for the week and she couldn’t have been more lovely. We had beautiful weather and each day of cycling was interesting and fun! All members of the crew went out of their way to make us comfortable and the food prepared by Jules was delicious! We had a great group of travellers and enjoyed our social time on the barge each evening. We would highly recommend the adventure!
John and Kate

Beautiful countryside and small towns; our guides were knowledgeable and helpful. The boat was beautiful and comfortable. Staff on the boat were friendly, accommodating, and professional. Oh--and the food was 5 star delicious!

Incredibly warm, friendly and extremely customer-focused crew, all 7 of them!

We loved travelling on the Magnifique II from Amsterdam to Bruges. It’s a beautiful, intimate barge with nice sized rooms. With only 30 people on board we got to know almost everyone. The food was amazing everyday and all 7 staff were friendly and accommodating. The guided biking was the highlight even though we didn’t have great weather. Both of the biking guides were great fun, informative and kept everyone safe.

My husband and I chose a bike trip from Amsterdam to Bruges in September 2023 for our Honeymoon! We had an absolutely fabulous time! Each hotel was delightful, breakfasts were fantastic! We were happy with our bikes, and the bike storage that was provided was ideal. We couldn't have been happier with our route, and each town along the way. We prepared for picnics each day, and that offered a nice rest in a beautiful place, giving us the energy to head to the next stop. We felt that we had time to explore and see the sites, and also relax as we went along. Make sure to get the GPS! Highly recommend, and hope to do something again in the future.