5 Star Belgium Tour Reviews — 91 to 120 of 871

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.

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.

We had a wonderful time. The combination of biking everyday and returning to our comfy accommodations on the boat was perfect.

The last two days were the most beautiful weather-wise. Loved the scenery, farms, birds, farm animals, gardens, homes, windmills. Just beautiful. The meals on board were delicious. Met some fun people. Loved our upper level rooms!

How our guide, Ronald, guided us into new discoveries each day, how he added info and history on special places, and how he kept us all on the road together.

My wife and I rented e-bikes for the trip which allowed us more time to enjoy the sights and restaurants along the way! The routes chosen for us were perfect and navigation was easy with the information and GPS tracks provided through Tripsite. One highlight was the scenery as it transitioned though cities, pastoral country-side and the beaches of the Netherlands. Another highlight included the many people we chatted with along the cycle paths or at picnic tables as we ate our lunch/snacks - it's amazing what we had in common with the people we met along the way! Biking is definitely an adventure we will do again.

The two guides, Hetty and Tim, made the trip. Meals in the Iris were very good. The crew was friendly and helpful. Bikes were comfortable and were easy to use. The nine day trip was perfect.

The rides and the landscape and the quaint communities were great.
The staff was super and the food was top notch.

This was an amazing trip, the boat was clean and well appointed, the crew and tour leaders were exceptional, the food was incredible and the rides each day were so lovely riding through the country side and in and out of all the little towns and bigger cities. We did the guided tour and were so happy we did. Our tour guides were informative and communicated well about what to expect each day. Our first bike/barge trip and we are hooked!

The scenery was wonderful, the guides were full of care for clients, the food was fantastic, the beds were comfortable, but the best part was the friendships formed between staff and clients throughout the journey.

The cycle pace, the scenery and the camaraderie of the guests and two guides.

Great bike trip! Favorite city was middleberg! Be sure to enjoy the cheese in Gouda.

Finally getting around to a review from this past summer. We had great weather, and the biking was great. We learned a lot with our guide and allowed us a different point of view as travelers. Thank you! As for the ship, it was clean and comfortable, and Emile, the chef, was amazing! He put a lot of effort into accommodating everyone's dietary needs/concerns, not to mention the food was delicious! He handled the rude customers very well, and maintained professionalism even when they were extremely unreasonable. He went above and beyond with customer service and because of him, my time onboard was fantastic. If we go again, we want to ensure he will be the chef during our tour. The other staff members were very friendly and would sit with us all and join in on the fun. It is a trip I would recommend to all my friends.

All parts of the trip were memorable. One of the few boat/bike tours that does your laundry. Bring extra pair of warm underwear if doing it in October. Alcohol, sodas, diet sodas, tea, and snacks always available. Coffee almost always available. Crew was like friends and they went out of the way to cater to individual needs. I would do this trip again. I brought extra protein powder, sometimes European meals don't have enough. I had a GoPro strapped to my chest during bike rides and I could start it, stop it, and take a video or picture all with voice commands. I couldn't believe the number of castles, churches, war memorials, not to mention docking in Auvers the village where Van Gogh lived. Saw his grave and the meadow he painted the crows. I would/will do this trip again. I did Paris to Bruge, but either way should be nice. Great vegetarian options in the bigger towns (this is just a rule of thumb for all europe).

This trip fulfilled our expectations wonderfully. The guides were great, kept us moving, gave interesting history at stops along the route and always were helpful and friendly. The food was first class and the suite was fine. One suggestion - bring a Tupperware type dish to put your lunch (sandwich, cheese, olives etc) into. You’ll be very grateful you did!

This was a beautiful boat, the food was excellent and the bike guides were great. The room and bathroom were very spacious and everything was extremely clean and tidy. We really enjoyed the trip very much.

Guided evening walks through some less touristy medieval towns, including Dordrecht and Schoonhoven, gave us a more personal experience of the guild houses and legends of centuries ago. Be open-minded to making new friends and make sure you carry a few euros with you as restroom facilities can come at a small price.

Knowledgeable and helpful staff. Well paced tour with great food.

This adventure far exceeded my expectations. The guids were informative and friendly and very confident guiding 32 of us on bicycles into very busy Cities. This is something that I personally had never done however I felt comfortable with their guidance

The trip was wonderful for us. We enjoyed two weeks of biking and sightseeing. The guides were knowledgeable and catered to our needs. They were pleasant and helpful. The barge rooms were comfortable, nothing fancy but well equipped. We rented e-bikes and were happy that we did. Biking from 9 am-3/4 pm. every day for 2 weeks made the experience more enjoyable on the e bike. We enjoyed the group of people we were with. They were there for the experience and we all meshed easily. Overall, it was wonderful. Bring warm clothes for fall biking. We had rain and cold temps.

The most memorable part of our trip was the incredible hospitality of all the crew on the Manifique 3. All the extra tours and special surprises were above my expectations. The food was spectacular . It was a wonderful experience.

My wife and I immensely enjoyed the Amsterdam to Bruges tour. We'd do another Tripsite tour gladly. Great routes, terrific information packet with paper maps, nice hotels, incredible scenery, delicious food, beer. The starting hotel, the WestCord Art Hotel Amsterdam Art, was wonderful. The trip included breakfast at all hotels, a pleasure though it varied from hotel to hotel from great to just fine, but always with a coffee machine that made lattes!

I suggest getting to Amsterdam at least two days ahead, both to enjoy the city and to have sufficient time to check that the bikes fit you. We rented the e-bikes and that was great for the headwinds out of the southwest all week. For my part, I often used NO assist once getting the bike going. The Dutch bikes were surprisingly enjoyable to ride.

About the GPS tracks, here's what I urge you do. The provided GPS route are great but do NOT include CUE SHEETS. Although I have a Garmin, I really prefer using Ride with GPS (RWGPS) on my phone. So:

1. Download RWGPS to your phone and pay for a subscription so you can save the routes for offline use. That way even without cell coverage, they work.

2. When you click on the supplied GPS route links provided by Tripsite, they will open automatically in RWGPS. There is an option to generate a cue sheet. DO THAT.

3. Save the routes for offline use.

4. In your RWGPS settings, switch to metric units. We found it fun think in kilometers for the trip.

5. Purchase a phone mount. If you have one already it will likely not fit on the Dutch bike handlebars. I got two on Amazon for $16 each and my wife and I found it was fantastic for the riding. To get what we used, search for "TruActive Premium Bike Phone Mount Holder".

6. Bring a battery back and short cable for your phone. It will fit nicely in the front bag.

7. If using an iPhone, use low battery mode. There is no need to go to Airplane mode. With low battery mode, you get all phone features; the phone will however dim when not used. That's a minor inconvenience for the super battery life it will give you.

Thanks for the wonderful trip Tripsite.

Great biking holiday ! This was our first but will not be our last the boat accommodations bikes and routes where exceptional!. We went in late September early Oct and you will want to bring layered clothing as it was usually cooler in morning but warmed up late morning. Overall great experience and holiday.

The most memorable part for me was meeting great people. The food and the sights were amazing also.

Loved our Bike Guides and the added "surprises" they had instore for us i.e. Evening City Tours, Canal Tour, Beer tasting etc.
The boat was amazing as well and loved the deluxe Cabin. We are definately planning on another tour... this time France to Germany. Wish we could have the same bike guides :)

This was a wonderful trip. It was our first bike and barge trip but it won’t be our last one.
Biking through the fields and countryside of Belgium and the Netherlands was beautiful. We were on a self guided tip but each evening a guide went over the next days tour and pointed out interesting places to stop and visit. Staff was lovely and meals were great.
The vest we received from Tripsite were the best. Everyone commented on them. They made us so visible. Would definitely recommend them to all who are doing these trips.
Most took electric bikes but it was very flat and always paved so very easy to bike on.
Definitely would recommend this trip.

No control re. weather, the rest was first rate. Perhaps the cabins leave a little to be desired but what do expect from the a boat bike experience. In this case the trip still exceeded all expectations and we have sailed with a few boat groups. I may also add that Frank, our cook was worth the price of admission alone.