5 Star Belgium Tour Reviews — 211 to 240 of 824

Excellent tour. I would recommend this to any biking enthusiast. The countryside was idyllic, the tour leaders very knowledgeable, and the boat and staff were awesome!!

enjoying the beautiful countryside on bikes with friends .

I cannot say enough great things about our trip from Brugge to Amsterdam! The Captain and Crew of the Merlijn were awesome, and our intrepid tour guide, Francien was great!
What a wonderful way to experience Belgium and the Nederlands; riding through the countryside, towns, polders, and along the canals on every manner of bike path.
We were spoiled by the food provided by Christina; a delicious breakfast buffet, tasty sandwiches in our packed lunches for the ride, and gourmet meals for dinner with a little bit of history about the dishes.
Our cabin was comfortable and cozy, and the dining room and lounge were always adorned with fresh flowers.
If you want to experience travel in a unique way, then this is the way to go:)

The guides and crew were all wonderful and did everything within their power to make the trip as enjoyable as possible. The Iris was a very comfortable boat. The cycling took us through varied landscapes. Helmets waterbottles and panniers are provided so no need to bring with you.

The cycling was the highlight of the trip for us, we thoroughly enjoyed the pace and travel through small towns and villages along the way. Of course the tulips fields are also quite a sight! Although the weather did not always cooperate - we like the motto “there is no bad weather - only poor clothing choices”. Be prepared.

We had a great trip. The magnifique lll was a perfect boat and the crew was terrific. They all worked as a team to give us a good experience. Our bicycle guides, Corrie and Marie Jose were patient ant good humoured. They gave us choices and good length of rides. The bicycles were in good condition and easy to use. We enjoyed touring the countryside and the cities of Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges.The food was delicious onboard. I would definitely recommend this trip.

Great trip. The guides where wonderful.

It was all perfect, a great experience and the Captain along with his wife and crew were superb

The Keukenhof gardens were spectacular. The food was also far above expectations.

Coan & Christina own and operate the 50 meter 1930 converted cargo ship Merlijn along with a crew of 3 and a bike guide. The attention to detail , ,new equipment and bikes. The difference is other tour vessels are owned by larger companies and hire a captain a crew with older bikes.
Our guide Francien was very good, had 20 years experience and took us places that you would not see on a self guided tour. In the evenings after our on board gourmet dinner she would take who wanted to go on a tour of the city or town.
The scenery was amazing and a boat canal side tour in Gent was arranged. Our groups average was between 55 and 73 and everyone was able able to keep up a good pass on regular and e bikes.
We will be taking another tour they offer in Germany next year

Beatiful scenery, nice people, windy whether :)

Excelente cicloviagem, paisagens muito bonitas, vias super seguras e uma ótima organização pela tripsite!

Comfortable lodging, excellent food (especially the soups- thanks Frank) knowledgeable guide and unforgettable landscapes - what more could you ask for?

OK. So we weren't expecting luxury at this price and on a barge trip. The rooms took a bit of getting used to but we really only slept there and mostly ears the comfortable common areas. Loved every minute of the biking and every bite of the food. Chef was amazing. The crew worked their butts off looking after us and the bike guide was everything one would want. Knowledgeable competent careful and patient. My only wish would be for a larger room and a bigger window but hey I got what I paid for and more

Too many memorable parts to decide. The staff aboard the quo vadis, the food, the beautiful scenery both on the bikes and barge. All were superior.

Cycling through the countryside and then returning to the comfort of our boat. The staff were accommodating and considerate. By far the best cruise that I have experienced. The meals were exceptional and the small group setting provided an opportunity for both socialization and relaxation. The crew also provided a variety of opportunities which enhanced the experience .

The boat, crew, dining, site seeing and and itinerary were fabulous, buy the most memorable was the bike tour guides, who- "with a little luck" was able to time our rides and routes through the many predicted rain showers and keep us dry and entertained.

The staff on the Merjlin were fantastic
The bike seats were a bit uncomfortable but overall the trip was great. The tour guides were were great unfortunately they did not explain the route prior each day

Outstanding trip. The Merlijn is a first class ship. The owners and the crew were just out of this world accommodating. The food was delicious, maybe too delicious. My bike was fantastic. Can’t say enough good things about the ship and the people that own it. Liked it so much, I’m going back on it for three weeks next year in Germany.

Great meals, excellent organization.
More substantial lunches would be good.
The tulips were finished by the time we got to the fields. I don’t think the May 2 trip should be advertised as a tulip tour.

This was our first Bike and Barge tour, it was great. The stay on the barge was what I expected. The captain and crew were wonderful. Captain (Hans) gave daily briefings, chef (Marcel) created a wide range of meals throughout the week that were excellent, desserts by Maria were also excellent. We enjoyed the whole experience on the barge.
Cycling with a guide was also wonderful, Ron (our guide) has a great knowledge of the history and facts of the areas we cycled, is very friendly and personable. He found hidden gems. We laughed and had a great time with him. Our group was friendly and made some new friends by the end of 11 days. It's a great experience. Cycling was easy, flat but winding in places.
I would recommend this ride.

The captain and crew were wonderful! The boat was very comfortable. The food was amazing. The bicycle route was beautiful with interesting stops.

The bike trip from Amsterdam to Brujas was excellent! The fisrt day was a little bit difficult to follow the maps and GPS but we made it :), the gps was very usefull , and the maps that they gave us too, using both things was perfect not to get loss. It is only a matter to get use to the signs and maps and GPS, but if you could I suggest to pay a litlle extra money and ask for the gps.
The hotels were beautifull and confortable, the only one I would take out of the route is the one in Papendrecht, not because of the hotel, the hotel was very nice, but the area is not really nice. I suggest that night to stay at a hotel in Dordretch. Dordretch is beautiful :).
The routes were so nice, I really enjoyed the tour, we didn´t have any problems with the bikes. Our luggage was always on time in our next hotel. so everything was perfect!

The crew, the guides and the scenery. The stops at historical places was a really nice bonus.

Just a great experience. The food and views were wonderful and the guide was excellent.

I think more questions about individuals biking ability and whether they have experience with e-bikes would be good. Also, people should not expect the bike guides to know all the history of the places people bike through-they are there to assist in biking and take care of problems. They have knowledge but they are not historians etc. I think it should be explained that biking with regular bikes and e-bikes are going to be a part of the same group and unless you are going on your own, it might be difficult to keep up. More emphasis on the App that can assist you when biking. Might also want to emphasize preparation before coming such as doing some long rides. It seems some people think they used to bike and this should be a easy ride especially in the Netherlands where it is flat-they forget it is windy and you are doing this every day for a week!

The reservation process was so professional with no hitches along the way. The trip was amazing, the guides especially Franz were so good, informative and always present. The barge itself was quite a pleasant surprise to everyone as it was hard to imagine what it would be like, clean, modern with all modern conveniences. Our weather was perfect which was a surprise also as the prediction was rain every day!!! Food was wonderful as well as all the staff. Each tour was different with unique stops along the way and the countryside is so beautiful. Every one was pleased with their bikes, we had e-bikes which we loved.
Thank you Tripsite for an amazing trip.

The ability to really get to know your other travelers. The scenery and routes were wonderful.
Be sure you have put in the miles before you go so you don’t get so tired you can’t enjoy the rest of the trip. If you sign up for an e-bike, get some experience before you go. Know your ability today not when you were 18, 25 years old. This is a bike tour with guides for the route and care of the bikes. They are not there to give you the history of the areas or buildings you visit-you need to do your own work. They share their knowledge but that isn’t their job!

This was one of the best vacations I’ve ever had! The Magnifique IV is gorgeous and comfortable, and every single staff member was super helpful and just absolutely lovely! Our cycling guides, Hans and Wilfred, we’re wonderful - fun, knowledgeable, well-organized. Seeing bigger towns and cities, and all the countryside and ‘regular’ towns in between by bicycle is such a good way to explore. I highly recommend this trip!

The team (captain Paul, chef Michael, sailor Albert, Hostesses Annika & Ingeborg and tour guides Hans & Wilfred) on Magnifique IV is amazing. They are always cheerful and are so hardworking. Every meal was exquisite and the warm and delicious snacks offered after a long (wet) bike ride were so appreciated. The barge is beautiful. It is clean and well appointed. We appreciated the 2 usb ports to charge our phones in our large suite. We were conservative with water so had lots for a hot shower after a day of cycling. The scenery was gorgeous. If we had stopped at every place for a beautiful picture, we would still be in Gent! Our tour guides were very knowledgeable about the area. They easily answered our questions with enthusiasm and humour. Our daily route was tweaked according to the groups' abilities, interests and, of course, the weather.

Tips
Pack light. We avoided long lineups at every airport because we had only carry-on luggage.
Don't bring a bike helmet unless you are cycling before or after the tour. They are provided.
Rent one of the e-bikes. Even though the routes are mostly flat, we so appreciated having a little boost. I had mine on level 1 most of the time. Level 2 was for near the end of the ride. Level 3, only for going up hills. Make sure to unlock your bike and turn your battery on again after a stop.
Keep some distance between your bike and the one ahead. Not everyone will be experienced with cycling in groups and hand signals.
Do bring a gel seat cover with a waterproof bag. You can cover it, or just take it off when stopping. The seats on the bikes are just okay. They were much more comfortable with an additional squishy layer.
Do bring water-PROOF raingear, top and bottom. We kept warm and almost completely dry with ours. Others went with water RESISTANT and regretted it. In fact, next time I'm bringing good quality covers for my shoes. The staff kindly put our shoes in the engine room to dry out. This worked beautifully when they were damp, but let's just say that stronger measures were needed on other days. Bring an extra pair of shoes.
Your waterproof jacket needs to have a hood. Note, the ball cap I wore under my helmet to keep the sun out of my eyes also kept the rain off my face. We had a mix of weather. Definitely dress in layers if you are doing a tour in late September. I was glad I packed warm long-sleeved tops, hoodies and wool socks. I also had a warm coat and a scarf for the cool evenings in the various beautiful cities.
Do bring a few ziploc bags. These will come in handy on wet days, even with the waterproof satchels.
Don't believe the nice lady at the cheese farm. Unless you are going back home right away, uncover and place the cheese you buy in a fridge. Simply opening the package to let it breath won't be enough to prevent mold from growing.
Do get a data package with your cellphone company. Not every place will have wifi when you need it.  SHOW MORE