Belgium Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 731

Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

Amsterdam to Bruges was our first bike and barge experience in 2016. The experience of small group travel, seeing villages and countrysides at 12-14 mph, and the coziness of barge life intoxicated us. We have since done six more tours. Everyone unique, quirky, full of beautiful vistas, and future friends from all over the world.
If you are considering this type of travel adventure for the first time, this tour is for you. AND for you stubborn Americans, there is absolutely no stigma attached to e-bikes. In fact, they are prolific throughout Europe.

  Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

Biking from Noyon - Compiègne, the Compiegne forest was very beautiful to bike through.

As we neared Paris, the biking was sometimes more difficult due to traffic on some sections of the route.

  Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

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

  Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

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

  Quo Vadis Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 days
Netherlands, Belgium

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.

  Sailing Home Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

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 .

  Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

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.

  Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium

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

  Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium

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.

  Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium

The Merlijn and their staff were excellent! The food was fabulous too! The only reason I am giving this trip a 4 out of 5 stars is the tulips were on somewhat dying on May 11th. We booked this trip in 2019 for April 2020 and then COVID took over all of our lives. Then we rebooked for 2021 and had to change 1 week later. Then 2021 was still not safe to travel so when booking again for 2022, we had to switch to start May 3 in Bruges with the tulip part at the end of the trip. I loved Bruges and thoroughly enjoyed biking in Belgium. I developed a cough so unfortunately I missed a lot of biking in The Netherlands. But I did enjoy the river views while on the boat and got to experience locks also. When cruising into Rotterdam, I saw one of the super yacht builders' ship yard (Oceanco) and that was exciting for me as we sell to the super yachts.

  Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium

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.

  Quo Vadis Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 days
Netherlands, Belgium

The food was very good, the accomodations were fine, the crew was very helpful and friendly. The route was less scenic than i had hoped for. Holland is prettier than Belgium (for what we saw) and the dutch bike paths are awesome.

  Quo Vadis Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 days
Netherlands, Belgium

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.

  Feniks Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

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

  Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

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

  Sailing Home Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

The trip was very enjoyable. The scenery and bike paths were great. The staff and cook were excellent.
Suggestions:
The bike groups should be split up into smaller groups (6-8 riders), especially when using busy routes.
The strong bikers should not be grouped with the more leisurely bikers.
The guides should have good skills in GPS navigation and/or riders could use an app such as "Ride with GPS".

  Sailing Home Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

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

  Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

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!

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

It was an awesome way to see Belgium and the Netherlands. I can't wait for the next trip to Croatia. A bike is the only way to "fly." The food was surprisingly good and varied despite being served on a barge and to a group. Our bike lead, Carla was wonderful. On the down side, the smell of mold in our room on the Fluvius was disgusting and the attempt to fix it with bleach was just as bad. But even worse was the denial by the manager that I told her about it. The staff did their job and nothing more.

  Magnifique III Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

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.

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

Visiting the windmills

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

I liked seeing the windmills. Also 2 full days of pouring rain were memorable; glad my rain gear held up.

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

This was a very pleasant trip through pretty country. We had two guides, Carla and Tom, who alternated leading the e-bike and non-e-bike groups. Carla is an excellent guide, who obviously researched the areas she was guiding us through, and pointed out interesting sights and historical details. Tom, on the other hand, seemed mostly focused on getting the day over with. (Unless there was a good lunch to be had!)
One thing I didn't realize before the trip was that the guides automatically divided the groups into e-bike and non e-bike sections, and assumed that the e-bike group would go faster and farther. This put people who could have gone farther into the "slow" group, and people who could barely ride a bike into the "fast" group.
The barge itself was quite comfortable, and the food was excellent!

  Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

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!

  Magnifique IV Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

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!

  Magnifique IV Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

  Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

When we road past all the windmills

  Magnifique III Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

The guides and their local knowledge really made this trip unforgettable. For other travelers - yes, your behind will hurt if you aren't used to cycling every day. It's 100% worth it. You'll see towns and places that tourists don't normally visit.

  Magnifique III Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

The Magnifique III is a beautiful ship. I had a suite on the upper deck (highly recommend) and was able to sit by my open window and watch the world glide by, The large common areas are very comfortable. All the staff from the Captain, Walter, to the tour guides, Esther and Tom, were friendly and helpful. The food was excellent. And the Dutch/Belgian countryside and towns are picturesque and lovely. Just do not expect long distances (our longest day was 57 km) or fast speeds (we averaged as a group under 10 mph). This trip is designed to enjoy the journey. We cycled on marvellous dedicated pathways and quiet roads where traffic was always courteous. Unfortunately, we had more rain than we all would have liked but no one can control the weather!