Belgium Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 721 to 750 of 1004

The food was great and loved the coffee machine. Would like dinner at 7:00 pm rather than 6:30 pm to give us more time to relax and enjoy the day. No one ever eats in France before 7:30 pm and I felt like we were being treated as young campers. The Fleur needs new towels. The existing are rough and not vey absorbent. It was a very happy and congenial crew. Bert, Petra, Ellen and Aga. Thomas was most accommodating... Bike trails were good. We had the unusual situation where the majority ie 12 out of 20 bikers were of Olympian caliper. Their preferred speed was 30 to 35 kms an hour and the rest would have liked between 15 and 20 kms. and hour. We all coped but it meant you couldn't relax and enjoy the scenery. Two guides would have been the solution as promised.

Book from Brugge to Amsterdam to avoid headwinds. Expect riding in country with nothing special to see.

The excellent staff and guide combined with the great mix of rural and forest countryside and the history in the cities and towns along the way.
Tripsite should do a better job of editing the text on their website. There were several incorrect descriptions.

Staff was fantastic! Amazing overall experience.

The bike & barge trip from Paris to Brugge on the Feniks was an amazing experience. The crew was exceptional, the scenery beautiful and the price was terrific. I highly recommend this trip.

The scenery was a photograph almost each moment. Incredibly knowledgeable guide made every day a new adventure. Plus a very doable ride for all skill level.

The entire trip was fantastic. I personally could have benefited with a few less km per day but that is my fault for not training as much as I should have. The chef and the guide, Leroy and Alfonse were amazing. The boat was comfortable and elegant. First rate all around!

Absolutely fabulous trip, even though we didn't see much sun. It seemed the rain always held off until we were sheltered. The clouds added to the beauty of the gorgeous countryside. Our guide, Mike, did not coddle us, so we were able to cycle in our individual comfort zones. The "Dutch Mountains" (head winds) challenged us on a few days, but only added to the flavour of the trip. Mike introduced us to some lovely spots for our coffee/lunch breaks to re-energise.
Staff on board the Lisa Marleen were delightful & helpful too. Many good memories, but the one that stands out was in the last day when we had, more then usual, rain squalls & intermittent sunshine. This, of course, resulted in rainbows. At least 4! We deemed it "rainbow day". It was a Rainbow of a trip.

The trip wasn't exactly as I understood it would be. The staff were absolutely great, couldn't be any better. The guide was also very good, knowledgeable and patient. However, it seems to me that the objective of each day's ride was to get from point A to point B; we didn't stop enough to enjoy & explore the sites along the way. Also, I wonder about riding thru farmers' fields. Perhaps that was the only way to reach certain destinations. We needed better introductions in the first meeting. We should have introduced ourselves at that meeting. We were 32 strangers together for 8 days, let's start with introductions.
The food was pretty average. Breakfast was fine; once in a while there was hot food served but you had to be aggressive to get any, there wasn't enough to go around. Food available for lunch was fine, no complaints. Dinners were disappointing. We didn't need gourmet dinners, we needed substantial meals. The best meal was the BBQ, there was enough food. Other meals were inadequate. Dinner on the last night was abysmal and the dessert was a joke, 1/2 a glass of liquid. I would like to see bar prices posted and a statement produced on the last day. I have no idea if I was charged the correct amount or not; not that I don't trust the staff, as I said they were great. In spite of sounding like a chronic complainer, my wife and I are talking about doing another Bike & Barge trip, we really enjoyed this one. Don't take my comments as negative criticism, take them as suggestions for improvement, no one is perfect.

Most Memorable Part: Riding through beautiful villages and countryside! We stopped in beautiful places to eat lunch, rest and take pictures. Our guide Alfonse was amazing! Our last night, we took a private boat cruise on the canals in Amsterdam, arranged by our guide! AWESOME TRIP!

I loved every minute of it! :) Thank you so much for a great adventure!

Most Memorable Part: Riding through area of windmills.
We were frustrated by the slow pace of our group.

Every part of this excursion exceeded my expectations. The Magnifique II is a fabulous boat, with very comfortable accommodations. The staff was excellent, all worked very hard and the teamwork was amazing. Cycling routes were fabulous and Thomas was absolutely an excellent guide. The food was first rate, LeRoy did a great job. It was a fabulous trip.

Everything about the trip exceeded my expectations. In particular, the dinners were truly gourmet. Keep that chef (Leroy)!

Most Memorable Part: The people on our tour were great. A bunch of fun people.

Highlights: Seeing these countries via bike paths. Going through small towns and villages with an excellent guide to highlight the history and out of the way places.
Tip: get in shape! You will enjoy it more if you are fit to bike these distances.

This was our first bike and barge trip, and we loved every aspect of it. Yes, the weather was a challenge, but even that was rewarding in retrospect. The guide and crew were great, the food was wonderful, and the boat was very comfortable (and a good size). We got to know all our fellow passengers and that was the icing on the cake. Now I'm spending way too much time, probably, reading about where to take our next trip!

Passenger/participant/staff group dynamics were excellent.
Barge had no laundry service, so go prepared with the necessaries to look after it yourself.

Biking through wine country in Germany and going into the fields themselves. Take this trip!

This trip exceeded our expectations on every level. We'd never done a bike and barge excursion and decided to jump in with both feet on this trip. To say that we were thrilled is an understatement. The incredibly comfortable boat, the friendly and hardworking crew, the delicious meals, the fantastic guide, the varied and beautiful route... it was all more than we imagined. I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to experience three countries and their cultures with the intimacy that a bike tour allows.

We're experienced travelers and think through our options carefully. The combination of activity, education, relaxation and total immersion was so appealing... and this excursion did not disappoint. To top it off, given everything that is included, this trip is a tremendous value. We can't wait for our next adventure with Tripsite!

The trip started out with high winds and rain but it didn't dampen the spirit of the group. We were always going downhill with the wind on our back! The comfort of the barge and delicious meals were outstanding. The Mosel valley was probably the highlight for scenery and seeing the grape harvest in full swing. Our wine tasting evening was one of the best we have ever experienced. The Captain wanted us to have a real experience and we did.

Especially enjoyed the days cycling through the vineyards along the Mosel River.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. A suggestion for others would be to prepare for wind if going during that time of year. The route may be very flat but the possibility of a constant headwind can make it feel uphill. Knowing this, some guests may opt for using an eBike.

We loved Germany the best. The coffee stops were the best. Great brats and pastry.

Great vistas of remarkable vineyards. More WWII history info prior to the trip and designated site visits would truly be great.

Bike and Barge in Belgium and Holland was a whole week of memories and is at the top of my favorite trips! You are surrounded daily by beautiful landscapes and architecture unique to the Netherlands. The bikes are perfect for extended times of riding and you are on bike paths close to canals for most of the trip. This is an active vacation which I prefer but is never too difficult. Everything is done for you so there was never any worries and I was relaxed all week. Meeting people from around the world is amazing. I had the fortunate experience of meeting a special couple from Australia and that was a bonus! I hope to do this trip again in the near future.

Overall this was a great experience. The boat was clean and the staff friendly. The itinerary and scenery was beautiful. The only negative was that the website had several inaccuracies. For example, the mileage each day was much longer than published. Also, the number of meals provided was less than published.

Great experience, although a very large group to be riding together. The food was good but not great. Made some friends and really enjoyed the trip.

What I enjoyed most about my Boat & Bike trip were the rides through the countryside in the early mornings when it was quiet, and the only sound was the hum of my bicycle. Secondly, were the times we moved the boat during breakfast. I found myself staring out the window at life and business along the canals. Lastly, the new friends we made, from Britain, Australia, and Canada!

The country side, the guide was very personable and knowable of the routes, sites with a very positive and safety conscious attitude. More time in some of the major centres (Gent, Antwerp) I would recommend that travelers arrive at least one day preferable two in advance of the bike & barge departure and stay at least 2 days afterwards to enjoy the cities of Bruges and Amsterdam. The availability of e-bikes was essential so that those less experienced in pedalling the distances could enjoy the biking part of the trip.