Belgium Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 181 to 210 of 1017

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.

Riding our bikes through the countryside and small towns. The staff and food on the Fluvius was spectacular. Renting e-bikes was definitely a plus

Unfortunately our barge had major mechanical problems ( thrust motor) from Day 1. As a result our first 4 full days of biking were changed, shortened significantly and day 4 spent almost entirely on the boat going to Antwerp with mechanical engineers working to fix it. We were very disappointed to lose this much biking on what was supposed to be a wonderful biking journey.

To add to our disappointment our biking tour guides, Tom and Laura, gave us very little information on what was wrong with the boat and what changes to expect. Generally they were not very communicative about our daily itineraries.

On the positive side, the barge crew were mostly fabulous. Mieke, the chef and her staff were very personable and hard working. The bartending staff were also very good. The food was excellent and the boat in good condition .

Overall we enjoyed the trip, especially the last 4 days once the barge was repaired.

Effie Henry
( part of a group of 10 Canadian women)

Bruges to Amsterdam Fluvius May 5/24 - 8 day bike trip

Unfortunately our barge had major mechanical problems ( thrust motor) from Day 1. As a result our first 4 full days of biking were changed, shortened significantly and day 4 spent almost entirely on the boat going to Antwerp with mechanical engineers working to fix it. We are very disappointed to lose this much biking on what was supposed to be a wonderful biking journey.

To add to our disappointment our biking tour guides, Tom and Laura, gave us very little information on what was wrong with the boat and what changes to expect. Generally they were not very communicative about our daily itineraries.

On the positive side, the barge crew were mostly fabulous. Mieke, the chef and her staff were very personable and hard working. The bartending staff were also very good. The food was excellent and the boat in good condition .

Overall we enjoyed the trip, especially the last 4 days once the barge was repaired.

The tour itself was spectacular once we were under way. However, we arrived at the Fluvius as scheduled on Sunday only to find out that the boat had a broken bow thruster - that happened on Friday. There was a lack of communication from the captain and the tour guides. We were told, hesitatingly, that the breakdown had occurred and the part was expected Monday morning and then we would be under way. We did not sail Monday and were provided a substitute ride, with no GPS, for the day. ..a bit of a nightmare ride. Very difficult to navigate - confusing! The part came finally Tuesday morning and we had to stay on board to catch up with the schedule - no riding that day. We were not actually told that we couldn’t ride. We had to surmise that ourselves. The day after we were able to pick up our scheduled ride and the following days were lovely.
The staff were wonderful at all levels. The Captain was in communicative and the lead guide Tom was terrible.
Bottom line is, things happen. The fact that the boat was unfortunate but if we had been informed and communicated with

Trip was a good value but communication was not very good . The chef and the food and waitstaff were very good . There was a huge engine issue and we lost a day of biking . This was out of your control but the communication about what was going on was really poor .
Meike the chef should be the standard , she was terrific .

The staff on board the Fluvious was wonderful, especially the chef, Mika. The food was plentiful and great. The dining and lounge area very comfortable. Americans should be advised about the difference in bikes. Both manual and E bikes are heavier than we had experience with and that does effect balance issues around sharp turns. The Amsterdam to Bruge trip is listed as easy on well maintained routes,perhaps a few more qualifiersare needed. We experienced some rough riding - it may have been the result of winter damage- but riding on dirt and a sandy portion of the trail was challenging as are coblestomes.

Another disappointment was that I was only able to ride three days. And on those days we had no special tours. I was especially looking forward to going to a cheese factory which we missed, Much of that was due to the fact that the Fluvious had some problems which effected steering. We did not have a chance to practice on the bikes as scheduled, which made the first day very difficult for some of the riders. Those of us on Manual bikes were separated from the leader and all the e=bikes and often took the wrong turn at a Y. On one day we completely missed a castle and on the first day, the option to hear more about the old windmills was missed due to our being late (due to the boat arriving later than scheduled due to the boat issues). Additionally on the Ghent biking we were discouraged going because of the busy city and no other option was offered ie. bike the countryside and tour Ghent and the canal tour by going on foot or parking the bikes outside of the busy city center.

The ease and convenience of returning to the ship every afternoon to share experiences with the rest of our group was the most noteworthy comment I could make. However there were many other hiighliights.
Riding through the Dutch countryside on the first day was a highlight.
Both guides and the bikes were great and the varied nature of the cycle paths on this tour was terrific.
Food was varied, good quality and well prepared. Rooms were efficient and comfortable as advertised.
Onboard staff from Croatia were terrific – friendly, hard working, accommodating and very nice with our grandsons.

A trip of a lifetime. The best way to see the small cities of Holland and Belgium at a leisurely pace with like minded people. Our North Star our guides Hester, Ester were amazing. They had very good understanding of the routes and the history of each city. Drum roll for an amazing crew on the barrage. The food and service was spectacular . If you want a slow, luxurious bike tour this is the trip to do!

We enjoyed the cycling with expert guides through this Low Countries. I became very emotional at the Canadian memorial cemetery and finding headstones from his regiment.seeing historic sites at Kinderdyck was fascinating. Our accommodation was top notch and was great being with like minded travellers . The bikes were comfortable and perfect for this tour.we had ebikes which were great for the Dutch mountains (wind)!We enjoyed the Netherlands. Amsterdam is a lively city for tourism and easy to manoeuvre.

The most memorable part was being with friends and meeting new friends from Australia!
Pack clothes for both extremes hot and cold!
Food was just okay

Small suitcase, rooms have little storage
Super nice shower
PLEASE have Tripsite reflective vests available at the START of the trip NOT mailed to us. That would make us a more safe and cohesive group on the roads and especially in crowded cities

The Magnifique 11 promised luxury, and they most certainly delivered every step of the way! The welcome from the captain, chef, tour guides and assistants was outstanding. They established a comraderie among the guests who were sharing the experience. Our rooms were immaculate, the food tasty and beautifully presented, fantastic 24hour coffee machine too. The first two days of biking were brutal with the head winds, but getting an e-bike was a saver, one I would recommend, even as a seasoned biker! We’ve come home with new friendships - so how rich is that! Thank you so much for another grand experience tripsite! (My 4th)

The bike and barge was amazing,
The group of 21 related well and had many happy times, riding and chatting after the day.
The ride leaders did a great job, especially with the changes necessary due to the lock closures.
Great adventure, recommend this highly.

We had a wonderful time on our trip. The Boat ,room, staff, and meals were excellent. All the staff work very hard to make sure all have a great trip.
One thing I would recommend to others is to bring light rain gear and gloves for riding

The people on board. And the food. Stella was great, too. I liked the open windows in the upstairs rooms. Also, coffee or cappuccino, espresso 24/7.

The overall organised week-the daily presentation of our next days excursions. On top of biking through beautiful routes , we also benefited from nightly activities and presentations of local cultural products such as chocolaterie,beer and cuisine.
The warm and welcoming reception of the whole crew, especially our two experienced and knowledgeable guides : Peter Van Avermaet & Tom Stout ,their camaraderie and sense of humor made the whole group feel at ease !
The chef was very accommodating as I had requested a gluten and lactose free diet. Many thanks !!!
Tips - In order to fully enjoy this wonderful adventure ,when booking a Bike & Barge ,you should be ready ,comfortable and expecting to be biking !!!!

Excellent staff, from the Captain on down through the chef, support personnel and the two knowledgeable tour guides on the very comfortable and well appointed Magnifique 11.

Tip: the pendulum has swung strongly towards the use of E bikes on this tour. Suggest you put the miles in ahead of time, if you plan to go with a hybrid bike so as to comfortably keep up with the e bikers.

The quality of the boat's amenities, the cuisine and the areas travelled through were exceptional.
My last bike and barge was more than a decade ago. Since then the growth of e-bikes has accelerated. On this tour, 24 of 34 riders were using e-bikes. I'm not convinced that mixing e-bikes and regular bikes is viable.

Riding through the Belgium and France country-sides on our bicycles..

The whole trip was amazing!! But the one thing that sticks out is when we we stopped at the Canadian war cemetery…. And after touring around… Peter our guide stood proud in front of us and read the Poem “Flanders Field”. It brought tears to most of eyes.
Tips& suggestions… please make sure you know how to ride a bike! Being a bike tour… this is very important, as our tour guides did have to make the decision to have one couple stay back as they were not confident on the bikes. It is an easy ride but we did ride in towns and over cobble stone road ways. But they had to make that decision for the safety for them and others and I know it was a hard decision, but for that we thank them.

The whole trip was memorable and the guides made it even more special. They was so funny and very informative. Always wanting to help you if you needed it and always so approachable.

The tour guides, the boat captain, the chef and the kitchen manager were all extremely friendly and helpful. They made the trip a pleasure. My only suggestion is for the tour guides to pay attention to rush hour bicycle travel times and not have out group on the road in and around cities during rush hour.

I just did this tour from Paris to Bruges. It was awesome. At 80 I was the senior participant. Marius(Captain), Henk ( Mate), Barbara(Chef), Harm (Guide) were the highlight for me as I could converse with them in Dutch and they were most accommodating of my age. Meals were awesome, daily laundry service was a life saver and the guide, Harm was informative and entertaining with a great sense of humor. The accommodations were very comfortable. Marius obviously took great pride in his boat and the experience he provided to his clients. I would certainly sail with him again.

All of it was memorable- cycling by farms and canals, how old the towns are, and how beautiful the cathedral of Ghent is inside, Bruge at night…

We had a fantastic time! We met wonderful people from all walks of life, biked and cruised through amazing countryside and towns, learned the fascinating history of Belgium and The Netherlands, and ate delicious food! Sietsa, was the kindest, most energetic and enthusiastic gentleman and bike guide one could ask for. He truly went above and beyond! The captain Frank was not only beyond capable but fun and knowledgable. The chef Craig blew us away with the most delicious meals and kept us well fed. Marcel the host had all of our needs met and was incredibly easy going. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone interested in biking and cruising.
I really hate to point this out because the trip was one of a lifetime but the air conditioning was not functioning and we had 90 degree days. That was very uncomfortable but beyond that we truly enjoyed ourselves. Thank you.

Good trails, good food and the app “Ride with gps” was the best.
The bikes were good, seats comfortable.
The bar on the ship had reasonable prices.
The Fluvius boat needed updating. The room smelt musty and the air conditioning didn’t always work.
The first day something made us late so we were given our bikes at dusk to try them out and get adjustments made. Not enough time before it was dark.
It was pretty bad to run out of water numerous times.
The ice machine didn’t work so occasionally they bought ice.
The staff turn over was incredible. None of the staff seemed to be with the company very long.
The guides were excellent. We did self guided and we think that had GPS on us as everytime when we weren’t sure which way to go a guide would show up and help us out. The app was very good to tell you when you were off course.
This was my first bike and barge trip so I can’t compare it to another.

There was no “most memorable “ part of the trip because it was all memorable. The crew was amazing and each one added something special to the trip. I loved the variety of the landscapes we rode through and all the sites we got to stop and explore. I have already recommended this trip to multiple friends.

It was a amazing trip, the crew of Liza Marleen was a great crew. The guide for our trip (Sietse) was the main reason that the trip was exceptional for us all as he was a very hard working member that tour with us all day and then led a tour each evening ashore. His knowledge of the Netherlands was very informative and entertaining. Each day he always had a plan of the day on where we were going and plans of what we would visit.

If you are looking to do a biking trip of the Netherlands, look no further than the Amsterdam to Brugge you will thoroughly enjoy the whole trip and have a wonderful time

Biking in the Netherlands is any cyclist's dream. There are numerous paths that are in excellent condition and well marked. Plan to bring layers to adjust to the climate. The few motorists in the countryside are respectful of cyclists which makes for safe and fun ride.