Belgium Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 241 to 270 of 996

The interaction with your wonderful crew and guides. They made everyone and every day special.

The best part of our trip was the crew! Our captain, guide, cook and cabin staff made this trip special. From the first day we were welcomed, encouraged, and accommodated. After 600km of memorable cycling it was indicative that the entire group chose to “sail” the last 20km. into Paris with our new family. A fabulous ending to a great two weeks.

This was such a special experience to visit small towns and areas we would never see otherwise. Using e bikes was a breeze and allowed us to focus on the scenery.

We particularly enjoyed the four crew members who took care of us. The guide, captain, cook and cabin leader couldn’t have better. They cared for each cyclist in every way. We all chose to ride the barge into Paris on our last day and it was a very special day.

This was our 3rd. Bike and Boat trip and by far the best. The smaller boat experience on the Magnifique III was wonderful, it gave everyone on board an opportunity to meet each other and become friends. Our tour guides, Arnold and Marie-Jose, were excellent. Both gave informative narratives on various cities and local stops, Arnold's witty sense of humor added an extra touch of enjoyment. The entire crew; Captain Hank, Emily and others, whose names I cannot recall, were all above and beyond. Now for the meals, absolutely delicious! Every dinner was wonderful with a different flavor each day, his "presentation" of the meals was outstanding. We had a suite, which was comfortable and slightly larger than the standard rooms. I'm not sure if the extra $$$ was worth the cost of the suite, but having a sliding glass door that opened was a nice feature. We are planning next years vacation on the Metz to Cochem trip, which the Magnifique III will be featured. I would highly recommend spending an extra 2-3 days in Bruge at the end of your journey..................amazing city!

Walking through the Keukenhof Gardens and seeing the blooming fields of tulips, and smelling the fragrant fields of hyacinths as we were riding was amazing, especially as the pouring rain held off until almost the end of the day! But walking around Ghent, and Bruges were equally delightful, if for a different reason. Of course the fabulous meals Christina prepared for us on the Merlijn were memorable. For future riders on this trip, know that the tulip experience is only one day of the entire trip so that you aren’t terribly disappointed, and be sure to have rain gear at that time of year!!

The tour was wonderful and our guide, Francine, was terrific. This trip was well organized, the equipment was first rate. The bikes and helmets provided were wonderful. Our guide categorized this trip as a "sightseeing by bicycle" adventure and that is a perfect description. There are fast-paced bike rides if that is what you are looking for, however, we thought this pace was excellent for seeing the countryside, taking photos, and visiting smaller towns/cities that we would have otherwise driven past.

The barge we were on, the Merjlin, was amazing- first rate service and food. The rooms were very comfortable and quiet. The common area was a great place to relax before meals and converse with our fellow travelers. The food was amazing and the service was great.

One thing we were not prepared for is the issue of tipping- the suggested tip was for $10/pp/day for the ship staff and $10/pp/day for the guide- which would add $440 to the cost of the trip. Of course as we are from the US, we are very familiar with the tipping culture but we were not expecting it on a European adventure. Yes, it's mentioned on the information section but I guess we skimmed over that. I would prefer they pay their staff a living wage and skip the tip. It costs the customers the same.

The staff and guide were wonderful. My only criticism is regarding the food: put out some snacks when returning to the barge after riding. One small bowl of chips for 22 people is insufficient. Secondly, the time from start to finish dinner talked too long ( 1 1/2 hours). While of course the staff must eat as well, they shouldn’t be eating after putting our plates down. Our dirty plates sit in front of us for 30 minutes while they eat. The food is very good though.

The crew of the Quo Vadis and the guide were excellent, treated us like family. Food was excellent and plentiful. Bikes were great. The only thing I would suggest is that you put mirrors on the bikes for safety reasons. USA people are not used to having someone pass on our left without an announcement or bell ring.

I highly recommend this tour. It was more comprehensive than any other bike tour I have taken, with unique opportunities to interact directly with locals - i.e. millers who tended a windmill, a baker with an extensive collection of WWII memorabilia in the back of his bakery, a boat captain who took us for a ride through the canals in his small boat, etc. Most nights also included a walking tour of the historic city centers for those who wanted to participate.

The crew aboard the Quo Vadis were so friendly and accommodating, the food was delicious, and our bike guide (Rikko) shared a wealth of information about the history and culture of the area.

Lots of most memorable parts of the trip - biking the countrysides and quaint towns throughout Flanders and Holland and the food and service on board Magnifique II.

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!!

There were many memorable parts of the trip, all enjoyable. The barge, the guests and the crew were all great. I used an e-bike which was not great. I am barely 5’ 1” and the bike was a “small” and too big/heavy for me. It should have been an X-small. Another woman of similar size had a small and fell numerous times. I was disappointed that there was no alternative offered. I am an experienced rider and the heavy weight of the bike affected balance especially on curves. I’ve been on a number of bike trips and quality bikes and safety was a number one concern. Also there were no rear view mirrors. This was a safety concern. The answer I received was that the rear view mirrors are not used in the Netherland. This does not make sense as we got helmets and the people in the Netherlands don’t wear helmets. Why would we not be provided with rear mirrors.

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.

It was an active adventure where you got to see so much of the country not just the tourist attractions.

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.

Seeing fields of tulips and hyacinths in full bloom and in full fragrance was amazing as was the Keukenhof Gardens. Disappointingly, however, was that tulips were only one day of the entire trip. Ghent and Bruges were also definite highlights. The cuisine presented by Christina each evening on board the Merlijn was gourmet and delicious. Our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. We were very pleased to have many layers of clothing as we had days of rain, wind, and or cold temps. A few mornings it was only 4C when we started out but did get up to 10C. Although the countryside is flat for easy riding, there were many bridges to cross requiring some decent hill climbing to get up and over! Belgium however was all flat and the much easier portion of the trip. Another tip to keep in mind is that the third week in the Netherlands is a school holiday as it is the King’s birthday. The KG was packed with people.

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

The barge route was very nice and the food was excellent.
The Fluvius is an old barge and had several maintenance issues including; no hot water for 3 days, electrical problems and other maintenance issues. In their defense, the captain did his best to make it up to us with reduced bar bills and a free canal ride.
Bettina was superb particularly since it was her first time on this tour. Tom seemed to want to be elsewhere. His communication issues were almost nonexistent and attitude gruff.
Ride with GPS was very good though those of us who chose self guided were pretty much on our own.
The patch kit provided did not include a wrench so fixing a flat would have been tough for a bike mechanic and impossible for any other.
We did have wonderful entertainment one evening. I would have loved more history as it is such an important part of these countries.
All in all, if the Fluvius had been in better shape and Tom not so gruff, it would have been a wonderful tour.

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.

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.

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.