Europe Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 2971 to 3000 of 4951

"It is difficult to say what the most memorable part of the trip was as each and every day brought wonderful new sights and experiences. Biking along fields filled with tulips and a stop at the Keukenhof Gardens would certainly rate as one of the highlights of the trip. The staff and bike guide definitely made the trip special as they went above and beyond to ensure we were satisfied. Food was great with a plentiful breakfast buffet and a different menu each night. Our lunches were made and packed each day and boy, theses sandwiches and treats sure tasted great after putting some miles in. The dining/lounge was large and spacious and made for a great place to interact with the other guests. Bedrooms/bathrooms were nor overly spacious but were very clean and the beds were comfortable.
This was our first trip of this kind and also our first trip to Europe and the Crew of the Merlijn made it a wonderful experience we will never forget. Thank you Coen, Cristina, Klara, Luliana, Lili and our tour guide Cornel. Memories to last forever.

I highly recommend this trip. We were on the Merlijn. It was a charming barge with a very friendly and helpful staff. I was amazed just how comfortable the beds were and how roomy the bathrooms were.
Our guide was very informative and had a great sense of humor. The guests, even though all so different , became friends. Leaving the barge was bittersweet. I cannot wait to go on another. The only thing I wish was a bit better, was the food. But then I consider myself a bit of a foody and so my expectations might be too high.

The biking was wonderful, the digestive walks in the evening were great and the camaraderie of the group was fantastic.

A wonderful way to experience the Netherlands. Our guide Cornell was informed and professional. Captain, mates and staff provided all the conveniences of home.

The expected/promised highlights on our 8 Day - Tulip Tour (Keukenhof Gardens, the Royal Flora Holland Auction, Zaanse Schans and a visit to a cheese farm on an island in Rijpwetering) were wonderful. But it was the unexpected stops introduced by our guides that were most memorable. The visit to a windmill making paper from recycled rags, watching the release of cows for the first time in the spring near Spaarndam , the stop at the Aalsmeer Crash Museum and a visit to the Hortus Bulborum in Limmen made our trip extra special.

What a great trip. Would like to do another.

Everything was fantastic. It was the whole experience altogether.

The staff, food and barge accommodations were perfect.

The entire trip was memorable. The boat staff was terrific, the meals from Frank our chef, were gourmet quality, the weather sunny tho a bit chilly first days, the tulips were in full bloom, our bike leader had contacts in many cities and we had private evening tours from local guides, the boat was comfortable and always well maintained. I think the only caution I might offer is we started the tour in downtown Amsterdam at the train station and for those of us with limited bike experience going thru the city was a challenge keeping the group together thru traffic, turns, bridges, stop lights. A more rural start would have been better was the general consensus, but that aside virtually everything well received.

We had a wonderful time on the barge Iris, biking through the Netherlands. The trip was well planned and the information given each day really highlighted the sights that we saw. The visits to the various venues were full of information and gave us a nice view of life in Holland. We could not have asked more from our guides, Wouter and Sarah. Each day when we rode up to the barge at its new dock site, the crew welcomed us and asked about our day. The meals were excellent with a different area of the world serving as the source for the menu each evening. Wines had been chosen to go with each serving. The rooms were as expected on a ship and very clean. they offered an easy base for our adventure. We had a very good time and we thank the guides and the crew including the chef.

We had a wonderful Tulip Tour week on the Quo Vadis. We had excellent tour guides who were knowledgeable and personable. In addition to the planned events, we "happened upon" many extras, including "a cow dance," farmers shearing sheep, a WWII museum and some regal looking deer in the dunes at the North Sea. The ship was comfortable, the staff friendly and the food was great. Highly recommendable!

I was clearly the fattest and least fit of the 12 guests on this 4 day bike and barge tour. My bride and I found all aspects of the tour to be above our expectations. The barge itself was something of a tardas. No the rooms were not massive but enough for two and well planned. The showers are small but hot and the beds surprisingly comfortable. The meals were beautiful. As a group we asked if the meals would be all traditional meals. I do not think this was the cooks intention so she changed every meal for us. Splendid food, warm and plenty to go round. The bikes were better than expected. Each day we traveled more KM with about 35 on the third day. I have to admit towards the end I did nearly give up. Note for next time break in your bottom and get a few km into your legs. Overall a great experience. We saw a lot of nature both of the animal and plant kind. Flowers cheese and at night a city walk. Our hosts and guide spoke English well and were a delight to spend time with. Go on book the tour, you know you want to.

We had the perfect week for our Bike & Barge adventure! We brought rain gear but never had to use it. First day it was rather cold 39 degrees when we started out biking with wind, but of course it is the land of windmills. I was glad I had an ebike. The guides were knowledgeable and our experiences very local. They knew the market days, unique cafes, great places we wouldn’t have wanted to miss. The tulips were all in bloom and we biked through seas of color. The captain and crew of our barge, “Quo Vadis” were absolutely the best and individually got to know us all. I would highly recommend this trip to all. You don’t have to be an avid biker to enjoy this trip, all levels were welcomed.

The Crew and Guides were exceptional! Boat was more than we could ask for.

We had a wonderful time on the Iris April 2019. This exceeded our expectations by far. Excellent staff.... Gijs, Gerhard, Aline, Tina and guides Mieke and Harm-Jan. The food, boat, the scenery (Tulips!!) were great, but most of all the cycling. The weather was perfect and since we were the only South African couple, we enjoyed the company of at first strangers and then sing-along travel friends! Memories made forever!

Best part: Biking through the Dutch countryside and being exposed to the Dutch people and their wonderful culture, history, and way of life.

[Merlijn](https://tripsite.com/bike-boat/boats/deluxe/merlijn/) and her crew were outstanding hosts for our Tulip Tour. Our guide, Ilsa, was knowledgeable and full of energy and interesting information everywhere we toured.

The Tulip tour was wonderful. Loved the Quo Vadis and it’s crew and enjoyed the biking. Our guide Rikko was so well informed and enthusiastic about the places we saw. Everything about the tour was first-rate.

Well-Done
We rode the entire week independently of the 30-person group, which is our preference. We requested beforehand, and received promptly, the GPX files for each stage, which we downloaded to our Garmin bicycle computers together with relevant open source street maps. We used the GPS directions as our primary navigation, and referred to the jigsaw puzzle of a tour map and the turn-by-turn directions in puzzling moments. All three references agreed very well, which is a great comfort. Tour Guide Michela provided us a separate walk-through every evening, clarifying points of confusion and explaining where the main group would be. Several times we met the group for special sightseeing tours. Otherwise, we did our own thing, took rest stops at our own discretion and ate the picnic lunch at places of our own choosing.

The bicycles were better than expected. We chose the e-bikes and count the expense as worth the money. The batteries were strong enough to carry us through the 30-mile days with a couple of power dots left over. The seats were comfortable and the handlebars were especially comfortable to the wrist. The gears changed easily.

Needs Improvement
Plating the food before serving meant that a great deal was wasted. It would be more accommodating to serve family style, in bowls, so people can serve themselves what their appetite and inclination suggests.

The itinerary was generally okay, but we had to meet the boat or bus by appointment several times, which meant waiting around for hours at a time. Other bike-and-boat tours we went on were better organized to find the boat at the end of the day's ride.

Unsatisfactory
The company is proud of their cooking, but the quality was badly degraded by the excessive use of salt. Even those people who were indifferent to their salt intake agreed it was "very salty". The taste of the food was ruined by the cook's excess. Upon tasting the first night's dinner, I required that they make special salt-free dinners for me. Two nights they "forgot" and spoiled the food. The cooks should learn to make their food unsalted and let the guests add that seasoning at table. It will improve the dining experience for everybody.

The internet service was the worst I've seen since dial-up telephone modems. People wanted simple access to email and to post photos on social media, but were continuously thwarted by irregular service and severe deterioration, which seemed to be deliberate. For example, the night we were in Zelo, they announced there was no wi-fi at all because of the remote location, which was fishy to begin with. Next morning, we decided to stay on the boat for the day, which allowed me to observe that within minutes of the big group rolling away, they switched the wi-fi back on for the rest of the day, until that evening when it went to pieces again. There is no excuse for such poor service in this day and age.  SHOW MORE 

My wife and I were part of the 5 day Super Tulip Tour. I can't say how amazing it was. The boat was top notch, the dinners were fantastic, the guides were AMAZING, and the route was beautiful. We are ALREADY planning our next trip.

My husband and I loved it! Definitely the highlight of our trip. Great guides and beautiful scenery. We just booked another bike tour in the Netherlands we enjoyed this one so much.

Amazing staff and great guide