Europe Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 2971 to 3000 of 4965

Just finished the Venice to Mantova about the Vita Pugna. This trip was amazing and exactly as advertised with easy cycling on flat roads. Normally I would have liked more miles but with a record breaking heat wave (topping at 44C one day) that week, the distances worked out well. The chefs Sylvia and Irene are hugely talented and every meal was a delight. I really can't praise the food enough! Fabio did an excellent job as guide and is extremely knowledgeable about the area and gave excellent advice. Eduardo the captain was also very personable and friendly, overall a super crew who obviously enjoyed working together. Our international group had a great time cycling together despite the heat. I hope to do this trip again someday.

This was a great experience. Andreas was a wonderful tour director/leader. 2 weeks aloud us to have a great experience. As this was the ship's first cruise of the year we did experience a problem with our room but Andreas resolved the problem promptly and provided some compensation for our troubles. The crew provided excellent service. The meals were better than expected( I am not a gourmet but enjoyed every meal). the bike routes were very interesting. Our only issue was with the a/c but as this was an older ship some things are not always up to modern standards. Great value.

I did the Paris to Bruges last year. It was the most amazing trip. Aboard the Feniks with a small number of fellow travellers. This is the only way to go, looking to 2021 as my next cycling/barging trip. A great way to see Europe, and my favourite country was Belgium.A gem of a country and most of all a cycling paradise.

My wife and I thoroughly loved this "bike and sail" with Cap't Joris and his delightful crew. The meals were excellent, the support for the cycles routes very helpful, and the camaraderie among all the guest and crew made for a wonderful travel experience. We highly recommend this travel for anyone looking for an active holiday, flavorful beers, wonderful scenery, friendly locals, and superb food.

Just completed the inaugural tour of the Elodie from Maastricht to Paris. This was our fifth barge and bike and was certainly one of the best ever. The Elodie is a charming barge, spotlessly clean and well maintained with a comfortable salon where we had our meals, sat drinking, reading or playing games. The crew of Captain Chango, Chef Hans and guide Nina were outstanding in every respect. Our meals were amazing and the weather forecasts from Chango always entertaining. We were lucky enough to enjoy some nice weather where we could sit out on deck under the largest umbrella I have ever seen! A wonderful itinerary but being new the first couple of days we had a few miss turns but no one minded and we always called it an adventure. Our guide Nina made it all so enjoyable. We are already looking forward to another trip on the Elodie.

I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the “Heart of Holland” Bike and Barge Trip aboard the Lena Maria. I was a party of four ladies (3 Canadians and 1 USA) whose trip began on May 11. We had a fantastic trip.

Our guide, Francien, was excellent! She did an excellent job of leading the biking events...stopping for breaks when needed and keeping us moving at a comfortable pace. The evening “Next Day” sessions gave us a good idea of what to expect the next day. The stops at the 17 windmills, the cheese factory, and the flower auction site added to the day’s plan. The two evening guided city walks gave us time to explore onfoot, too. Lastly, Francien kept close watch on her biking group while leading us through city traffic and country roads. The biking trip was an excellent way to see the countryside.

The crew on the Lena Maria was excellent...the food was wonderful (great Chef!) and the hostess was very welcoming. The barge was a very welcome sight at the end of a day of biking:-)

I am pleased to say that this 72-year old lady biked every day of the trip without needing an electric bike! In fact, I just might take another bike and barge trip. Many of my friends have expressed interest in joining our next adventure!

Thanks again!

We recently completed the 11 day Amsterdam to Brugge tour on the Quo Vadis. We really enjoyed ourselves. The boat was very nicely appointed, the cabins are not large and the bathrooms small but very adequate, lots of hot water which is really appreciated after a day of cycling. Food was very good, especially the dinners. The staff did everything to make our trip enjoyable and mixed well with the guests. We had 2 excellent guides who both had extensive knowledge of the history and geography of both countries. The tour itself gave us a really good taste of the Netherlands and Belgium, from the beautiful countryside, through the dunes at the North Sea, over the dams that prevent the floods, past and into windmills, into the cities and large towns like Rotterdam, The Hague, Ghent and a day visiting the World War 1 sites around Ypres. We were very fortunate the on most days the wind assisted our travels and we had very little rain. All and all a great adventure.

My husband and I have been on 12 European bike/boat tours. We love to see the world this way, and we are usually 100% satisfied and happy when we finish a trip.
In April we took the Ave Maria tour from Venice to Mantova. The first two days we biked on busy highways next to large lorries, semis, and garbage trucks, one of which almost wiped me out. We were shocked at having to ride on these highways because here is the company description of this trip on this website...
"This cycling tour is largely along the flats of the Po plains, and the daily stages vary from 25 to 55 km – mostly on tarmac cycle paths along rivers and canals, or quiet country roads."
The first two days of this trip were not on QUIET COUNTRY ROADS. They were on heavily traveled highways, and they were dangerous and certainly no fun! We will never travel with this company again because they were not truthful about the roads and
paths. This was not a relaxing trip.
On a good note...we had wonderful food on board. The chefs were amazing, and we looked forward to dinner every night.
The Ave Maria advertises air conditioning. It is true they have it, but they don't turn it on very often, like it is off all night, every night. So most of us had to sleep with our doors wide open. Our rooms were like saunas, with no windows to open. For that reason, I would not recommend this boat, no matter what tour it was on.

This was my first bike and barge trip. The most memorable part of the trip was the constant attention and effort of the staff, from the captain down, to make the trip special. Entertainment (they have abundant talent), tours of the engine room, attending to the passenger's needs - were all beyond my expectations. For example, while sitting on the deck on a chilly night after everyone else had gone in, a crew member brought us blankets. I am definitely looking forward to our upcoming trip!

Our fabulous 2019 vacation was aboard the Vita Pugna (very clean and comfortable) biking from Mantova to Venice. We were well taken care of by Captain Edoardo, crew/chefs Silvia and Barbara (delicious meals and afternoon snacks plus breakfast!) and our wonderful guide Fabio. I can’t say enough about each one of them, the patience of Fabio is extraordinary. He went above and beyond to make sure each guest was comfortable cycling and informed of routes/plans throughout the week. At the end of the tour he went out of his way to assure that each person knew exactly how to get to their destination when departing the barge. The biking (the bikes were in great shape!) was fun/well organized, the food was outstanding, the landscape/pubs/villages/museum/cheese factory/cappuccino stops, etc. were wonderful. We loved the night walks and the walking tours by local guides. Tripsite provided second to none customer service through our booking process. They were quick to answer any questions/concerns I had, and I love the online chat feature! We are looking at another bike/barge for 2020 and after going through another company a couple of years ago, will only use Tripsite now. Kudos to all and thanks so much for making our 2019 vacation one for the books!

We loved the whole experience but one favorite highlight was the Hungarian Folklore show and being selected to dance with the troupe! We made great friends with our tablemates and are planning to visit them next year in Canada. We have shared our experience with so many friends at home that they want to do the trip too. Truly an amazing experience! I would be remiss if I failed to mention the value of the entire experience for the price paid. Very affordable!

This was my 5th bike/barge Tripsite tour and it was just as amazing as my first. The guide was knowledgeable and the group was an interesting blend of former and present U.S. Air Force personnel as well as Italians, Americans, French and Flemish. The weather in mid April was the biggest challenge with hailstorms and thunder, which made the trip all the more memorable.
The bull fights (humane but sad), the aqueducts, and the food, oh the food! As always a nice cross section of people who are like minded in their zest for life and the enjoyment of experiencing Provence at 11 mph at sea level. (Oh, and they do warn you about the hills and the wind, which I glossed over BEFORE we went). The reason I rated this a 4 Star is I'm reserving the top prize for something that knocks my socks off!

Our guide Cornel was great with fun stories and historic information provided throughout our trip. Loved the digestive walks after dinner of the various towns we were docked at. The staff of the Merlijn couldn't have been nicer or more professional and the boat was very clean and comfortable. Food was pretty basic and could be improved, but that was not a high priority to me. Overall great trip and have already recommended it to many people.

"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.