France Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 497
Scott Cooling C.
10 hours ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
However, the bikes we had were awful. The majority of the group had problems with both the ebikes and the regular bikes. My wife's ebike did not work properly for the first 2 days and she had an accident because of it. The power kept going off and the guide set it permanently on turbo, however, when she was going up a hill and turning onto a bridge the power cut out again and she was not able to pedal and fell into the cement barrier. Fortunately, nothing was broken but she was very bruised. Each day there were a number of bikes needing repair with problems with brakes and gears. We had friends who biked the same tour in the fall and he said the bikes were terrible then and was told it was the end of the season and that all the bikes would be refurbished and Read More repaired before the tour began in May. I guess this wasn't done as only 2 or 3 actually had no problems.
Also, the guides were not that familiar with the routes and we went off track a few times. There seemed to be a personality clash between them and at one point they actually argued in front of the group, which was not very professional. Both guides, however, were personable and helpful when needed.
Lisa S.
4 days ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
Cycling along the Mosel was magical! Vertical Vineyards! Who knew? Fabulous rides!
Peter C.
4 days ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
The wonderful paved cycle paths
Patricia K.
2 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Caprice Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
Wonderful
Company, attentive crew, and delicious food. I enjoyed the comfort of the common area for visiting and the deck for the sailing. The cabins were very. Lean, but the small windows made it somewhat claustrophobic by the 6th night. Other than that, all was very satisfactory.
Edwin S.
2 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Caprice Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
Overall it was a wonderful trip and experience. It was well organized and the 4 person crew was just fantastic. Food and ambience above expectations. All went smoothly for us. Note some headwinds which may be seasonal.
Sherry M.
3 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Caprice Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
The crew was absolutely the best and this was my 4th barge trip. Amazing chef, 5 star food. Cleanest boat and everyone had a great time.
Our guide, Michela was the best and worked so hard everyday.
Deborah B.
3 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Caprice Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
3rd Barge trip. All have been excellent. The barge, crew, food, bicycles and tours all very very good. We all had a great time!! Such a fun and simple way to travel and enjoy your own group of friends!!
Joanie F.
3 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Caprice Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
We thought the crew were wonderful. Very engaging and helpful. Michaela was awesome and did a great job.
Got tired of the same items for lunch daily .
A variety of items would be my choice. This was 5 th or 6 th trip with Tripsite for me.
Great job . Joanie Farina
Derek M.
3 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Caprice Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
What a beautiful and interesting region of France to travel through. We loved the historic towns and monuments we visited and once again doing it with a small group of lovely travellers and cyclists was most enjoyable.
The crew were fantastic and our guide went above and beyond to keep us all safe and have a wonderful trip.
Would easily recommend this trip for anyone who loves France, history and beautiful French countryside.
Bonnie Q.
3 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Caprice Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
Food/staff were AMAZING!!!
I felt that the difficulty rating may have been slightly off. But the trip was overall fantastic!!
Antonio Carlos F.
4 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Stella Burgundy & Provence E-Bike & Boat
France
Everything was good.
The guys from Terranova gave us a total support and the tour was in total security.
Unfortunately I had some problems with the weather, for me was to cool at second day, and I was ill after this day, but I enjoy the tour others days , togheter our group.
Thank you Senad for your attention during all the tour.
Thank you Reinhold for the support
JAMES J.
1 month ago
Verified Reviewer
Caprice Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
The Captain and crew were outstanding especially our daily tour guide Machiela who was extraordinary with kindness, Knowledge, and very eager to please everyone
Tip to others would be to expect about 20% riding on ruff gravel and ruff tarmac
Kristine S.
2 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Caprice Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
The most memorable part of our tour? Impossible to limit to one thing! This trip has it all: miles of gorgeous countryside roads and trails, small villages that look plucked from a travel brochure, access to castles and fortresses that are beautifully frozen in time... and experiencing all of it in springtime glory was tremendous. Being able to see Carrieres des Lumieres -- the Van Gogh immersive exhibit -- was such an unexpected treat. Perfect biking weather. It was our first bike and barge with electric bikes and it was fantastic... SO easy to manage the headwinds and longer uphill climbs with the pedal-assist. Really, we can't say enough about this tour... so wonderful on every level!
(** If you print this review, can you please just list me as "Kristine S"? Thanks so much!)
Bob Holliday
3 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Strasbourg to Nancy
France
The barge - I'd been on a barge for three weeks (Bruges to Epernay on the Zwaanje - great trip) so knew what to expect. Can't say enough about the captain and crew. All aces. The chef (cannot call her a 'cook') was beyond excellent. She got applause every night after announcing the dinner selection. Truly wonderful dining. The weather, however, did not cooperate.
To coin a phrase, it was ratty. Rain, rain, rain. Temps in the fifties. I'm from the Seattle area and will not ride in this kind of weather. Nothing the barge crew cold do about it. I got Read More in three days of riding.
Locks were amazing - one had more than fifty feet of lift. The barge elevator was really an experience. Seeing the abandoned locks was also quite cool.
The tour guide needs to be upgraded. His English was not excellent. eBikes were a bit tired, but adequate. Good tour, except for the weather. Would liked to have done the Loire Valley - maybe next time... Nine out of ten for the tour - the weather hurt.
Julie M.
5 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
The boat was comfy and well appointed, the beds were very comfortable, the biking along the river was fabulous with knowledgeable and friendly guides. I also enjoyed the sumptuous dinners each night. One of the best parts of this trip was getting to know our fellow travelers and make new friends.
Ed Paquette
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France
My wife and truly enjoyed this tour on the Caprice in 2018. The reviews previously posted are very informative and descriptive about barge life on the Caprice, the itinerary, guides, and dining. We booked early July in order to take pre-boarding day trips to the lavender fields outside Avignon. As with all of our bike-barge tours, we have met and befriended the most interesting and wonderful people. Summer heat and some challenging ascents could be mitigated by reserving an e-bike.
Jorge T.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Clair de Lune Strasbourg to Nancy
France
There were several memorable parts:
Both Strasbourg and Nancy are beautiful cities with a great deal of medieval charm; the Valley of the Locks with its dried abandoned channels and locks, and of course, the St Louis-Arzviller lock, where lock, water and boats are lifted (or lowered) 42 m, replacing 17 locks we saw abandoned; our boat, the Clair de Lune and its friendly and competent crew, the smallest barge we had ventured in till then, but that it showed us the efficiency of its cabin layouts to remove previous concerns about barge size to the point that we are booking another trip on a similar sized barge next year.
Lawrence S.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
This was my fourth bike/barge tour with Tripsite, and it was just as amazing as the other trips. Loved every moment. The ship and crew were simply outstanding. The only disappointment is that the itinerary said we would be in Metz for the evening, to even include a walking tour. We were greatly looking forward to it. However, we left Metz within an hour of boarding. It was a great topic of conversation among many passengers, who were also disappointed. So I’m not sure why we even started in Metz, to only leave right away and travel quite a distance to our first port. Other than that, it was as wonderful as each of my other Trip Site vacations.
Susan E.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
The itinerary was terrific. We had fabulous guides who gave us lots of information about the sites we were visiting. The boat was very comfortable and the food was great. We had just 20 participants and everyone was very interesting and friendly. Can't wait for our next trip!
Dave H.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Iris Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
I worked with TripSite to plan this trip for 20 friends and family and they were fantastic to work with: flexible, friendly and professional. And the trip costs half of similar trips offered by US based bike tour operators. The Iris was a superb boat in great condition and the crew were amazing, with a special shout-out to the fantastic food! The riding was hard to believe: miles and miles of flat, scenic, history drenched wine country. Every days ride was enjoyable and had nice prizes and surprises along the way. Some of my group decided to stay on board for one or more days and got to relax and watch the castles go by, read a book, drink some great local white wine, and chat with the friendly crew. This particular tour: the Mosel between Cochem and Metz, was referred to me by a good friend who has done a dozen packaged bike tours and said this was his favorite. Now it's ours!
Lynne P.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
The bikes were a problem everyday- not well maintained or just end of season but not good
The barge was very warm- esp with comforters- suggest availability of a sheet for these conditions. A soap dish is needed in the shower, the hair dryer was very inadequate. Need to have some sort of wax paper or plastic bag for the sandwiches- wrapping in napkins does not work. The barge should offer/highlight local wines!!! The whole point of this trip is particular.
Our guides Heddy and intern Micah were fabulous.
Laura H.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Iris Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
Reik welcoming and friendly nature & Omar's cooking.
I learned never to be on the last trip of the season, the exterior of the boat was kinda 'sad' looking.
Guides should actually know where they are going and put safety of riders at the top of their concern. Paul was so careless he was dangerous.
I don't think I would've gone on this trip if I would've known that I wasn't free to ride/stop when I wanted to or even provided the route information. I've been on several trips with Backroads and this did not measure up.
Tripsite staff • 7 months ago Tripsite Staff
Thank you so much for taking the time to write to us, we appreciate it immensely! This season was incredibly difficult for guides and crew, every week it seemed we had to find new personnel because folks were out with COVID. However, the safety and comfort of our guests should be paramount. I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with the guide, I have already inquired about his behavior and will ensure it is dealt with properly.
For nearly all our tours, we provide GPS tracks for independent cycling. However, there are a select few guided trips, such as aboard the Iris, which are still strictly group tours. I am sorry this wasn't to your liking, I do believe the Iris will eventually provide information for self-guided riding but until then, we have other boats offering this service. I hope you were still able to enjoy other aspects of the trip, despite these issues
Glenn S.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Princesse Royal Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
Great scenery, great chef on the barge, nice boat, and great guides! Overall a great experience. However if I must find something that needs a bit of upgrading, it’s the bikes. They were getting pretty tired and needing tune ups. Some had bald tires and most lacked correct air pressure in the tires, on previous Boat Bike trips the bikes were much better maintained. It was the end of the season and the bikes had gone through a lot over the year was the reasoning, but I paid so I expect good bikes regardless of the time of year.
Prosper B.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Clair de Lune Strasbourg to Nancy
France
However (and there's always a "however") this tour, which was described on your website as "easy" was anything but.
I am 68 years old and have never used an e-bike on any tour, including the hills of Provence, but the hills encountered on this trip were challenging even for the riders half my age. The tour description was erroneous and misleading. I say misleading because looking at the tour guides' maps, the elevation levels were clearly labeled but not communicated to the guests. So those on e-bikes had a much different experience than those of us (4 out of 10 guests) who did not. Those of us who did not struggled.
The other complaint was a lack of things to see in the middle of the tour, Read More unless churches are your thing and that's all I seemed to see in the form of tours, which got repetitive.
Nothing I have complained about here would prevent me from traveling with Tripsite again, as I am a true believer in this experience. BTW, the crew and the culinary staff were superb, as always.
Tripsite Staff • 7 months ago Tripsite Staff
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this feedback, it is invaluable to us and makes us better! We're so sorry for the issues you experience with the difficulty. Rating the difficulty level of a tour is the hardest aspect because of how subjective it can be. We do our very best but sometimes we miss the mark! I'm so sorry for this. I have already increased the difficulty rating of the tour and hopefully, the terrain will be better represented. I will also be adding the elevation to each day so future travelers are fully informed.
Clifford H.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Iris Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany
Traveling on the IRIS was nice. Highlights: Bike ride from the extinct volcano down to the Mosel was a great 40 mile ride (almost all down hill). The wine tasting excursion was set up by our guide Paul. Quite different than others I have been to. It was an intimate meeting with the owner of the winery that had been in his family since the 1600s. It rained (really just a mist) during 2 of our rides but with rain gear, it didn’t effect us.
Give me a call if you would like to hear some minor suggestions for improvement.
Alan L.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France
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.
Edward M.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France
Comfortable lodging, excellent food (especially the soups- thanks Frank) knowledgeable guide and unforgettable landscapes - what more could you ask for?
John M.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France
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
Laura C.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fleur Montargis to Paris
France
Tamy is by far the best guide we have ever had lead a trip.
The boat was wonderful with brilliantly laid out facilities, especially in the guest rooms.
Last but certainly not least, all the boat staff were exceptional and the food was amazing.
Francis D.
7 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Clair de Lune Strasbourg to Nancy
France
Enjoyed all aspects.Nancy and Strausburg really nice to visit at beginning and end.
France Tour Reviews by Activity
Bike + Boat Tour Reviews by Country
Boat/Barge Reviews
- Magellan
- Magnifique II
- Magnifique III
- Magnifique IV
- Mare fan Fryslân
- Melody
- Merlijn
- Florentina
- Normandie
- Princess
- Olympia
- Panagiota
- Pape Prvi
- Primadonna
- Princesse Royal
- Prinzessin Katharina
- Quo Vadis
- Romantica
- Sailing Home
- San Snova
- Sarah
- Stella
- Swiss Crown
- Thalassa
- Flying Dutchman
- Vietnamese Junks
- Vita Pugna
- Wending
- Zwaan
- Zwaantje