France Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 271 to 300 of 726

7 very close friends have just spent a fabulous week with Steve and Karina and crew on their Barge Aurora in norther Burgundy. Right from the booking this was a special holiday. Carla and Tripsite made sure our 55th anniversary (for all of us) was a special event. There was nothing that they couldn’t accommodate.
Aurora is a floating 5 star intimate hotel. She is in immaculate condition. Her crew are well trained and extremely pleasant to have with you. Every little thing to make you comfortable has been thought of and taken care of. They even curate the music that they play in the background to your age group.
We were touring at the end of a difficult season for Steve and Karina with a very hot and dry summer. Plus Covid was still disruptive. Very low water levels made following the planned itinerary very difficult. In spite of that and because of Steve’s knowledge of the area they were able to provide us with a great experience.
Our bike guide, Weiger,had an encyclopedic knowledge of the area and never seemed to look at a map except to show us where we were. He was a pleasure to be with.
This was a memorable trip for us all. We would use Tripsites experience and expertise without hesitation in the future.
Thank you Carla, Steve and Karina. And all the crew.
The “Summer of ‘67” gang.

The boat was wonderful as was the staff. Food too was excellent. There were two central problems with the trip. The first is the route. We had anticipated that the trip down the Rhine would be in beautiful sections building t instead we spent a week in heavily industrial areas where there was little along the river that was beautiful at all.
The second problem was that it appeared that no one from the company had checked out the route of the biking since it was first established since roads had closed and there were continuous diversions. As a consequence we (and when I say we i mean many of the bikers) were lost within 15 minutes of departing every day. While the trip was billed as "self guiding" clear and accurate maps are needed

This was my 5th bike and barge trip—they have become my favorite kind of vacation. They take you away from your day-to-day life with full days of activity and slow, macro touring of a new, beautiful part of the world. It's a moving hotel; you bike all day, then find all your things as you left them in a new location without having to pack every morning. They have great food on board, and with all the exercise you do—you just eat what you want! The crew on The Caprice was excellent. Willy, the captain, told us everything—even the few wrinkles we encountered. One afternoon, he gave all of us a chance to steer the wheel from his deck up top. Irene, the chef, was superb. Every night's dinner including starter, main course and dessert where beautifully prepared, delicious and pertinent to the locale of our docking. Karima, the steward, was very attentive to us, a wonderful personality, a great wine sommelier—and creative folder of dinner napkins! Our riding guide Micaela (Micky) was even-keeled, never rattled and dealt with all of our personalities like a pro. The group signing that she organized of Sur Le Pont d'Avignon melted our hearts. She was excellent and made the trip! The boat itself was a little small. The traffic pattern in the dining area needs some work to go a little smoother. The highlight of the trip was the visit to the Pont du Gard—and it would have been nice to have 4 hours there.

Mickey, our tour leader, took us out after dinner on the barge, on a walking tour in Arles. I had been asking when we would see the location of where The Bedroom at Arles was painted. That is where she took us. In addition, we saw the location of where Starry Night was painted. She let me bring a friend from our sister barge.

Crew and guide were fantastic.
Our dinners were amazing. Chef put much thought into selecting and preparing our evening meal always paired with a fabulous wine.
Enjoyed recapping our day’s ride after dinner with our guide, Mickey.
Each day brought a new adventure of riding. Lots of variety.
Might include a walking tour of Avignon as part of the trip.

We loved riding through the beautiful countryside and stopping to see the important landmarks along the way.

Arles (Van Gogh & Roman buildings), Barbegal Acqueduct, Les Baux, olive oil mill visit, Pont du Gard. Camaraderie on board the Caprice and while riding. The hospitality and warmth of the Caprice crew. So many other great sites and experiences too. Our guide Miki was great; bike routes were pleasant and relatively free of traffic interference. I felt safe while riding and saw a lot little things along the ride that interested and pleased me - things you don't see from a car, train, or bus.
One area needing improvement: Poor WIFI aboard the Caprice. Higher capacity and more reliable WIFI would have been appreciated.

The guide, the itinerary and the chefs were superb!! 5 stars for them!! But the boat, and specifically the boat owners, get a 1 star. How cheap can they be??!! They didn't even provide a plastic bike water bottle. And they charged a hefty fuel surcharge, even after the price of fuel had plummeted. This was my third bike and barge, and I will never go on another barge owned by this company.

The biking throughout was excellent: we had great guides and the barge crew was friendly, accommodating, and VERY professional. Plus there seemed to be a castle on every hill, like biking through a fairytale.

We really enjoyed our trip through the Provence region of southern France! Our guide, Michaela, was very knowledgeable of the history of the area, kept us on low trafficked roads on our bicycles, and was in general a lot of fun. Additionally, our eBikes were in great condition and we enjoyed using them throughout our tour. The only downside was our cabin on the Caprice as we both have allergies and there was a persistent mildew/mold smell which necessitated keeping the A/C on relatively high to dissipate it. The cabin was also quite small for us traveling as a couple—one of us literally had to crawl over the other to use the bathroom. The hardworking staff is to be commended.

Great aspects=the guide, food, staff
Less were the comfort of the beds and space in the bathroom

The trip was well organised, we saw lots of interesting new places, loved, the rides through the forests and the food was amazing! The most memorable part of the trip was the way the entire crew worked together to give us all a wonderfully enjoyable trip.Highly recommend a trip on board Feniks!

The wonderful guides who helped me, the splendid rides, the friendly stafff

Our guide, Michaela, started each beautiful ride through the country side with such a positive attitudes and great information!
Loved the trip up to Le Baux!

The Zwaantje crew and guides were first rate: highly competent, upbeat and accommodating. Our guides were fun to ride with and loaded with local knowledge, and were flexible enough to improve the schedule of sailing and ride routing to better match the weather and riding group. Very well done! We will be back for more.
The bicycles were fine, and in good order. Next time we will bring strap-on water bottle cages so good hydration is closer to hand.

This trip was fabulous. Outstanding service, incredible food, luxurious accommodations and an attentive crew. The best trip we've ever taken. Steve, Karina and their crew were so friendly. The countryside we cycled and cruised through was so scenic. Our excursion guide, Edita, took us to do many wonderful places. Tips for others? Be prepared to be pampered!

It was so amazingly organized. The tour guides were exemplary, the rest of the staff absolutely wonderful and so personable, the food was totally extraordinary, the bikes were really well maintained and wonderful.

And three of my colleagues on the trip - who had been, between them, on no less than13 other bike and barge trips - all said whole-heartedly that this particular July 23rd, 2022 was the best by far that they had ever experienced. Was I ever lucky as it was my first!!

The route and group were amazing! The cities are very nice and historical… what I fell could be better is reception of participants of tour… inviting each one to identify oneself with others, to make a group… And I think our guide wasn’t so careful with the group… so quick some days… with no explanation about the beautiful little towns we were!! So pity!!
And they could help us about car parking before tour… You could have better support to guests.

Ease of living on the boat including meals, rooms, drinks, comfort etc.
Did not like hybrid bikes as I usually ride a road bike.
Would have liked to have biked or sailed into the wine region

Being in France on a bike with new friends and having a wonderful barge and crew to meet our needs.

The captain and staff were all very personable and worked well together. Steffi is amazing!

The countryside was beautiful and excursions interesting. Luckily, we had magnificent weather, which made everything feel perfect!

The wine tastings could have included a brief tour, like the cider tasting excursion did.

Riding along beautiful fields of wheat and sunflowers. Enjoying outside. A stress free vacation in nature.
Wine tours: there was not any information/education about the grapes. A missed opportunity I thought.
The first chef on our boat was not very good. Food is a big part of a vacation. That area needs attention we all felt.

Biking through the small villages was very picturesque. Only regret was not having a GoPro to video as we were riding through.

The daily bike rides were more than I expected through beautiful countrysides and charming villages. The staff were outstanding in their efforts to make us comfortable- loved the swim off the barge after a long days ride! . The cuisine was superb and reasonably portioned - loved daily fresh baguettes.

I love Provence. This is a fabulous tour to see both the countryside and villages. The L’Estelle is a very comfortable barge, the staff are amazing. I’ve been on several bike and barge tours and the food was the best. We had a full spread every day when we were back from biking. Our tour guide was great. There are several extra tours of castles , villages , olive farm included. The only thing to note is that the tour in Arles does not take you into the collegium, theatre or Roman baths. She stands outside and talks about them. If you enjoy history then this is for you but if you want to actually see the sites then skip the tour as there’s plenty of time to see them on your own. I also liked this tour as we didn’t just follow the river but did loops and came back which made it interesting.

Just completed this tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. The food was amazing!! The boat was clean and well maintained. We did find the rooms very tight and agree on the steep staircase. Our guide was excellent and knowledgeable about the history of the area. She looked after all guests needs. The Captain and his wife were part of the team and we enjoyed their interaction with guests. Bert had some great jokes!!

Wonderful trip. Great crew with Sarah and Joseph as cooks, Willy as captain, and Michaela (?sp) as our guide. I have some dietary restrictions which they handled very well. Cabins are a little small but not inadequate given the small boat size. The stairway is somewhat awkward but manageable.
Michaela was a good informant about historical facts about the area. She is also a very good bike mechanic, having worked in a bike shop recently during the pandemic.
Good tour mates from multiple countries. Everyone got along well. Would definitely recommend this trip.

Great crew
Great food
great guide
awesome captain
wonderful eclectic group on board ... only 16
did i SAY unbelievable food ..... themed to the regional herbs .....which transformed food into a cultural lesson on the region
and Michaella the guide what a great trip she road us through or we road her through!
the camaque ride is a ride through the french wetlands - through the history of the crusaders and Knights Templer - the salt trade - then you get in the other side of Provence with its chic chic villages - fields of flowers and lavender and poppies .... a few hills that were daunting - but on the whole we had great bike paths minimal traffic and just a whole lot of wonderful vistas and aromas as we rolled through this beautiful part of the world ....(in this covid world being able to smell the flowers and fields was also a good daily litmus test ...) its a great trip a great experience with a great crew - i would happily do this ride again....

Wonderful trip start to finish. The Fleur was cozy and comfortable. Terrific crew. Delicious food. We biked roughly 30 miles per day through forests, small towns, the countryside. Be sure to pack bike shorts. The bikes were in great shape. We were a group of 19, at least 6 people used Ebikes. We were fortunate to have 2 terrific guides which made a group of that size much easier to navigate. If you plan to do this trip you want to be able to comfortably bike 30 miles with some hills. Not unmanageable for people who cycle. This is a great trip for those who enjoy cycling through the countryside, stopping at cafes and historical points of interest . One day I decided to stay on the barge. I cozied up with a good book and watched the world go by. So enjoyable. Sailing into Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time was pretty special too. This was our first bike and barge and we are already thinking of our next.

Intimate barge and delightful crew that quickly became friends. We loved the two week itinerary and everyone looked forward to another day on the bikes exploring. Many highlights but the riding onto the terrace above Paris and viewing the Eiffel Tower and skyline was enchanting. The entire group became one as we enjoyed each other’s company.
The Tripsite staff were a great resource; extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I recommend beginning the vacation with them. Their guidance in choosing the right vacation was superb.