France Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 541 to 570 of 720

Most Memorable part: Going through the locks on the barge in Paris. The kindness of our fellow bikers and staff.

I just got back from the trip and had a wonderful time! The Boat, Bikes, and Food where the best that could be provided and the scenery was amazing! I found the description to be exactly as the trip experience. I felt like I was fully prepared for everything and cannot wait to do it again next year.

We truly enjoyed this trip, with beautiful flowers in every town and swans everywhere. One night, we had a bevy of swans peaking in at us as we ate dinner!. The bikes are great, with comfortable seats and smooth gearing. The dinners were always a delicious surprise. Sanders and Els were wonderful hosts, and our guide, Seitze, was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Mosel area, including Roman aqueducts, medieval castles, World War II sites, and, of course, the history of the EU. Nancy was my favorite big city but we also had a night time walking tour of a little town overlooking the Mosel, called Liverdun...where delicious Madelines come from! Very cute town. We went in early September and the cabins were a bit warm even at night. You can open windows, but it could be uncomfortable in the summer. Biking was mostly flat so not difficult but I definitely got some exercise. Another favorite: stopping for coffee and pastry each morning!

Most memorable part: The incredible scenery and the knowledge of our guide.

The Zwaantje and crew are top notch, and present a great value. Some of the routes in northern France had a little too much traffic. Riding in Belgium and Netherlands seems nicer. Once is enough for this tour.

The most memorable parts was the Saar River part of the ride, biking above the River with our guide and riding thru the vineyards. The little towns and the Roman History. Had no idea about the Roman history in this region before this trip. The Levees on the river. Just the general beauty of the area. The grapes growing on the sides of the mountains. Both our barge crew and all the people on the trip. FUN! FUN! FUN!

The total crew got involved in the trip and were always available to assist us with any problems or questions. It helped to break the ice with other bikers and soon we were one cohesive and fun group.

Most memorable are the meals. The daily ports and after dinner walks. 1 issue - directions to the barge were horrible.

Most memorable part? There were so many, but Chantilly Castle and the Montmontre area of Paris that we had a tour of immediately come to mind. Make sure that you can ride a bike and can manage at least 30 miles on a route with the same level of climbing, otherwise use an e-bike to help you along. Bring 2 pairs of street shoes, as some days they might get wet. Remember that there will be an opportunity to leave a tip at the end, and it should be about 5-6% of the booked price. Drink wine and beer, talk to people, don't be shy about anything and remember to have fun.

It is very hard to say what was the best, as everything was so great, beautiful, and interesting. The staff and bike guide went above our expectations, we would recommend this trip to all.

So many memorable parts it's hard to pick just one. On this trip, I'll say the warmth of the chef and captain, the meals were outstanding, and I loved meeting and cycling with people from all over!

We thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip but the weather was a bit average - no rain but lots of cloud and a bit cool.
The food was great as were the crew, the bikes, the other passengers and the boat. We thought Wouter (the guide) needs to "loosen up" a bit and learn more of the history etc. of the region. We also found the first couple of days on the bikes a bit boring, too much forest and not enough villages etc.
All in all very good!!

The whole trip exceeded our expectations but the barge Iris and the crew were outstanding.

A group of 8 friends from Western Canada recently completed the Metz to Cochem tour on the Iris and all of us have nothing but good things to say about the experience. The barge Iris was everything we expected and more. Immaculately clean, well equipped, comfortable rooms and beds, small but efficient bathrooms, great lounge and dining areas, outside sitting area, etc., etc. The crew was outstanding in every way from Chef Bas to guide Wouter, to crewman AJ and so on. The crew added so much to the overall experience and always with humour, local knowledge and great attention to detail. The daily rides were a feature that we looked forward to each morning and the scenery was wonderful each day. And to top it all off, the weather for the most part cooperated for the whole trip. I can't recommend the barge, the crew and the trip highly enough and as a group, we are already talking about our next barge/bike tour

The Tripsite folks were always right there for me whenever I asked a question. Our guide, Albert, was a tremendous guide and was always there to help with any language barrier. I have certainly recommended Tripsite to others that I have been telling about my trip and they can't believe that I got such a great value for the money I spent. Thank you All!

Our bike guide was terrible. He was lost several times each day and didn't the happenings of each town so we all missed the running of the bulls and he shouted & criticized all riders.

Amazing scenery, fantastic hosts, first class accommodations - a winner all around! Highly recommended, and would take another trip on the Merlijn in a heartbeat.

Highlights: Our daily biking trips, having a varied ride each day with different kms, visits and scenery, plus even a hike to a castle as well. My only suggestion is to keep this spontaneity as each day is an adventure with the known luxury of the barge awaiting us at the end of each ride.

Most Memorable Part? That is so hard to answer because there were so many of them. I do plan to enter your contest very soon. As for tips or suggestions for others...By all means considered a Tripsite bike trip for your next vacation. It has so much to offer. And don't let your fear of being able to complete the daily bike rides stop you. We had in our group of 21: an 80-year-old, a person with a "boot" on his foot due to an injury, a person with a sore back, and several people who don't bike regularly. All of them were able to not only complete our daily rides, they did so with no struggles and enjoyed themselves. E-bikes can be used by those who have trouble with longer or more challenging rides. There is something about riding in a group that bonds cyclists together. You go slow enough to have conversations and see all the details you could miss when going by bus or car, yet fast enough to cover miles of interesting terrain.

Most memorable part: Discovering new and very interesting places with good friends.

Traveling on the Merlijn is always a delight. The accommodation are great and the food was delicious. Our trip along the Mosell was utterly charming. This was my third sailing with Jantien and Henck and I hope it wasn't my last.

Memorable and very satisfying tour. The Merlijn and her crew were wonderful, friendly, and efficient, even while operating one member short (due to illness). The route along the Rhein and Moselle Rivers was beautiful, historic, and made for great cycling. The extras offered by the tour, wine tasting trip, winery tour, Roman mosaic and others, were highlights, and the food on board was great. I'll be back.

Wide range of scenery and experiences especially going on the barge through the tunnel and excellent guiding by Fred.

The overall experience of the barge & bike tour through wonderful countryside, villages & towns was excellent. The barge skipper/owner & staff were very good & most pleasant. The meals were of a high standard & variable throughout the two weeks.
The bikes were also very good. I had ordered an electric bike with our booking but the order did not go through. However, the ordinary hybrid bike provided did the job so I happily stayed with that.
We were also to have a double bunk, but that request did not get through either, but that was OK.

Crew, guide, staff were attentive, cordial and helpful. Barge was clean and comfortable. Bike routes were very scenic and interesting. Mary Ann, our guide was very knowledgeable, and simply terrific. Will we go again?....absolutely yes.

Most memorable part: Going through the locks. Tip would be to practice cycling up hills.

My mom and I booked the trip from June 3- 10, 2017 from Moret-sur-Loing to Compiegne. What a fantastic holiday!! The biking was incredible and the bikes were in excellent shape - very easy to ride. Wieger was an excellent guide both on and off the bikes. We experienced France from a totally different perspective - biking in the forests, into Fontainebleau and having a picnic in the garden; stopping along the Seine for coffee at a small cafe; biking into Paris to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. Every night Wieger would give us a small tour of the town we were moored in. The meals that Thea made each day were 5* - excellent!! The Clair de Lune was a lovely place to call our home each night and our captain Marco was very accommodating and friendly. We highly recommend this trip - what a fantastic experience!!!

Besides the beautiful scenery, the staff on the boat were so friendly and helpful. They worked as a team, and the relationship with the guests was wonderful. We made many new friends, and had such a good time. Leaving, we had tears in our eyes. We loved the wineries and tasting many new wines. Although we understand the purpose of corkage fees, we thought they were too high, as we came back with one or two new ones every day! Loved the trip!

The routing in Bordeaux was great. Amazing scenery, passing through little towns and managing our way through a city or two made for an amazing adventure. One day I had a big problem with my bike and with a phone call I had a young man show up and fix it. He was my hero.

Loved the beauty of the rolling hills, vineyards and chateaus. Due to the hills, I would rate 2 of the days more moderate to difficult, leaning more to moderate. The maps and booklets are hard to follow, definitely have 1 person in your group get the GPS, it should be mandatory with all the turns. There is only a deposit required.
The staff were attentive, hard working and fun! The food was exceptional. We highly recommend this tour!