Netherlands Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 1080

Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

Amsterdam to Bruges was our first bike and barge experience in 2016. The experience of small group travel, seeing villages and countrysides at 12-14 mph, and the coziness of barge life intoxicated us. We have since done six more tours. Everyone unique, quirky, full of beautiful vistas, and future friends from all over the world.
If you are considering this type of travel adventure for the first time, this tour is for you. AND for you stubborn Americans, there is absolutely no stigma attached to e-bikes. In fact, they are prolific throughout Europe.

  Sarah Amsterdam to Maastricht
Netherlands

The bike routes were the best and our tour guide Klaas exceeded our expectations

  Sarah Amsterdam to Maastricht
Netherlands

What a wonderful week biking Maastricht to Amsterdam. Riding through beautiful countryside every day with our knowledgeable leader made this trip a memorable one. The staff on board the Sarah were top quality and we would consider another trip again.

  Quo Vadis Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 days
Netherlands, Belgium

Too many memorable parts to decide. The staff aboard the quo vadis, the food, the beautiful scenery both on the bikes and barge. All were superior.

  Sailing Home Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

Cycling through the countryside and then returning to the comfort of our boat. The staff were accommodating and considerate. By far the best cruise that I have experienced. The meals were exceptional and the small group setting provided an opportunity for both socialization and relaxation. The crew also provided a variety of opportunities which enhanced the experience .

  Magnifique II Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

The boat, crew, dining, site seeing and and itinerary were fabulous, buy the most memorable was the bike tour guides, who- "with a little luck" was able to time our rides and routes through the many predicted rain showers and keep us dry and entertained.

  Mare fan Fryslân Bike & Sail the Frisian Sea
Netherlands

The people - the Food - the boat.

Even MORE sailing time would be even better! :-)

  Mare fan Fryslân Bike & Sail the Tulips
Netherlands

I loved seeing The Netherlands by boat. After all it's a country surrounded by and defined by water. With the tulips in bloom, it was a perfect time to learn the history and experience so many towns. The cuisine and beer are a terrific part of the immersion into a Dutch life.

  Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium

The staff on the Merjlin were fantastic
The bike seats were a bit uncomfortable but overall the trip was great. The tour guides were were great unfortunately they did not explain the route prior each day

  Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium

Outstanding trip. The Merlijn is a first class ship. The owners and the crew were just out of this world accommodating. The food was delicious, maybe too delicious. My bike was fantastic. Can’t say enough good things about the ship and the people that own it. Liked it so much, I’m going back on it for three weeks next year in Germany.

  Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium

The Merlijn and their staff were excellent! The food was fabulous too! The only reason I am giving this trip a 4 out of 5 stars is the tulips were on somewhat dying on May 11th. We booked this trip in 2019 for April 2020 and then COVID took over all of our lives. Then we rebooked for 2021 and had to change 1 week later. Then 2021 was still not safe to travel so when booking again for 2022, we had to switch to start May 3 in Bruges with the tulip part at the end of the trip. I loved Bruges and thoroughly enjoyed biking in Belgium. I developed a cough so unfortunately I missed a lot of biking in The Netherlands. But I did enjoy the river views while on the boat and got to experience locks also. When cruising into Rotterdam, I saw one of the super yacht builders' ship yard (Oceanco) and that was exciting for me as we sell to the super yachts.

  Merlijn Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day
Netherlands, Belgium

Great meals, excellent organization.
More substantial lunches would be good.
The tulips were finished by the time we got to the fields. I don’t think the May 2 trip should be advertised as a tulip tour.

  Quo Vadis Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 days
Netherlands, Belgium

The food was very good, the accomodations were fine, the crew was very helpful and friendly. The route was less scenic than i had hoped for. Holland is prettier than Belgium (for what we saw) and the dutch bike paths are awesome.

  Quo Vadis Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 days
Netherlands, Belgium

This was our first Bike and Barge tour, it was great. The stay on the barge was what I expected. The captain and crew were wonderful. Captain (Hans) gave daily briefings, chef (Marcel) created a wide range of meals throughout the week that were excellent, desserts by Maria were also excellent. We enjoyed the whole experience on the barge.
Cycling with a guide was also wonderful, Ron (our guide) has a great knowledge of the history and facts of the areas we cycled, is very friendly and personable. He found hidden gems. We laughed and had a great time with him. Our group was friendly and made some new friends by the end of 11 days. It's a great experience. Cycling was easy, flat but winding in places.
I would recommend this ride.

  Elizabeth Bike & Sail the IJsselmeer
Netherlands

The crew was great and our Chef meals were excellent!
It’s was a beautiful area to bike in and the sailing on the Elizebeth, a1913 cargo ship converted to accommodate 20 guest added a interesting and fun experience

  Sarah Amsterdam to Maastricht
Netherlands

Best trip ever. It would be nice if the crew did not smoke on board but that is the only negative thing. Everything else was fabulous!

  Gandalf Heart of Holland
Netherlands

We had a fantastic time on our recent "Heart of Holland" tour, aboard the Gandalf. The scenery every day was varied and interesting and we enjoyed the evening walking tours in each town. Our tour guide, Fred, was alot of fun to be around and it was obvious that he enjoyed his job!

The barge was comfortable and had everything we needed. Hans, Rosanna and crew were professional, warm and friendly and made you feel as if you were part of the family. We enjoyed the family style dining and the food was excellent.

If/when we book another tour, we will definitely make sure we're on the Gandalf again!

  Leafde fan Fryslân Bike & Sail the Frisian Sea
Netherlands

Our week long bike boat trip on the Leafde fan Fryslan was an absolute success! Every aspect of the trip was excellent. The boat was lovely and super fun to stay on, the crew was fantastic, the food was delicious and plentiful, and our bicycles were comfortable and easy to ride. Exploring this area was a real treat as we had never been to the Netherlands before and the tour gave us a wonderful opportunity to see landscapes, seascapes and the Dutch culture..

  Leafde fan Fryslân Bike & Sail the Frisian Sea
Netherlands

Everything about this trip was great! The 5-person crew on the Laefde fan Frysland went out of their way to make us all feel comfortable.

  De Amsterdam South Holland Tour
Netherlands

Although my South Holland Tour was canceled and rerouted to North Holland, it was lovely. The tour guides, captain & staff were terrific and despite weather related complications, made the trip memorable. I will definitely be doing another - hopefully the Southern route...

  Sailing Home Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

The trip was very enjoyable. The scenery and bike paths were great. The staff and cook were excellent.
Suggestions:
The bike groups should be split up into smaller groups (6-8 riders), especially when using busy routes.
The strong bikers should not be grouped with the more leisurely bikers.
The guides should have good skills in GPS navigation and/or riders could use an app such as "Ride with GPS".

  Sailing Home Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

Just a great experience. The food and views were wonderful and the guide was excellent.

  Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

I think more questions about individuals biking ability and whether they have experience with e-bikes would be good. Also, people should not expect the bike guides to know all the history of the places people bike through-they are there to assist in biking and take care of problems. They have knowledge but they are not historians etc. I think it should be explained that biking with regular bikes and e-bikes are going to be a part of the same group and unless you are going on your own, it might be difficult to keep up. More emphasis on the App that can assist you when biking. Might also want to emphasize preparation before coming such as doing some long rides. It seems some people think they used to bike and this should be a easy ride especially in the Netherlands where it is flat-they forget it is windy and you are doing this every day for a week!

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

It was an awesome way to see Belgium and the Netherlands. I can't wait for the next trip to Croatia. A bike is the only way to "fly." The food was surprisingly good and varied despite being served on a barge and to a group. Our bike lead, Carla was wonderful. On the down side, the smell of mold in our room on the Fluvius was disgusting and the attempt to fix it with bleach was just as bad. But even worse was the denial by the manager that I told her about it. The staff did their job and nothing more.

  Magnifique III Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

The reservation process was so professional with no hitches along the way. The trip was amazing, the guides especially Franz were so good, informative and always present. The barge itself was quite a pleasant surprise to everyone as it was hard to imagine what it would be like, clean, modern with all modern conveniences. Our weather was perfect which was a surprise also as the prediction was rain every day!!! Food was wonderful as well as all the staff. Each tour was different with unique stops along the way and the countryside is so beautiful. Every one was pleased with their bikes, we had e-bikes which we loved.
Thank you Tripsite for an amazing trip.

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

Visiting the windmills

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

I liked seeing the windmills. Also 2 full days of pouring rain were memorable; glad my rain gear held up.

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

This was a very pleasant trip through pretty country. We had two guides, Carla and Tom, who alternated leading the e-bike and non-e-bike groups. Carla is an excellent guide, who obviously researched the areas she was guiding us through, and pointed out interesting sights and historical details. Tom, on the other hand, seemed mostly focused on getting the day over with. (Unless there was a good lunch to be had!)
One thing I didn't realize before the trip was that the guides automatically divided the groups into e-bike and non e-bike sections, and assumed that the e-bike group would go faster and farther. This put people who could have gone farther into the "slow" group, and people who could barely ride a bike into the "fast" group.
The barge itself was quite comfortable, and the food was excellent!

  Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

The ability to really get to know your other travelers. The scenery and routes were wonderful.
Be sure you have put in the miles before you go so you don’t get so tired you can’t enjoy the rest of the trip. If you sign up for an e-bike, get some experience before you go. Know your ability today not when you were 18, 25 years old. This is a bike tour with guides for the route and care of the bikes. They are not there to give you the history of the areas or buildings you visit-you need to do your own work. They share their knowledge but that isn’t their job!