Netherlands Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 31 to 60 of 1625

The two guides, Hetty and Tim, made the trip. Meals in the Iris were very good. The crew was friendly and helpful. Bikes were comfortable and were easy to use. The nine day trip was perfect.

It was a great way to see a lot of the country in a short period of time, without feeling stressed by schedules. Marcel was particularly excellent as a tour guide and information resource. The crew was friendly and accommodating. The food was good enough- I didn't expect 5-star meals , but there was lots of it, and most meals were quite tasty. The Hanseatic League map was great, and coupled with the Ride with GPS app, I never felt concerned that I was lost or stranded in a foreign country. The length of rides was appropriate, and when my bike began to squeak mid-trip, a new bike was immediately provided.
On the TripSite side of things, Carla was very helpful with scheduling

It was a great way to see a lot of the country in a short period of time, without feeling stressed by schedules. Marcel was particularly excellent as a tour guide and information resource. The crew was friendly and accommodating. The food was good enough- I didn't expect 5-star meals , but there was lots of it, and most meals were quite tasty. The Hanseatic League map was great, and coupled with the Ride with GPS app, I never felt concerned that I was lost or stranded in a foreign country. The length of rides was appropriate, and when my bike began to squeak mid-trip, a new bike was immediately provided.

What an incredible trip and we are SO thankful to have chosen the Merlijn barge. The crew were so nice and the barge was beautiful. I would HIGHLY recommend this trip and this particular barge. They have GREAT bikes available, incredible tour guides, helmets with speakers in them to help make the tour very safe and informative.

The scenery. The culture. The guest connections and the helpful guides, not to mention a few amazing dinners.

I like the size of the group. The crew were hospitable. The food on the barge was delicious !

The rides and the landscape and the quaint communities were great.
The staff was super and the food was top notch.

The route, along with sites were outstanding. Great Captain and Crew.
Overall outstanding trip.

This was an amazing trip, the boat was clean and well appointed, the crew and tour leaders were exceptional, the food was incredible and the rides each day were so lovely riding through the country side and in and out of all the little towns and bigger cities. We did the guided tour and were so happy we did. Our tour guides were informative and communicated well about what to expect each day. Our first bike/barge trip and we are hooked!

The staff on the boat were awesome. Friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable and willing to share their knowledge and tips. Staff were Marius (captain), Harm (bike guide), Barbara (chef), and Peter (assistant to all). Harm provided a map of the day’s plan at breakfast. The bikes were adjusted as needed. It was great seeing the country from the bike trails. Navigating through the cities was daunting but Harm got us all safely to the boat wherever it was docked. There was opportunity to explore in the evenings after dinner. Barbara is a most accomplished chef with an easy going manner and good humour. Dinners were much looked forward to! Dietary needs were accommodated. The large dining/lounge area was bright. There were 2 outdoor sitting areas, one with a hard roof. It was enjoyable to sit outside and enjoy conversation with the other passengers. There was always the option of staying on the barge for the day instead of biking. The only improvement I would suggest is more planned washroom stops. I would, without hesitation, recommend this trip.

The scenery was wonderful, the guides were full of care for clients, the food was fantastic, the beds were comfortable, but the best part was the friendships formed between staff and clients throughout the journey.

The only thing I could say is that the entire trip was just wonderful. The staff, the captain, the accommodations, the food, and the people were just awesome!

The biking guides did a wonderful job making sure we were safe and secure a while biking through those nice bike trails in the Netherlands. They took breaks when you needed it. We stopped at small villages, traveled through Farmfields and saw a lot of the Netherlands including sheep, cows, canals, windmills and fantastic farmlands. The islands were great with loads of green scenery. The beaches were pretty with white sand and lots of kites sailing the skies. The stops at places like the aquarium, the planetarium and the old shipwreck museum was pretty cool too!

I started out with a pedal bike and was even able to make 31 miles through Texel Oudeschild Loop.
However, the last two days I decided to rent an E bike. Their E bikes are custom-made and actually you could pedal without assistance if you don’t want to use the E part of it. I would recommend to get the E bike as you could relax a little more on the biking tour. If you go, I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time!

The cycle pace, the scenery and the camaraderie of the guests and two guides.

The food and lodging were fantastic. The crew was up beat and helpful.

I liked working with Tripsite because I got assigned a contact and she (Britney) was helpful and responsive.

Our route for our trip had to be changed because a bridge was being repaired. The guides were not as familiar with the history and highlights of the new route. But they did pretty good.

A fantastic trip exploring the Netherlands - amazing tulips, windmills, sand dunes, canals…. The crew on the Iris were amazing and the meals were excellent. Thomas and Tim were great guides and we learned much about the country at each of our stops. Meeting others who enjoy cycling was a big part of the experience.

A fabulous trip! The staff/crew could not have been any better. Biking was so much fun on the ebikes and they made it very easy.

I really enjoyed the tour of the cheese farm in Gouda! Plus the evening walks after dinner were very informative!

From the meticulously repurposed barge, to the fantastically beautiful daily rides with an expert guide, to the daily on-board meals made with heart, this was one of the best tours of our lives. I recommend it to anybody that likes to hop on a bike (there was lots of e-bikes). Coen is a real master captain, and he spares no energy sharing his commitment to detail and perfection.

The trip was great. The boat - the last time to be used for this trip - was nice except no A/C. The crew were so friendly - the food was good especially the last night's dinner. The bike guide was such a nice guy, very experienced but he did to provide good safety briefings or information about each day's activities. There was a lot of down time and he spent time sitting in cafes instead of showing us the small villages and towns.

Loved visiting the tulip gardens. Food was delicious. Hospitality top notch. Guides very accommodating. High quality of bikes. The Iris is a great boat for this type of travel.

The crew and the guides did a wonderful job of making sure everything wonderful.
All of the extras that were included in our bike outing made the entire trip memorable. Encouraging everyone I know to take this trip. The absolutely perfect way to see The Netherlands!

Biking through the countryside and seeing fields of tulips growing was amazing. The country itself was wonderful even without the tulips. Our guide, Hetty, was fun and kept a pace that worked for all. We were on the Merlijn, which had just been refurbished. It was beautiful and the owners and staff were great!

Loved the rides in rural areas along canals. Found the quarters more cramped than the Fleur.

The staff were so welcoming, food was great and the sights were amazing.

Wonderful tour and great crew. The experience of riding to see the tulips, Windmills and other sites wonderful. The crew and ship exceeded our expectations. The Chef and crew worked to accommodate our dietary restrictions and the food was wonderful.

This was a good tour, however slightly misleading in description. It was rated easy but for some reason, most people rented ebikes, so the tour guides ran it at a fast pace as if ebikes were expected on the first couple of days. Thankfully after a couple of days they divided the bikers into a fast/slower group for those of us on regular bikes. After that, we had a great time. The boat staff was very friendly and went above and beyond to serve us at the bar, meals, cleaning rooms, etc. Sadly we ran into a few issues with the boat itself (A/C did not work 2 days, plumbing issues one day). The staff worked to correct these issues as soon as they could but it was very difficult to sleep in the hot cabins 2 nights. The beds were fairly comfortable and the dining room was very nice, although sweltering during dinner with no A/C in that area every night. The chef Chris, tried hard, but had a few, not so successful meals. He should probably simplify his meals so that service could speed up between courses - sometimes as long as 30 minutes between courses. I watched as many guest did not like the "fancy" meals including the crawfish or the raw meat appetizers. A salad might have been a better choice to appeal to more guests.

The crew was fabulous, the food excellent, and everything on the ship was beautiful. We had a wonderful time and the tour exceeded expectations.

the whole experience was great. The barge was lovely. The Captain and Mrs. were very welcoming. the tour guide was fantastic. Also a wonderer group of people.

The owners and crew of the Merlijn were fantastic!! The ship its self was immaculate, rooms extremely comfortable and can’t say enough about the meals cooked by Christina, one of the owners. The e-bikes made the days ride very easy and having the state of art helmets with microphone to hear our guide was a nice touch. You didn’t feel like you missed out on what the guide was saying if you weren’t at the front of the group. And I can’t say enough about our guide Hetty. She was very personable, knew the area and history well and went out of her way to ensure we all enjoyed the tour. I would definitely travel with this ship again!!

The trip was terrific!! We were on the IRIS that is 150% better than our last boat. The crew was terrific, the bike leaders were awesome and I believe they were so important in making the trip such a success. Of the 7 days of riding 1 day was totally in the rain and it was great, not that I wanted to get wet but the bike leqders were so prepared and positive. The other folks on the boat were terrific. And the flowers....mind boggling to say the least. I cannot recommend this trip strongly enough. The cabins were super clean, the showers were great (never ran out of hot water) and the food was good.