Netherlands Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 181 to 210 of 1625

We loved this trip! The boat is lovely and the state rooms were a good size with excellent storage, a comfortable bed and nice private bathroom. The crew was very friendly, extremely attentive and accommodating. The Captain was very fun. The food was solid and plentiful with a good amount of choices. The dining room was lovely and comfortable. We did think it odd that we had to pay for water at dinner but other than that we felt it was a very good value.

The biking is absolutely beautiful! I can't say enough about how lovely the scenery was. We used regular bikes but would recommend e-bikes to future customers because of the high winds that you can experience. The bikes were in good shape and had 7 gears which was enough since the majority of the trip is flat biking. The e-bikes can be shut off and used as a regular bike if you want more exercise, but can be turned on to go up hills and fight the wind. I borrowed and e- bike for a while and found it easy to ride when the power was off, so I only used it going up hills. Plus having an e-bike gives you more time to do sight seeing.
The tour was self guided but there was a guide on the route available for problems. Jan was very responsive to calls and had a great sense of humor. He gave a daily route briefings and the GPS app was quite good. Just be sure you know how to use it before you start biking. Between the GPS and the written route instructions, we always found our way with only a couple short hick-ups. We also got tips on places to stop for coffee, snacks and sight seeing.
I would recommend this tour to anyone who enjoys biking. I would warn some people that although you are usually on a bike path, it is often a designated shoulder of the road. You do need to be able to get off and on your bike quickly sometimes at intersections, so it can be intimidating for older folks who aren't as nimble as they once were. The car drivers are very used to cyclers and in general are very courteous, but you do need to stay aware of the many other people cycling on the roads and some are very fast. Having said all that, we had a wonderful trip despite rain off and on. You can always stay on the ship if the weather is too bad!

The tour itself was fantastic.

My interaction with tripsite was confusing and not reassuring. I’ve never encountered such a strange and needlessly cumbersome and costly process to book a trip.

Holland is a beautiful country and a cyclist's dream with all the bike trails. We loved the vibe of the trip and our group on the Gandalf became a family. The food was excellent and the hospitality of Hans and his team aboard the Gandalf were fabulous and fun. The barge had to adapt to several canal locks being closed, and change the route for us. The tour guide was great considering all the changes in the route he had to accommodate. And the evening tour of the towns was really fun and well thought out. And it was my 60th birthday aboard the ship and everyone celebrated with me.

We enjoyed our trip from Bruges to Amsterdam. The Magnifique IV was very comfortable. The food and service was terrific.

Our tour guides (Corrie and Mariah) lead us through the countryside and small towns. The gave us history lessons and local insight on our rides and after dinner walks, making the journey much more enjoyable.

Over the week we rode each date for a total of 278km. There was very little elevation change and we were fortunate to have the wind at our backs for much of the trip. Be sure to pack a raincoat. The weather conditions were variable, affected by the proximity to the ocean.

We can't wait until we do this again.

Tour leaders were great.
Always very helpful and knowledgeable.
They knew the territory and landscape and brought us to the most beautiful sights.

We have done many biking trips in Europe, most self guided. We did find the pace a little slow, but got into the groove with the group on the very good hybrid bikes-thanks Coene. Cristina's hospitality and food was wonderful and both her and Coene are very good hosts. Their staff were also extremely good.
The boat was very comfortable, cabins big enough to not feel claustrophobic, beds comfy, appreciated the heated towel rail to dry washing.
For us the best part of a trip is seeing the countryside, smelling the roses and taking time to look at the scenery.

Our bicycle tours led us through beautiful countryside, small seaside towns, farm land, medieval fortified towns, and city centers, all on designated bicycle paths. I loved the custom, belt-driven bikes, the cultural tours, the scenery, and back on the boat, the food was amazing! Co-captain and chef extraordinaire Christina fed us a wide variety of gourmet dinners, complete with a reasonably-sized, fabulous dessert. People with birthdays received whole, hand-made cakes to share. I felt thoroughly well-taken care of at all times. Also, the new bathrooms were quite nice— and the entire ship was cleaned to a fastidious degree every day!

I really enjoyed rolling through the countryside and stopping at small towns and villages. The city tours were an enriching cultural experience.

We just got off the Magnifique III today. What a wonderful trip despite some inclimate weather. Our biking guides Peter and Edith were fun, knowledgeable, encouraging and brought us to some very interesting local places on our very scenic ride through countryside, fields, forests and towns. We had very full days eating breakfast at 8, on the road by 9:30 and back on the boat by 5 ish, depending on how many miles were covered , or if you took the long or short routes offered. The meals cooked by Chef Steven were magnificent-steak, seafood, fish and lots of veggie option- way beyond what I expected. Meike and Annika kept us very happy on board and took care of rooms and provisions. Captain Hank and first mate Jarre were experts at what they do, made themselves available for questions and occasional tours of the boat and kept us informed of our routes and sights along the way.
We had morning and nightly briefings, and Peter gave lots of history, tours and background info.
I was wowed by how first class this operation is. There were only 20 cabins, with a total of less than 40 in our group-perfect size.i chose an electric bike, with the option of choosing no, low, or high assist.
The terrain was flat, so assist was only needed in strong headwinds. I had wanted a top deck cabin with full length glass doors, but was too late booking to get one. It ended up that those cabins were sometimes blocked by a dock or another boat when docke so I am glad I did not spend the extra-unless you spent time in the rooms while sailing.
We went with a group of 6 and enjoyed our time together as everything was provided for. Lots of options for our athletic to laid back group. I will be booking another trip with them. Highly recommend

Loved the Merlijn boat , Coen & Cristina were wonderful hosts , Cristina was a fabulous cook & hostess, so accomodating. Coen very knowledgeable & helpful.
Might be helpful to have 2 cycling guides as we found the pace very slow at times , even though we were on the hybrid bikes. Francine did let us go ahead at times. Bedrooms were very comfortable, heated towel rails great for drying biking shorts overnight.
We would consider going again but probably a week trip.

A note and not a review. Some colleagues returned to the Fluvius a few minutes after midnight and the sliding glass doors on either side of the main deck were locked. These doors were locked with a key on both the outside and the inside. My concern is that if there were an emergency and crew were not available, passengers could not open the sliding glass doors from the inside. I think this is a safety issue and those doors should have an emergency inside lock that can be opened by any passenger or crew without a key or without specific training.

Overall, a great trip. Excellent meals - thanks to Mirka and her staff. Carla and Laura were great tour guides and I hope Carla recovers from her accident soon.

Another suggestion - review mirrors on the bikes would make keeping groups together a bit easier.

We were on the boat "Sailing Home" and we went from Bruges to Amsterdam. We've never done a Bike & Barge trip before and this trip far exceeded our expectations. From the moment we stepped on board, there was a warm welcome from the 5 fantastic crew members. These 5 could not do enough for you to make your trip a trip to remember. There were 22 travelers on board and having breakfast and dinners with them was so much fun. The food was 5 star every night, the captain was awesome with our boat... smooth and easy travel. Our bike guide was outstanding. We went to so many different places, learned about the history in the villages, she personalized the trip by taking us to a cheese farm and was calm under pressure! The biking was incredible... it was so beautiful everywhere! The rooms were cozy and it was so nice having a bathroom in each room! I highly recommend this trip. It was spectacular!

The staff aboard the Magnifique IV were fabulous. We had great bike tour guides. The people we met on the ship were from all over the world and we all became friends. I would highly recommend this tour and we will be doing this again

We really liked exploring the old towns in the NL while biking but wished there was more time to do so as there were so many interesting things to see. Having some additional information on each was nice.
The staff were extremely helpful and friendly and we enjoyed their kindness and willingness to serve & make our trip comfortable & enjoyable. (Thanks to Jeremal, Christina, John, Stani and the other deck hands.) The beds and rooms were comfortable and the dining room/bar were well appointed. The food at dinner was excellent but the quantity was not enough for the ‘bigger’ eaters in our group.

We found the distance to bike on some days was more than we wanted and had hoped we could have options to go off or on the boat part way. (Though having the opportunity to change to an ebike helped…thank you John!.)
We were disappointed that we could not purchase any snacks in the evening and that the only ones provided during teatime were sweets. Then on the last evening we were reprimanded by the tour guide for buying fries from the street vendor and eating them at the dining table long after dinner was finished. He said it was like ‘bringing food into a restaurant’ but there was no where else for us to sit and socialize with our friends. Not very understanding or accommodating on his part which was evident when we asked for his expertise in bike routes as well. He would not be inclined to discuss things or give consideration to the queries.
We would also recommend that the lunches have more options for on the buns (ie Tuna, roast beef, Egg salad and or lettuce).
Mostly we will have fond memories of this trip with the DeNassau and crew and wish you a good season.

Cycling through the farms and along the rivers and canals was beautiful. The villages were historic and lovely. More recommendations of sights along the way would have been helpful.

The entire trip was memorable in every way. There was really nothing that I could improve upon other than perhaps the weather, which is not controllable. The staff the boat and the itinerary were incredible. I particularly liked the Museum visit to the Kröller-Müller Museum which is otherwise not very accessible on the regular tourist itinerary.

Visiting the Dome and biking along the river. The food was excellent and the boat was beautiful.

Another biking trip of a lifetime and this time on the beautiful Magnifique III. What a beautiful ship, terrific crew, great chef and awesome bike guides. Biking from Bruges, Belgium to Amsterdam was just fantastic.

Although the guided tour had its frustrations and the rainy - windy weather didn’t help, the experience was worth the trip. However, it was frustrating that more attention/instruction was not given to novice bikers. Firstly, they needed to understand the e-bike, specifically to understand the function of gearing down and powering up when needed. Secondly novice bikers didn’t understand NOT to crowd other bikers and to keep a safe distance. Also your marketing should be clear state that they shoukd be experienced bikers. Some areas were highly trafficked - bike auto and train - therefore novice bikers are at great risk. The guides were unfamiliar with the trail and particularly in the first days were getting lost. Your selection for lunch stops were poor. We ate our sandwiches (which got really boring after the second day) outside in the rain. Suggest you add some lunch stops at some local sheltered restaurants with enough time to enjoy and experience the local fare.

My most memorable part of the trip was the barge and crew. It was a pleasure to be on the barge.

The countryside was extremely beautiful. The meals were extremely delicious and the dinners were exceptional. The boat was clean and updated with very attentive and positive staff. The bikes were in very good repair and we found the directions to each site/city and the boat generally very clear.

Communication from bike tour leaders was not great. Also, we had major engine problems on Day 1-3 necessitating us to miss 1 day of riding. The communication around the mechanical problems was very poor and initially we found out about this by accident. Once rectified the tour continued as promised.

Hello. The trip is nice, beautiful ride! The only thing makes me very upset is the way the chef treat me, his rude. Never in my life, someone talk to me that way. His name is Emilio! All other stafs is so nice.

The cycling through beautiful trails, seeing the country in a way you would not by car or train. Meeting the lovely people on Board geeting to know them, and also our tour Guide Albert, He was so good and kind. Our Chef Marcel and the crew.
Looking forward to doing another trip next May with more friends.

Seeing windmills close up was great, but touring Keukenhof gardens was fabulous! We were there for 1.5 hours and could have stayed longer. The tulips and other flowers were spectacular! A lovely surprise was the three course gourmet meals we were served every night by a creative chef.
My husband is an avid bicycle rider, but I'm not. Having an electric assist bicycle took all the effort out of trying to keep up with the group. With this modern technology, everybody can participate and have fun!

Our Bruges to Amsterdam trip was a spectacular! From the moment we boarded Magnifique 1 we were blown away by the beautiful interior of the ship, the warmth of the crew and the organization for the bike trip to begin the next day. Each day ended with a short meeting outlining the next day's route and particulars. The riders were split into two groups that remained with their wonderful guides for the week. We always felt safe on our rides and the pace was very manageable. We stopped for a morning and afternoon break and lunch. The food on board was delicious and varied and the presentation was beautiful. Probably our most memorable part of the journey was the consistently beautiful scenery and the making of new friends from several different countries. This trip was so much more than a vacation, it was an experience we will always remember! Thank you crew of the Magnifique 1 for all the incredible memories!

The food was excellent. Ebikes are the way to go. Know your route so not surprised. Book an upstairs room.

The biking was amazing. Can’t believe how good the bike paths/trails are! And flat

Every aspect of the trip was first rate, but the luxury of the barge, the quality of the meals and the attentiveness of all the staff deserve special mention and praise. Well done everyone!

THE RIDES ... we loved the options for self-guided daily rides - the GPS system for the rides was fantastic and the tour guides were so awesome in supporting us to do the self guided rides when there were issues with the trails and/or tips for the day. We like to go at our own pace and stop when/where we were ready for a break. The ability to use the GPS off data was an amazing benefit and a big PLUS for this trip.

The tour guide(s) and the staff on the Magnifique 1 made this trip memorable as well - they went above and beyond to ensure the trip was MAGNIFIQUE!

Some great self-guided cycling routes.

Would have appreciated more information en route regarding points of interest, not just directions.

Oddly, water was not provided at dinner except at an additional cost - unusual for an active cycling trip when hydration is important.

Also no coffee or tea expect at prescribed times, unavailable if one arrived back to barge later than the prescribed time.

No wifi except at an additional cost.