Netherlands Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 211 to 240 of 1625

I really enjoyed the Iris barge. First class barge with an attentive crew. The chef was amazing and created very good meals from a small onboard kitchen. The two guides were first-class. Great cycling routes in rural Netherlands. Lots of interesting stops and tulips galore. I would definitely book another tour aboard the Iris

This was the most wonderful trip I have ever taken. The scenery was beautiful, the weather was perfect and the trip was very well organized. We met some wonderful people who were also on our barge and the ebikes we used made the trip delightfully doable (we did bring along extra gel seat pads for the bikes which were welcomed after a few days of riding!) Our guide was knowledgable and funny and kept our group on target. Our group was pretty large and it would have be nice to have had an extra guide as our sweep but our guide Maryann did an excellent job of handling mishaps when they occurred.This will go down as one of the most wonderful trips I have taken and I would encourage everyone to sign have this adventure!

Everything. Loved the idea of biking through the country and spending time on the barge with the guests. The boat crew were very friendly and helpful. The food was excellent and the accommodations were great. I would do this again and have recommended it to my friends.

Well most memorable was the people who rode into the canal. Fortunately they were ok. And there was the man who hit the tunnel wall and took out another cyclist. It was rumored he was drinking vodka in his water bottle. Besides these incidents the best part was the daily riding through idyllic towns and pastoral areas where birds had their young, fields of flowers abound and people were so friendly.

The Bruge to Amsterdam trip was great! It was wonderful to see parts of the Netherlands and Belgium that you wouldn’t see just touring by train or car. Using the ride with GPS App made the self-guided trip seamless and the odd time some unexpected construction appeared on the pathway, the always pleasant tour guides managed to be there to redirect.

The crew was exceptional. I loved the self guided trips, the maps we downloaded before trip was accurate and easy to follow, it was easy to make this trip your own. We found lots of hidden museums and churches to explore.
A few areas could be improved. With so many good bag teas available, the pecwick teas had little to no flavor. Also, disappointed seeing no seals in wild. Description of trip needs to let customers know, very unlikely to see these. We were able to see some seals in rescue aquarium.
Highly recommend this trip! Can’t wait to pick our next adventure

The scenery was very picturesque. It was amazing to witness the incredible bike infrastructure and culture, which made for some relaxing rides.
Kinderjik was a highlight. Ghent was beautiful. It would have been nice to spend a little more time there. If possible, plan to spend extra time in Bruges and Amsterdam. Both cities have a ton to offer. The service onboard the ship was excellent, as was the food. Chef Mikkah did an amazing job!

Unfortunately, the conduct of our bike tour leaders, Tom and to a lesser extent Laura, was disappointing. Communication was poor. Tom seemed bored, and uninterested in the wellbeing of the guests. Laura guided a group of two, and had very little interaction with the rest of us. When they took us on a guided tour of Antwerp, neither guide could give us much information. In future, it might be useful to hire a professional guide for the walking tour.

It would be helpful in there was a fully stocked first aid kit on board. One passenger had a crash into some stinging nettles, and no one seemed to know how to help him.

The bike friendly routing of each day's ride and the expert, friendly guidance by Ronald and the helpfulness of the entire crew. Meeting many new folks on the boat/bike tours. The GPS guidance (Ride GPS) was invaluable and very simple to use.

Great itinerary and biking. Often guides offered options of a short or a long bike ride. A lot of wind to contend with so an e-bike may be an added comfort for some. The Iris was exceptionally clean, apparently newly renovated during Covid. A high quality of rental bikes available and appreciated! Thanks for a great holiday!!

That it was PERFECT !
My advice to others would be to book specifically the Magnifique II

If you are planning a bike trip, this is the one. We have been on 11 bike trips and this was the BEST! The weather was perfect, the food outstanding, the staff was great, Ronald the tour guide was always about in case one needed him on the ride, and of course the country was magnificent. Don't pass this opportunity up!!!!!

All parts of the trip were memorable. From the start to the finish. Crew on board took excellent care of all bikers.

Great professional staff. A top notch experience. I highly recommend this trip.

Excellent, tasty dinners! Chef (Meeka?) prepared delicious, well-displayed meals

Barge staff were excellent--great chef and friendly hostess. Dinners were great but breakfast and lunch were very repetitive. The staff needs better training in safety. We had 20 guests in our group with 2 bike guides. We were divided into 2 groups and rode with our group each day. Our guide was not friendly. Other than that, the bikes were new 7-speed bikes which were adequate for the mostly flat rides. The scenery was beautiful and the museums and city stops were interesting. I didn't enjoy having to ride with the group at a pace set by the bike guide and the slowest riders, and I don't trust Ride with GPS enough to ride on my own.

We had an absolutely amazing trip on the Sailing Home! The crew was outstanding and the experience memorable. I would love to do it again. The only complaint that I have is that for such a large group, we should have a rear guide that is part of the team.

The crew was fabulous! The tour was good. I thought we were going to stop at a cheese factory snd that did not happen. Most of our group was not thrilled with the bikes-tippy with handle bars that were raised up. The boat was great and meals delicious!

The food on the barge was amazing. Our tour guides were attentive to our needs every day. I definitely would recommend an e-bike. It was a game changer on windy days.

Most memorable was the stunning countryside along the Dutch canals-- grass waving in the breeze, sheep grazing all around, wildflowers, and the occasional swan swimming by. Bonus: not a hint of litter anywhere. Honestly, I kept asking myself if it was all real.

There were so many memorable parts of our trip from Burges to Amsterdam. The gorgeous countryside we rode through, the fantastic accommodations on the Manifique II and of course the outstanding crew and guides. We have done similar trips before but this one topped them all. The offer of two different length rides each day , the stops in the countryside to sightsee, traveling through locks, riding our bikes on to ferries and generally feeling like a local. The meals that the chef offered us out of his small kitchen were 5 star. The enthusiasm of the crew added so much to this rich experience. Upon returning to the boat each day they all made us feel like we had won the Tour de France! I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to ride through the beautiful countryside of Belgium and the Netherlands and to have a great time doing it!

From the moment we boarded the Magnifique IV to the morning we left everything was exceptional…Mariela was our cycling guide for the week and she couldn’t have been more lovely. We had beautiful weather and each day of cycling was interesting and fun! All members of the crew went out of their way to make us comfortable and the food prepared by Jules was delicious! We had a great group of travellers and enjoyed our social time on the barge each evening. We would highly recommend the adventure!
John and Kate

Beautiful countryside and small towns; our guides were knowledgeable and helpful. The boat was beautiful and comfortable. Staff on the boat were friendly, accommodating, and professional. Oh--and the food was 5 star delicious!

Incredibly warm, friendly and extremely customer-focused crew, all 7 of them!

This was a great trip and the guides and crew on the boat were wonderful! Karin, Eric, Frank and Brando made the trip and the food absoulutely great! Every day we had delicious meals and wonderful desserts! Despite some days of cold and rainy weather, the guides made sure we cycled through the beautiful countryside with good stops for rest and lunch. Keukenhof and the beautiful tulip fields were a highlight. The boat is so clean and well-taken care of. I would definitely recommend Zwaantje for this trip!

Great trip. The captain, guide, chef, and crew were wonderful. They made me feel very welcome and safe. While meals could be served earlier (breakfast at 8 and then heading out to ride at 9) and (dinner at 6:30 which lasted until about 8) the meals were very tasty. One thing I wish were different, we had our destination "tour" after dinner when everything was closed and often walking around in the dark. We didn't therefore get to really experience the lovely towns we were docked in because we left at 9 each morning and had little time to explore. It would be great to have a timeline and not just the riding itinerary because we could have gone faster through the open fields and farmland if we knew the plan for the day and seeing the towns, cities, villages. Our guide was very fun and made the days throughly enjoyable.

We loved travelling on the Magnifique II from Amsterdam to Bruges. It’s a beautiful, intimate barge with nice sized rooms. With only 30 people on board we got to know almost everyone. The food was amazing everyday and all 7 staff were friendly and accommodating. The guided biking was the highlight even though we didn’t have great weather. Both of the biking guides were great fun, informative and kept everyone safe.

The staff on the Iris were excellent. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. The passenger capacity of the Iris (24 people) was just right. It afforded us the opportunity to get to know the other travelers. Although the cabins were small, they were well laid out; comfortable; and quiet. We thoroughly enjoyed cycling throughout the Netherlands with the exceptional guides on the Iris.
We would've preferred more time allocated to exploring the towns where the Iris moored daily. Most of our exploration time was limited to after dinner walks in some towns.

Riding our bikes through the countryside and small towns. The staff and food on the Fluvius was spectacular. Renting e-bikes was definitely a plus

Unfortunately our barge had major mechanical problems ( thrust motor) from Day 1. As a result our first 4 full days of biking were changed, shortened significantly and day 4 spent almost entirely on the boat going to Antwerp with mechanical engineers working to fix it. We were very disappointed to lose this much biking on what was supposed to be a wonderful biking journey.

To add to our disappointment our biking tour guides, Tom and Laura, gave us very little information on what was wrong with the boat and what changes to expect. Generally they were not very communicative about our daily itineraries.

On the positive side, the barge crew were mostly fabulous. Mieke, the chef and her staff were very personable and hard working. The bartending staff were also very good. The food was excellent and the boat in good condition .

Overall we enjoyed the trip, especially the last 4 days once the barge was repaired.

Effie Henry
( part of a group of 10 Canadian women)

Bruges to Amsterdam Fluvius May 5/24 - 8 day bike trip

Unfortunately our barge had major mechanical problems ( thrust motor) from Day 1. As a result our first 4 full days of biking were changed, shortened significantly and day 4 spent almost entirely on the boat going to Antwerp with mechanical engineers working to fix it. We are very disappointed to lose this much biking on what was supposed to be a wonderful biking journey.

To add to our disappointment our biking tour guides, Tom and Laura, gave us very little information on what was wrong with the boat and what changes to expect. Generally they were not very communicative about our daily itineraries.

On the positive side, the barge crew were mostly fabulous. Mieke, the chef and her staff were very personable and hard working. The bartending staff were also very good. The food was excellent and the boat in good condition .

Overall we enjoyed the trip, especially the last 4 days once the barge was repaired.