Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 61 to 90 of 4959

We were a group of 4 friends doing a bike barge for the first time. Wisely we were offered a good deal and coaching for electric assist bikes and that did help make for an enjoyable experience. We also opted for suites and those were excellent. Such efficient bathrooms and plenty of storage. Nice decor and lighting. Internet spotting so used my phone as a hot spot.
Our one trip leader was extremely helpful - especially in guiding us thru some tricky parts of the route. The other was delightful in her presentations, but was a bit hard to understand and seemed to leave out some crucial information - especially on what routes or areas were very crowded for biking. My partner opted out of riding a few days because the 2nd day was so difficult for him. I found as we went along our skills increased and we understood the navigation better. I also was able to Google the bike computer to learn more about its operation and how to connect it to the map mileage. That was not explained in the beginning.
The crew: Not nearly as friendly as I had expected. They did seem to warm up to a large group of party girls by the end and maybe us too, but smiles and friendly greetings were lacking except for 1 or 2. My partner and I had come from the Cotswalds prior and everyone was just extremely friendly and helpful - so that made the contrast more evident. It just shows when people don't love their jobs.
I had also expected to meet more passengers, but that was a bit of a hurdle because of the different languages. I was glad we had a group of 4.
We were blessed with some great (but hot) weather and overall had a wonderful experience. Food was good and deserts were great. If done again we would pay more attention to not biking in cities if possible.

The food was very simple and the tour , very fast , all the Guides run a lot , we donn't have time to stop , take photos. The scenery was beautiful, but we couldn't enjoy it while cycling. The tour of the Netherlands and Germany was much more pleasant. But the boat's crew was very friendly.

We travelled May 24th to 31st on the Fluvius. (Amsterdam to Bruges).
The biking, the crew and the guides were fantastic. The ship on the other hand was not. We had one engine and no air conditioning.

This caused several problems: our riding was cut short on the first three days because of the engine difficulties.

The sleeping cabins and the dining room/ lounge were very close to unbearable with the heat and lack of air flow. Some nights we had to sleep with our door open due to the heat to allow for some air flow which presented privacy concerns for all as many of the passengers had to resort to this tactic of open doors. The crew did a great job working through these conditions but this is unacceptable working and living conditions.

While we enjoyed our time off the ship I would have serious reservations booking again with your company.

Unusual and excellent itinerary starting in Amsterdam and ending in Paris. Beautiful barge with lovely accommodations and amazing, stunningly presented food. Nice group size.

Our recent bike/boat tour on the Harmonia was absolutely amazing. Croatia has been on our bucket list for years and this trip was all we hoped it would be. The Dalmatian islands and all the seaside towns just take your breath away. Our guides Mirta and Max were fun, super-competent and conscientious as they seamlessly herded us all up and down the hills of Dalmatia.
The captain and crew kept us on schedule and the boat was spotless and beautiful. The amazing cooks and the lovely Ivona who ran the dining room whipped up meal after delicious meal with such efficiency and heart. We will always remember our tour as one of the best trips we’ve ever taken.

We had an excellent on-barge experience. The crew—Didier, Omar, and Sara—were fantastic. Our captain, Didier, a fifth-generation (!) barge captain, was delightful and engaging. Omar anticipated every passenger's need, whether spoken or unspoken. Sara was an inventive chef who brought fantastic energy to the boat; her nightly descriptions of the menu made every meal feel like "dinner and a show."

Additionally, we were lucky to have an exceptional group of passengers. Our four-person group from Boston clicked immediately with the travelers from Canada and Florida. In addition to enjoying our time with them on the barge, we collaborated well during our rides to ensure everyone stayed safe, which truly enhanced the trip.

While our experience with the tour guide—an experienced biker but not a natural tour leader—was less positive, it was not enough to dampen our overall enthusiasm for the journey.

Great trip!!! We also added the self-guided bike portion starting from Bolzano! Everything went very well....RidewithGPS had no issues, hotels were good. The barge experience was awesome!! Our meals were absolutely over the top - those 2 Italian chefs know what they are doing! Guides were exceptional - they know their history and they know bikes! Would highly recommend this trip!

Excellent trip we enjoyed the rides each day and the towns that we rode through.

The two guides were wonderful. They played off each other perfectly.

Excellent crew, especially the tour guides. The places they took us would have been difficult to find on our own, making it a unique experience.

Swimming off boat, only offered once and would have like to do it daily.. great way to break ice and get to know folks.

I enjoyed cycling through scenic villages, seeing wildflowers, visiting the Watersnood (Flood museum), sampling amazing meals by fabulous chef, cavorting with small group passengers on this guided trip. The Feniks is an old small barge with lots of character.

I was disappointed the Tulip trip was tulip-less, thus my reason for knocking off 1 star. I understand there were maintenance issues on the canal that prevented us visiting Keukenhof Gardens & seeing tulip fields, just wished Tripsite notified us at least 1-2 days in advance so that we could make our own arrangements to see the fabled gardens. Another star knocked off due to guiding portion of trip which could be better managed: stick with nightly overview for next day's riding, biking more along canals and less through farmlands, and include stops to visit St. Bavo’s Cathedral. I emailed in advance confirming if Kinderdijk was on itinerary and was informed it was not. So I booked separate trip afterwards to visit the place. On the bike/barge trip we ended biking to Kinderdijk, so we were not able to get our separate tickets refunded.

Awesome tour of the Dalmatian Coast plus some biking! We loved the gentle rides, the boat was fantastic and the crew was fun and knowledgeable. We live Ana and Tara. The bikes were well maintained.

Make sure you are an experience biker as the level was listed as moderate but it was definitely advanced.
Didn’t enjoy the e-biking part at all and would not recommend it. Most people in the group didn’t enjoy it. Also many issues with e-bikes.

The trip was great! The itinerary was slightly changed due to weather. However, we were able to cycle everyday except one. The food on the boat was excellent and several traditional dishes were served. The cycling guides were friendly and took time to learn about each of the passenger.

Loved riding through the country side, so pretty & green. One of my favorite things was stopping at the strawberry vending machine. Our guides were wonderful and I was so happy they had extra e-bikes on the boat as we had a couple of folks that struggled in the rain and wind the first couple of days and they, and the rest of us too, enjoyed the remainder of the trip not riding 6mph. We had some rain everyday but looking back I think it was better than having full sun the entire time.

Being on bike paths going through the countryside was a highlight. Tour guides were terrific, and we were very impressed with how the whole barge team worked together on all aspects of the trip.

The beautiful scenery,quietness of the nice small towns and the countryside's beautiful landscape visiting nice protected areas such as parks was enjoyable . The houses in the small towns are all well kept and clean. The free time given to us. The tour guides were great and knew the area very well.
They were able to give great information at the briefing sessions every evenings to all participants in regards of the following day tour. My wife and I were very much satisfied in regards of the quality of the bikes.

We had a great crew, they worked tirelessly to ensure everything flowed smoothly. Our guide Miko went above and beyond to make sure everyone was taken care of. His knowledge of the Netherlands and Belgium made the trip even more enjoyable. I would have liked a little warmer and drier weather, but it did warm up in the latter half of the trip.

We've done a few, this wasn't our favorite. The guides and the staff were lovely. Aside from the island of Ven we weren't too impressed with a lot of the scenic routes. I feel bad saying this but if they're really looking to make a better experience, the food could use some improving. The soups were wonderful, desserts too. My husband doesn't eat fish, he noted that, but no options available, breakfast after 8 days was unappealing. The rooms could use a little air fresheners too. It smelled quite moldy. The staff was lovely though. We will book again.

Out cycle guide was excellent! We were less satisfied with the Arosa Stella. Promised free internet was not provided and paid internet was poor. Some issues with no AC in rooms, and intermitent hot water. Food was good but were expecting more local French meal options. The food was very German, probably because of large Swiss German and German numbers on the boat. Just seemed to be less of a Provence France experience with very German buffets.

I totally enjoyed our trip. The biking was wonderful and I appreciate Leslie taking time to brief us before each ride, it was so helpful.

The scenery on the biking routes were incredible and Brugge was amazing

The scenery on the biking routes were incredible and Brugge was amazing

Biking the wonderful trails along the Danube. The quality of the e-bikes was superb. breakfast was always great. Plenty of variety. Dinner was 3-4 stars. Fish was the most consistent as far as preparation and flavor. I did like the option of ordering more or less quantity. I didn’t appreciate being charged for water - especially when dining. Overload of information prior to next days ride. KISS. ALL IN ALL AN ENJOYABLE VACATION.

I did the self-guided pre trip, Bolzano to Mantova, the mountains and landscape are incredibly beautiful. Loved visiting places I had never been, i.e., Trento is lovely. The meal prepared by the chefs on the Ave Marie were amazing, better than other barge trips I've taken.
On the downside, I was a solo traveler so I was assigned single hotel rooms, and my room at the Magdalena in Bolzano was the size of a closet with a single shorter than average twin sized bed. But I booked and paid for a double on the barge portion of the trip. The same one time trip cost as couples paid. I should not have been penalized for being a solo traveler since I paid the same amount as couples.
The only other feedback is related to the group size. There were 25 or more of us on bikes. It's like herding cats, plus we overwhelmed the local coffee shops and cafes when made scheduled stops.

We enjoyed learning about the culture and history of the areas we visited. Our guides were knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

History of medieval towns and ways of life. The boat, it's crew and it's accommodation were of a very high standard. We will do more of these combined sailing and biking trips, for sure!

Being the Madian voyage with the crew was a fabulous experience. Great guides, amazing food and wonderful experiences.

Thoroughly enjoyed our "boat & barge" trip on the Duoro. We were a group of 11 (family & friends) and enjoyed the time on both the boat and shore. Aside from our 6 cycling days, we were offered a walking tour of Porto, dinner at a winery and a port company tour and tasting. Cycling was enjoyable and gave us a good overview of the countryside, small villages and local customs. Our cycling guides, Horacio and Kevin were excellent! They were informative, supportive and patient in dealing with 16 riders of varying abilities and comfort levels.
Most of our meals were onboard and they were great - lots of options for every course and meal. Service staff were friendly and accommodating.
Cabins were comfortable & well appointed and housekeeping services were wonderful.