Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 871 to 900 of 4712

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.

The barge crew were very helpful and friendly and the group of people on the bike trip were fantastic. The barge rooms were bad - very wet and humid. The beds were wet with humidity. All clothing were wet with humidity and the rooms smelled very badly. We turned on the A/C but it didn’t help with the humidity and smell. If we opened the portholes, condensation dripped down on the bed. 4 of us got sick and I think it was due to the bacteria in the rooms.

We love this region and this trip so we decided to do the trip again with friends and ride from Avignon this time .... It is a pretty easy ride except for a few huge hills - but so worth the effort to get to the top and see the town the quarry and the show - so worth the effort....just saying ....This trip takes you through many little villages filled with jasmine - stopped for quite a few pastries and beers and coffees and pain au chocolat.... besides all these sensory overloads of jasmine and and fields of poppies - you are riding through so much history ...... the camaque - Aiges mortes - the crusaders - the roman ruins everywhere - and then the marshes the salt flats and flamingos - great ride - great barges - the food always amazing

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.

The views are phenomenal. We climbed everyday..some “hills” steeper than others. It was daunting to be at the bottom and gaze way up to see alll the switchbacks to be experienced. BUT the downhills were exhilarating!
Visiting the islands and their perspective uniqueness was interesting. We learned about people, the food and the culture
Our ride pace was very fast..good riders in the group. Our guides were excellent.
We enjoyed eating off the boat and wandering thru the sites. We had 3 guided tours which were appreciated.
We loved the ride, the food, the wine tasting, the rafting, the companionship and the shopping!
The only petty drawback was the lack of a dry towel as their is one exchange day…for us the second day and from then on we dried off with a wet towel….for sure bring your own for swimming and oh yes I was seasick..twice.

Everything was excellent and exceeded my expectations, 10 / 10.

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.

The bicycle rides through the beautiful Douro valley countryside were incredibly scenic and not to be missed.

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!

They did an excellent job of selecting routes that were interesting, beautiful, and the right level of difficulty. The routes go over some steep terrain so it was easy to see why e-bikes were required on this ride. The leaders did an excellent job of keeping us together so we didn't feel like we were being herded, but the slower riders were not feeling rushed. Several days they dropped us at one port and hassled around to the other side of the island to pick us up at a different town. I recommend this ride.

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!

Overall the trip was amazing. The most memorable part was just doing it, and so glad we did. The service staff on the ship was terrific. The food was pretty good but not quite 5 stars. The routes were fairly easy to navigate but in trickier areas, a guide or more detailed maps would be helpful. The tour guide was okay and did an adequate job if approached with questions. He did ride right by us on the trail on the last day and didn't even offer a friendly hello. That was a bit surprising to our group and fellow riders. No worries, though, it was a really fun trip. It was great to visit all the amazing cities along the way. The whole crew was first-rate from start to finish. I would easily recommend this trip to interested parties.

Great Crew
Group
Guide
Bikes
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This trip had everything you could want in a vacation. All the crew made every moment special. Starting with the Captain's handling of the boat to the chief's handling of the meals. The food was excellent every single meal. The tour guides made sure you saw every special cove and mountain range on the journey. The biking was just enough to give you a great work out without feeling you needed a doctor following you. Each member of the crew, sailors to bartenders understood why we were there. They made sure we were the focus of their attention. Outstanding!!

And then there is the beautiful scenery, from blue sea water to mountain ranges. We saw the coast lines, small towns, and ancient building as the locals do everyday.

The locals Croatians are proud of their country as they should be and they related a very welcome feeling to us.

Defiantly one of the best trips I have been on. And yes "people" do make a difference.

The coastline of Croatia and the is lands were picturese, brilliant clear blue waters, positively balmy for swimming , after a challenging days cycle. The crew and guides , were courteous, friendly and very helpful .all contributed to a memorable holiday .

The entire trip was an insightful and delightful experience, providing access to the heart and soul of everyday-life in "working Italy", versus an antiseptic highlight-reel tour of famous monuments and churches. That said, the overwhelming uniqueness and timelessness of Venice couldn't help but be a highlight. I wouldn't have minded a somewhat more strenuous cycling experience; however, that was more than offset by the enjoyment of the comaraderie of a relatively small tour group (20), forged both on the cycling paths and over fabulous gourmet meals provided by the two young chefs aboard the Vita Pugna.

The most memorable parts of our trip were riding down from high in the mountains through the vineyards to the Douro River each day. Nuno and Matias ,our tour guides, were outstanding hosts and companions for our entire experience.They worked very hard to make sure that everything ran smoothly in order for us to maximize the enjoyment of our bike rides. The views and scenery on each ride were simply breathtaking, as the routes had been very carefully planned to be not only safe ,but stunning for miles and miles at a time.

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!

Once again, we just came back from a memorable experience with this tour. We began with the self-guided section from Balzano to Mantova which was very well laid out with our GPS, then was welcomed aboard the Vita Pugna to continue the tour all the way to Venice with the most interesting and amiable Hugo, our guide for the week. Life aboard the Vita Pugna was excellent… friendly crew and excellent food! I would not change a thing.

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!

The entire experience was most enjoyable and spectacularly scenic. The guides were fun and professional. They knew the roads, and provided appropriate guidance about the traffic or terrain. E bikes allowed a group of 29 riders to stay together. We had opportunity to swim and explore the ports towns. Rooms and common space aboard was very comfortable,

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.

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

The day we rode all day was probably the most memorable. The farm stop for lunch was very enjoyable. We would have liked to have more of the longer rides

The trip fell short of what was advertised. Operator over promised and under delivered so expectations were not exceeded, much less met.
The guides were great and did their best but the popularity of the region, even in the off season, resulted in crowds that prevented the boat to access dock space needed to unload and load bikes, required rafting up with as many as 9 other boats, did not allow one “explore on your own opportunities”, resulted in premium priced deck cabins being worse than more private and quieter below deck cabins, and so on.
All-in-all, 4 out of the 7 planned rides were offered and 80 of 143 miles covered.
This type of trip is always subject to change, due to conditions, but this trip fell so far short I blame the operator for the lack of contingency plans.

This trip was amazing! The organization, dedication to Safety, communication and just plain fun made it one of the best trips we have taken. Mirta and Ivan, along with the rest of the crew, were profession and very knowledgeable. The boat was very comfy and clean, and had everything we needed. The bikes were great and if anything went awry (flat tire etc) they were able to fix it right away. We loved the What's App group for communication and sharing of great pics - would definitely recommend using that as a standard.

A couple suggestions:

The meals, especially lunch were delicious but very heavy. With such an active tour no need for potatoes and a big piece of meat for lunch. Even the 3 courses at dinner could have been brought down to 2 - a nice salad and pasta or meat, not necessary for both. Breakfasts were great.
The lunch at the Vineyard on our trip was fantastic! Loved the atmosphere and also supporting a local business. Would love to have a couple more of these experiences as opposed to meals on the boat.
We did not have experience in Croatia before so were a bit surprised how much they want cash (seems every country is a bit different). Adding this to the pre-trip brief will help everyone bring enough cash for shopping and restaurants.
We were very happy with this trip and hope to see you again with a bunch of our friends for another adventure!