Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 2101 to 2130 of 4712

Biking through the small villages was very picturesque. Only regret was not having a GoPro to video as we were riding through.

Our week on the Ave Marie far exceeded our expectations. Hardly words to convey how fabulous it all was. This is the 3rd such adventure for us. Our Girolibero Provence Bike and Barge was absolutely wonderful. Our Loire Valley outing with another company was pretty awful but returning to a Girolibero guided trip erased all those memories. How to praise the comfortable boat, the outstanding meals, and then the crew of 6 who went above and beyond to ensure every day was totally enjoyable and to remember forever. The crew worked so well together taking such good and kind care of all of us. We made new friends, saw so much and learned so much as Hugo and Giorgio shared so much of their vast knowledge of the Po River Valley. We miss all of them so much and wish we lived closer. Thank you Girolibero for making all this possible.

We just returned from this cruise less than a week ago. I cannot express how wonderful it was. The scenery was breathtaking, the staff outstanding. The Swiss Crown was a beautiful boat to call home for a week. The staff on board were delightfully pleasant and accommodating. They made every effort to make it a positive experience for everyone. The dining room was beautiful, and our table had a great location. It wasn't too loud, we could easily hold a conversation with our fellow travelers. We had previously taken this trip on the Charissima and found the dining room was too noisy. The food was tastefully prepared with many regional dishes. At 1600 hr everyday they had a dessert / coffee hour that was very special, the staff were readily available for more coffee.
Though there were only a handful of English speaking travelers, Jergen was an enthusiastic program director. He was very accommodating to locate a bicycle that would fit our very petite daughter, even getting extra bikes just in the event that one didn't fit. He went out of his way to obtain a concert ticket for my husband when he didn't sign up in the required time frame. He did give us good directions and if we had questions he was available to answer them. I enjoyed this trip more because of the staff, boat and riding. Overall better than our previous trip, and I thought that trip was awesome. We constantly talked about the beauty of the river, the birds chirping in the forest, the food and the staff. I would love to travel on this boat again.

Well organized boat and cycle tour through South Holland. The Poseidon was a super boat with great staff and great food. The tours were well organized by Ingrid. Ingrid is excellent, well informed and very helpful. She provided some assistance and guidelines for our self guided tour. The E bikes were very good. Highly recommend.

Our tour guide Corrie was the best!

Riding through the countryside, stopping for drinks at local bars and of windmills. Stopping at a local farm for cheese making tour was also memorable.

Most Memorable Part: The friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff.

Most Memorable Part: The many and varied biking routes on the tour. Our guide Ingrid van de Grint was fantastic.

Best Part: Villages

The ease of bicycling, bicycle trails, beautiful scenery, people we meant and all of the staff made this trip memorable to us!

The Mainz to Cologne Bike to Barge trip was an amazing experience. Certainly, the history and beauty of the region was exceptional, but the most memorable part of the trip was meeting and getting to know our fellow travelers. There is nothing I would change about the trip - the staff of the Olympia was attentive and professional; the bikes we rode were well maintained and comfortable to ride; and the food on the Olympia was quite good. We would highly recommend this trip to anyone considering a unique travel experience! Ron and Luann Buchholz

Our family of 7 made wonderful memories Everything was so well done from accommodations , food and the attentive staff

The bike rides through small towns and villages, beautiful scenery were the highlight of the trip. On one day our guide also stopped at an unscheduled attraction at our request - this willingness to be flexible was much appreciated.
The guided rides are great, but try to take advantage of the self-guided rides as well on some days - the biking staff provide thorough directions and the app so that it is pretty hard to go off-track.
The food on the barge was outstanding, and the snacks provided for lunches were great.

The daily bike rides were more than I expected through beautiful countrysides and charming villages. The staff were outstanding in their efforts to make us comfortable- loved the swim off the barge after a long days ride! . The cuisine was superb and reasonably portioned - loved daily fresh baguettes.

The food on the barge was excellent, much better than I anticipated. The staff was friendly, very hard working and seemed to enjoy working together to make our trip special. The accommodations on the barge were very comfortable. We biked through the countryside, past farms, and small villages, places a tourist wouldn't normally see. Even though this tour was rated "easy" it did require a certain amount of biking skill as the terrain on the bike paths varied from cobblestones, brick, gravel, dirt, narrow and sometimes crowded with other bikers.

We loved the bike tour from Brugges to Amsterdam! The biking was excellent and we loved using the e-bikes! The tour guides and ship crew were helpful and very responsive! They made the trip fun and memorable. The cities were truly amazing! Bike and barge is such a fun way to see beautiful cities and lovely views!

The windmills and the cheese farm were the most memorable. We found the cafeteria style dining to be at least unromantic and that the portions could have been bigger. The crew was awesome. The ship gorgeous, the weather incredible. But it was always odd on the boat - not enough camaraderie among the passengers with no encouraged social interaction outside of forced togetherness at meals which with Covid rampant was a concern. I think it was a shame that the boat didn’t include the windmill tour as part of the activity because we felt it a fabulous understanding of what we were traveling through and by. Thank you for a wonderful vacation! Fredda and Derek

I love Provence. This is a fabulous tour to see both the countryside and villages. The L’Estelle is a very comfortable barge, the staff are amazing. I’ve been on several bike and barge tours and the food was the best. We had a full spread every day when we were back from biking. Our tour guide was great. There are several extra tours of castles , villages , olive farm included. The only thing to note is that the tour in Arles does not take you into the collegium, theatre or Roman baths. She stands outside and talks about them. If you enjoy history then this is for you but if you want to actually see the sites then skip the tour as there’s plenty of time to see them on your own. I also liked this tour as we didn’t just follow the river but did loops and came back which made it interesting.

Most memorable part: Small villages & countryside

This trip was the most memorable we've ever been on. The boat was fantastic - clean and in pristine condition. The food was equal to anything we've had in any fine restaurant - tasty and served with elegance. The crew members were energetic and fun and always had time to answer any and all questions. The biking part of the trip was perfect - equal parts cycling and resting, with coffee and pastries! It was the best way to see another country - on your bike - so much time to take in the pristine beauty of Holland and Belgium. The accommodations were comfy and cosy and inviting. The hot tub was delightful after a day of cycling.
We would do this trip again without hesitation.
Harvey and Martha

The excursion cycling around Budapest was very memorable and our tour guide was excellent! The park on the island was definitely the highlight. We made some wonderful new English speaking friends and really enjoyed meal times with them.

The final night's celebration party was super fun and everyone enjoyed the 70's theme. Dinner on the upper deck was amazing! The restaurant manger was so kind and helpful at every meal. He made the dining experience top notch. Hopefully, the air-conditioning in the dining room is fixed for next time.

Another suggestion would be to streamline the briefings for the cycling routes by using prerecorded media and then allow Leslie to answer questions in person at a later time.

Leslie the cruise director was awesome. He was always at the ready to help out with any questions or problems.

Everything on the boat was great except the smoking policies were not enforced. People smoked everywhere on the top deck and took away from the experience. No one stopped them and as a result my wife's asthma was triggered.

Loved the great bike paths

Weather was great! no rain at all. Biking was very easy. I had no idea. I was the sweeper for the group. There were quite a few Americans that really had no clue about the rules of the road for bicycles and how bikes interact with cars and pedestrians. A quick overview at the start would be helpful for them. Especially who has the right of way at intersections. At times the group was too big and therefore the train too long. Also a break-up according to ability might be wise. My bike was really too small for me. It was an "L" frame and it should have been an "XL" frame, which is what I had requested.

Marjan kept a constant cycling pace within the condor level of all riders. Everyone stayed together and the group did not get strung out.
Sharon does not bike bit had a wonderful time on the Sailing Home just watching the beautiful scenery.
Loved taking a walk in the small villages and towns.
want to thank the chef for being creative with a creative cuisine
Also another thank you to Marjan for calling us a taxi and waiting with us to make sure we were OK.

The most memorable part was the biking itself. We had an E bike so the trip was very comfortable. The bikes were in great shape, it seems even the regular bikes. The route chosen was very memorable and scenic. Marjan the guide, was very capable as it was a challenge at times to keep the group all together. And some suggestions: one guide for 24 people really was not enough. Although we had a sweeper in the back this should not be a paying guest responsibility. If there have been a serious accident, not sure what the rest of us would’ve done if Marjan had to take this person to a hospital. Also the speed was very slow probably due to the fact that we had 24 people in one group. Going too slow also increases the chance of accidents. It was also challenging in towns and busy areas like Amsterdam for safety reasons. It also would it be nice to learn more along the route. Marjan gave some titbits of information but more of this would have been appreciated. We stopped at a wooden shoe making factory but no actual tour and it would’ve been nice to have a tour like this included and some other interesting tours. Also all coffee stops we had to pay for ourselves which would’ve been a nice touch to include. Seven full days of biking was also a lot and it would’ve been nice maybe to combine the biking with a couple of interesting outings. We did get to cruise a little bit after a couple of bike days so that was enjoyable. We only saw one other bike tour once so it was nice not to be herded along with a bunch of other tours. The staff were all very friendly and capable, the cabins were comfortable and clean and the public areas had enough space for everyone. We would definitely consider another type of trip again but maybe as mentioned a combination of bike and sightseeing or something else. Thanks very much

The trip provided an excellent introduction to the countries and cities visited - the bike tour guide, and some of the extra options, we’re very worthwhile. However communication between Tripsite and the contractor, Rad and Reissen, was poor and marked by numerous breakdowns. Most significant was that the Covid protocol we were told would be followed wasn’t, at all, and several people, including both of us, contracted Covid during the trip. Between us we missed seven days of activities while confined to our cabin.

The barge was far better then expected; the meals way above expectations; the staff excellent.

Just completed this tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. The food was amazing!! The boat was clean and well maintained. We did find the rooms very tight and agree on the steep staircase. Our guide was excellent and knowledgeable about the history of the area. She looked after all guests needs. The Captain and his wife were part of the team and we enjoyed their interaction with guests. Bert had some great jokes!!

This was the trip of a lifetime for us. Part of the memory is rooted in the fact that we had no rain, which I assume could be an issue in this part of the world. But the majority of the favorable impressions came from the friendly, professional and helpful staff, tour guides, cook on the boat and other help on board. The scenery was unbelievable and we've made wonderful new friends. If you are a cyclist (even a beginner) and want to live and breath along the canals of Belgium and the Netherlands, this is your trip.

Most memorable part: Boat staff bikes food and dancing all fantastic, we had a great time