Clair de Lune boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 30 of 56

All the team of "Claire de Lune" was wonderfull. All the dinners on the boat were excellent, and the experience when the boat stopped on the floodgates were funny and very interesting. The tour in bikes it´s very nice and advisable. Many thanks at all.

Alejandra F.
3 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The scenery was spectacular and the barge crew was excellent

Cyndi B.
3 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The daily rides were wonderful. We saw lots of the French countryside plus the use of the canal locks. Advice: be sure you are comfortable on a bike, touring or e-bike. We left the boat at 9:00 and returned by 4 or 5, so we're riding all day. Some in our group hadn't ridden in decades and it was rough. There is always an option to cruise the canals on the boat, which is great!

Joseph M.
3 months ago

Verified Reviewer

We recently completed the bike and boat trip from Briare to Nevers , it was an excellent vacation. The Claire de Lune was the perfect size, very clean and Captain Marco did an outstanding job navigating the boat through the locks and canals. The bicycles worked perfectly and our guide Annita led us around for 165 miles through the French countryside seeing farms, small villages, castles and chateaux's. There was a surprise stop every day and we even visited a small goat cheese farm. The food was excellent every day, breakfast and dinner were well prepared and we had fresh baguette's daily with ample cold cuts and condiments to make lunches and the kitchen also provided a nice container to carry the lunch on our bikes. Every morning we had an optional yoga class from our hostess Dita and we also did outdoor stretching before we started our ride The tour slightly deviates from the itinerary because some places are closed on certain days and there can be road issues. Sancerre Read More

Silvia H.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

I had a wonderful time! The crew and guide were kind, friendly and helpful. The meals onboard were excellent. The guide was patient and confident. I appreciated his willingness. Thank you.

Loata S.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

We had an amazing time. The barge was quite spacious compared to the pics we saw and very comfortable. The food was amazing, our Chef Chris was too good with a 3 course meal at every dinner and he explains in detail every course. We had some great food. Biking through the Loire Valley was just beautiful. We cycle through vineyards, farmlands, little French villages & towns, watched boats going thru locks and sailed through a canal over the Loire River. We did some wine tasting and pastries, quiches. The list goes on. We totally love it. Just a side note, there was no spare electric bike, cos one of the girls wanted to change to an Electric Bike and there was none. Other than that it was totally amazing ❤️

Ritchie D.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Amazing food, every meal!
Personable and knowledgeable staff.
Even tho it was our guide (Ed)’s first tour on the route, he managed to sleuth out some great sites, side routes and stops. He was a fun guide yet responsible.
The overall route was beautiful.
I would make one suggestion about the barge: in the cabin where we stayed there was too little storage space. This could be easily remedied by adding hooks and small shelves.

Lisa W.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Arriving in Nevers I was surprised at how difficult it was to get a taxi at 4:30 pm and no ride share companies, took well over an hour.
Was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was, Chris has a great personality and a fabulous chef. Sara, served us well and the bike/barge trip was good. It was slow season so towns we rode to were pretty but desolate.

Marci S.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

This was my first bike & barge trip, any type of bicycling tour, and it definitely will not be my last! The Clair de Lune was more than comfortable, from the beds to the dining area. The food our chef Chris put out exceeded my expectations, every single dinner was plentiful and tasty. Most memorable was his Thai soup! Bicycling through all the ancient, small towns and along the canals was absolutely beautiful- a memorable trip in EVERY way. Ed, our bicycling guide, always gave us enough time to tour each area we stopped at, which was most appreciated. I am already looking to find a tour to do with my husband, as this one was a girl's trip - 13 of us!
My only recommendation would be to change the wording on the application, instead of calling the bicycle a "HYBRID" perhaps change it to "MANUAL with gears"... as I honestly thought a hybrid could do both, electric & manual.
Thank you for a wonderful trip!

1 Reply

Lauren H.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Everything was great! Exceeded my expectations. I would recommend a GoPro !

Lauren H.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Everything was great! Exceeded my expectations. I would recommend a GoPro !

Ann L.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

I thought the whole trip was fantastic, the scenery so beautiful.
The length of the rides could have been a little longer - which a few of us took advantage on a couple of occasions to ride extra kilometres..
The guide’s first on this Trip, and the bikes were not in expected condition hence my 4..

judy l.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Crew was engaging and friendly.
Hats off to Chris the food was delicious.
Bike maintenance was sub par. My front bikes never worked. Some riders had Saddle issues, chains/derailers not shifting correctly. One of the e-bikes was broken and the guest was forced to ride hybrid bike. Another ebike should have been offered to her.
Ed, our guide did the best he could regarding the route since he was not familiar with the area. Most of the ladies were under the impression there was going to be more wine tastings along the way. I was there to cycle and easily could’ve done 60 miles a day or more. I realize there was many different cycling levels in the group. I personally own Mtn ebike and an analog mountain bike. I wasn’t too impressed with the e-bikes provided.

C Kevin A.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

This was a great week mostly due to the people. The crew, Capt. Luc, Francesca, Jen and Annita were first rate. Our fellow passengers made it so much fun and made for delightful dinners together, as well as, riding throughout the French countryside. The people we meet each trip is the reason we keep coming back as we develop lifelong friendships with riders around the globe!

Bruce T.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

Clair de Lune Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

The best part of our trip was the crew! Our captain, guide, cook and cabin staff made this trip special. From the first day we were welcomed, encouraged, and accommodated. After 600km of memorable cycling it was indicative that the entire group chose to “sail” the last 20km. into Paris with our new family. A fabulous ending to a great two weeks.

Bruce T.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

Clair de Lune Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

We particularly enjoyed the four crew members who took care of us. The guide, captain, cook and cabin leader couldn’t have better. They cared for each cyclist in every way. We all chose to ride the barge into Paris on our last day and it was a very special day.

Jorge T.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

There were several memorable parts:
Both Strasbourg and Nancy are beautiful cities with a great deal of medieval charm; the Valley of the Locks with its dried abandoned channels and locks, and of course, the St Louis-Arzviller lock, where lock, water and boats are lifted (or lowered) 42 m, replacing 17 locks we saw abandoned; our boat, the Clair de Lune and its friendly and competent crew, the smallest barge we had ventured in till then, but that it showed us the efficiency of its cabin layouts to remove previous concerns about barge size to the point that we are booking another trip on a similar sized barge next year.

Prosper B.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

I have used Tripsite for 10 bike trips and have always enjoyed the concept, scenery and people I have met. Nothing I am about to say has anything to do with those qualities I have come to expect and love about bike/barge experiences with Tripsite.

However (and there's always a "however") this tour, which was described on your website as "easy" was anything but.
I am 68 years old and have never used an e-bike on any tour, including the hills of Provence, but the hills encountered on this trip were challenging even for the riders half my age. The tour description was erroneous and misleading. I say misleading because looking at the tour guides' maps, the elevation levels were clearly labeled but not communicated to the guests. So those on e-bikes had a much different experience than those of us (4 out of 10 guests) who did not. Those of us who did not struggled.

The other complaint was a lack of things to see in the middle of the tour, Read More

1 Reply

Francis D.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Enjoyed all aspects.Nancy and Strausburg really nice to visit at beginning and end.

Christopher B.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The boat elevator.

James C.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Captain and crew of Clare de Lune were great. Enjoyed time aboard piloting down canal and through locks and down canal elevator, (not kidding... elevator). Barge cook delivered top-notch meals. Biking along canal was easy... but would recommend taking some of the more difficult routes away from the canal for beautiful rural scenery and panoramas. Enjoyed Nancy and Saverne and loved Strasbourg.

Antoinette T.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The start (Nancy) and the end (Strasbourg). In between, we biked a lot but did not visit much...

Wendy C.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The amazing crew, some of the key sights, the cycling (despite some rain storms), and the Clair de Lune overall. While rooms are small, they are fine and efficiently appointed and always clean. Marco was a great skipper, and Jen was a superb chef. Great food; happy clients! A combination of electric and hybrid bikes which allow all age groups to ride.

Patricia M.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The crew made this trip, a wonderful group of people!

Deborah D.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Clair de Lune Super Tulip Tour
Netherlands

Comparing that ship to the one that I’m on now I would not give it a high rating. Bathroom was filthy, toilet kept running, floor stayed wet from condensation from the shower and toilet and the bed situation was not desirable. However I booked this knowing that it was a low budget trip so therefore I was not disappointed. The guide was superb. He gave us lots of history and really made the trip fun. The food was less than desirable.

1 Reply

Linda F.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The barge itself, the chef and the captain were great. Unfortunately, the most memorable take away from this trip was the cycling itself. This was a guided tour and our guide was only familiar with the city of Paris. We were to follow the Oise and Seine rivers and seldon rode along the river paths. The first two days were the worst involving a lot of backtracking and nearly impassable trails that seriously impacted the mileage and time in the saddle. One day we arrived at the boat an hour after the scheduled dinner time. Our ride through the city of Paris was traumatizing because of the heavy traffic and crowded bike lanes. Why were we not riding along the Seine??? Perhaps the guide was not totally to blame. Hat tours could have provided him with better maps and information. Whatever the reason, the ten riders paid the price. This was not the tour we signed up for.

Naomi G.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Clair de Lune Tulip Tour - Bruges to Amsterdam - 8 day
Netherlands, Belgium

Biking through Belgium and Holland. Great bike paths, lovely scenery, good companions made for a memorable journey.

Bob M.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

The Around Paris tour on the Clair de Lune was a wonderful trip for us. Entering Paris by bicycle, having our barge room follow us, and being guided, fed, and hosted by Marcus and his crew was a great experience we recommend.

Carol P.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Around Paris as guests on Clair de Lune was a great trip! The scenery, the history, the visit to Fontainebleau, cycling the streets of Paris, and more! This is such a wonderful way to experience a country!

Susan S.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer