Clair d’Etoile boat/barge tour reviews — 61 to 90 of 117

You will not really see France and Belgium unless you cycle. This way you go through villages and towns and farms, see cathedrals, castles and even the grave of Van Gogh. The routes take you on forest, bike and tow paths, roads and cobblestones. Enjoy picnic lunches in church grounds, pubs, cafes and gardens. You will enjoy evening night walks after a delicious three course meal.
If you don't think you can do it, you can!

We were fortunate enough to have Tripsite founder, Hennie, along, who led half of our group on a terrific cycling adventure between Paris and Bruges. We made wonderful friendships and were treated royally on board the Zwaantje by the crew - and what wonderful meals!

Most Memorable Part? Cycling thru the small Villages of the Somme with good riders lead by Hennie.

The two-week trip on the Zwaantje from Paris to Bruges was awesome! The crew of the ship and the tour guide were exceptional. The food, prepared by Frank, was consistently top-notch and interestingly varied day-to-day. Our guide, Geert, provided us with an excellent selection of sites, of which he had encyclopedic knowledge. The captain, Martijn, was also very engaging with the guests. Daily rides were easy to occasionally moderate, providing us with a satisfying riding experience. Almost all of the riding was in open country or small, rural towns, which we loved. However, riding in and out of the larger towns, while of necessity, did present some typical urban challenges to the bicyclists. Overall this trip is highly recommended. Pierre and Laurie

I broke my wrist while half way through the trip. Everyone was very kind and supported me to make sure I was included in most activities.

Great trip, great barge, well organized, a list of fellow passengers for each cabin would have been helpful from the start
Keep in mind the MPS Zwaantje does provide hairdryers for each cabin, provides WiFi- a truly upscale barge.

The cycling, the food, and the crew were all amazing!!

Wow, such an amazing experience! Our tour was aboard the Zwaantje, traveling from Amsterdam to Bruges. I can not say enough about how fabulous the crew (Sam, Heather) and captain (Martijn) were. We also had an incredible chef (Frank), who spoiled us each day with amazing meals. We travelled with a barge full of friends and shared so many laughs a long the way. Our guide (Wieger) was very knowledgeable about every town we travelled through and was a pleasure to bike with each day. Such a wonderful way to see the countryside and experience the local charms of each city we visited. Loved our trip and we hope to experience another bike trip in the future. Zwaantje Bike and Barge Tour exceeded our expectations in every way.

Since we returned from our trip, a few of us have been discussing another bike and barge trip but sadly we are not sure we would go again simply because it could never be as good as the one we just took. The captain and crew of the Zwaantje were amazing, the food was a ten out of ten and our bike guide was fantastic. There is no way this trip could be improved upon.

We were lucky to be on board the beautiful boat Zwaantje. The Captain, Martin, our bike guide Weiger, 1st mate Sam, hostess Heather and cook extraordinaire Frank were absolutely the best you will ever get on a bike and barge trip. This small review does not do justice to the exceptional staff and food that was on this trip. All I can say is if you want a fantastic 5 star excursion of this kind, this is the boat to have it on. Again THANK-YOU to Captain Martin, bike guide Wieger, Heather, Sam, and the best cook in Europe, Frank for a once in a life time trip that my wife and I, along with the other 11 couples that we were with, will never forget. Trip of a life time!!

Martin and the crew of the Zwaantje made our trip unforgettable, the food and service far exceeded our expectations. Weigier, our guide was informative and made the rides a lot of fun. Highly recommend the Amsterdam to Bruges tour, especially on the Zwaantje. Look forward to trying one of your other tours.

I loved the biking through the country roads and the small towns that we stopped at were awesome!! This trip allowed us to visit and see places that the average tourist doesn't experience. Loved it!! Can't wait for another trip.

Absolutely stress free opportunity to experience real heart of Netherlands and Belgium. Really enjoyed meeting new like-minded tripping companions.

Our guide, Geert, would take us on an after dinner historical walking tour of each town where we were staying the night. Geert was extremely knowledgeable about every place we went. Between all we saw during the day while we were biking, and the after dinner walking tour, we learned so much! If Geert is your guide, don't miss a minute of his walks!

The experience of being able to see the countryside, remote villages and sites at a slower pace with the experience and knowledge of a guide is the highlight. It is good to leave your luggage onboard the barge and know you return each evening to great food and rest.

It's a shame that the incompetence and the misogynistic attitude of one person can affect what could have been a fantastic trip, our guide on several occasions got lost and we ended up doing many more kilometres of riding including a very long and steep hill climb that we had to walk in the hot sun.
I can not praise the Captain and crew of the Zwaantjie more highly it's a shame he has no control over the guides that are allocated to various trips.

A lengthy bike trip through the Netherlands gives you an opportunity to drill down into their culture on a wider scale. It helps that they all speak English. The Dutch really seem to have figured it (life) out. We have much to learn from them and bring back their best practices...such as their capability to get anywhere in the country safely on a bike. How cool is that?

The crew on the Zwaantje was fantastic. We loved the meals that Frank prepared. Fred is a great tour guide.

Riding through the tulip fields...the sight and the smell was indescribable...pictures couldn't do it justice...

I loved tulip day and going to Keukenhof Gardens

The tulip fields the way they smelled going into Keukenhof gardens it was marvelous the whole trip was fabulous. The captain and wife on Zwaantje was so great cook was magnificent they were so welcoming and Fred the guide was so knowledgeable of the area love loved the trip.

The best part of the trip was the congenial atmosphere on the barge, the camaraderie amongst the guests, and the excellent guided biking experience.

Incredible! Amazing! Living the dream! There are no words to describe how exceptional this trip was. It was like "living the dream" really!. The beautiful, ever changing countryside of Holland was gorgeous. Every turn and corner brought a new landscape. From the moment I was chatting with Carla and Anna from Tripsite, to our home for 10 days on the Zwaantje was exactly what I expected and hosts Martijn and Marjorie were amazing. So caring for your every need and ensuring your trip is everything you wanted it to be. Frank the chef - well, let's just say the gourmet meals were impressive and delicious, and Fred our cycling guide was above and beyond. I'll be back! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for such an incredible experience. Simply amazing.

Most Memorable Part? How beautiful the country looked. Our first time to Europe. France made a big impression and hope to return. Merci beaucoup

When a vacation is better than your expectations, as it was, it is vundarbar.

After bicycling over 300 miles it was good to relax and see Paris from the water as we cruised to our final moorage on the Seine.

We met a lot of really nice people. We were surprised that our guide was largely unfamiliar with the route!

My wife and I were part of a custom tour charter excursion as sibling/spouse reunion. The cycling portion of the trip was wonderful and accommodations on board were wonderfully. Great captain, hosts, and cooks did a wonderful job. We would love to do it again!

The trip was excellent, as attested by this being our 4th one. We will definitely be booking more. The route was good, although France lacks the same quality of bicycle paths that Belgium and The Netherlands have. There was a bit of climbing and some of the women in the group were very happy to have an electric bike option for those climbs. The barge was very clean and quite nice. The staff was excellent and really made you feel as part of the family. They went over and above for most everything. The food was very good and plentiful. The highlight of the Brugge to Paris ride would have to be Chantilly and entering Paris on the barge. The sights were incredible and seeing them from the water gave a whole different experience. The guides were great and the system of having "corners" and a "sweep" meant that no-one got lost and we could still ride at different paces. I am convinced, and I tell this all the time to anyone who listens, that these bike/barge trips are the best value for your money, period. There is no better way to see a country, than by bicycle.

The Zwaantje and crew are top notch, and present a great value. Some of the routes in northern France had a little too much traffic. Riding in Belgium and Netherlands seems nicer. Once is enough for this tour.