De Amsterdam boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 30 of 32

The scenery and ease of biking through the Netherlands were wonderful. I loved cycling past windmills, canals and wildlife. I loved cycling through marshes and small towns and cities. I loved experiencing bike ferries and bike parking garages.
The tour guides were fun and very helpful. The boat crew was also helpful and worked hard to help us in any way they could. The food was good and the boat was clean and very comfortable.

Biking through the national tune forest was the best part for me. But it was all lovely. Except for the discrepancies between the written map and the GPS phone map it was very nice. The food was plentiful.

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.

rain otherwise ok.
cabin is n the boat . even after several requests the AC was not fixed . it was very uncomfortable. I was actually berated that I opened the sliding doors in order to try to get some cooler air inside. in retrospect I should have taken my pillow and sleep in the lobby.

Very well organized. Friendly and attentive staff. My brother and I had such a great time. The weather was mostly great, and even when it rained on us, it didn't matter. We were weather-proofed and active, so kept warm. We got a little tired mid-week, after doing 40 mile rides, so were thinking that planning an easier day mid-week or doing something else off-bike would help with the muscle recovery. We rode regular bikes, so the e-bike people may not have the same comment. You are always welcome to stay on the boat or do the shorter routes, but we wanted to see it all!

One inconvenience with the trip is when you could and couldn't use credit cards on the boat. It was inconsistent. We found ourselves short of Euros because they wouldn't accept credit cards when my brother wanted to rent an e-bike for a couple days . . . but you could use your credit card to buy drink cards! Go figure.

The ease of booking, hospitality of the boat crews, well furnished boat (room, restaurant, lounge), scenic route, & most importantly, accurate offline RIDE-GPS

In spite of rain and hail storms and being drenched most days while biking, it was FANTASTIC. The bike tours/itineraries were great (the app had some glitches but we figured it out). I didn't love the timeline to have to be back by 5 for briefing. I would have enjoyed longer days (aside from when the ship had to sail, that I understand). The other issue, and from what I heard from staff having other complaints as such, is the lack of water, coffee and tea not being available most of the day. If we didn't make it back in time for the afternoon snack, they pulled everything, then there was nothing hot to warm up with (especially being soaking wet), then you had to wait until 4 for the bar to open and then you had to pay for coffee/water. Does not seem unreasonable to have a pot of coffee and hot water readily available all day. Not sure if it's a common occurrence, the the lower decks hallways smelled horribly of sewer. I know they had a plumbing issue the day we boarded, so maybe it was related to that.

Great trip the tour could use a rundown on the operation of the e-bikes. Bikes were great but a rundown on removal and locking the bike needed to be done. Seat adjustment needs to be covered as well. Crew was great just more time for the operation of e-bikes is needed

Riding an E-Bike for the first time was super comfortable. Easy to operate and the 'Ride with GPS' made it simple and slick to cruise the Holland countryside. Also very much enjoyed the boat rides through the canals...

The crew, the lodgings, and the bikes were fabulous. Breakfasts were good… dinners took two hours every evening ~ which was a bit long. The food was… interesting. Soup really bad a couple times, and seemed rather understaffed as far as getting beverages. Also the wording of the afternoon beverages misleading. It sounded as though coffee and tea would be available all day until 4:00, but that is incorrect. Coffee and tea were available free from approximately 3:00-4:00 only. After that, everything costs. All in all a very enjoyable experience. Nico in particular was great, arranging the rides. Weren’t able to dock at the two northern towns of Haarlem or Zaandam because of engine trouble, but made the best of it, staying in Amsterdam and riding out of there instead.

Getting to see so much of the Green Heart of Holland. However, incompetent dining room staff making me late for outings, insufficient/late availability of food for packing lunches, one guide leaving mid-trip, broken down barge meaning loss of 2 days of itinerary and then overloaded internet making us unable to download alternative routes, maid skipping our room first day - all made this a memorable trip as well, but not in a good way

The scenery was beautiful. I was disappointed that I had to miss the last two days of the biking tour because the ship had engine trouble and had to go back to Amsterdam for repairs.

Riding through the countrysides of the Netherlands was on my bucket list and it did not disappoint! The incredible beauty of the wetland areas and the diversity of bird life far exceeded my expectations!

I must sing praises for our tour leader Nico! He was always there when we needed him! Are there more than one of him?

Watching the De Amsterdam crew one day sail the boat through the canals is a must! It was a peak part of my trip watching them maneuver sideways and make the turns ! Such incredible scenery and seeing the huge variety of boats and vessels was outstanding!

Although my South Holland Tour was canceled and rerouted to North Holland, it was lovely. The tour guides, captain & staff were terrific and despite weather related complications, made the trip memorable. I will definitely be doing another - hopefully the Southern route...

The beautiful scenery, wonderful camaraderie, and helpful guides made this a remarkable and enjoyable experience. For those not comfortable cycling who might be traveling with an experienced cycling partner, I highly recommend an e-bike. It took all of the stress away for both is us!

Although we enjoyed the trip, there is no one thing that stands out as the most memorable. However, there are some things that need improvement:
- The food. This was a top-rated boat but some of the food was sub-par. For instance, you do not serve vegetables from a can!
- Having electric bikes and regular bikes in the same guided groups is a mistake. The regular bikes do not have a chance and the pace keeps getting quicker and quicker, pushing the ordinary bikes aside. There should be separate guides for the two types of bikes.
- Riding through the cities was terrifying, particularly in The Netherlands where everyone rides bikes. We have been on another boat/bike tour down the Danube (with RadReisen) and our tours of the cities were by bus with riding only on the fringes. It was much safer and you saw and learned about so much more.

Finding out that using an E-bike is WONDERFUL (this was our first trip) and allowed us to bike must further and faster than we thought we were capable of. The daily tours were well set up - took us along the unbeaten (bike) paths and allowed us enjoy time with friends.

I loved the first day biking through Bruekelyn, the day in Gouda, and the day we biked the dunes and tulip fields. Tinaka, the gulf was awesome. The food was mediocre but we went into town every night and had great dinners.

Incredible countryside! The boat was very clean and the staff was great. The evening food was a bit disappointing but the overall experience was fantastic and a great value!

Riding through such beautiful countryside...make sure to include a planned trip to Keukenhof when it's tulip season

Very nice boat. We had a mildew smell problem with our room, and the boat crew acknowledged it and when they were unable to fix the problem they upgraded us to a nicer room. The crew was terrific, and the boat was very comfortable.

I was extremely disappointed in the quality of the bikes. I had assumed from what I read that the bikes were hybrid bikes similar to what I own: less than 30 pounds, gears, maneuverable, easy to ride. These bikes were very heavy, hard to pedal, hard to walk. No one got the bikes off the barge for us to ride or put them back on. That means I had to struggle with the bike up and down a steep and dangerous metal ramp. I was more tired from riding 30 miles on the flat on one of these bikes than I was after riding a metric century up some pretty big hills on a road bike. I do not believe that a bike and barge trip should emphasize the biking and provide such poor bikes. Electric bikes were an option, but I do not choose to ride one. I want to ride a good quality hybrid or road bike. Riding was so much work that it took away some of the pleasure of seeing the Dutch countryside. The rest of the trip was very nice, but the biking was a big part of why we went on the trip and it was a huge disappointment.

Great trip, beautiful scenery, terrific bike paths, good food, fine accommodations, no complaints! I would highly recommend this itinerary!

Loved the little towns, biking through them. Really nice trails. Sadly rain a couple of days but can't control the weather.

In short, the South Holland boat-bike trip exceeded all my expectations. The routes, scenery and attractions were unbeatable. The boat cabins were small (akin to a university dorm room) but were extremely functional and comfortable. All of the staff did their utmost to satisfy our needs. We experienced windy days, a rainy day and lots of sun - the biking was always good. I'm typically a trip planner, so having all the logistics taken care of by the tour company made this an exceptional cycling vacation. I have already recommended the tour to many of my cycling friends.

I very much enjoyed the beauty of the Netherlands countryside. Amazed by the extent to which the country is so bicycle friendly!

Exciting bike and barge tour throughout Southern Holland. Definitely proclaiming a successful trip in a beautiful Holland. Safe and crew were very attentive and courteous.
Felt mislead by bike insurance offerer by Tripsite. Later found out bike staff on the barge that if the bike was damaged I would have to pay upfront the amount of damage that I caused to the bike staff and then I can put a claim to the insurance by Tripsite which I would be reimbursed at that time This was a minor snafu and I was very disappointed about the misrepresentation when I was told the insurance would cover everything upon needing the coverage for bike damages.

South Holland trip was beyond what we were expecting in terms of scenery, trails and dedication by the Holland tour operators.

It was the trip of a lifetime!!! This was a trip on my bucket list and could not have asked for better!! Thank you!

Scenery was excellent, dinners on the boat were superb, and the guide (Peter) was friendly, helpful, and competent. Suggestion--let there be hot water for tea or coffee available any time--not just till 6PM. Also, supply plastic bags for packing lunches--or advise people to bring their own.