Fluvius boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 30 of 116
Alice T.
2 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Good trails, good food and the app “Ride with gps” was the best.
The bikes were good, seats comfortable.
The bar on the ship had reasonable prices.
The Fluvius boat needed updating. The room smelt musty and the air conditioning didn’t always work.
The first day something made us late so we were given our bikes at dusk to try them out and get adjustments made. Not enough time before it was dark.
It was pretty bad to run out of water numerous times.
The ice machine didn’t work so occasionally they bought ice.
The staff turn over was incredible. None of the staff seemed to be with the company very long.
The guides were excellent. We did self guided and we think that had GPS on us as everytime when we weren’t sure which way to go a guide would show up and help us out. The app was very good to tell you when you were off course.
This was my first bike and barge trip so I can’t compare it to another.
Claudia Ann P.
3 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
The Brussels to Amsterdam Bike and Barge trip was great! All the staff were friendly and helpful. The meals were very good and generous. The staff were available for repairs and blockages on route. The first day practice tour was difficult to follow and we had a volunteer local bicycler who took us on a beautiful tour of Brussels. Be aware: the small lower barge rooms are stuffy and humid.
Francine P.
3 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Our trip was truly awesome! We were on the Fluvius biking from Bruges to Amsterdam. The biking was great and made easy with the gps they provided for us and the help of our bike coordinators Linda & Hans. They were the best, always there when we needed them, helping us reroute when we encountered road obstruction. My husband had a flat tire and they were right there helping. always making sure everybody was having a good time. The Fluvius provided me with an e-bike, even though I hadn't asked for one, to accommodate me, as they couldn't find a regular bike for my size. I was very thankful for that, making me appreciate the trip even better. All the Fluvius staff were superb. Even the captain made a point of talking with everyone, making sure things were to our liking. The food was excellent as well. The entertainment was a lot of fun and it brought us all together in spite of our language differences. It was a great night.
If we had any criticism whatsoever it would be the moisture challenge for the lower cabins. They would greatly benefit from moisture extractors.
Thank you for a truly wonderful and memorable trip.
Marilyn K.
4 weeks ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Our tour guides, Jeroen, Hilco and Linda did an excellent job. I loved the countryside riding.
I did not enjoy riding through the large cities to get to our destination. It is important that when the paths are narrow walking is necessary for safety.
Neil L.
1 month ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Peaceful transit through canals and rivers.
David Z.
1 month ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
The most memorable part of the trip for me was the interpretation the trip leaders gave of their culture. It felt very personal and caring. The food was very good and the onboard staff were excellent. The ship is sound but needs refurbishing. Be aware that the Dutch and Belgians make their beds with a bottom sheet and a duvet only. You may want to bring a top sheet and a wash cloth or two.
Really enjoyed the camaraderie with other participants & the captain & crew members & our tour guides. Some suggestions would be a few more stops to drink water & take photos on the rides. Also, the gluten free accommodations were very much appreciated.
Leslie L.
1 month ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
This is a beautiful and scenic ride, along canals, through farm lands, and picture perfect villages. This is flat ride for - those who do not like hills!
The Fluvius was a comfortable boat with a very friendly staff and excellent dinners.
Our tour guides were fun, efficient and always there when needed.
Kevin A.
3 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Time spent in Bruges. Bruges is a beautiful small city.
Suggestions: More information for unguided bikers, e.g. places to stop, places of interest
Susan J.
3 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
The excellent mix of people on the boat from at least 8 different countries. Everyone was very friendly and interesting. We ate dinner with different people every night. A very fun group! My advice to other is to step outside of your own group and talk with your fellow travelers, the crew and the guides. Struggle through using your high school French or German. It's well worth it.
Brenda G.
5 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
It was an active adventure where you got to see so much of the country not just the tourist attractions.
Maryellen R.
5 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
The barge route was very nice and the food was excellent.
The Fluvius is an old barge and had several maintenance issues including; no hot water for 3 days, electrical problems and other maintenance issues. In their defense, the captain did his best to make it up to us with reduced bar bills and a free canal ride.
Bettina was superb particularly since it was her first time on this tour. Tom seemed to want to be elsewhere. His communication issues were almost nonexistent and attitude gruff.
Ride with GPS was very good though those of us who chose self guided were pretty much on our own.
The patch kit provided did not include a wrench so fixing a flat would have been tough for a bike mechanic and impossible for any other.
We did have wonderful entertainment one evening. I would have loved more history as it is such an important part of these countries.
All in all, if the Fluvius had been in better shape and Tom not so gruff, it would have been a wonderful tour.
Gay T.
12 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
I think more questions about individuals biking ability and whether they have experience with e-bikes would be good. Also, people should not expect the bike guides to know all the history of the places people bike through-they are there to assist in biking and take care of problems. They have knowledge but they are not historians etc. I think it should be explained that biking with regular bikes and e-bikes are going to be a part of the same group and unless you are going on your own, it might be difficult to keep up. More emphasis on the App that can assist you when biking. Might also want to emphasize preparation before coming such as doing some long rides. It seems some people think they used to bike and this should be a easy ride especially in the Netherlands where it is flat-they forget it is windy and you are doing this every day for a week!
Irene P.
12 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
It was an awesome way to see Belgium and the Netherlands. I can't wait for the next trip to Croatia. A bike is the only way to "fly." The food was surprisingly good and varied despite being served on a barge and to a group. Our bike lead, Carla was wonderful. On the down side, the smell of mold in our room on the Fluvius was disgusting and the attempt to fix it with bleach was just as bad. But even worse was the denial by the manager that I told her about it. The staff did their job and nothing more.
Michelle M.
12 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Visiting the windmills
Leslie H.
12 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
I liked seeing the windmills. Also 2 full days of pouring rain were memorable; glad my rain gear held up.
Jana H.
12 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
This was a very pleasant trip through pretty country. We had two guides, Carla and Tom, who alternated leading the e-bike and non-e-bike groups. Carla is an excellent guide, who obviously researched the areas she was guiding us through, and pointed out interesting sights and historical details. Tom, on the other hand, seemed mostly focused on getting the day over with. (Unless there was a good lunch to be had!)
One thing I didn't realize before the trip was that the guides automatically divided the groups into e-bike and non e-bike sections, and assumed that the e-bike group would go faster and farther. This put people who could have gone farther into the "slow" group, and people who could barely ride a bike into the "fast" group.
The barge itself was quite comfortable, and the food was excellent!
Tamara R.
12 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Now, on the to problems with the ship. Upon arrival, we were given the key to our cabin in the lower forward part of the boat. I opened the door and the smell of mold and mildew just about knocked me off my feet! I immediately turned on the air conditioner and set it to cold with the fan running constantly. If the fan went off for even a few minutes, the smell returned. There was absolutely NO ventilation in these rooms, not an exhaust fan, nothing! Every time we took a shower, the entire cabin turned into a steam bath which made it impossible to dry my hair or put on make up. After a day, I started becoming very ill from the smell since I am highly allergic to mold. My throat was sore and I was having asthma which is the normal reaction to me being exposed to mold spores. I was not the only one who had a problem with the smell in the cabins. It seems as if the further forward you got in the boat, the worse it was. The upstairs was unaffected although those who had cabins up top with opening windows had no heat for the first 2 nights. Bottom line is that the boat is a floating nightmare and I would never, ever, use that company for trips again. It needs to be renovated before taking any more passengers. The crew did the best they could in trying to clean but then it just smelled like moldy clorox.
This boat needs to be renovated before carrying passengers again. On a positive note...Kudos to the chef! The food was excellent!
Tripsite Staff • 11 months ago Tripsite Staff
Tamara thank you so much for these comments. We have spoken to the owner of the Fluvius and your complaints have been heard and dealt with appropriately. Foremost, I want to emphasize that this is not the quality we demand from our boats. Professionalism and friendliness towards our guests are our number one priority, but unfortunately, we missed the mark on your tour. We are so deeply sorry for this.
The Fluvius is currently undergoing renovations and deep cleaning to ensure no one experiences these same problems.
Gay T.
12 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
The ability to really get to know your other travelers. The scenery and routes were wonderful.
Be sure you have put in the miles before you go so you don’t get so tired you can’t enjoy the rest of the trip. If you sign up for an e-bike, get some experience before you go. Know your ability today not when you were 18, 25 years old. This is a bike tour with guides for the route and care of the bikes. They are not there to give you the history of the areas or buildings you visit-you need to do your own work. They share their knowledge but that isn’t their job!
Anita G.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
The Trip met or exceeded all of our expectations. I enjoyed seeing the Netherlands and Belgium from a variety of vantage points. Walking into Antwerp old central square at night was magical.
randall r.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
I was very disappointed with this trip! Not only were the cabins very small, they were completely enclosed with no external air flow systems. So, when one person in our group came down with COVID, it quickly spread to 4 more.
Since I had been rooming with one of the persons who tested positive, I offered to leave the trip [so I would not spread the virus to other customers] with the understanding that the ship's crew would pay for my hotel stay in Gent Belgium and the cab fare from the boat to the hotel. Moreover, I expected the crew to give me a refund for the portion of the trip I could not use [not the entire sum, but just what they would save on meals, etc.]. However, after packing my suitcase, isolating from the rest of the customers on board, and preparing to deboard, I was told than not only was the crew not going to pay for the items they said they would, the crew insisted that I pay a surcharge of another 30 Euros for increased fuel costs.
Tripsite Staff • 11 months ago Tripsite Staff
We understand your disappointment. It is incredibly frustrating to look forward to a trip only to have it interrupted in the way that it was. COVID has been a nightmare in general, but especially on boats where quarantine is nearly impossible. Unfortunately, hotels and other costs incurred are the responsibility of the traveler. Some travel insurance companies will reimburse if only partially for this. Understandably, however, this is not how you wanted to spend your vacation and we are so sorry. We are required to abide by local and international regulations. With things improving as they are, we are expecting that off-boat quarantine will not be required in the future.
Donna D.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
This trip was a disappointment compared to our previous week on the De Holland. This barge has no ventilation. The lower rooms were very damp and moldy smelling. We would have to open the door to the hallway after we showered. No fan in the bathroom and no way to eliminate moisture or odors. They were not using a proper disinfectant spray between groups so the virus germs can stay in these damp rooms. One woman entered the barge with Covid. She ended up passing it to 9 people.. They were all asked to leave the barge on their own expense. People need to be aware of this potential expense. Guides were ok but best for experienced riders. They encouraged independent travel but they are in the process of changing from the GPS maps so it was confusing and we frequently were lost and had to look at the map. No serious troubles.
Tripsite staff • 11 months ago Tripsite Staff
Thank you so much for taking the time to write to us, your comments are incredibly important!
I'm so terribly sorry for the experience you had aboard the Fluvius. The boat was not at all up to our standards during your departure, as we have been made aware. The boat is currently in the shipyard to undergo renovations and deep cleaning for the coming season. We will ensure these problems are rectified!
COVID is still a lurking issue when it comes to travel. At the time, regulations required anyone infected to quarantine off the boat. We understand how inconvenient this is, most of us here in the office have experienced it. Unfortunately, post-COVID travel carries this risk. Thankfully, these regulations are loosening every day and we could see them disappear entirely in the future.
Thank you again for this feedback, this is how we get better.
Caryl M.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Kudos to chef Joost! Great food.
Also to tour guide Ingrid who gave us background into Dutch culture and history.
I did fine on the heavy Dutch bike but if you want to have an easier time of it, rent an e-bike and have no worries about the cycling.
Ray T.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
Bike and barge was amazing! We were on the Fluvius, staff there were great! Pre-trip planning with Trip site and Anna was stress free and informative! We have already recommended tripsite and bike and barge trips to our friends. We will probably book another one next year!
Frank G.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
The ebike trips through wonderful countryside and lovely small towns en route were great. Dinners were excellent on board but I would try a better quality boat. The Fluvius is old, tiny cabins, no bathroom hooks, towel racks; shower head falls, dangerous 6” high step which caused a fall, unresponsive captain to requests to fix shower. Crowded buffet in a tiny space for 40 people. Bikes and staff excellent except captain. Tripside is doing a disservice by choosing such a downgraded boat. Surely there are better choices.
Tripsite Staff • 11 months ago Tripsite Staff
Thank you so much for your feedback. You help us be better! I'm so sorry your time on the Fluvius was not enjoyable. The Fluvius is one of the older boats in our program. We try to be as transparent as possible about the accommodations, from the good and bad to the ugly, but this boat definitely needed maintenance and thorough cleaning. I apologize so much you didn't get to experience it in its best condition. The owner has informed us that the Fluvius is in the boatyard currently to undergo much needed revisions.
Angela H.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
First of all, we worked with Anna Zdancewicz at Tripsite and she was an amazing communicator. She provided clear and detailed answers to any questions we had and was very timely in her response to us via email. We also spoke with her on the phone a few times and enjoyed the conversations as well as the information. We would definitely use Tripsite again for another booking and we often recommend Tripsite to others.
The upside of our trip was Jack, our bicycle tour guide each day. He was great and very knowledgeable of the sites we rode to and also he gave a few evening guided walking tours which were also excellent. We really enjoyed Jack and his helper Johan, who was the “Sweeper”…taking the rear positon of all bike riders keeping us all Read More together.
The downside of the cruise for us were issues concerning the boat, Fluvius. The Fluvius is a small and pretty old boat with up to 44 passengers. This boat is well-worn and old and definitely shows it. It is clearly in need of a facelift and major update throughout the entire boat. Even the bed linens and bed comforter was just a little too old and did not seem crisp and fresh. The dinners served on the boat were very good and well presented. We did not want to eat fish and they kindly gave us something else as a substitute. However, the breakfasts were really lacking and uninspired. But worst of all were the lunches that everyone had to put together themselves every day to take with them on their bikes. The bread for the sandwiches was always very dry. And overall, the items one could pack for lunch were very limited and not very tasty or appealing. If you wanted to just have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you had to open about 7 or 8 small packages of each to make one sandwich. The choice of fruit was just so very limited and the drinks offered were juices boxes that tasted not great. For water, you were given a reusable plastic bottle that you were expected to fill yourself each day in your bathroom. We never did that. Instead, we bought bottled water to take with us.
The cabin we were in (which was one of the two very best ones) did not seem very clean. The shower did not seem well scrubbed out after the previous guests. I understand that there is not much time between one set of guests disembarking from a cruise and the next group arriving. However, rooms need to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between groups and clearly this was not done. I also felt that the overall ship could have been cleaner.
Another aspect of this cruise I would like to comment on is the bikes. The majority of riders rode ebikes. The ebikes on the Fluvius were old and should be replaced. I noticed also that most of the bikes were dirty even on the first day of use which proved to be just a sign of their overall condition which was poor. My own ebike required maintenance twice during the week. There was only one guy who was in charge of maintaining all the bikes and he definitely seemed overwhelmed with the responsibility of this.
Our tour guide Jack mentioned that the boat had recently been purchased by a young entrepreneurial type of guy. Perhaps Tripsite might let the boat owner or Bike & Boat know about these short comings and needed changes. Also, it might be helpful if Tripsite conducted an annual review of the boats you represent to be sure things are up to par and meet your standards and the expectations of your clients.
On a final note, I would like to say that we enjoyed the daily rides and felt that Jack, the tour guide, did an excellent job. Without him, the overall experience would have been less enjoyable.
Julie S.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
The guides were excellent (Hetti and Jacqueline) and I was impressed with the quality of food and accommodations. It surpassed my expectations for the price. Great value.
Janet D.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
The tour went through amazing neighborhoods and towns, so much beauty. The bike was comfortable, but wish I had a gel seat cushion! It would have been a plus to have that added to the things to bring on the trip. The tour guides were very personable and knowledgeable.
My biggest room for improvement would be the food. It was so carbohydrate based, too many sweets for breakfast, it was a challenge for the chef to keep up with eggs in the mornings. Surprising we never had a salad or greens. I can only believe it is due to refrigeration on the boat, but that was a disappointment.
Overall, I would do this tour again.
Jodee T.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands
I had a great time! I didn’t ride as much as I thought I would, but I have a shoulder issue and it wasn’t cooperating. But I loved just sitting on the top deck watching Belgium and The Netherlands go by. The crew was outstanding, and very cooperative. And everyone of them could do most anything.
Although the routes each day were flat, this is not as easy as it might seem. It does require some training. The bikes are heavy, and not in the best shape. In the future, I’d choose an e bike, although they are very heavy also. Our guides were great, and worked with me, and my shoulder, to enable me to do the most riding I wanted to do.
Fernanda D.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
Cycling from Vianen to Schoonhoven, and the walk through Bruges beautiful historic city. Bring cycling waterproof gear and be ready to take lots of pictures…
Jayne B.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium
We loved seeing the beautiful countryside, small quaint towns and unique places away from the usual busy tourist sites. It was so fun to get to know our fellow passengers and the staff on the ship was excellent, to include our outstanding guides!
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