Fluvius boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 30 of 107

3.9 out of 5

 


Brenda G.
3 weeks 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.
1 month 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 months ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

Visiting the windmills

Leslie H.
8 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.
8 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.
8 months ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

The Bike Tours with Carla were fantastic. The e-bikes were terrible, poorly maintained and were breaking down daily. Tom, the other tour guide from Bike and Boat tours didn't stop for anything unless you made him. He would fly past beautiful pictures, areas of interest, and historic sites without a word of explanation. By the end of the trip, people were switching groups daily to ride with Carla instead of with Tom. Back to the e-bikes...The first one I had was not shifting properly nor was the battery working properly. They changed it out for another bike. That bike worked for a few days and then the brakes went out. All I had to slow me down was a tiny bit of front brake and to drag my feet. (felt like I was in an episode of the Flintstones!) This happened with 10 miles to go on the ride. I reported it to Tom upon arrival and the "the bike mechanic", Rabi, was going to fix it. It was clearly an adjustment that needed to be made and that was it. I was informed Read More

Gay T.
8 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.
8 months 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.
8 months 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.

Donna D.
8 months 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.

Caryl M.
8 months 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.
9 months 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.
9 months 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.

Angela H.
10 months ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

We really overall enjoyed our bike & boat cruise from Bruges to Amsterdam taken July 2-9, 2022 on the Fluvius boat. But there are few comments that I would like to make in hopes that Tripsite finds them useful.
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

Julie S.
10 months 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.
10 months 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.
10 months 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.
12 months 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.
12 months 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!

Barbara S.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

We lucked out with the most gorgeous weather and didn't need to break out any of our raingear. We enjoyed meeting our fellow travelers. The meals were fabulous and our tour leaders were knowledgeable and informative. Others may find some extra comfort if they bring added bike seat cushion (memory foam or gel). The tour leaders adjusted our itinerary when changes had to be made due to high winds and we still had a good time. Most memorable was seeing Kinderdijk, swans nesting on the polder, and storks on their nests.

Gloria A.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

Visiting the beautiful cities of Bruges and Ghent

Greg S.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

Riding in the countryside was wonderful, the ride in the urban parts was much more stressful. Our barge was divided into two groups which had significantly different experiences. Group one (which we were not in) had 2 guides while ours which was the same size had only one which meant that one of us had to take on the role of sweep. Our group leader did not stop or explain anywhere near as much as the other. Our group leader was unwilling to wait to make sure everyone was accounted for. For one example he took part of the group to a canal tour and said it should return on time. When I asked if he would wait for us if it was a few minutes late he said "I don't know, maybe" and when we were still getting our bikes out of the racks, he left with the rest of the group and was out of sight. luckily we were able to catch up but this incident seemed to characterize our whole experience with this guide.

Andrea F.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Tulip Tour - 5 day
Netherlands

Hilde our tour guide was extra special. Really enjoyed learning about her and her country. Biking around Amsterdam was amazing!! My favorite location was the Keukenhof gardens. Breathtaking!!

Nancy L.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Tulip Tour - 5 day
Netherlands

Loved the bike rides through the tulip and hyacinth fields...............the fragrance was awesome. the Flower garden was inspiring. I loved the Flower Mart. wilma did a great job of leading and making us all feel comfortable. Food was delicious.

Eric W.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

It would very difficult to limit it to ‘the most memorable part’! The entire trip was magical!
The staff and crew of the Fluvius were super kind and friendly and always willing to help. Big shout out to Robi, Tara and Anita and chef Astrid’s meals were delicious and all beautifully prepared.
What amazed us, coming from the States, was the incredible biking system throughout Belgium and the Netherlands! Our guide, Tom, laid out and explained each day’s planned journey but with the excellent maps and Ride with GPS app, it was almost impossible to get lost, even taking alternative routes or detours into other towns or sites.
Although every cycling day brought new experiences, the last day cycling from Breukelen to Amsterdam was particularly picturesque. And the e-bikes were fantastic!!
We would highly recommend this trip to any one of any age and will most likely plan another bike and barge trip in the future.
Thank you!
Eric & Annie

Prosper B.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Amsterdam to Bruges
Netherlands, Belgium

I’ve used Tripsite for 9 bike/barge tours in the past 6 years. From Italy to France to tours of 5 countries along the Danube.
As a result, I’ve come to consider that the boat and it’s crew are the most valuable entity of any tour. The memory of bad service cannot be overcome the joy or beauty of travel.
With this in mind I am pleased to say the service on the FLUVIUS was superb! Every member of its crew invested themselves in our comfort safety and well-being. They took the time to provide excellent service to all of the passengers and left me looking forward to my next Tripsite tour.

TIP: Take your time and read the reviews of customers well before you hit the “Book This Trip” button.

Eileen M.
3 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

The biking and our tour guide Jack amazing and so knowledgeable!

Carol M.
3 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fluvius Bruges to Amsterdam
Belgium, Netherlands

Very well organised. Beautiful scenery, brilliant guide, lovely food, good company, fantastic weather. Have booked to go on another one!