Iris boat/barge tour reviews — 31 to 60 of 139

Unfortunately, I tested positive for Covid 19 the evening after the first ride. Nevertheless, the trip was very enjoyable, especially because of the kind attention of the staff on the IRIS, especially our hostess, Kim. I have to say, sitting on the deck of the IRIS, cruising along the Main in Bavaria, is not such a bad way to go! I did get in two days rides at the end so also got to enjoy the biking.

Riding through the grapevine vineyards.
Riding through the forest in aschaffenburg.
Riding into the little towns

We had the opportunity to evaluate the Iris so don’t have anything to add

The Wow factor was everywhere.
Gourmet Vegetarian options at every meal. Old towns, palaces, castles & beergardens. The pristine bike paths along rosy vineyards. Most memorable -probably singing after sunset on the boat deck with John & Felix playing guitars. Yet the picnic along the river and the wine tasting were highlights too. Loved this bucket list experience!

Our cycling guides were fantastic, so knowledgeable and so easy to be with. The crew on the Iris was also wonderful and so easily accommodated everyone’s individual needs.

This was an amazing trip on so many levels! Perhaps the best aspect of it was that it was very personal, including a small intimate group of people where everyone had the opportunity to connect both with each other and also with the open and welcoming staff on board - Alice, our host & all the crew - Stefan, Captain Dick & First Mate, Adriane, not to mention Chef Joost and our guides Thomas and Treasa. I believe this is a selling point for your marketing team. The next thing worthy of mention would be the attention to detail provided by your staff on the boat. Everything was as close to perfect as you can get - our rooms, meal service, and programming. And topping that list would be the food prepared by chef, Joost. It tasted and was presented at a 5 star level, leaving no one disappointed including anyone with food allergies/preferences. In fact, for people with food issues the staff went above and beyond to ensure satisfaction. Our host, Alice, made particular arrangements for my wife to have everything she needed including special daytime snacks while riding. Last but not least was the daytime programming. The guides, Thomas and Treasa, were outstanding, to say the very least. Their skills and abilities complimented each other and meant that every rider’s needs were always addressed with ease. The two of them worked as a team as we cycled the incredible German landscape making our way through cities, towns and countryside along the Rhine and Moselle rivers. Their knowledge of the local history and the importance of each place including churches and castles (ABC’s), museums, wineries and monuments was exceptional. It went beyond the surface layer providing important detail and significance within the larger history of Germany. We could not have asked for a better trip. Thank you to all who made our particular cycle voyage so memorable, so special. These memories will be cherished… Gord & Mo

Great trip, castles galore, our guides leading us into medieval towns, palaces, gardens.
Easy biking and having two guides meant both faster and slower bikers catered for.
Iris barge conversion provided both indoor and outside lounge areas perfect for after bike social time.
Fantastic food. Thankyou chef.

The staff was amazing Tereasa with all her knowledge of the historical information of the area , the chef Joust with his amazing menu
The crew and captain making us so welcome on board and Thomas leadership through hill and dail.
This made the days so good.

The staff and guides were very committed to everyone having a good time. Although the weather posed some problems for us, the guides pivoted quickly to make sure each day had something special to offer.

Great overall experience
The Ship and crew were great, the bike guides were very professional.
We loved the wine tasting evening
One tip, it is a good idea to practice one’s bike before the trip.

This has been a great tour!
From the choice of route, the warm wellcoming boat & bike staff, the size of the group just everything.
Highly recccomended.

The entire trip was memorable in every way. There was really nothing that I could improve upon other than perhaps the weather, which is not controllable. The staff the boat and the itinerary were incredible. I particularly liked the Museum visit to the Kröller-Müller Museum which is otherwise not very accessible on the regular tourist itinerary.

I really enjoyed the Iris barge. First class barge with an attentive crew. The chef was amazing and created very good meals from a small onboard kitchen. The two guides were first-class. Great cycling routes in rural Netherlands. Lots of interesting stops and tulips galore. I would definitely book another tour aboard the Iris

Great itinerary and biking. Often guides offered options of a short or a long bike ride. A lot of wind to contend with so an e-bike may be an added comfort for some. The Iris was exceptionally clean, apparently newly renovated during Covid. A high quality of rental bikes available and appreciated! Thanks for a great holiday!!

The staff on the Iris were excellent. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. The passenger capacity of the Iris (24 people) was just right. It afforded us the opportunity to get to know the other travelers. Although the cabins were small, they were well laid out; comfortable; and quiet. We thoroughly enjoyed cycling throughout the Netherlands with the exceptional guides on the Iris.
We would've preferred more time allocated to exploring the towns where the Iris moored daily. Most of our exploration time was limited to after dinner walks in some towns.

I really enjoyed the trip, especially being able to ride a bike throughout Holland and see all the flowers and small towns.

The whole trip was a beautiful experience full of memorable biking moments, new friendships and an attentive and talented staff. The best part of the trip was the attentiveness of the staff who met our various needs throughout the trip. I can't say enough about our tour guides and barge staff who always took the time to hear our concerns and or special needs and do their best to meet them. By the end of the trip, The Iris was our home and it always felt good to return back to our barge after a successfull and beautiful day of biking throughout the countryside. So with that being said, the trip is beautiful, but the staff made it special.

The beauty of the countryside and beautiful homes along the canals. I especially loved learning about heirloom tulips and the interesting facts about the Dutch people and their country. I loved all beautiful the cycling but only wish we had a little more time at the end of the day to explore the little towns while the shops were still open.

Beautiful country and biking was great unfortunately we didn't have great weather. Can’t forget the beautiful tuplips.

The guides were very good. Felix and Hetty made every bit of the trip fondly memorable. The Iris offered very nice accommodations—featuring lots of room between the beds, plenty of space to store clothing, and a lovely shower and toilet room. The other staff of the Iris were very good, too, and we enjoyed excellent meals and everything went smoothly. I went on this trip to see the tulips, and they were gorgeous—not just at the Keukenhof, but also at the visit to the bulb garden and along the way just looking at private farms.

The trip was fantastic. Just the right amount of cycling traveling through the beautiful Netherlands. It was great to have 2 guides to split up our group of 24. Both guides were knowledgeable and fun. The captain, crew and chef were excellent. The Isis was a comfortable boat and I would definitely sail on it again. I highly recommend this trip to others.

Every aspect of the trip was memorable, from biking through quaint towns and beautiful countryside to an outstanding staff and five star cuisine. Be prepared to be amazed.

It was a wonderful Trip. We rode the bikes evern though it was rainy and windy. It is amazing that you would do in that kind of weather, but we did, dressed warm and we loved it. We also had good weather days, when we saw the tulips and the gardens. It is amazing how many bikes are in the area. The roads are divided into one lane for the cars and a bike lane on each side of the road. Usually we biked on a paved path all the way. It was a great trip!!!!!

Experiencing the unique geography and history of the Netherlands and getting to sample a tange of small towns and then Amsterdam. We also enjoyed the excellent range of art and historical museums and then of course since this was the tulip tour we really appreciated biking by miles of tulip beds and seeing Keukenhof garden, truly a national treasure. Tips for others biking and in April: Bring waterproof cycling gloves, a warm layer, and rain gear. We found the electric bikes were very in dealing with headwinds which of course can be strong by the sea.

Weather! Gale force winds, rain/hail and cold. Bring warm clothes and rain gear. Tulip fields were amazing.

Tulips. Would have been good to have had more time with tulips than an afternoon at Keukenoff. Maybe a visit to a tulip processor, or other gardens. After all, this was the "tulip" tour and we really only had one day of tulips.

You should alert your clients to the possibility of cold and rainy weather. Our guides did a good job of working around it, and I did have clothing to protect me, but it is an issue. Next to last day, we got into Zaandam too late to adequately visit the nearby attractions. Should have gotten there about two hours earlier.

Other than that, I think that all of the staff did an excellent job. Great food from Ellen; guides provided information and leadership. Boat was clean, spacious and comfortable.

Koehkenhoff was great as well as the guides. A small boat allowing for lots of personal attention

Lifelong bucket list desire and was able to ride thru fields of Tulip Farms. The crew on the Barge was truly first class (food, hospitality, and cleanliness). The two guys were knowledgeable of the region (Thomas and Rikko). Always willing to help. Suggestions: separate bike groups by e-bike and non/pedal bikes. The pace was often difficult when mixing the two into relax and very relax. Pace sometime was pushed thru very windy conditions. Also, bottle cages on bikes would be helpful. Lastly, a few of the stops/villages were 'closed' by the time we reached at the end of the tour day. This was disappointing such as Altmaar. It is lovely to walk around a bit after all day cycling. The guides were open to more frequent stops of shorter duration. When pedaling a non ebike, it is often challenges to start riding after a long break. Overall, we would recommend to tour to others and look forward to joining another adventure/journey in the future.

The tulips were of course the highlight of the trip. Not really much time in most of the towns to do a lot of exploration.

I would recommend getting an ebike even though terrain is level the strong winds make for harder biking than anticipated.

Cycling past tulip fields and visiting Keukenhof Gardens will leave a colourful memory for us, fulfilling a long awaited bucket list item. The barge and bikes were in excellent condition. The staff were lovely, going out of there way to be helpful. All meals were delicious, although in an effort to minimise waste, quantities were sometimes on the small side. Rides were enjoyable, although the wind made some feel longer than reality. The guides had excellent cornering and sweeping systems, which added to the fun and safety of the rides. We were fortunately prepared for variable weather, every day needing a different concoction of clothing. A thoroughly enjoyable week.