5 Star Merlijn boat/barge tour reviews — 61 to 90 of 235

Excellent itinerary with great paths and trails. Love the Merlijn and all that it has to offer. Coen and Christina along with the crew are 5star! Thomas was a terrific guide and fun to travel with.

The crew and owners Coen and Christina are just so friendly and they make you feel like family. The ship is so clean and very luxurious. I did 4 weeks straight on the Merlijn and had 2 different guides. llse and Thomas were just a joy to be with. They are both exceptionally good at guiding! There are not enough words to say about this fantastic journey.

Everything about the trip was wonderful, the food on the Merlijn was spectacular. Our guide on the bike trip, Ilsa, was well prepared and did an outstanding job leading us. The Merlijn was well managed, clean and organized. Overall it was my best trip ever.

Our trip began in Passau which is a beautiful, scenic town in Bavaria. We were greeted on the Merlijn by the owners, Coen and Christina and our guide, Ilsa. They offered to take our suitcases to our cabins for us. I was immediately impressed. The food was excellent, and Christina made delicious sack lunches for us each day for the ride. I can’t emphasize enough how gracious they were and how well they took care of us. Additionally, the rides were through scenic towns and the quiet countryside, where Ilsa gave us brief descriptions of the towns and the areas of interest in each place. She was a terrific guide. I felt reluctant to get off the ship in Nuremberg because I enjoyed this trip so much that I would do it again in an instant. I highly recommend this trip.

I really liked the bicycle riding. The scenery was beautiful and it's a great way to see the German countryside. Our guide Ilsa was fantastic and the crew of the Merlijn was first rate. The chef on the boat prepared tasty cuisine for us every night.

I really liked the bicycle riding. The scenery was beautiful and it's a great way to see the German countryside. Our guide Ilsa was fantastic and the crew of the Merlijn was first rate. The chef on the boat prepared tasty cuisine for us every night.

This tour was fantastic! To start off, you are on the most beautiful ship out there - the Merlijn. This ship is pure luxury! Also, the crew and owners are the best out there. Ilse, the guide was just awesome. She is full of energy and so much knowledge. I learned so much from her about the area we were biking in and sailing in. Don’t hesitate, book now for 2024 on the Merlijn. You won’t be sorry.

The scenery along the Danube River was just spectacular. The little villages along the way were so beautiful to photograph. Traveling on the Merlijn is like being in a 5 star hotel. The ship is just beautiful and the food is downright amazing and delicious. The crew members are like your family. Love the Merlijn!

Biking thru the small villages of Austria, enjoying their beautiful, clean lifestyle and the magnificent Danube was memorable. Our guide was quite capable and knowledgeable adding to the experience. Would recommend this trip highly!

The crew and our guide were very friendly and knowledgeable. We had a great time biking through beautiful countryside and learned alot about local culture and history. The food was great.

The Berlin to Wolfsburg was an amazing experience. This was my second trip on the wonderful boat, Merlijn and it won't be my last. We already have one booked for next year! The pedaling was fun and easy and the historical sites fascinating with a great guide. I highly recommend this trip!

This was our 3rd Bike and Barge experience.
Everything about the Bike and Barge tour on Merlin was first class.
We have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed many large ship ocean cruises and rail holidays throughout Europe and can confidently say that Bike and Barge tours tops them all.
My wife, not being a cyclist hired an electric powered bike and although always being a little dubious about cycling every day finished the tour saying; " We must do this again, it's much better than the fancy cruises".
The accommodation on the barge Merlin although being tight is excellent, the food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) exceptional as were the crew and of course the scenery as we slowly cycled along the Mosel and Rhine rivers was stunning.
Thank you TripSite and particularly the good Barge "Merlin".
We highly recommend this amazing holiday experience to all those young at heart.
The 24 guests (maximum number) on board ranged from their early 40's through to an average age of about 65.
Despite several very inexperienced cyclist on board all managed the ride comfortable

Only one concern (being Australian) and that is that making payment was a bit messy.

Peter and Christine Dearle
Perth
Western Australia

This was my second trip with the Merlijn and I will travel with them again in the future. The staff made our our living conditions on board very comfortable, the food is always amazing and the biking was outstanding. We had a family emergency which they handled professionally and efficiently. The friendly relaxed atmosphere that this boat/barge provides in a small group setting is exactly what we look for.

Lovely biking holiday! So enjoyed the bits of history as we biked through German villages and towns. The The boat was delightful, food delicious, and the hosts went out of their way to ensure a wonderful time.

The tour was wonderful and our guide, Francine, was terrific. This trip was well organized, the equipment was first rate. The bikes and helmets provided were wonderful. Our guide categorized this trip as a "sightseeing by bicycle" adventure and that is a perfect description. There are fast-paced bike rides if that is what you are looking for, however, we thought this pace was excellent for seeing the countryside, taking photos, and visiting smaller towns/cities that we would have otherwise driven past.

The barge we were on, the Merjlin, was amazing- first rate service and food. The rooms were very comfortable and quiet. The common area was a great place to relax before meals and converse with our fellow travelers. The food was amazing and the service was great.

One thing we were not prepared for is the issue of tipping- the suggested tip was for $10/pp/day for the ship staff and $10/pp/day for the guide- which would add $440 to the cost of the trip. Of course as we are from the US, we are very familiar with the tipping culture but we were not expecting it on a European adventure. Yes, it's mentioned on the information section but I guess we skimmed over that. I would prefer they pay their staff a living wage and skip the tip. It costs the customers the same.

enjoying the beautiful countryside on bikes with friends .

I cannot say enough great things about our trip from Brugge to Amsterdam! The Captain and Crew of the Merlijn were awesome, and our intrepid tour guide, Francien was great!
What a wonderful way to experience Belgium and the Nederlands; riding through the countryside, towns, polders, and along the canals on every manner of bike path.
We were spoiled by the food provided by Christina; a delicious breakfast buffet, tasty sandwiches in our packed lunches for the ride, and gourmet meals for dinner with a little bit of history about the dishes.
Our cabin was comfortable and cozy, and the dining room and lounge were always adorned with fresh flowers.
If you want to experience travel in a unique way, then this is the way to go:)

The cycling was the highlight of the trip for us, we thoroughly enjoyed the pace and travel through small towns and villages along the way. Of course the tulips fields are also quite a sight! Although the weather did not always cooperate - we like the motto “there is no bad weather - only poor clothing choices”. Be prepared.

It was all perfect, a great experience and the Captain along with his wife and crew were superb

The Keukenhof gardens were spectacular. The food was also far above expectations.

Coan & Christina own and operate the 50 meter 1930 converted cargo ship Merlijn along with a crew of 3 and a bike guide. The attention to detail , ,new equipment and bikes. The difference is other tour vessels are owned by larger companies and hire a captain a crew with older bikes.
Our guide Francien was very good, had 20 years experience and took us places that you would not see on a self guided tour. In the evenings after our on board gourmet dinner she would take who wanted to go on a tour of the city or town.
The scenery was amazing and a boat canal side tour in Gent was arranged. Our groups average was between 55 and 73 and everyone was able able to keep up a good pass on regular and e bikes.
We will be taking another tour they offer in Germany next year

The bike rides and the food.

The scenery was beautiful! The people that we biked with were great companions for the week!

Fabulous guide, beautiful bike rides, wonderful food on the boat, great boat crew, fun group of travelers....overall it was a fantastic experience!

My immediate response would be the expert cycling guide (Tamara), who insured we were 1) safe and knew the cycling etiquette in the Netherlands, 2) took the time to stop and educate us at special points of interest and 3) invited any passengers to accompany her on after dinner walks through the towns the barge overnighted at. Equally memorable were the gourmet meals prepared by Christina and her team. Each night she would announce dinner at 6:30 pm sharp and begin her detailed yet brief explanation of what we were about to savour that evening.

This was my first barge trip. Everyone on the trip who had been on other barges informed me that I had started at the top! The crew was amazing and provide first class service. The chef is the captain's wife and cooked us 5 star meals. The lunch she packed for the bike trips was wonderful each day. She accommodated the gluten-free passengers. Our tour guide, Tamy was knowledgeable and friendly. I learned so much about the cities where we docked and the countryside where we rode. This was my first bike trip and the description was accurate. The ride was flat and easy which made looking around at everything pleasurable. I loved that there were only 24 passengers on the boat. I got to know them all and enjoy their company at meals and during the rides. Since this was the first tulip tour of the season, the tulips were not yet blooming in the fields. However, there were many other flowers blooming to see on our ride. We saw many many tulips and other flowers at the Keukenhof where we spent several hours. I am looking forward to traveling on the Merlijn again in the future!

Was the wonderful guide and the beautiful scenery we encountered every day. Peaceful countryside.The boat was top notch and the hosts went out of their way to make things nice . Food was well presented with lovely courses. I would recommend this tour to others.

This was our first Bike & Barge, but it won't be our last! The whole trip was fabulous, the biking, the crew, the food, the other passengers and Tripsite for organizing it all!

Riding the trails through the beautiful forests!

Biking with family, romantic views from the river, the friendliness of the boat puppy and crew, wonderful dinner , and the stadt tours