5 Star Normandie boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 30 of 69

Holland is a beautiful country with amazing farmlands, and darling villages, all set with a back drop of amazing canals and waterways and bike paths. We used big ferries to cross canals, we used small little bike ferries for smaller canals. We met so many warm and welcoming people and ate at quaint cafes on the water, and outdoor restaurants in the cities. It was a truly magical experience.
The boat, the Normandie, was a beautiful boat with a large sundeck and outdoor area in the shade. It had a lovely salon, an extensive bar, and great meals. The staff was friendly and helpful with with the bikes and the rides every day, and the meals and any needs on the boat.

We really enjoyed our cycling adventure in South Holland however, what was not mentioned was that the entire boat; staff and guests spoke German. This was not in the information that I read when booking this adventure. We did not understand the people at our table nor when we were cycling. The itinerary said the trip was September 21-29, so I was surprised when our trip was over on the 28th. I then needed to secure a hotel room that evening. Finally, I booked a room on the upper floor to have a view of the water and a window that opened. I did not read anywhere that the boat was in port each evening and I paid a premium to look at people sitting on a bench. We did not open the curtains or window for this very reason. I do feel that I should be reimbursed the extra fee that was charged for being on the upper floor.
Our guide Wolfgang tried his best to help us in English but he was difficult to understand. The food was great, and having coffee and cakes when we arrived back each day was fabulous.

Organization of the trip and the quality of crew and colleagues south holland is terrific cycling the bikes were of high standard

Bikes were top quality and the tour instructions were excellent. It was an excellent route. Food on the Normandie was good and the accommodations very comfortable.

I and my husband loved the tour. Everything was perfect, the barge, the meals, all the staff was kind and we had now new friends that we knew in this tour.

This trip was amazing. It was my first time to Europe and to say now that I was in 4 countries!!
The talks that we had each night with the information on our next day trip were very helpful. We had some bad weather, (rain), but we got by. I cannot complain at all.
We did the off days on our own, walking around Vienna and Budapest. I took so many photos. It is great to have them now to look back on.
I cannot pick one thing that I really enjoyed. Everyday was better than the day before.
I am planning on doing another trip with Tripsite in 2020.

All of the biking was fantastic. The time in Vienna was a close second.

The last day of the beautiful rolling hills and gorgeous monastery on the hill and quaint historic towns along the way were the highlight of the trip.

I loved Jan's presentations. He was very well prepared and his delivery was great. You should keep him doing that. However, his personal customer service leaves something to be desired. He had no patience for details that were not perfect.

All guides except for one were exceptionally good. The one guide in Budapest was so bad we got our money back for the bike guide in the city.

We had never done a Bike & Boat tour before so were hoping it would all work out. And it did fantastically! Ours was a family trip and even our 9-year-old son completed the entire bike route no problem. Such a pleasure to be in the country biking through fields, along the river, even on narrow roads through the small towns and villages we passed through. It was an amazing way to really see the countryside and interact with local people to briefly get a glimpse of their way of life. And the scenery was beautiful and peaceful. An amazing experience for our family and we look forward to doing more trips like this in the future.

We had a great time on the Danube four countries tour and it was great to bike and to get to visit 3 capital cities. Wonderful and I would highly recommend this trip

Our table mates(who we had never met before) became our best friends for the week. We did all our rides together and had a great time visiting the different cities. We had brand new bikes of high quality that enhanced the experience.

Bike/Barge was a great way to spend time with family and see the sights of the Danube. Accommodation on the boat was comfortable, staff friendly and it certainly made for a very relaxing & easy holiday.

Best part: Cycling in dry weather; we got soaked one day

The route was well planned. The views were spectacular. Couldn’t have imagined a better place to have done this (Austria). We biked approximately 50 miles a day. It was exceptional.

Our second trip ( the Danube to Vienna) was different, but equally as nice. This time the “barge” was a huge river boat (a la Viking), but that was OK. The scenery was lovely, the little towns quaint, they could have done better with the information about our route, but I guess it was OK. A bit different in that the boat traveled at night and moved us up the river to our next starting point. Again, the food was great, the passengers friendly... only one rainy day that time... not bad! I’ve told friends about this company and I look forward to our next trip with Tripsite!

Every minute of this trip was amazing. Would do it all over again!

The incredible scenery and the wonderful people. We met some incredible new friends on the trip.

I adored the trip from start to finish. The scenery, the towns and cities and of course seeing everything by bike. I met wonderful people who share a love of travel and adventure. The only problem with the trip was the tour leader. He was condescending and rude to several guests. The rest of the staff was phenomenal. I would do this trip again tomorrow.

I would highly recommend this trip. The food was fantastic. The rooms were of a good size and clean. The staff were friendly and helpful. The cycle route were scenic and enjoyable. I would definitely do another.

What an unforgettable trip! We were able to take our 75 year old dad and he cycled the whole thing easily. The touring days in the cities were full, overwhelming, and inspiring for someone who's never seen the rich history of Europe. Cruising down the river while eating a 4 course dinner was a perfect finish to cycling though forests and orchards all day. It was a perfect combination of cycling, cruising, relaxing and sight seeing. I would recommend it to anyone!

This was a perfect way to spend a holiday. The food was AMAZING! The staff was personable, kind, and so very efficient with all they do. I was pleasantly surprised with all the paved bike paths and the number of cyclists out traveling on vacation. It was inspirational to interact with them along the way. Thank you, [Normandie](https://www.tripsite.com/bike-boat/boats/comfort/ms-normandie/) and staff. We had a fantastic time!

Biking along river was the greatest. Budapest and Bratislava wonderful. Time in Vienna too rushed. Strongly advise participants to take an extra day or two in Passau before the trip—a lovely small town.

The staff on the boat were wonderful. Very helpful, friendly and hard working. The food on the boat was excellent. They consistently turned out perfectly prepared delicious meals. The bicycles were in excellent condition and performed perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip.

The daily briefing on what to see and do really helped to get the most out of the bike and barge tour.

Everything was well organized and the staff very friendly and helpful. We loved the whole trip . The countryside was beautiful.

Our trip was along the Danube to Vienna. It was a wonderful trip, the scenery was lovely, and we were lucky with the weather... it only drizzled one afternoon! The little towns we went through were really cute & charming. We felt the tour guide could have done a better job by telling us the distances between start and finish in terms of time & kilometers. We managed quite well, but it would have been nice to know. Otherwise, the whole trip was fantastic!

The most memorable part of our trip was getting on our bikes daily and biking next to the river with lovely towns and countryside. Quite free!
Our meals were just wonderful! We requested vegan meals and were delighted with each and every meal! This whole trip was special!

Excellent trip, experience, food, accommodations, etc.

We loved this trip! The best way to experience Europe’s beautiful rivers and countryside is over the handlebars!

The barge was wonderful and the staff most helpful and professional. I wouldn’t hesitate to go on another biking trip. Thank you for a job well done.