Bruges to Amsterdam Tour Reviews — 121 to 150 of 413

The most memorable part was seeing actual Archimedes Screws in the Netherlands that are still in use!!

The boat was fabulous and the crew exceptional. The guides were great. The whole experience exceeded my expectations

The last two days of biking

When my wife became ill the captain checked on her while I was off the boat. When a doctor was needed the captain phoned and a doctor appeared in our cabin 45 minutes later. One of the tour guides road his bicycle in the middle of the night to buy the needed medicine. The two service women anticipated our needs before I asked. Amazing and unforgettable service.

Our bike tour from Bruges to Amsterdam was stellar in every way possible! First, the boat: It was awesome! Our cabin had plenty of room for the two of us and the shower was unexpectedly nice. Second, the crew: AMAZING! All of the crew on our boat were just excellent. The food was so good! Koen made sure that we were all well fed in preparation for our rides everyday and well fed when we got back with lots of snacks and a yummy dinner. Marianne and Tessie were so nice and very helpful around the boat (Marianne is a great dancer too!). The captain of the boat, Xander, was great and very funny. Last, and definitely not least, is our tour guide Wieger. He was such a nice man and so much fun. I really can't say enough about him. Third, dealing with Tripsite: In a word... Easy! They were very helpful and answered all our questions (no matter how silly) without delay. Fourth. the bikes: They were perfect. We used electric bikes and even though there were days that we rode with the power off to get some extra exercise, we were glad that we got them. Sometimes it's nice to get a helping hand once and a while. Some in our group got the normal bikes and they struggled more than we did on certain days. We had planned to ride on our own with the maps supplied by the boat. We're very glad that we didn't because there were lots of detours due to construction and trail closures and we would've never been able to find our way like Wieger was able to. Plus the group dynamic was so much fun. Our group had 23 people in it from Canada, the US, Italy, France, and Germany. It was so nice getting to know them all.
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would absolutely do it again!

The Zwaantje, Captain Martijn, and his crew were among the highlights of this trip. We had an amazing time exploring the different cities. The routes were easy to follow and the guides were great, friendly and personable, though I would have loved more history/information during our rides. We enjoyed the variety of scenery, the option to go off on our own, and the opportunity to socialize with many other adventurous people :)

Always the staff and fellow passengers are the highlight of bike and barge trips. We loved the rides through the countryside and tiny towns, visits to the windmills, the dairy, the vending machines sporting fresh strawberries, the food on the barge, and so much more.

This was truly my favorite vacation. Such an amazing way to experience Belgium and the Netherlands. The crew was top notch, The food was gourmet, The barge was luxurious, the bikes were very comfortable, and we really enjoyed meeting new people. Sign up for this trip. You won't regret it!

The scenery

The Magnifique IV is as comfortable and roomy as a canal barge can be. The crew and guides were caring and attentive, performing their roles perfectly. The meals were lovely, excellent, beautifully prepared and presented.
The daily routes were delightful, with a dramatic scenic build as we entered The Netherlands and approached Amsterdam.
Bring a strap-on water bottle cage for easy and frequent hydration during the day.

Loved all the beautiful scenery and being able to see it by bike. We particularly liked being in a small group (9 couples) who we got to know quite well and had fun socializing with. The crew and guide were very attentive and made the trip extra fun.

I appreciated all of our stops in small towns or villages and getting to patronize some local businesses. Each day was a different type of experience in terms of scenery as well as the type of paths we rode on and the distances traveled which I thought made it wonderful. I loved getting to ride near different people each day and getting to know all the members of my trip. Our guide Anita was great at modifying our route as needed based on issues with the barge and weather.

Riding through the countryside and small villages was beautiful.

This trip was truly enjoyable. The accomadations on the barge were comfortable and very clean. The staff was knowledgeable and pleasant. The food was great and because I was there for the bike ride, the organization of the leaders and the routes planned each day were exactly as presented, plus there was always time for exploring the destination cities/towns.

I will definitely be planning another bike and boat/barge trip soon.

Riding through the countryside. Historic buildings.

The daily bike rides! With our group of 26 it would have been nice to have had 2 guides for 2 groups.

Biking through the countryside and villages of Belgium and the Netherlands is just a wonderful way to really "see" these countries and their people. This trip was well organized, provided an excellent dining experience, and camaraderie of fellow passengers. Bikes were comfortable and in great condition, and our guide was informative and fun. Tip for others: clothing layers!! Also, utilize the e-bikes if you are not routinely biking 20-30 miles beforehand.

The interaction with your wonderful crew and guides. They made everyone and every day special.

This was such a special experience to visit small towns and areas we would never see otherwise. Using e bikes was a breeze and allowed us to focus on the scenery.

Lots of most memorable parts of the trip - biking the countrysides and quaint towns throughout Flanders and Holland and the food and service on board Magnifique II.

Excellent tour. I would recommend this to any biking enthusiast. The countryside was idyllic, the tour leaders very knowledgeable, and the boat and staff were awesome!!

The boat, crew, dining, site seeing and and itinerary were fabulous, buy the most memorable was the bike tour guides, who- "with a little luck" was able to time our rides and routes through the many predicted rain showers and keep us dry and entertained.

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.

The reservation process was so professional with no hitches along the way. The trip was amazing, the guides especially Franz were so good, informative and always present. The barge itself was quite a pleasant surprise to everyone as it was hard to imagine what it would be like, clean, modern with all modern conveniences. Our weather was perfect which was a surprise also as the prediction was rain every day!!! Food was wonderful as well as all the staff. Each tour was different with unique stops along the way and the countryside is so beautiful. Every one was pleased with their bikes, we had e-bikes which we loved.
Thank you Tripsite for an amazing trip.

Visiting the windmills

I liked seeing the windmills. Also 2 full days of pouring rain were memorable; glad my rain gear held up.

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!

The Bike Tours with Carla were fantastic. The e-bikes were terrible, poorly maintained and were breaking down daily. Tom, the other tour guide 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 at that time that they didn't carry spare parts...what? That night, I was informed that Rabi was able to fix my bike. The next day, I got on the bike and it was the same kind of bike but something felt different. I noticed some scratches on it that were not there before. Turns out that the bike number was different and that they had lied to me and actually gave me the broken bike that I had in the first place with 2 gears missing and the faulty battery. Within a few miles of the 35+ mile day we had ahead of us, I noticed the shifting problem and then the battery started going out. The only way to fix it was to stop, remove the battery and then shove it back in to reset it. This caused the whole group to have to stop each time.

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.  SHOW MORE 

This was one of the best vacations I’ve ever had! The Magnifique IV is gorgeous and comfortable, and every single staff member was super helpful and just absolutely lovely! Our cycling guides, Hans and Wilfred, we’re wonderful - fun, knowledgeable, well-organized. Seeing bigger towns and cities, and all the countryside and ‘regular’ towns in between by bicycle is such a good way to explore. I highly recommend this trip!

The team (captain Paul, chef Michael, sailor Albert, Hostesses Annika & Ingeborg and tour guides Hans & Wilfred) on Magnifique IV is amazing. They are always cheerful and are so hardworking. Every meal was exquisite and the warm and delicious snacks offered after a long (wet) bike ride were so appreciated. The barge is beautiful. It is clean and well appointed. We appreciated the 2 usb ports to charge our phones in our large suite. We were conservative with water so had lots for a hot shower after a day of cycling. The scenery was gorgeous. If we had stopped at every place for a beautiful picture, we would still be in Gent! Our tour guides were very knowledgeable about the area. They easily answered our questions with enthusiasm and humour. Our daily route was tweaked according to the groups' abilities, interests and, of course, the weather.

Tips
Pack light. We avoided long lineups at every airport because we had only carry-on luggage.
Don't bring a bike helmet unless you are cycling before or after the tour. They are provided.
Rent one of the e-bikes. Even though the routes are mostly flat, we so appreciated having a little boost. I had mine on level 1 most of the time. Level 2 was for near the end of the ride. Level 3, only for going up hills. Make sure to unlock your bike and turn your battery on again after a stop.
Keep some distance between your bike and the one ahead. Not everyone will be experienced with cycling in groups and hand signals.
Do bring a gel seat cover with a waterproof bag. You can cover it, or just take it off when stopping. The seats on the bikes are just okay. They were much more comfortable with an additional squishy layer.
Do bring water-PROOF raingear, top and bottom. We kept warm and almost completely dry with ours. Others went with water RESISTANT and regretted it. In fact, next time I'm bringing good quality covers for my shoes. The staff kindly put our shoes in the engine room to dry out. This worked beautifully when they were damp, but let's just say that stronger measures were needed on other days. Bring an extra pair of shoes.
Your waterproof jacket needs to have a hood. Note, the ball cap I wore under my helmet to keep the sun out of my eyes also kept the rain off my face. We had a mix of weather. Definitely dress in layers if you are doing a tour in late September. I was glad I packed warm long-sleeved tops, hoodies and wool socks. I also had a warm coat and a scarf for the cool evenings in the various beautiful cities.
Do bring a few ziploc bags. These will come in handy on wet days, even with the waterproof satchels.
Don't believe the nice lady at the cheese farm. Unless you are going back home right away, uncover and place the cheese you buy in a fridge. Simply opening the package to let it breath won't be enough to prevent mold from growing.
Do get a data package with your cellphone company. Not every place will have wifi when you need it.  SHOW MORE