France Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 1010

Bikes were top quality, guides (Thomas and Wim) were fun, cook was excellent - food choices good. Iris (the barge) beds were comfortable. Hostess/waitress was very helpful. Crew (Kevin) was available and very nice. Captain did a great job navigating. Days riding (6) were well planned out with frequent breaks, so no sore bottoms. Room was small (as expected on a barge) but more than adequate. Private shower larger than expected. Next time I go I will remember to bring magnetic hooks for more hanging space. It was a great trip.

Very well organized, everything was nicely done. My only negative feedback is that the daily stops were too many and much too long! There is no need for a 40 minute coffee break at 10am when we had just begun riding at 9am. The lunch breaks were also too long, I would much have preferred riding for an hour+ and then stopping for a quick break. Breaks could have been 20 minutes. The stop in Trier was also too long at almost 3 hours, it was unexpected and we were not prepared to be left on our own to kill that amount of time. It would have been better to have spent that time riding, or at least give us a heads up that we would be on our own so plan accordingly, in my opinion it was a waste of time.

Very well organized. Great guides-- when i went Andre and Meike were the guides. The food was delicious. This was,a very pleasant relaxing trip for me.

This was a custom tour from Blois to Saumur. It was our 4th trip with your company, and not up to your prior standards.
-the ap had no useful info for places to eat (it marked every place w no useful descriptions) and we ended up often in low quality touristy restaurants though we occasionally found better ones just by luck.
-Blois, especially in the area we stayed is no place to stay for 2 nights (or really even one night). It is dingy and dirty and depressed.
-all the hotels were clean in the rooms but shabby and tired and dirty in common areas, and this was despite paying for the upgrade to superior hotels.
-I would be interested in hearing back from you on how this happened. thank you

We had a wonderful time on our 4th bike and boat trip. Our guide, Hugo, gave us so much history and information on each of our stops. He was enthusiastic and engaging, and you could tell he loves what he does. The people and crew, as always, were phenomenal! The food, prepared by our chef (I think his name was Alessandro) was beyond delicious! Hugo made each evening memorable with a special video that he created after each day’s ride. He sent the videos to each of us after the ride was complete.

However, the pace overall was too fast. Most people, including myself were on e-bikes. If I hadn’t been on an ebike, I would had trouble keeping up with the pace set by our leader, and I would not have enjoyed the ride. I don’t normally ride an ebike, and I’ve used an ebike on only one other bike/boat trip (Croatia) but I’m glad I opted for an ebike this time. I had mentioned slowing the pace a bit, but apparently, it was the pace necessary to maintain the schedule.
Also, the boat is a bit cramped for 21 riders at meal times and socializing after the ride. Overall, we had a great time and we are planning another bike/boat trip in 2028!

Overall, it was a very enjoyable tour. The maps/guides were good and easy to follow. There were a couple of instances where there were detours, but it was easy enough to get back on track as the guide had a feature to return to the route. The hotels were generally modest, but clean and comfortable; no complaints. The breakfasts were all quite satisfactory. The ebike was pre-configured to my height, it was clean, well-maintained, in good working order, although it was a very heavy machine. The battery stored enough for several days ridding. For someone in their mid-seventies, the 50-60 km per day was doable as the terrain was mostly flat and the power assist came in handy towards the end of the day, especially as a couple of the hotels were higher up off the valley floor. The scenery covered rural, vineyards, quaint villages, industrial, but always there was the river. This trip has encouraged me to consider other river-side trips.

Tour was changed to Auvers to Moret thru Paris due to low water levels. The crew adapted to the change well and represented Paris nicely. The ride routes could have been better planned, but not bad for the unexpected change. We had a great time and loved the rides between dockings.

The wine tasting experience was quite special and helpful in understanding the viniculture of the region. The 850’ climb was a challenge but very memorable in terms of the amazing views of the valley.

The food & service onboard were excellent, and the guides were helpful and attentive.

Hard to pick one thing, but like any great trip it starts with the staff - from the boat captain and crew to the tour guides. All were helpful, friendly, and knowledgable. The boat itself is well designed. It's comfortable and easy to get around on. I have one easy to fix suggestion: It would be nice if the boat included name tags and asked guest to wear the first day or two. Meeting 30 fellow guest and the seven person staff was a lot.

Highlights included Seeing parts of Europe one wound not ordinarily see, learning about the history and culture of Belgium and Northern France. Also the camaraderie with fellow cyclists and the crew, especially our guide Harm.

Outstanding crew - Guides, Captain, chef, housekeeper and assistant. The crew were hardworking and just made the guests interested in participating and getting to know eachother and sharing this 2 week adventure.

This self navigated trip covers some beautiful untrammelled scenery, along solid bike trails. Little villages with hidden gems await. Locals are friendly and helpful, food great not to mention the wine! There is little traffic to contend with allowing freedom to enjoy the beautiful countryside. We found storybook villages, Roman ruins, good restaurants and comfortable accommodations along the way. The guest house stays were especially pleasant.

This self navigated trip covers some beautiful untrammelled scenery, along solid bike trails. Little villages with hidden gems await. Locals are friendly and helpful, food great not to mention the wine! There is little traffic to contend with allowing freedom to enjoy the beautiful countryside. We found storybook villages, Roman ruins, good restaurants and comfortable accommodations along the way. The guest house stays were especially pleasant.

We had a great time once again on the Iris. The crew and guides were the best. Train travel on the weekends can be tricky but not impossible because of scheduled track maintenance. Electric bikes are always the best choice no matter what.

What a fantastic trip! The food was delicious and the crew was great! Japka and Carol were the best guides!

We loved the experience of living on the barge with its incredible team that ensured a comfortable, clean, professional and friendly atmosphere. The cycling guides were A-one, very helpful and gave interesting historical information on the sites visited. There were seven people in our travel group. It was fun meeting and socializing with the other travellers. I will definitely recommend this trip to friends and family.

Francois was an excellent cycling guide. E-bikes were quite comfortable

The boat is beautiful, the staff/crew are first class.
The food is amazing.
The guides were wonderful, they have planned the routs with care to show us how beautiful the countries are with great care for the safety of all.
I greatly recommend this tour.

One of the best bike tours I have taken! The Magnifique X ship was superb and spacious, the staff was so friendly and helpful. Our tour guides were amazing and the itinerary was fabulous! We saw and experienced so much of the culture and history of the Netherlands and Belgium. The bike paths were enchanting and each day there was variety of activities planned in our itinerary to see and do to experience the real Netherlands and Belgium.

Francois and Martin were absolutely fabulous. They provide a wonderful holiday. They showed extreme patience and deserve full points. We were a little disappointed with the ships meals. The last meal of the trip was very good. We were expecting that quality for the trip. When you are in France you expect French food.

This tour was changed last minute to Auvers to Moret due to drought conditions. It wasn’t as scenic as original. But the Claire de Lune was clean (our cabins were small but air conditioned!), her crew AMAZING, and our guide full of energy & enthusiasm. The chef was excellent x delicious food! The group on our tour was great, we all bonded quickly. Riding thru Paris was a little insane & scary but also invigorating and challenging - we all survived! Lol. My only complaint is the bikes have no bottle cages so you can only drink water when we stop, I sip constantly so that was a struggle. But overall, I would do it again!

Although the trip was rerouted to The Netherlands I thoroughly enjoyed the biking and exploring the various cities that we rode through. All of the staff were wonderful.
It would have been nice to at least cruise an hour or two on the barge. If you biked every day this did not happen. Other than that it was a wonderful experience.

Best tour ever highly recommended them. The tour guide was very professional, friendly & knowledgeable, about local area. Thanks

The views of France, and the wonderful staff Lucy,Annita,Peter and Josh.
The food was excellent.

The bike riding was amazing! Mariana and Cristina did an amazing job guiding us and keeping us safe. We bonded with all the other bikers so well. I would highly recommend this trip to my friends.

Biking was more strenuous than anticipated. Didn’t realize there was so much van transportation from boat to biking locations. Very disappointed in Normandy and American Cemetery experience. Only 35 minutes allotted. Should have spent at least two hours there. Guides were excellent. Boat service was excellent.

The guides and staff were excellent. Food was wonderful and the scenery picturesque. After viewing the trip I am glad we choose starting in Metz because Cochem was an ideal place to end. The AC was a little challenging. This year the temperature were extremely high and the upper deck common area didn’t have AC. The stateroom’s AC also couldn’t quite keep up. Overall a really wonderful experience

The Grand Tour was the perfect tour for our family. From booking with the fantastic agents at Tripsite to our final day in Amsterdam, everything was streamline. I wanted an easy introduction to biking for our two 20 something yr old sons and their partners. They are not avid bikers like myself so it was important to do a tour that was fun, easy and would promote the sport of cycling. I got them e-bikes. This tour did it all! The Magnifique X was beautiful. We had rooms on upper deck. The sliding window let in an incredible amount of light and made the room appear a bit larger. The beds and pillows were cozy with a nice size bathroom considering being on a barge. There was a lot of room on boat to lounge around and enjoy the scenic views. The Magnifique X staff were the best. They went above and beyond to ensure our comfort and safety. Our chef was Sidi. Some of the best food we’ve ever tasted came from this amazing Chef! It was the best food on entire trip including Paris and Amsterdam. The BBQ evening and chocolate Mousse were our fave’s. Our bike guides Eva and Caroline were knowledgeable. Safety was always a priority. We had daily updates on the following day’s itinerary. I highly recommend this Family Friendly tour.

The bike ride from Saint Emilion to Bergerac was magical. The bike path was car-free and protected and the scenery was stunning.

Suggestions:
- Leave early in the morning so you have time to eat a leisurely lunch along the way and then explore the next town
- Bring an extra water bottle so you always have a backup
- Bring biking sunglasses (that block the wind) and gloves

We just returned from the Amsterdam to Bruges bike-and-boat tour, and it exceeded every expectation.

The entire experience was exceptional from start to finish. The crew and guides were outstanding—friendly, professional, and genuinely focused on making sure every guest had an amazing time. The service aboard the boat was first-class, yet relaxed and welcoming.

The boat itself was fantastic: comfortable cabins, beautiful common areas, and the perfect place to unwind after each day’s ride. The food was another highlight. Every meal was delicious and thoughtfully prepared, and we looked forward to dinner every evening.

The cycling was exactly what we hoped for. The routes were scenic, well planned, and mostly on incredible bike paths through charming villages, canals, farmland, and historic towns. The bikes were high quality, comfortable, and well maintained, making the rides enjoyable for cyclists of all abilities. The itinerary struck a great balance between riding and exploring.

One of our favorite parts of each day was stopping in small Belgian and Dutch towns for a beer and a cone of fresh frites before continuing on. Those little moments made the trip feel authentic and unhurried.

If you’re considering a European bike-and-boat vacation, this is an easy recommendation. Beautiful scenery, outstanding staff, excellent food, great bikes, a wonderful boat, and an itinerary that lets you experience the Netherlands and Belgium at the perfect pace. We’d book another Tripsite tour without hesitation.