5 Star France Tour Reviews — 271 to 300 of 583

There were so many memorable experiences on this trip. The Moselle River area is spectacularly scenic, and fortunately we had perfect weather days to enjoy the river, the towns, the castles, and the vineyards. We also loved returning each day to our "home", the Quo Vadis for yummy dry Riesling, exceptional food and social gathering with our trip mates. Highly recommend this trip!

The whole trip was fantastic. The variety of terrain was great. The GPS was invaluable and steered us just right. I would suggest stopping at a market before leaving for the day to get lunch to take on the ride and then stopping at patisseries or glaciers in the towns for treats.

The boat, staff and passengers were a delight. They were very COVID conscious. We loved the meals, and relaxation time on the deck. I would totally recommend the Quo Vadis! Hope to do another tour with them next year?

For me it was the first time I saw the Quo Vadis and met Captain RJ and the crew. They were warm and friendly and the boat was beautiful.

This was an excellent trip. Our first trip in almost two years. The hotel was lovely, excellent service and restaurant. The bike riding itself was also very good. The routes were well organized and on very quiet roads and bike paths. We had zero issues with traffic. The terrain is relatively flat with only the climb and descent to the Loire river posing any kind of difficulty. The area was relatively quiet due to the pandemic however most restaurants were open as well as the various chateau. We were able to create the pass sanitaire with our Canadian vaccine certificates so entry into restaurants and attractions was a non-issue. They do scan at most restaurants and often times on the train.

The Canal du Midi tour is a wonderful cycling experience - generally easy riding along a lovely tree-lined waterway and across gorgeous countryside. The daily distances were about right, 30 - 40 kms, and allowed us to arrive at our destinations not all all tired and with enough time to explore and relax when we got there. I would think this would be a perfect first tour for uncertain, inexperienced riders and even for families. The stops were all excellent and varied - some rural, some more urban, most with historical significance (especially Carcassonne and Narbonne!), and the canal itself becomes a big part of the tour as you learn about its history and its many innovative engineering achievements. The food, of course, was also a highlight of the tour, and I would definitely recommend including the additional meals, as the restaurants selected were all first class, served exquisite local fare, and were in excellent locations. The hotels and inns were also all excellent choices. We are so appreciative of the local organizers for all these great arrangements, and also for the seamless support along the way - the bags were always picked up by 9:30, and they were always waiting for us when we arrived at our lodgings. Robert of Ruckenwind is clearly very passionate about cycling and he was an enthusiastic presence and a great resource throughout the trip. Some things worth noting beforehand, however: 1) the canal paths start out smooth and paved, and also very well shaded, but get progressively more uneven as you get farther away from Toulouse, some with rough gravel patches and others with mud puddles or dried, rutted spots that are hard to navigate; and the plane trees are dying in places so you are periodically exposed to the hot sun; 2) the routes often diverge from the canal, partly to avoid some of those rough patches, but also, I think, just to get riders off the canal to offer some diversity and to allow you to see more of the landscapes. This is generally a good thing, and you can never really get lost because you always have a sense where the canal is. But we did lose our way sometimes, and often had to rely on our GPS to find our way back. Anyway, thanks again to Tripsite, to Ruckenwind (especially to Robert!), and to the local operator for a truly memorable cycling experience!

Can't think of a better way to experience Paris or to see its countryside. The quiet comfort and convenience of the barge along with the camaraderie of fellow bikers made for a memorable and very affordable trip.

We loved the Bed and Breakfasts Tripsite set us up with! Very charming with delicious breakfast food

This was the best bike trip of our lives. We took it in early June, 2019 with e-bikes and upgraded accommodations. Unless you're a strong cyclist, e-bikes are the way to go for this trip. First, the hotels were amazing and in each one after the first the specific rooms reserved were wonderful. The first hotel in Avignon was simply awful. Not only because the air conditioning was out, but the room was tacky, in bad repair, and was musty. The tour needs to have this changed. The common areas were just fine, it was only our room. Another thing to change would be the route on the first day through Avignon - heavy traffic, a lot of road construction, and then cycling on a road with a narrow shoulder, semi trucks, and 30 mph winds. This was still a five-star trip. I hadn't done much research ahead of time, and so Les Baux de Provence and Fontaine de Vaucluse each came as a complete and wonderful surprise - I had not even imagined places of such beauty and charm. There were some minor problems with the GPS, particularly the road barred off in one place. Fortunately we had a hotspot which we took with us each day, and were able to figure out how to reroute ourselves using Apple maps, but we would have been in trouble otherwise. We went to the market at Isle sur la Sorgue, but it was impossible to visit with bikes due to the crowds of people. We didn't dare leave the e-bikes, even locked, so we had to take turns going in - but still fun!

I recently returned from a bike and barge trip in France which I booked through Tripsite. The trip was from Montargis to Paris and was provided by Bike Boat Tours based in Amsterdam. This trip was exceptional as it was for myself and 9 of my family members, eight of whom had never traveled to Europe before. I have personally used Tripsite many times in the past and as in all previous instances they were totally professional. They handled any communication to the tour provider, provided a link for trip insurance and all last minute advice regarding clothing, tipping, currency exchange, location where to board the boat, etc. Working with Tripsite is key to making foreign travel easy and I'm sure I will be contacting them again.

This is the best kept secret for those of us that enjoy intimate, caring, luxurious adventure with people that will care and spoil you along the way. Quo Vadis will always be our first choice if available and the standard by what we measure all of our other trips.

The beautiful scenery along the Mosel River is the star of this Bike and Barge trip! The vineyard along the steep mountain face for miles and miles, the gorgeous river meandering , the church steeple in every village, and the ancient castles on the mountain top! I could not believe I was there in the midst of this! Would not hesitate to recommend this trip to anyone and I have!

Barge trip out of Paris was special. Great way to begin trip and see Paris on Sunday morning. Biking through back roads and trails of France and Belgium was great.

Our guide was wonderful. It made our bike riding less stressful. Meet some great people from different countries. Enjoyed our dinner every night. The staff was helpful.

My favourite parts of the trip were spending time in Cochem, the happy hour the entire group would spend “debriefing” at the end of the day on the deck of the boat, both vineyards that we visited and the incredible gardens we saw as we rode along the Moselle river.

My suggestions:

Clear instructions about the day we board the boat. Everyone was confused about whether we simply drop off our luggage, stay on the boat, is there dinner on the boat?? Etc.

It would have been nice to have some background music on the boat during breakfast, happy hour, dinner or the evening. I heard a number of people mention this.

A few planned activities on the boat would have been a lot of fun. A theme dinner, trivia night, learn to make the local cocktail, a local historian gives a presentation, a quick and simple local language lesson, etc. People also commented on this and would have gladly paid another 100 Euros for a few little “extras” like these.

Gorgeous Mosel with quaint towns cycling and being on a gem of a boat! Surrounded by great people and a great crew!
Thank you for wonderful memories!

I have been traveling for many years and have had many amazing adventures. I can honestly say that this is one the the best holidays I have taken. I loved being active and after a day of exploring to come back to the boat for a cocktail, wonderful dinner and conversation with the other guests. The crew made us feel at home. I cannot recommend this trip enough! We are already planning the next holiday. Thanks for a great experience.

Zeaantje barge is very nice. Crew was great. Our guide, Andre, was the best we have ever had—very knowledgeable about the route and special sites to see/visit, adjusted our route a couple times to accommodate the rain. Frank, the cook, was really outstanding—creative meals, good variety. My only, minor, complaint is that the barge’s lounge can be very noisy when a group is in it, especially at meal time. Bikes were ok but could use some TLC; we had a lot of flats, and some brake issues, but everyone pitched in to make repairs.

The views along the Mosel River were fantastic and of course, the wines.

The hotels were great & friend

The whole trip from start to finish was excellent. Boat staff were exceptionally helpful and always ready to assist as needed. Food was varied and tasty too. Will be booking another bike and barge trop on the future.

Every biking day was a new adventure which culminated in our finding our barge (Zwaantje) as if by magic; but in reality through the skill and navigation expertise of our fearless guide. Beautiful countryside, lovely quiet towns and the bustling town hall squares of the larger cities. Absolutely loved it. Our chef on board was a delight and the food was excellent featuring both local produce and an international flair. Very well looked after throughout.

Beautiful scenery loved the old towns. The bikes were great

Further to my previous review I wanted to add the service, courteousness and responsiveness of the Tripsite Representatives in answering multiple questions and following up on the many details of our group was much appreciated. A customer focused company which is a novelty today.

Terrific sights made better by great group of cyclists.

This was one of the best holidays I have ever taken - being active, seeing history and meeting new friends. Highly recommend.

I have already booked another trip!

Excellent trip. Two weeks wasn't even enough. Barge was great... super clean, great food. Small cabins, but really nice common areas. Staff was awesome.

Riding through the south of France along quiet country roads with the occasional stop to learn about the history and people of the place.

Wow, so hard to pinpoint to one memorable experience; there were so many. Our first impression of the boat and crew was wonderful. The boat was very clean, perfectly maintained and very comfortable. All the crew members were welcoming, kind, fun and efficient. The Captain, RJ, was one on the crew, always on, active, involved and always with a smile. I loved that by the end of the trip, all 24 of us knew each other well after eating, biking and watching out for each other after the 8 days. Bike riding along the Moselle River in the fall with the colors changing was breathtaking. Every turn was equally as beautiful and everyday the colors became more vibrant. We broke off into 2 groups of 12 every morning; each group having one of the two guides. I was very happy to see there were two guides. We came across another bike/barge tour in one of the towns and there was only 1 guide for a group of 24. I think that was pushing it a bit. The villages, towns, castles, history, wineries and food on board were all exceptional. The pace of the daily ride was not difficult. The only suggestion that I have would be to separate the e-bikes from regular bikes. I found at times, the e-bikes would interfere with the momentum of the rest of us trying to pedal up the hills. It might just be the need for a little more training with the riders on the e-bikes, there was none that I saw, and a better understanding of an "etiquette".

The crew of the boat Caprice was wonderful. Each crew member did their utmost to make the trip perfect for everyone. The food was outstanding, our compliments to the chef Joseph who prepared a gourmet meal every night. The tour guide Alessandra was wonderful and kept the group moving along together. The size of the tour was perfect, 20, the route was ideal and that part of France was beautiful. Highlights were the Ponte du Gard, the villages in Provence, Avignon and the tour of the winery and La Moulin d'Huile. We also enjoyed the company of the others on the tour very much.

Suggestions: bring raingear if it's the rainy season, stop in the cafes in the little towns along the way for beer, wine, french fries or desserts.