5 Star France Tour Reviews — 331 to 360 of 446

4.5 out of 5

 


Leo R.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Iris Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany

The total crew got involved in the trip and were always available to assist us with any problems or questions. It helped to break the ice with other bikers and soon we were one cohesive and fun group.

Patricia B.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Iris Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany

Most memorable are the meals. The daily ports and after dinner walks. 1 issue - directions to the barge were horrible.

Jeffrey D.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

Most memorable part? There were so many, but Chantilly Castle and the Montmontre area of Paris that we had a tour of immediately come to mind. Make sure that you can ride a bike and can manage at least 30 miles on a route with the same level of climbing, otherwise use an e-bike to help you along. Bring 2 pairs of street shoes, as some days they might get wet. Remember that there will be an opportunity to leave a tip at the end, and it should be about 5-6% of the booked price. Drink wine and beer, talk to people, don't be shy about anything and remember to have fun.

Wendy & Robert K.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Iris Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany

It is very hard to say what was the best, as everything was so great, beautiful, and interesting. The staff and bike guide went above our expectations, we would recommend this trip to all.

Garnet T.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Iris Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany

The whole trip exceeded our expectations but the barge Iris and the crew were outstanding.

Garnet
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Iris Metz to Cochem
France, Luxembourg, Germany

A group of 8 friends from Western Canada recently completed the Metz to Cochem tour on the Iris and all of us have nothing but good things to say about the experience. The barge Iris was everything we expected and more. Immaculately clean, well equipped, comfortable rooms and beds, small but efficient bathrooms, great lounge and dining areas, outside sitting area, etc., etc. The crew was outstanding in every way from Chef Bas to guide Wouter, to crewman AJ and so on. The crew added so much to the overall experience and always with humour, local knowledge and great attention to detail. The daily rides were a feature that we looked forward to each morning and the scenery was wonderful each day. And to top it all off, the weather for the most part cooperated for the whole trip. I can't recommend the barge, the crew and the trip highly enough and as a group, we are already talking about our next barge/bike tour

Lee N.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Feniks Burgundy - Paris to Auxerre
France

The Tripsite folks were always right there for me whenever I asked a question. Our guide, Albert, was a tremendous guide and was always there to help with any language barrier. I have certainly recommended Tripsite to others that I have been telling about my trip and they can't believe that I got such a great value for the money I spent. Thank you All!

Alex B.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Mainz to Metz
Germany, France

Amazing scenery, fantastic hosts, first class accommodations - a winner all around! Highly recommended, and would take another trip on the Merlijn in a heartbeat.

Diane H.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Breisgau & Alsace Wine Road
France, Germany

It was a fantastic way to experience several new cultures, communities and cities all while loving the interactive journey! We loved the challenge of finding our way and the delightful anticipation of our next destination and accommodation - which always truly splendid! Without speaking the language, ( German or French ) we met several wonderful nature loving and kind ppl who helped us when we seemed to veer off the route. We always got to the next destination and spent time exploring area and local cuisine. The best part of my experience was the sense of overwhelming ahh and appreciation I experienced when I had my 'around the corner 'experiences' - meaning that I suddenly came upon a fantastic site that I did not anticipate in magnitude or beauty and there I was, right there with it! Beautiful.
Thank you sincerely for the amazing trip! We loved every moment and strongly recommended to to all the soul inspired adventurers out there!! Xo

Jenny S.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Merlijn Mainz to Metz
Germany, France

Highlights: Our daily biking trips, having a varied ride each day with different kms, visits and scenery, plus even a hike to a castle as well. My only suggestion is to keep this spontaneity as each day is an adventure with the known luxury of the barge awaiting us at the end of each ride.

Gina F.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Merlijn Mainz to Metz
Germany, France

Most Memorable Part? That is so hard to answer because there were so many of them. I do plan to enter your contest very soon. As for tips or suggestions for others...By all means considered a Tripsite bike trip for your next vacation. It has so much to offer. And don't let your fear of being able to complete the daily bike rides stop you. We had in our group of 21: an 80-year-old, a person with a "boot" on his foot due to an injury, a person with a sore back, and several people who don't bike regularly. All of them were able to not only complete our daily rides, they did so with no struggles and enjoyed themselves. E-bikes can be used by those who have trouble with longer or more challenging rides. There is something about riding in a group that bonds cyclists together. You go slow enough to have conversations and see all the details you could miss when going by bus or car, yet fast enough to cover miles of interesting terrain.

Paul R.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Merlijn Mainz to Metz
Germany, France

Most memorable part: Discovering new and very interesting places with good friends.

Charles O.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Merlijn Mainz to Metz
Germany, France

Traveling on the Merlijn is always a delight. The accommodation are great and the food was delicious. Our trip along the Mosell was utterly charming. This was my third sailing with Jantien and Henck and I hope it wasn't my last.

Noel J.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Merlijn Mainz to Metz
Germany, France

Memorable and very satisfying tour. The Merlijn and her crew were wonderful, friendly, and efficient, even while operating one member short (due to illness). The route along the Rhein and Moselle Rivers was beautiful, historic, and made for great cycling. The extras offered by the tour, wine tasting trip, winery tour, Roman mosaic and others, were highlights, and the food on board was great. I'll be back.

Diane C.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

Wide range of scenery and experiences especially going on the barge through the tunnel and excellent guiding by Fred.

Michael & Cynthia K.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Zwaantje Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

The overall experience of the barge & bike tour through wonderful countryside, villages & towns was excellent. The barge skipper/owner & staff were very good & most pleasant. The meals were of a high standard & variable throughout the two weeks.
The bikes were also very good. I had ordered an electric bike with our booking but the order did not go through. However, the ordinary hybrid bike provided did the job so I happily stayed with that.
We were also to have a double bunk, but that request did not get through either, but that was OK.

Barry B.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Zwaantje Champagne Tour
France

Crew, guide, staff were attentive, cordial and helpful. Barge was clean and comfortable. Bike routes were very scenic and interesting. Mary Ann, our guide was very knowledgeable, and simply terrific. Will we go again?....absolutely yes.

Deborah F.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Lakes of the French Alps
Switzerland, France

Aside from the amazing scenery my most memorable experience was the night we stayed in a 12th century farmhouse that had been painstakingly restored to a grand chateaux complete with gardens and guest house.

Catherine (Carrie)
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Around Paris
France

My mom and I booked the trip from June 3- 10, 2017 from Moret-sur-Loing to Compiegne. What a fantastic holiday!! The biking was incredible and the bikes were in excellent shape - very easy to ride. Wieger was an excellent guide both on and off the bikes. We experienced France from a totally different perspective - biking in the forests, into Fontainebleau and having a picnic in the garden; stopping along the Seine for coffee at a small cafe; biking into Paris to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. Every night Wieger would give us a small tour of the town we were moored in. The meals that Thea made each day were 5* - excellent!! The Clair de Lune was a lovely place to call our home each night and our captain Marco was very accommodating and friendly. We highly recommend this trip - what a fantastic experience!!!

Karry & Brent M.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Bordeaux Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine
France

Besides the beautiful scenery, the staff on the boat were so friendly and helpful. They worked as a team, and the relationship with the guests was wonderful. We made many new friends, and had such a good time. Leaving, we had tears in our eyes. We loved the wineries and tasting many new wines. Although we understand the purpose of corkage fees, we thought they were too high, as we came back with one or two new ones every day! Loved the trip!

Vivian C.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Bordeaux Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine
France

The routing in Bordeaux was great. Amazing scenery, passing through little towns and managing our way through a city or two made for an amazing adventure. One day I had a big problem with my bike and with a phone call I had a young man show up and fix it. He was my hero.

Lori C.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Bordeaux Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine
France

Loved the beauty of the rolling hills, vineyards and chateaus. Due to the hills, I would rate 2 of the days more moderate to difficult, leaning more to moderate. The maps and booklets are hard to follow, definitely have 1 person in your group get the GPS, it should be mandatory with all the turns. There is only a deposit required.
The staff were attentive, hard working and fun! The food was exceptional. We highly recommend this tour!

Liz G.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Famous Villages of Provence
France

Accommodations faultless. Bike company efficient and I loved my bike. Maps very inadequate, we should not have been on "on ramps" to or navigating 4 lane highways, check out the maps through Cavaillon for example. More moderate than recreational cycling especially the hills. Great on an E bike if you had one. Scenery exquisite. Weather too! Thank you to Mary for organizing or extra nights in Avignon, another great hotel.

Harvey A.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Famous Villages of Provence
France

"easy to moderate" was at the outset incorrect, it was "moderate to difficult" when one considers the length and incline of the hills. Also, our group of twelve experienced 3 flat tires, the first time in many years of biking in Europe, and each was on an e-bike. The hotels, on the other hand were exquisite!

Martha Y.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Zwaantje Champagne Tour
France

The most memorable part of the trip was the scenery and atmosphere.

Madeline N.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Fleur Bruges to Paris
Belgium, France

Two items that were not as expected.
The literature states two guides but there was only one guide. This means there could only be one guided ride per day. So provide two guides or change the description of the trip to say only one guided ride per day.
Our pre-trip information provided a location for the where the barge would be moored in Paris. We selected a hotel near this location and planned activities based on this location. The boat did not dock at this location. We were not told that the location was changing. The boat docked. We didn't know where we were at and our guide also didn't know where we were at. Guide was very good. This was an issue with the boat captain.

Michael F.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Zwaantje Champagne Tour
France

The Captain and crew were just wonderful. While the sights were certainly great, like cheese making, Champagne tasting, visitng the ruins and the WWII cemeteries it was the warm welcome from the Captain and crew that really made this trip. There was nothing they wouldn't do for us including getting fresh baguettes every day, finding out our personal preferences for drinks after a long day in the saddle, and in general giving 110% to keep everyone happy. I strongly recommend the Captain and crew of the Zwaantje! I also must mention a big thank you to Carla and her crew at Tripsite for their assistance in getting us additional e-bikes. Without the e-bikes some of us just wouldn't have made the hills, with them we enjoyed every minute. Thank you!

Gail F.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Soleo Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
France

Ah...The trip was memorable for so many reasons, the people, the sites. Bikes were amazing to ride. Loved the infinity gears. We loved the Soleo, however it sunk due to some submerged metal. The staff did their level best to help the passengers continue vacation, get to their embassy to get new passports, medications, and put us up in hotels. The Estello was brought up to continue our trip. There were some circulation/moisture issues on the Estello so we didn't enjoy that boat as much. One suggestion would be to do a short first day clinic to ensure riders understand basic group riding etiquette. Rounding the city round about would have been better/safer had we all gathered and taken the lane to go as a group rather than single file around in such an extended line. Then resume to single file along country/city roads. The sites were amazing but there were some areas that must have required more city riding. Loved the Carmarge horses, fields of poppies, flamingos, roman stadium and Read More

Michele D.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Famous Villages of Provence
France

The most memorable part was beautiful scenery, especially the magical villages we rode through in Provence.

Nancy P.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Bordeaux Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine
France

We had a very enjoyable trip with beautiful scenery, good rides and pretty good weather most of the time. The Route maps and detailed instructions could be improved upon. There were several mistakes on which way to turn as well as confusing instructions. Luckily, we had GPS with us to help out in various situations.
The food was very tasty, esp. the dinners. Great young chef.
One thing which bothered us was that we were told not to bring any wine aboard the boat - we were to only purchase wine that was available on the boat via the token machine. Odd, since we were traveling and bicycling in Bordeaux WINE country, visiting chateaus daily!! We think that there should be another arrangement in that area. It's apparently a financial situation although it was explained that they didn't want wine spills in the cabin. A damage deposit could be arranged if that's really the issue.
Otherwise, the staff, bikes and experience was great. This was our 3rd Bike/Barge trip with TripSite. Gladly recommend it often to others. We especially enjoyed St. Emilion (tour of monolithic church was amazing!) and riding to/from Blaye and touring the Citadel.