5 Star France Tour Reviews — 391 to 420 of 596

As a group of four mature adults, we completed the Canal du Midi bike ride. It was great even with some windy and wet days. The scenery is fantastic and any little glitch was quickly forgotten when you looked out upon your surrounds. The Tripsite team were very helpful and our gear was always at the next destination by the time we got there. I had an e-bike where as the others had standard bikes. I thoroughly recommend the pedal assist e-bike as it really took the stress off when in slightly difficult terrain. Great for doing the hills in traffic as all you have to do is sit and watch the cars rather than standing up in the pedals. Definitely my kind of bike and my kind of trip. Loved the open space and rolling countryside.

Having never done a “biking” vacation before, this was our first experience and I will say that we both felt that this would be something that we would definitely want to do again.
The equipment was in great condition and was properly geared for the terrain that we encountered. The guide on our tour was part historian, part musician, part artist and part entertainer. He made our trip come alive with insightful facts and was always encouraging with all of the clients on the tour. We constantly felt special in the opportunities we had to gain access to sites that we toured.
The crew on the boat was exceptional as well. We were always made to feel at home and quickly realized how much effort they all placed on us enjoying ourselves.
The meals served on board were exceptional as well. Our chef Sara, provided seasonal, and local dishes that enhanced our journey through Provence.
Lastly, we would have to say that biking through Provence was by far, the best was to tour Provence. We often felt more like citizens of the country than tourists. We will never forget the wonderful times we had, especially with the Dropbox videos and photos that our tour guide send us upon our return home.
This was undoubtedly one of the best vacation experiences that we have ever had.

Very enjoyable trip! Great accommodation, great cycling and great crew & guides.

First time I've had an art historian/architecture teacher as a tour guide. Geert was wonderful and enriched every stop.

The scenery and staff on board were the most memorable parts of the trip. Although the tour says easy to moderate, there are 2 to 3 days that there are a few steep hills. You need to be bike ready. Or as an alternative rent an E Bike. As long as you just want to enjoy the scenery, places, vineyards, and not in a hurry, look at the guided portion for the extra cost. The guide we had was wonderful in explaining any questions we had. There are many things said that you would not get by self guided. If you are a wine fan and history and culture, this tour is for you. Stay in the city of Bordeaux also a couple days before or after. Very vibrant city with great restaurants and things to do in the city centre. Enjoy!

First of all we had spectacular weather on our 8 days of riding on the Alsace Wine Route, from Strasbourg to Basel in late September. +/- 30 miles a day was perfect. It allowed us to get to our destination in the early afternoon, rest up and then go and explore the villages. The scenic beauty was off the charts. It was early fall and the grapes were still on the vine with the leaves turning an autumn yellow color. That with a backdrop of the green hills set us up for some beautiful photographs. The backroads that we took were frequented by locals out for a walk and when passing by, everyone would say bonjour to each other. We loved that! We are already looking at other trips through Tripsite. Great memories.

We loved traveling through the small french villages and stopping for great places for lunch. We have so many memories but our favorite town was Sarlat. I wish we would have spent more time there. The staff at all the hotels were so nice and had a special place for us to keep our bikes. It made it so easy. We loved our trip and were a little worried about being self-guided. It worked out well and we will do it again. At the end we were not ready to say goodbye to our bikes.

Most Memorable Part? Staff on boat, people traveling and the scenery.

Everything was memorable, the other guests, crew, routes, guide, barge and food. 14 days with a break in the middle was just right for timing.

You will not really see France and Belgium unless you cycle. This way you go through villages and towns and farms, see cathedrals, castles and even the grave of Van Gogh. The routes take you on forest, bike and tow paths, roads and cobblestones. Enjoy picnic lunches in church grounds, pubs, cafes and gardens. You will enjoy evening night walks after a delicious three course meal.
If you don't think you can do it, you can!

We absolutely loved the two villages we stayed in and many we rode through along the way (our trip was shortened). The French have a way of sharing their “Joie de vivre.” We'd never been to Provence, and the olive groves and apple orchards, the adorable small towns, the food and wine, eating our picnic lunch in an ancient, empty church foyer— all made for an unforgettable adventure. My only suggestion is to make sure people know how to use the GPS if they are their own guides. It was confusing for us but we eventually figured it out. Lucky are those that can take this trip!

The Loire River Valley tour was spectacular in every way: bikes, scenery, route, trails, signage, difficulty level (which was "easy" and fit our previous experience level), the towns and accommodations.

What a great trip! The crew of the Elodie are a tight-knit team who made our tour quite exceptional. The route was spectacular, the food wonderful and the accommodation comfortable. The bikes were high quality and well suited to the varied conditions enroute. A highly recommended tour!

Most memorable part: Les Baux de Provence: location, view from hotel patio, view from restaurant, atmosphere

We were fortunate enough to have Tripsite founder, Hennie, along, who led half of our group on a terrific cycling adventure between Paris and Bruges. We made wonderful friendships and were treated royally on board the Zwaantje by the crew - and what wonderful meals!

Most Memorable Part? Cycling thru the small Villages of the Somme with good riders lead by Hennie.

The two-week trip on the Zwaantje from Paris to Bruges was awesome! The crew of the ship and the tour guide were exceptional. The food, prepared by Frank, was consistently top-notch and interestingly varied day-to-day. Our guide, Geert, provided us with an excellent selection of sites, of which he had encyclopedic knowledge. The captain, Martijn, was also very engaging with the guests. Daily rides were easy to occasionally moderate, providing us with a satisfying riding experience. Almost all of the riding was in open country or small, rural towns, which we loved. However, riding in and out of the larger towns, while of necessity, did present some typical urban challenges to the bicyclists. Overall this trip is highly recommended. Pierre and Laurie

We were at hotel Les Magnolias. We had a fabulous holiday, some of our prettiest riding quiet roads and well planned days. Staff were wonderful and always available. Thank you for one of our best holidays

I broke my wrist while half way through the trip. Everyone was very kind and supported me to make sure I was included in most activities.

Our group of eight greatly enjoyed our experience at Les Magnolias and especially appreciated the personalized hospitality of Claudia, supported by her always-courteous and attentive staff. We really give highest marks to the quality of the food, cleanliness of the rooms and facilities, selection of bikes and, of course, the amazing scenery and sites of interest. Thank you so much for a great week!! We will be back some day!

Bourg / Blaye was a wonderful ride with minimal traffic and enough gradient to make it interesting. The fortified town at Blaye was an interesting diversion from vineyards. In all a well organized tour with excellent staff. The bikes were a little heavy but that gave me an excuse for an extra creme brûlée!

A GREAT experience on a bike & barge trip! I LOVE Bordeaux and the bike routes were beautiful !!! absolutely amazing from the start to the end.
The staff members were superb and we had fun !!!
I highly recommend this trip !!!

Thank you for arranging our bike/barge trip on the MS Bordeaux.

We cannot tell you enough good about MS Bordeaux, the Captain and his crew. It was so enjoyable to arrive on board, unpack for eight days, and relax. On other bike rides, we unpacked every night and repacked every morning. I think another bike/barge is in order. Tim LaMonte and I are researching next year’s ride already!

The food was exceptional (except for one night when the chef was off. My red mullet was raw and not cooked. Can you spell Y-U-C-K?). Every day, we packed our lunches (except when we did our walking tour of Bordeaux with Sebastian, see below.) Desserts were yummy!

The bike rides were great and we discovered fantastic wines!

There were 84 passengers on-board. A large group was from Australia, some from Canada, Switzerland and the USA. Even though those of on the non-guided ride tour rode at different speeds, we continuously found each, and other helped each other find our way and found places of interest. The camaraderie with other riders was phenomenal.

I had an e-bike. Ginny had a regular bike. On the last day, she traded it in for an e-bike! She will get one for the next tour! Tim also traded his bike for an e-bike on the last day.

In the middle of the week, we could ride our bikes on a short bike path or take a walking tour of Bordeaux, or both. We decided to have a relaxing day and took the walking tour.

Sebastian, the bartender, had the day off. We asked why he did the free walking tour on his day off. His response was simple. He loved to tell people about his country and take them on tour of his hometown, Bordeaux.

A total delight was our interaction with 19-year old Dorrian (sp?). He was the highlight of the trip. He gave the welcome briefing, the evening briefings on what to expect the next day, and was always available.

1. Dee LaMonte had a flat tire. We called Dorrian and he was there within 15 minutes

2. Dorrian was on different roads where the non-guided riders were, and always got us on the right track.

3. Every time we were not sure of where we should be, Dorrian showed up like magic!

4. Another flat tire, a telephone call, and Dorrian found us again. He took Dee LaMonte and her bike in a van to MS Bordeaux. Dorrian also offered a ride to the rest of us, however, we declined and rode the rest of the way back.

The final night on board, was the Captains Dinner, a party and lots wine flowing and lot of dancing! A perfect way to celebrate the end of our adventure!

Most Memorable? For me the day we cycled through the city of Paris. We got to experience a very authentic side of Parisian life, zooming along the myriad of bike paths with the locals, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells and knowing we were in the capable hands of our guide. Having a guide removes all of the navigational stress and allows for the freedom to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Great trip, great barge, well organized, a list of fellow passengers for each cabin would have been helpful from the start
Keep in mind the MPS Zwaantje does provide hairdryers for each cabin, provides WiFi- a truly upscale barge.

The crew of the Feniks, provided the most amazing experience. The food simple satisfying and enjoyable. Food fresh, tasty, and cooked well by the Nelje. Marius and Reinhold, provided amazing care of all our needs The accommodation small, efficient and clean. You always slept well. The guide Nina with her amazing knowledge showed us her secret places, backroads, canal paths, and bike paths. She encouraged all riders while challenging us beyond what we thought we could do. As a experience it exceeded my expectations. Looking for a different French/Belgium experience do this trip you never forget it. Will do another trip this way, and if possible on the Feniks...

This is a fantastic tour in a very beautiful part of rural France. The hotel is very comfortable, consisting of a series of very old but beautifully restored buildings together with some sympathetically designed modern extensions. These include a covered pool and a large paved outdoor area shaded by the huge magnolias that give the hotel its name. The hotel has its own restaurant offering excellent food at very reasonable prices. The special dinner offered on Saturdays features regional produce and is worth far more than its E29 price tag.
There are a dozen or more excellent day rides that can be made using the hotel as a base. Your host Claudia will suggest rides to suit your interests and riding capabilities and will provide very clear maps and directions. However - be warned - the surrounding countryside is stunningly beautiful but there are hills! Unless you are a strong rider you may wish to consider the electric bike option that is available.
This is probably the best of the half dozen or so bike tours we have done in France and Italy. We will be back!

Roman, Matilde and guide Ari, couldn't do enough to make welcome and please our entire group, especially during some minor technical difficulties that were not of their making. The quality of the bikes, whether due to model, age or degree of maintenance is something that our entire group of eighteen agreed is an area that could be looked at HAT tours; a lot of pressure fell upon the Anna Maria crew (especially Ari) to rectify faults not of their making. A less flexible and tolerant group of paying passengers might have made for an uncomfortable trip.

Most Memorable Part: The accommodations, the staff and of course cycling through all the beautiful country side.

Thoroughly enjoyed! Hotel staff were a wealth of knowledge and so friendly!