5 Star France Tour Reviews — 421 to 450 of 583

Most Memorable Part: The scenery, the people, the food, and the cycling.

The staff members were superb!!!
Another great experience on a bike & barge trip!
Some suggestions:
We should have known in advance, that appointments were necessary to visit a winery. A daily visit to a winery would have been nice, where the staff of the boat could have made the appointments.
In the write up for this particular bike & barge (Bordeaux), it would have been nice for the write up to let people know, that there are a few hills (12-15%) to ride up daily.
Even bicyclist in decent shape had a tough time riding up these 12-15% grades, due to the heavy bicycles. Maybe, letting people know, that it’s advisable to get an ebike, can resolve the uphill climbs issue.
Also, for not getting lost on the daily bike routes; The availability of the gps was a big plus and a necessary piece of equipment, for a successful & pleasant daily bike trip.
Overall, the staff & owner of the barge were very helpful & were there for you, when you were in need of something!

The whole trip was great. Other passengers on the barge were great, weather was good, one couldn't ask for anything better. The Tripsite staff were extremely helpful and I have always found them to be most professional.

Visiting Arles was particularly memorable, but we very much enjoyed the trip itinerary.

Loved the "flag" system. Excellent guide (Antonella) that made it possible to stop and discover the sites. Adored stopping in bistros and similar. Great suppers.
I would recommend splitting a group of 21 in two or even three smaller parts when on public roads; the flag system assures you that you will not get lost from your group.
OK, when do we leave?
Gilles XX

Jantien and Henk, our hosts on the Merlijn, were the daily highlight. Amazingly gracious, spirited, knowledgeable people.

Most Memorable Part? How beautiful the country looked. Our first time to Europe. France made a big impression and hope to return. Merci beaucoup

Tips: Pack light. Bring layers of clothing. People great. Barge crew and bike guide wonderful!!

The trip was amazing!! It was exactly as described. There were no surprises. The bikes were very comfortable and perfect for the trip we were on. The boat and the sights were amazing. I loved the staff, the food, and the guide. If you are new to biking, I highly recommend spending some time on a bike before you go just to get used to handling it in both traffic and on dirt trails in the forest. Enjoy!

Most Memorable Part? The scenery & the crew from the Feniks.

Most Memorable Part: The friendly relaxed and welcoming atmosphere of the barge and staff.

Most Memorable Part: Scenery along the route and the knowledge and experience of our guide.

Most Memorable Part? Excellent group that interacted very well from the onset.

Most Memorable Part: Biking into Paris with a very experienced and supportive guide.

I have enjoyed the Castles of the Loire bike trip in France very much. This was my first organized bike trip. The scenery was beautiful, and the architecture was stunning. The meals were delicious. I have recommended this trip to my friends. I am looking forward to my next bike trip in France.

When a vacation is better than your expectations, as it was, it is vundarbar.

Most Memorable Part: Getting to pilot the boat for a few minutes.

Comfortable riding each day through lovely French countryside. A map of the day’s route for personal use would be a big help. Stefan and Florence are delightful, welcoming hosts providing excellent delicious meals. Make sure to spend a day on the barge during your trip - a definite highlight.

Most Memorable Part: Riding through the small villages from Bruges to Paris. Nina was a great guide also. I really enjoyed the night walks for a better inside view of village life... the Van Gogh experience was the highlight for me.

After bicycling over 300 miles it was good to relax and see Paris from the water as we cruised to our final moorage on the Seine.

Get an ebike if you have any doubts about your ability to do the biking. I am not a biker but was able to do the hills around Bordeaux because of the ebike. Most memorable moments was just the ride through the vineyards themselves, past the chateauxs.

Most Memorable Part? Everything! The other cyclists, the barge crew, the food and of course the Champagne was all amazing!

Most Memorable Parts: Biking, local information, meals.

The trip was excellent, as attested by this being our 4th one. We will definitely be booking more. The route was good, although France lacks the same quality of bicycle paths that Belgium and The Netherlands have. There was a bit of climbing and some of the women in the group were very happy to have an electric bike option for those climbs. The barge was very clean and quite nice. The staff was excellent and really made you feel as part of the family. They went over and above for most everything. The food was very good and plentiful. The highlight of the Brugge to Paris ride would have to be Chantilly and entering Paris on the barge. The sights were incredible and seeing them from the water gave a whole different experience. The guides were great and the system of having "corners" and a "sweep" meant that no-one got lost and we could still ride at different paces. I am convinced, and I tell this all the time to anyone who listens, that these bike/barge trips are the best value for your money, period. There is no better way to see a country, than by bicycle.

Everything was great. Just did not like the room and bathroom size.

Most Memorable Part: St. Emilion and the disco party on the boat the last night

Bordeaux is an exquisite area of France. Exploring it on a bike made it that much more enjoyable. The scenery and visiting wine Chateaus that have been in business for generation was quite spectacular. The city of Bordeaux may be my favorite city of all the European cities I've visited. It's very easy to use the public transportation, there is much to see, explore and experience there. For future listings, I would rate this trip as at least moderate in cycling difficulty. There was one flat day, one day of rolling cycling, and 3 day of pretty challenging hills, especially on heavy hybrid bikes. On any future tour I will definitely consider using an ebike. Many if not all of the European women used them. I met many interesting and lovely people from other countries on this tour. It was delightful!

The food was great and loved the coffee machine. Would like dinner at 7:00 pm rather than 6:30 pm to give us more time to relax and enjoy the day. No one ever eats in France before 7:30 pm and I felt like we were being treated as young campers. The Fleur needs new towels. The existing are rough and not vey absorbent. It was a very happy and congenial crew. Bert, Petra, Ellen and Aga. Thomas was most accommodating... Bike trails were good. We had the unusual situation where the majority ie 12 out of 20 bikers were of Olympian caliper. Their preferred speed was 30 to 35 kms an hour and the rest would have liked between 15 and 20 kms. and hour. We all coped but it meant you couldn't relax and enjoy the scenery. Two guides would have been the solution as promised.

The excellent staff and guide combined with the great mix of rural and forest countryside and the history in the cities and towns along the way.
Tripsite should do a better job of editing the text on their website. There were several incorrect descriptions.

Wonderful experience