France Tour Reviews — 511 to 540 of 981

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.

The whole experience was just tremendous. Cruising on the Feniks, peddling through the countryside of Belgium and France, stopping at cafes and chateaus. The sail into Paris was unforgettable. We thoroughly enjoyed our fellow cyclists, our guides, and our on board chef Nelleke was a great cook and a valuable resource.

The beautiful landscape in the Loire Valley and the picturesque towns of Chinon and Azay le Rideau made this trip a wonderful experience that I would warmly recommend everyone! The bikes had high quality and the hotels were all great.Everything went smoothly and everyone was very helpful. I will definitely come back some day.

My friends and I had a wonderful time on the Bordeaux Bike and Boat Tour! The bike rides were like riding in a postcard! The boat was very comfortable. The meals were delicious and based on the region! There was a wide variety of wine available at a very reasonable price! The crew were all extremely polite, pleasant, and helpful! I would highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to do a boat and bike tour!

Everything was perfect - the biking, the people, the food and the sites.

I took the Bordeaux bike and barge trip the first week of September 2019. I am comparing it to the Danube bike & barge trip I took in October 2017 via Tripsite. The Danube trip was great all the way around, good food, nice dining service, white linen, well cooked and good variety of food. Excellent value for the money. The itinerary, guides, and crew service were great. The Bordeaux trip on MS Bordeaux held great expectations. The itinerary and scenery were fantastic. The quality and variety of food needed a lot of work. The morning coffee was dreadful each day, and there were no proper coffee mugs, teacups or teapots. Paper placemats did not add to the breakfast atmosphere. We were offered the same overcooked eggs each morning. One morning garlic carrots were on offer. Our make yourself lunches were exactly the same ingredients each day. The dinners were often overcooked with a complete lack of fresh greens or fresh market cheeses. In fact, the cheeses on offer each morning were pre-sliced cheese. This is not what one expects in France.
So the food was very disappointing for the price we paid for this trip. The food servers were very friendly and worked hard to please. The bike mechanic was great and solved any issues we had with the bikes. The captain of MS Bordeaux was always impatient and gruff with passengers as we disembarked each day. On the Danube trip, the staff ensured the bikes were on land for us each day. The GPS's in Bordeaux did not work most of the time and the maps in the books need updating - this is a comment that has been in the Bordeaux reviews for several years now. A team discussion and group effort allowed us to find our way.
The most disappointing aspect of the trip is that my concerns were expressed to Tripsite and left unanswered for over a month until I called Tripsite back, and nothing was resolved for me. Just be sure to evaluate if the quality of food and customer service are an important part of your trip - otherwise, enjoy the great rides!

This was our second experience with Tripsite. Our first was in the Netherlands and the second in France. Everything has been positive from the time of booking to the end of the trip. Great food, great cycling, comfortable ship, scenery and most importantly, the other guests on the trip. We have already booked our third trip for May of 2020!

Each day was a new adventure. We saw some great scenery, visited some beautiful towns and cities, learned much about the history of WW1 and enjoyed the company of friends aboard the Zwaantje. It was nice not having to decide which meal to order every day. Frank, our chef, did an excellent job of choosing for us and prepared superb dinners. Two views were particularly memorable: "The approach to Chantilly Castle" and "The view of Paris from St. Germain en Laye". The cruise into Paris on the final day was the icing on the cake. What a great way to see the north of France. Oh wait, Belgium was great too. I think Bruges is now one of my favourite Cities.

Most Memorable Part: Riding through the countryside and small villages, visiting Arles and Les Beaux.

It is impossible to single out a single most memorable time. The food was delicious, the tour guide wonderful, the cycling routes took us to a variety of historical, cultural, and geographical places. We saw castles, an abbey, art, old villages, wildlife, walled cities, mountain top views, and took several short cruises on the river, The days were full, we had downtime when needed but were always kept busy if desired.

The bikes supplied were fantastic. The maps and directions were easy to follow, and the route was spectacular. We were very happy with all of the hotels chosen by Tripsite. All in all, we had an extremely enjoyable 5 days, and we will be definitely doing another bike trip with Tripsite the next time we visit Europe.

Make sure you bring layers in case of rain

I took this trip on Oct 6, 2019. It was my 6th trip with Tripsite. the ship was the Zwaan. The landscape is stunning. The staff was super friendly without beig intrusibe. The distances are doable. The ship is excellent and the programmed group size is great, only 12 to 14 people. I have recommended these tours to dozens of people. And they continue to be one of the most fun things I have done in my life. Go!

It was all beautiful, but Pérouges was a real highlight. A well preserved medieval town, the accommodations and spectacular food reflected the history of this special place.

The adventure of biking through beautiful Luxembourg, Germany, and France. One can view scenry in a different manner compared to driving a car or viewing as a passenger. Biked thru small villages, metro cities, and rural countries.

The delicious gourmet dinners at the end of each trip will always be treasured.

The route instructions need a lot of improvement. It should not take 6 hours to bike 22 miles!

The castle tours were amazing. Sophie (coordinator on the Anna Marie IV) was adorable. Really enjoyed her and her nightly meals. The trip was not the Loire, because of water levels and sorry to say that it was just OK, but not much more. The main thing missing that I had expected was a trip to a vineyard. That would have made a big difference.

This trip was fabulous, very scenic and the ebikes were perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip although we went at a time when the vineyards were mainly closed for harvest. We made our own picnic lunches along the way or stopped at local pubs and restaurants for lunch and wine. The written directional instructions were very helpful, as were the gps tracks. Julian, our local coordinator was very helpful in resolving a small glitch with our first hotel. All the hotels were great, and the restaurants and food were generally quite good, even though our dinner selections were limited to a few choices. Of the towns we stayed in, Colmar and Kayersburg were the best! The dessert in the Colmar Grand Hotel Bristol was memorably fantastic. The restaurant we were sent to in Basel was rather mediocre and disappointing given what we had pre-paid, especially the horrible cup of fruit cocktail we were given for dessert ( not even on the menu!) The vineyards ended before Mulhouse, which seemed like a very industrial city. And although the scenery into Basel was lovely with rolling hills (ebikes saved the day!) Basel itself was just okay. We would probably skip the Mulhouse-Basel part of the trip if we were to do it again. We would prefer in future to spend more time in Colmar and smaller villages like Kayersburg.

This was a truly outstanding tour. Excellent routes found for cycling and gave the chance to see the beaches and really understand the way the Normandy Invasion unfolded and how big the area involved in this incredible event in history was.

A seemless trip where our biggest concern was where to get our next cup of coffee as we meandered across the countryside.

The best memory of the trip was a spectacular meal at Auberge de la labourer in Chenonceaux. They were fully booked but set up a table in the bar and gave us the full restaurant menu. It’s a great restaurant and the extra work the staff put in added to the experience.

We had two complaints. First, neither of our odometers worked so we had no way of measuring distance. This meant constantly stopping and checking to make sure we were on the right way.

Second, the directions to get to Cour Chevigny had one massive error. When we came off the trail and onto Route 52 the directions said to turn right, go to the roundabout, and follow the sign to Route D102. There is no such sign. The only sign to Cour Chevigny is for Route 52, the road we were already on. So, thanks to some help, we turned around, followed route 52 for five kilometres and came right to our hotel. THIS SHOULD BE FIXED.

Cycling through historic monuments and the Camargue wilderness was magnificent!

The scenery, the fellow riders the entire experience was so rewarding.
The boat however left a lot to be desired. The dining room windows were small and you felt confined. The food was below what i’ve experienced on my 6 other tripsite bike/barge tours.

What a fabulous way to see Provence. The route selected took us through many memorable villages. Provence Bike did a great job with high quality bikes, good maps and well set up GPS systems. We particularly enjoyed seeing Roussilon; Gordes; Baix Aux Provence as well as the source of River Sourge. Our group of 4 decided on e-bikes which we did not regret because of the steep hills getting in and out of the villages. We particularly liked the idea of staying multiple nights in one location. A great trip!! A suggestion -- include a list of things "not to miss" that are less than a kilometer from the route or, in the villages we are going through. It is convenient to have a guide book but a few notes would be really helpful.

Where to start? What an amazing adventure! Wendy at Tripsite was so gracious and easy to work with. We reserved the entire boat and she was always so responsive to our questions and needs. Pascal and her staff on the Bordeaux were first rate. Within one day, most of her staff knew everyone's first name! This was our second Tripsite bike and boat trip (Danube). The food was excellent, the bikes were newer (loved the e-bikes) and the Bordeaux region was gorgeous. We loved packing a lunch and sharing a bottle of wine in a park or overlooking a vineyard. There are some hills, so be prepared if you don't have an e-bike. GPS was also very helpful. We were never lost, but sometimes "temporarily misplaced"...but that is part of the fun of a cycling trip. Highly recommend this trip.

The scenery was beautiful with the steep vineyards on either side of the Moselle River. We loved the Quo Vadis boat and the staff were all so professional, yet friendly and fun. Cabins were nicely appointed and the food was delicious. It was also great to have the option to try out an e-bike for the day, even if you hadn't reserved one for the week. A memorable day was finishing off the cycle part to attend a wine tasting night at Leo Schwab's winery...very entertaining. I feel totally comfortable recommending this particular cycle trip to anyone who is interested. Thanks so much for this wonderful experience.

The scenery was perhaps the star of this trip with gorgeous views of vineyards and quaint villages all along the Mosel River. But also we had a wonderful group of staff on the Quo Vadis who were lots of fun and thought of every detail. Meals were amazing. This made this trip probably our favourite trip ever. We travel with a group of friends and have done several other barge and bike trips.
The daily biking was longer than some other trips but most enjoyable with stops for points of history or picnics, coffee etc.
It will be hard to improve on our Metz to Cochem experience.

The whole trip was really wonderful. Being from North America, we don't have paved bicycle paths on both sides of our rivers, especially out in the coutnry side. As a result, I was just amazed at the fact of being able to ride beside the Mosel River through the vineyards and be able to soak in the atmosphere without having to worry about traffic or rough roads. The Quo Vadis was a treat. The cabins were a decent size, the crew was friendly, knowledgeable and lots of fun and the food, prepared in the relatively small galley, was fabulous. All that were highlights for me.

Most Memorable Part: The bikes were top quality, delivered and picked up from hotel on time. Great itineraries- we highly recommend Tripsite!

Amazing! We've done many organized and self supported tours, but this one by far is our favorite. We combined two 4-day (of riding) tours into one, the Orleans to Tours and Tours to Angers tours, for eight days of riding and a day on each end for coming and going. We chose the lowest level of hotels and all were fine. We don't spend much time in the room anyway, we just need a comfortable bed. The itinerary was perfect, average of 50km a day and usually one chateau visit along the way so at an easy pace we had plenty of time for a morning coffee stop, a few hours at the chateau du jour and lunch, and arrived at the hotel in time to do laundry and head to dinner. The overnight stops were a good mix of big cities (Orleans, Tours) and quaint towns. We didn't take a rest day, but if you're considering it, think about Amboise, a quaint town, rather than the midpoint Tours. Amboise was our favorite town-a good selection of restaurants, a beautiful chateau reflecting on the rivers, and if you're there on a Sunday, don't miss the local market, "the best in France" according to the guy at our hotel. The route was well marked, the maps they gave us were excellent, and if you have the GPS capability, definitely ask for the GPX tracks because those came in handy more than a few times. My wife upgraded to an e-bike which was absolutely worth it. Although it's mostly a flat course, it made it much more enjoyable for her. And we bought the chateau package which was worth it. It includes the best chateaux to visit, and although it doesn't save you much money, it saves you a lot of time waiting in line to buy a ticket which at some chateaux could be lengthy.

The barge itself, the chef and the captain were great. Unfortunately, the most memorable take away from this trip was the cycling itself. This was a guided tour and our guide was only familiar with the city of Paris. We were to follow the Oise and Seine rivers and seldon rode along the river paths. The first two days were the worst involving a lot of backtracking and nearly impassable trails that seriously impacted the mileage and time in the saddle. One day we arrived at the boat an hour after the scheduled dinner time. Our ride through the city of Paris was traumatizing because of the heavy traffic and crowded bike lanes. Why were we not riding along the Seine??? Perhaps the guide was not totally to blame. Hat tours could have provided him with better maps and information. Whatever the reason, the ten riders paid the price. This was not the tour we signed up for.

What an adventure.. I loved it. My first bike/ boat tour and I was not disappointed.
Everything was top rate Martayn and Marjorie were excellent hosts and nothing was a bother. Marcel was a very knowledgeable guide and went that little extra to ensure we missed nothing. Frank cooked up a storm every day
The group blended well and I was sorry the trip had to end. Im already researching my next adventure.
The Zwaantje was great and I slept soundly every night.