France Tour Reviews — 691 to 720 of 943

Most Memorable Part: The knowledge of our guide, Wouter, and the beautiful vineyards along the river. I loved how we were riding on a flat, easy and beautiful path, but could see and appreciate the steep mountain vineyards! This is our third Tripsite adventure and we have enjoyed each one. In fact, as we were driving home from the airport my husband was booking our next trip - Northern Holland!

We really enjoyed the bike rides in the country side, and visiting the wineries, especially the day Viktor took us to Clos de Bigos. Staff on the boat was great. Boat is older and can get very damp in the lower cabins. The cabin did have air conditioning which is very nice. The areas we visited were beautiful, and we were surprised at how beautiful Bordeaux is.

Most Memorable Part: Cycling itself throughout southern France

Amazing scenery - good guide, manageable route, fantastic food. Only thing that could have been improved was wifi on the boat. If more than two or three people were using it, it was impossible to connect and always very slow.

We really enjoyed our trip. It was nice to have our own group on the boat. Everyone had a great time, the crew was great, the food was awesome and you can't beat the places we visited. Thank you for a great trip!

The routes of this trip were fantastic, even though the Lavender was not in bloom the fragrances hung in the air as we rode by the harvested fields. We rode to some of France's National Monuments which was special in of itself. I thought the routes and itineraries were great. I always looked forward to what they had planned for us next. Our guide and all the staff on the barge were all wonderful and so happy to share this journey with us! The food was excellent - who knew there would be such fine dining on the barge! This is an adventure not to be missed!

We were on a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest last year, and we noticed that the rivers we were on had beautiful paved and much-used bike trails, often on both banks. Then our friends from Chicago, a couple our age, learned about a barge biking trip in Europe and went on it last fall. They invited us to join them this year on a similar trip on the Moselle River, from Metz, France to Cochem, Germany. Here's the concept: at Metz, we arrived at the Iris, a small ship fitted out for 24 passengers and five crewmembers. Besides the passenger cabins, the ship had a dining room, a lounge, and an outside deck- not all the other things you associate with a cruise ship. Each day at around nine or 10 o'clock in the morning, we would get off the ship with bikes provided by the outfitter, and bicycle about 30 miles along the bike path on the river. We were led each day by Wouter, our guide, who was a history major as well as a very competent tour guide. He and the other four members of the crew were all Dutch, as was the registry of the ship.
When registering for the trip, we included our physical measurements so that the bikes were almost perfectly fitted to us when we arrived. I was pleased that my bike was large enough for me because I am tall. Dianne had reserved an e-bike since she hadn't had a lot of experience in doing long road rides over multiple days, and because she had just had knee replacement surgery at the end of January. Five of the 24 people in our group used e-bikes, and they were all very happy with their performance. The bike does between 20 and 60% of the work (three levels—20, 40 and 60%) and you do the rest. It's not like a moped-- you still must pedal. It also has a readout that gives your speed, distance, and battery power.

The bikes we used didn't employed derailleurs but instead had gears inside the rear hub that worked very smoothly with the two lever system on the handlebar. Most of the bikes were Gudereit hybrids, a German brand. All the bikes had front and rear lights, which turned on automatically, and were powered by a generator device inside the front hub that involved rotating magnets, so there was no friction. I was impressed with the smoothness and comfort of the bike I was given. The outfitters provided the bike, a pannier, and a helmet for each cyclist. Helmet use was not required but highly recommended.

The nice thing about the bike paths along the Moselle River is that they were quite level, with only occasional small climbs when we needed to go up a ramp to cross a lock and dam for a bridge, and once when we made a little more of a climb to get up onto one of the tiered roadways in the vineyards. The Moselle Valley is wine country, and there were vineyards every day in every direction. Every morning we made a coffee break in a small town, and later we stopped again for the lunch we had packed that morning before leaving the ship. Each day, we’d see the Iris passing us on the river on its way to that day’s destination city, with Jacques, the captain, waving from the pilot house. On two of the days, we could opt to stay on the ship longer and join the other bicyclists enroute, or leave the ride early and “sag” on the ship. Guests also had the option to just stay on the ship all day and not bicycle if felt they needed a day off. But most biked the entire way.  SHOW MORE 

The guide was attentive to each rider and knowledgeable about the towns and history.

Amazing tour...Loved every minute of it! The staff was awesome. The bikes were great! The hotels were all very clean, with friendly staff and great breakfast. The route was beautiful. The towns were fairy tale dreamy. Did we get lost more than once? Yes of course we did, it's a given and expected when you're not familiar with the rout and towns, no matter how good the map and directions are. Having said that, getting lost was part of the charm of the trip, we got to explore more areas/places. Most trails and routs are very well marked and if you follow the "Bike Route" marks you will not get lost too much, maybe a turn here or there. We used Google map along with the paper map/directions provided. In some areas Google conflicted with the provided directions and that's how we got lost ... but it was fun exploring. If you're the daring type who considers every turn a new adventure you will have a blast. But if you're the type that everything has to be precise then you might get frustrated.

Bordeaux the best city on trip for us. Trip is not easy because of traffic and hills---scary!!!

Gourmet dining aboard the Clair de Lune was five star fabulous! The tour guide, Henry, was extremely knowledgeable about the area, and inspired the highest level of confidence in his ability to handle any situation. The Clair de Lune was very clean and in excellent condition. All the staff were wonderfully friendly, helpful and welcoming.

We were on the 9-16 Sep sailing on the Bordeaux from Castets-en-Dorthe to Libourne. The provided daily road maps were difficult to follow and easily confusing; most folks saved the $200 euro apiece, and did the self-guided rides -- and folks were going off trail everywhere. Luckily, I had downloaded Ulmon maps, so I could always find my way back to the trail. They did offer 3 bike computers with pre-loaded maps which were very helpful. You state they can be rented for $15 euro, actually, they are available for free, with a $100 euro refundable deposit, unless it is lost or stolen.
Otherwise, the trip was a delight, and great kudos to the bike guide Victor, the ship's owner Pascale, and her fine crew.

Most Memorable part: Going through the locks on the barge in Paris. The kindness of our fellow bikers and staff.

I just got back from the trip and had a wonderful time! The Boat, Bikes, and Food where the best that could be provided and the scenery was amazing! I found the description to be exactly as the trip experience. I felt like I was fully prepared for everything and cannot wait to do it again next year.

We truly enjoyed this trip, with beautiful flowers in every town and swans everywhere. One night, we had a bevy of swans peaking in at us as we ate dinner!. The bikes are great, with comfortable seats and smooth gearing. The dinners were always a delicious surprise. Sanders and Els were wonderful hosts, and our guide, Seitze, was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Mosel area, including Roman aqueducts, medieval castles, World War II sites, and, of course, the history of the EU. Nancy was my favorite big city but we also had a night time walking tour of a little town overlooking the Mosel, called Liverdun...where delicious Madelines come from! Very cute town. We went in early September and the cabins were a bit warm even at night. You can open windows, but it could be uncomfortable in the summer. Biking was mostly flat so not difficult but I definitely got some exercise. Another favorite: stopping for coffee and pastry each morning!

Most memorable part: The incredible scenery and the knowledge of our guide.

The Zwaantje and crew are top notch, and present a great value. Some of the routes in northern France had a little too much traffic. Riding in Belgium and Netherlands seems nicer. Once is enough for this tour.

The most memorable parts was the Saar River part of the ride, biking above the River with our guide and riding thru the vineyards. The little towns and the Roman History. Had no idea about the Roman history in this region before this trip. The Levees on the river. Just the general beauty of the area. The grapes growing on the sides of the mountains. Both our barge crew and all the people on the trip. FUN! FUN! FUN!

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.

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

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.

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.

So many memorable parts it's hard to pick just one. On this trip, I'll say the warmth of the chef and captain, the meals were outstanding, and I loved meeting and cycling with people from all over!

We thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip but the weather was a bit average - no rain but lots of cloud and a bit cool.
The food was great as were the crew, the bikes, the other passengers and the boat. We thought Wouter (the guide) needs to "loosen up" a bit and learn more of the history etc. of the region. We also found the first couple of days on the bikes a bit boring, too much forest and not enough villages etc.
All in all very good!!

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

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

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!

Our bike guide was terrible. He was lost several times each day and didn't the happenings of each town so we all missed the running of the bulls and he shouted & criticized all riders.

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

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