4 Star France Tour Reviews — 31 to 60 of 240

We really loved the Alsace region. The first few days we followed the Alsace Wine Route and you really do ride through the middle of vineyards. The scenery is beautiful and the villages are very picturesque. We opted to spend the day in Colmar and I was so glad we did. It was a highlight of the trip.

We found the description of the ride as Moderate to be misleading. We expected rolling hills and some climbs, but the steepness of the hills going into Riquewihr and Kayserberg was extreme. All the other riders we saw on the route that day were on e-bikes. So unless you are a very strong rider, I would recommend getting an e-bike.

The only disappointment with the itinerary was that the trip was changed to end in Saint-Louis, France rather than Basel, Switzerland. There really isn’t much to see or do in Saint-Louis. If this is going to continue, the trip description on the website really needs to be changed.

It was wonderful travelling through the vineyards and chatting with the local farmers as they harvested the grapes. We also enjoyed travelling along scenic rivers and canals. Almost everything was paved, and only a small percentage of the trip was on roads with traffic. But the description of the ride is misleading. it should be described as moderate to difficult. In the material, it gave estimates of the grades of the various climbs. I rode with a Garmin GPS and it showed much different grades. For example, the last (#5) climb on Cycling Day 2 from Obernai into Riquewihr is described as a 3.3 percent grade over 5.06 km. What it doesn't say is that 3.3 percent is the average. In fact, much of the climb was between 3 and 6 percent, and a portion was over 9%. I registered 13% on my Garmin. This is not a moderate activity. We experienced similar discrepancies on some of the other days.

Since we only got to spend 1 day in the champagne area, that part was not memorable. The historic features we did see were WEI museums and cemeteries.

The entire crew on the boat were wonderful. The two guides, Mieke and Wim worked very well together. The chef prepared wonderful meals for us each day. Scenery was fabulous.
Now that most riders are riding ebikes that should be all that is offered. The push bikes with only 8 gears were impossible for riders to keep up with the ebike riders, Never had enough time to stop and take pictures.

The great people we met & the staff on the boat.
My negatives about the boat was the lack of an outdoor seating area to enjoy - probably due to the size of the boat. Also I felt 18 people for one guide was not great from a safety perspective. No mirros on the bikes or communication capabilities between the guide & the person identified as the ‘sweeper’.

Seeing the poppy fields in bloom was best part. Worst was map book not matching gps file for first few directions of isle de sorgue to st. Remy ride. Hotel in St. Remy was excellent.

Lots of comfortable cycling over easy terrain, even in extreme summer heat. The cities that are visited are unique and interesting with lots of things to see from cathedrals to the Gutenberg museum. Keep in mind that except for one evening, travelers are not on the boat when it is traveling along the Rhine. Instead, the boat goes from port to port while travelers cycle from port to port. Also keep in mind that this is not the most scenic portion of the Rhine except for the last day, where we cycled through vineyards on the slopes down to the Rhine. Otherwise, the terrain was mostly flat with dikes between the cycle path and the river making it hard to see the river. Once we got out of the heavily industrial cities, the ride was pleasant and flat through wooded areas, grassland, and farmland. Roughly one-quarter of the ride was along the Rhine, one-quarter through cities or industrial areas, and one-half through grassland/forest, and farmland. Food was outstanding; the rooms on the boat were clean and comfortable, but a little worn. Staff was outstanding -- very helpful and friendly. We would definitely do another bike/boat cruise on the Olympia.

Great first experience with a bike and barge tour. Excellent guides and barge crew. Biking distances and terrain was very manageable on e-bikes, even for those with only moderate biking experience. Personally I would have preferred a self guided tour, but now I know for our next trip.

Everything was perfect, the app great. I took the luxury package, but the hotels were not really luxury. I thought they all were going to be like Hotel Le Clos D’Amboise, like small beautiful hotels. At least you should change hotel Mercure from Blois.

But I think we are going to repeat the experience. Thanks

The French Riviera is very beautiful and the weather is great!!
I loved my hotel in Hyeres. The Pontiere is amazing- a beautiful location

This e-bike and boat tour along the Rhine was a dream come true! The landscapes were absolutely breathtaking, from the picturesque wine villages to the historic castles perched along the riverbanks. Each stop was rich in culture—Strasbourg Cathedral and Colmar’s Gothic art were personal highlights. And the food! Sampling local wines and regional dishes like tarte flambée in Alsace was an unforgettable experience. The stress-free e-biking made it accessible and enjoyable, even for someone like me who’s not an avid cyclist. Highly recommend this tour for its perfect balance of relaxation and adventure!

The little towns like the v one pictured above. Use deutsch bank ATM to exchange for euros

We really liked the old walled cities at the start, middle, and end of this trip! These cities were beautiful! Didn’t like the bike trails as well as the ones on our Germany bike/barge trip last year, as there were lots of dirt/gravel and a fair amount of riding along the edge of roads. Was not a fan of L’Estello barge bathrooms as they had the shower right in the bathroom, so everything gets wet and you had to run the A/C on a low temp to get everything to dry out. Food was great and the barge staff was very friendly and did a great job!! We did enjoy this trip a lot. Next year we booked an Italy bike/barge from Venice to Mantova.

Touring the Abby that is being restored. It was amazing! The fishing lodge/castle was very cool, too. The guide and barge staff were great and went out of their way to make us comfortable. The reason I gave it only 4 stars is we rode on busy roads more than I was expecting and more than I like to. But, we saw a lot more by leaving the canel trail. So, everything is a tradeoff. The canel path was dull after a day or so. I didn't see any areas that were being restored, like I see along bike trails here. That was disappointing, but probably something most people wouldn't notice. The fod was very good, at times, excellent. The guests were all very nice and extremely good natured about the rain we had almost every day. Overall, it was quite enjoyable.

Biking in the Mosel wine region watching grape harvest.
Exploring the city of Trier was a highlight.

The food, the staff, and the perfect mix of strangers from around the world exceeded our expectations. The cookbook also a nice surprise souvenir that we now keep on our coffee table. Mikky is an excellent guide, for many reasons! The bikes are solid!
Suggestions, nothing major, simply notes to help things out:
1) a reminder in the morning to bring money for entrance fees. No problem with them not being included in the trip cost, I simply could have used a reminder. The situation was handled fine, but would prefer to avoid asking people for a loan.
2) please consider making and showing a short video RE how to be a “corner”; corner positioning, what/who to look for, when to leave your post. perhaps consider a longer video that covers all the biking etiquette, such as safe distance between bikes, traffic signals, etc.
To explain my 4 rating; I simply didn’t come to understand how small the room was until entering it. I looked at room pictures and measurements and considered them. When we entered our room it our new reality became obvious. This is not our first bike and barge trip. The largest boat we have been on held 24 guests. However, this is the smallest room we have stayed in. Going forward we now know what we are considering when seeing these room measurements and layouts, and we will likely avoid them going forward. We understand the rooms cannot be changed, simply explaining our 4 rating.

My wife and I traveled on the Magnifique 1 from October 1, 2024 to October 7, 2024. We absolutely loved the staff; very friendly and helpful. The stop in Trier, with a guide, was great. The food on board was pretty good but the bikes were not. They were quite heavy and had too few gears, which made climbing even moderate hills quite difficult.

What a great way to explore several cities by bike! If you're seeking fun, exercise, meeting other like minded cyclists, this is a must do!

Biking riding component.

The gluten free option was absolutely not satisfactory. When arriving it was not noted. The chef said we had to come see him. We paid 120 euros and we only received two pasta meals and bread for lunch and a cookie jar. The bread put out was 2 slices for each gf person. The rest could have as much as they wanted. The shopping should have been done before hand in Paris where there are gf bakeries not the same stuff we can buy. We got what was in the pantry.
One meal we got baked apples for dessert. How are 2 pastas, 2 slices of bread per day and a baked apple worth 120E? It is totally not appropriate to charge so much after already paying a lot for the trip. It seems like a cash grab as there were three of us. Whomever makes this decision should be ashamed of themselves. Fair $ for fair service. We should all be reimbursed!

The small towns that we went into were amazing. The trails and trail maps were perfect and the bike we were given were great. They were smooth riding and handled great.

The riding and sights we saw as we rode. Our tour guides we awesome and the boat staff were too.
The food was first class and the new friends unforgettable.

We have 1 complaint. The room and storage were insufficient. It looks like they designed the renovation on looks alone and not practicality.

We had a wonderful week on the Clair de Lune. The barge is small and the cabins tiny but when we went through the locks with less than an inch to spare, the width was understandable. The captain, Marco, was delightful. He spent time with us every evening and improved the quality of our trip with his presence. Dick, our guide, has excellent and has a great sense of humour!
Food was good. Highlights included visiting the Abbey de Fontmorigny and meeting its owner, Dominique, and visiting le Château de Meauce. A special experience was being taken inside the private and beautifully renovated living space of Cèdric & Séverine Mignon! The crew adapted well the the changes necessitated by damage to the canal near Briare. The bike paths as well designed and maintained and I felt very safe travelling on them. I’d highly recommend this type of a holiday.

Staff, food and biking experience were all first class. Rooms on Manufique 1 were small and needed more shelf space to put small things. Small round stool should be replaced with a small table with drawers. Air conditioning was broken down for last 3 days of the trip. Small rooms were therefore hot for sleeping. Beverage prices were very reasonable. The staff were really great. Would book again but maybe on a larger boat in their fleet..

First day as we cycled to Sancerre it was a trip of high hills, made manageable with ebikes. The views were spectacular! Visits to two chateaus were memorable.

Annita is a great tour guide! She made special arrangements to get us into chateau that weren't open when we were in the area. Most of the small towns we went through on our rides were closed up during the hours we were there (12-2) making it a challenge to find points of interest beyond the scenery. We did go to a lovely Goat Cheese Shop and did a great cheese tasting. It would be good to add a wine tasting in Sanserre to the itinerary of this trip.

The staff on the Clair de Lune were fantastic, funny and hard working. The food was beautifully prepared, nutritious and delicious. I enjoyed the visit to goat cheese farm, moving through the locks, exploring beautiful old towns and traveling in a bridge canal over the Loire River. A couple of days were less interesting. Don’t forget your rain jacket.

All the team of "Claire de Lune" was wonderfull. All the dinners on the boat were excellent, and the experience when the boat stopped on the floodgates were funny and very interesting. The tour in bikes it´s very nice and advisable. Many thanks at all.

Overall the trip was great. The communication with the bicycle supplier was a bit lacking. The bikes just appeared with no personal contact.

The Hotel L'Auberge Normande in Carrentan needs to be reevaluated. It is a very dismal place. The people were fine, but the accommodations are run down and bottom class. I do not recommend placing anyone there ever.

Boat, bikes, Crew, food, cabins, and service were fantastic. Memorable was the villages visited. I just wish we had more focus on the history of the places visited as well as the wines of the region. We had to do that by ourselves, I was glad the GPS app used work great and we could ride on our own.

The crew was supportive, professional, personable, friendly, and quick to respond. The meals were delicious and better than most restaurants ! Our bike guide was knowledgeable, supportive, funny, and adaptive to our needs as cyclists. It often felt like we were a family. The scenery from the bike and barge was beautiful. I often felt Mersey in the culture of the small villages we passed though.