5 Star France Tour Reviews — 61 to 90 of 583

The beautiful scenery along the bike route was one of the highlights of this trip. We enjoyed pedaling through grapevine covered fields, seeing all the blooming red poppies, visiting the Monet exhibit in the old quarry, touring Arles, seeing the Pont du Gard, wine tasting and cruising into Avignon. The crew was great. And Michela our tour guide was truly one of the best we’ve ever had.

Biking on the coast As well as having two guides that where fantastic.

My husband & I booked this trip with 7 of our friends. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. My biggest fear was becoming motion sick by sleeping on the water. This never happened, nor did it when sailing. The L'Estello barge was excellent, as was her captain LUCI & crew: Michaela, Giovanni & Omar & Christina. The meals were very tasty & we enjoyed the opportunity to make daily lunches. The routes were excellent. A BIG shout out to Michaela who we felt was a superb rider leader and are so happy she was assigned to us. She is very knowledgeable and gave lots of information about the areas we rode through and even on our nightly "digestive" walks. The whole crew was very accommodating and seemed to anticipate our every need. The bikes were excellent which made each daily ride so enjoyable. The size of the cabins were very good and bigger than I thought they would be. The only negative was leaving Aigues-Mortes as transportation is limited leaving that town. That being said, Michaela worked her magic and secured taxis for all 9 of us who were leaving to different countries and had connections to meet.

Wonderful places 2. Excellent organization. 3. Great staff 4. The kindness and goodwill of the staff 5. Good food and wine 6. Recommend replacing the bike with the bike sp

The crew worked as a team. The meals were excellent, the appetizers were a pleasant and welcoming enlightenment to arrive back from a days bike riding and encounter beautifully prepared appies awaiting us.
Our ride leader Michaela (spelling?) a true high light. Kept our days light and fun filled .
The sites, scenery, & history was amazing.

The entire organization of the trip was great. I recommend that you change your bike to a mountain bike for your next trip.

The entire organization of the trip was great. I recommend that you change your bike to a mountain bike for your next trip.

Great trip! Very well planned. Route app was excellent. Make sure to check hotel locations carefully. They are not always in the last town on the days itinerary.

Spectacular bucolic setting for a cycling trip. Lovely medieval towns, quiet country roads. Great food. Extra day canoeing Dordogne river and climbing the cliffs near BEYNAC a highlight

The tour was wonderful from start to finish. The staff were amazing and food was wonderful. We particularly liked the after cycling drinks and canapes. Perfect for after a day of touring and cycling. The bikes were amazing, the gears were perfect for the terrain, even the hilly bit on Day 4!
The bedrooms were a little dated but as advertised.

Fun itinerary / fun people/ well run trip
Excellent tour leaders & staff

Our Italian chef Irena made the best food that we had on the whole trip.and Italian steward Deanna Selected the wines. Both were so gracious and professional are afternoons and evenings were made perfect. The itineraries were perfect such beautiful small villages add scenery. The bikes were much better than we expected. Definitely go electric. Our boat the Estella was very nice.

Traveling by e-bike and boat along the Rhine felt like a luxury adventure with a touch of home. The wine regions reminded me of the rolling vineyards of Limburg, but the diversity here—Alsace, Breisgau, and Basel—was extraordinary. The cycling was easy and enjoyable.

My partner and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to explore three countries in one trip! Cycling along the Rhine was magical, with its lush vineyards and the majestic passage of Loreley being standout moments. The food was incredible—whether it was the Swiss chocolate, German sausages, or Alsatian pastries, every bite felt like a discovery. Basel’s Three Countries Corner was fascinating, and the medieval charm of Mainz was equally captivating. The guides made everything seamless. A perfect mix of culture, food, and nature!

Our group of six had a fabulous stay and 7 days of biking in the Tarn River Valley in September 2024. Claudia set us out on terrific routes each day - stunning beauty, beautiful roads for biking in this part of France - and Claudia - what can I say- such a lovely person (now good friend) who took care of us with tremendous energy and thoughtfulness. Back at the end of the day, her staff made sure we were fed the best of food and drink - wonderful relaxing dinners. We have all taken several bike trips in Europe through Tripsite. This was the favorite! Bikes were great! Beds and rooms were great. Food was great. I felt like a kid riding through enchanted forests … we’ll be back for more rides someday and another stay at Les Magnolias. You cannot go wrong choosing this trip.

All parts of the trip were memorable. One of the few boat/bike tours that does your laundry. Bring extra pair of warm underwear if doing it in October. Alcohol, sodas, diet sodas, tea, and snacks always available. Coffee almost always available. Crew was like friends and they went out of the way to cater to individual needs. I would do this trip again. I brought extra protein powder, sometimes European meals don't have enough. I had a GoPro strapped to my chest during bike rides and I could start it, stop it, and take a video or picture all with voice commands. I couldn't believe the number of castles, churches, war memorials, not to mention docking in Auvers the village where Van Gogh lived. Saw his grave and the meadow he painted the crows. I would/will do this trip again. I did Paris to Bruge, but either way should be nice. Great vegetarian options in the bigger towns (this is just a rule of thumb for all europe).

Exploring the Loire by bike was really exciting. The highlights are the city of Amboise and Da Vinci's house. The route to Cheverny passes through some busy roads, which can be a bit apprehensive.

We have so many great memories of our trip that it is hard to pin down an "absolute favorite". Here are some of our best and most favorites memories, in no particular order of importance! The staff was so welcoming and helpful, we felt connected to all of them right from the start! The bike riding was fantastic--the ease of the e bikes, to the scenery, and then the visits at the historical sites such as the Roman mosaic, the Puerta Nigra, and the bunker from WWI in the farmer's field, we thought we had the best guides and were very well informed about the details of our day. Our accommodations aboard the Iris were comfortable, clean and well maintained. The other passengers were a lot of fun, and we felt comfortable spending time with each group. I cannot say enough about the food! We all looked forward to our excellent dinner after a long day of cycling, and the breakfasts were filling and tasty, every time! One day, after a 35-mile ride, some of the other passengers decided to continue for another 12 miles, but many of us chose to stay on the barge. The captain welcomed us into the wheelhouse and we were educated on how to operate the barge while going through a lock and dam!

Every part of our trip was Enjoyable! The bikes were comfortable and easy to use, the rides were not too strenuous but rather “ a good day on a bike”. The routes gave us an Immersive look at the country side. Our guides were Fun and helpful. The staff of the ship went above and beyond and even provided a cake and a celebration for my husband’s Birthday!! Truly , a Bike and Barge trip is the Best way to see the Country! I could have turned around on the last day and started Another Trip! Thank you to our Wonderful Crew on the Magnifique I!!!!

Our time on the Merlijn was fabulous! Coen and Cristina, the ship's owners, are the absolute best as was the crew. Everything from the accommodations, the food, the tours and the biking was top notch. We especially enjoyed the bike helmets that allowed us to listen to our guide provide guidance as well as historical information on our rides. We are already looking forward to choosing another tour aboard the Merlijn.

The whole trip was excellent. To many thing to choose just one.

The trip on the Merlijn was wonderful. The captain, crew, and guide were all 5 star. Accommodations on the barge were very nice, with modern baths, excellent lighting, and adequate storage. The guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the areas we biked through. The wine tour we had one evening was the best I have ever taken. One evening we all had a meal out at a German restaurant that was delightful. I like the bike helmet they provided. It networked with the guides helmet and she was able to give us information as we road on excellent bike paths.

The biking in the southern France with the scenery was fantastic! The guided bike guide was a fountain of historical knowledge of the area as well.

The scenery along the Mosel River was spectacular and the heritage buildings and the history associated with them was both interesting and educational. The friendships that developed along the course of the trip added to our enjoyment and memories. The food was excellent although possible less in the way of trying to produce high end dishes and providing more in the way of comfort foods especially during the cold and rainy weather soups and stews would have been appreciated.

Biking and boating into Germany, Luxembourg and France was spectacular. Seeing the incredible vineyards and tasting the wines from this area. Our stay and the crew on the Magnafique 1 was excellent and we hope to book another tour.

Although the weather wasn't always the most cooperative, the biking along the Moselle offered beautiful scenery of steep hillside vineyards with stops in small towns along the way. Our tour guides were fantastic and easily (or so it seemed) adapted to the route changes that needed to be made due to the flooding of the Moselle and the fact that the bike paths weren't always accessible. Our guides were knowledgable about the areas we visited and offered interesting information about castles, churches and other areas of interest in the cities.
As far as tips for others, if you are planning a bike/barge trip, be prepared for varied weather and biking conditions. Being flexible will allow you to enjoy things that aren't necessarily what you had expected.

The Merlijn is the best sailing ship in all of Europe if you want to bike. The captains Coen and Cristina (also the ship owners) are just wonderful people. I feel like family every time I travel with them and this was my 8th trip with them (7 trips in the last year alone). So if you want 5 star accommodations, service and meals, this is the ship to sail on. Their bikes are the best out there and I feel confident in saying that as I have done 15 bike and barge trips! Give the Merlijn a try and you will be hooked like I am. The Merlijn also gets the best bike guides out there along with extremely friendly and caring crew. Love the Merlijn and Coen and Cristina.

So much fun! Loved all the vineyards and charming towns we rode through. Our captain, mates, chef and guides were top notch! Highly recommend this bike tour, we loved it!

We (couple in early 60’s) have recently completed this routing. We rode hybrids (what we usually ride) and found the level quite manageable but I would question the ‘easy’ part of the rating. There were indeed some good climbs. I suspect that a large majority of riders may ride ebikes, making the climbs and the longer days easy. The Classic hotel selection was just fine. The bikes were great. We appreciated the notes on destinations and attractions in the paper guide but as a navigational tool it would have be useful only in a pinch; You’d be turning the pages constantly, GPX files are the way to go and even though there were a few ‘right turns’ that were actually left ones, the directions were great! We appreciated the variety of road types. The back lanes were lovely and the bigger roads generally has either good shoulders or bike lanes.

The trip was wonderful for us. We enjoyed two weeks of biking and sightseeing. The guides were knowledgeable and catered to our needs. They were pleasant and helpful. The barge rooms were comfortable, nothing fancy but well equipped. We rented e-bikes and were happy that we did. Biking from 9 am-3/4 pm. every day for 2 weeks made the experience more enjoyable on the e bike. We enjoyed the group of people we were with. They were there for the experience and we all meshed easily. Overall, it was wonderful. Bring warm clothes for fall biking. We had rain and cold temps.