France Tour Reviews — 151 to 180 of 981

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 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.

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.

The most memorable part of this trip was NOT the boat breakdown for 2 days but the absolutely beautiful , kindly, acceptance by everyone with the unfortunate circumstances. I did not hear one grumble or complaint by anyone on board. Everyone worked tirelessly and professionally to correct the issue and make alternate arrangements for the bikers. It was the biggest and best display of humankind working together to make things right. It was so heartwarming to experience such a wonderful situation especially during these very challenging world situations. I can’t praise us ALL enough for making the trip such an unforgettable experience.
Sincerely, Sally Coomber

I enjoyed all parts of this trip. Our guides, Alv and Hetty were very friendly, relaxed, and patient. They both were well informed, and provided interesting commentary and information along the way. When things did not go as planned, they always had another plan. Everyone was made to feel welcome and comfortable.
The bike paths along the river were incredible, easy to manoeuvre, and very scenic.
The meals on the barge were delicious. All the staff were friendly and courteous.
I’m looking forward to another trip wit Tripsite!

The highlight of our trip was the German city of Trier. There was so much to see in this ancient Roman city. We only scratched the surface, but the Black Gate, the huge cathedral, the beautiful gardens and the lovely city center were amazing. We happened to be there when they were celebrating Unity Day in Germany and there was a band playing, with people dancing and singing. That just made it so much more festive. My suggestion for others is: take this trip, you won’t regret it.

The barge crew, the fabulous food, our wonderful guide and meeting great people from all over the world made this trip ever so special. We came together as a team and simply had a lovely time. We needed to ride each day because Sara’s meals were delicious and we ate way too much. I mean that as a compliment, for sure!
The towns we biked to and through were beautiful to see. Our guide, Georgio, did his homework.
Can’t wait to do another trip. In fact, we already inquired about one through tripsite today!

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.

The ambiance on board with all the guest cyclists was matched by the excellent service from all the staff. Both cycling guides were professional but more importantly they were fun to be with. The Mosel Rivers quiet charm and fairy tale villages made for a wonderful experience despite the rainy days.

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.

The overall experience was great. Our guides were fantastic, the scenery was beautiful and the boat and rooms were super clean.

I have been on five bike and barge trips before, and this one was very special due to the crew on the Estello… Georgio, Our bike guide was full of history, fun and knowledge of the area. Sarah, our chef was absolutely amazing… We rode our bikes through some beautiful countryside as well as on many well paved paths…. Met so many nice people. Highly recommend this trip… I prefer the small or intimate bike and barge trips in this certainly met that criteria!

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!

Having experienced and enjoyed bike and barge vacations for over 10 years, I can say, without a doubt, that the Clair the de Lune's crew were the most attentive, professional, and charismatic. Like most, we select our tours based on destination, daily tour activity, and pleasant docking locations. Those factors are easily researched. The wild cards are often the barge condition, crew personality, and of course, the dining experience. Marco resolved all those concerns by keeping an impeccable barge, bringing on chef Jenny, housekeeper Catalina and tour guide Dick. Our rooms were clean and include both heat and A/C. The dining was inventive and locally sourced. Daily tours were perfectly planned and well managed to optimize our group members. The adage that you must sacrifice amenities if you choose smaller comfort barges over the larger boats did not hold up. We had uncooperative weather (they dried our clothes), flat tire, chain issues (rapidly addressed), difficulties getting to the Briare train (they loaded up personal vehicles and drove their bikes to ensure our timely departures). Bravo Clare de Lune!

No control re. weather, the rest was first rate. Perhaps the cabins leave a little to be desired but what do expect from the a boat bike experience. In this case the trip still exceeded all expectations and we have sailed with a few boat groups. I may also add that Frank, our cook was worth the price of admission alone.

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.

We didn't receive information soon enough about your recommendation to fly in and out of Frankfurt - our travel time was more difficult and longer than necessary. The information you sent was great but way too late to impact our travel.

We loved the trip and were only well prepared for weather because of information we received from someone who had done it this time of year before. Again more information sooner than a month before....

We had enjoyed a bike tour on the original QuoVadis 2 years ago and were amazed at the renovation to lengthen the ship into the Magnifique I. Our group had a fun week that was challenged with a variety of weather and the boat needing repair at Trier. Our guides, the captain, chef and staff were very creative to make sure, even though we were quite off schedule we still had our daily cycle and experiences and then some. The bicycles were new and easy to ride.

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.

Simply put, this bike barge trip was outstanding in so many ways. The cycling was at the perfect pace thanks to the excellent leadership of our two guides, Alv and Anja. The serving and support staff were very attentive. The new bikes were in tip-top shape. The cabin on the Manifique 1 was smaller than our last bike barge, but it had everything we needed, was spotless and was made-up for us when we returned from our ride each day. Our breakfasts offered many choices, the opportunity to pack our own lunches allowed us variety each day and our chef provided gourmet dinners each evening. Our captain Patrick pitched in to help out staff as needed. Our fellow cyclists from three different countries enjoyed themselves and we enjoyed their company. Cycling through Germany, Luxembourg and France was an unforgettable experience.