5 Star France Tour Reviews — 211 to 240 of 596

The best part of our trip was the crew! Our captain, guide, cook and cabin staff made this trip special. From the first day we were welcomed, encouraged, and accommodated. After 600km of memorable cycling it was indicative that the entire group chose to “sail” the last 20km. into Paris with our new family. A fabulous ending to a great two weeks.

We particularly enjoyed the four crew members who took care of us. The guide, captain, cook and cabin leader couldn’t have better. They cared for each cyclist in every way. We all chose to ride the barge into Paris on our last day and it was a very special day.

Overall it was a wonderful trip and experience. It was well organized and the 4 person crew was just fantastic. Food and ambience above expectations. All went smoothly for us. Note some headwinds which may be seasonal.

3rd Barge trip. All have been excellent. The barge, crew, food, bicycles and tours all very very good. We all had a great time!! Such a fun and simple way to travel and enjoy your own group of friends!!

What a beautiful and interesting region of France to travel through. We loved the historic towns and monuments we visited and once again doing it with a small group of lovely travellers and cyclists was most enjoyable.
The crew were fantastic and our guide went above and beyond to keep us all safe and have a wonderful trip.
Would easily recommend this trip for anyone who loves France, history and beautiful French countryside.

The Captain and crew were outstanding especially our daily tour guide Machiela who was extraordinary with kindness, Knowledge, and very eager to please everyone
Tip to others would be to expect about 20% riding on ruff gravel and ruff tarmac

The most memorable part of our tour? Impossible to limit to one thing! This trip has it all: miles of gorgeous countryside roads and trails, small villages that look plucked from a travel brochure, access to castles and fortresses that are beautifully frozen in time... and experiencing all of it in springtime glory was tremendous. Being able to see Carrieres des Lumieres -- the Van Gogh immersive exhibit -- was such an unexpected treat. Perfect biking weather. It was our first bike and barge with electric bikes and it was fantastic... SO easy to manage the headwinds and longer uphill climbs with the pedal-assist. Really, we can't say enough about this tour... so wonderful on every level!

(** If you print this review, can you please just list me as "Kristine S"? Thanks so much!)

We went on this tour in late September of 2022. We had previously been in southern Europe and became accustomed to the eighty degree temperatures. We were initially scheduled for the Loire Valley tour on the same barge (Clair de Lune), but the low water levels resulted in canceling the Loire and replacing it with Strasbourg to Nancy. Strasbourg is incredibly beautiful - we'd go back.

The barge - I'd been on a barge for three weeks (Bruges to Epernay on the Zwaanje - great trip) so knew what to expect. Can't say enough about the captain and crew. All aces. The chef (cannot call her a 'cook') was beyond excellent. She got applause every night after announcing the dinner selection. Truly wonderful dining. The weather, however, did not cooperate.

To coin a phrase, it was ratty. Rain, rain, rain. Temps in the fifties. I'm from the Seattle area and will not ride in this kind of weather. Nothing the barge crew cold do about it. I got in three days of riding.

Locks were amazing - one had more than fifty feet of lift. The barge elevator was really an experience. Seeing the abandoned locks was also quite cool.

The tour guide needs to be upgraded. His English was not excellent. eBikes were a bit tired, but adequate. Good tour, except for the weather. Would liked to have done the Loire Valley - maybe next time... Nine out of ten for the tour - the weather hurt.

The boat was comfy and well appointed, the beds were very comfortable, the biking along the river was fabulous with knowledgeable and friendly guides. I also enjoyed the sumptuous dinners each night. One of the best parts of this trip was getting to know our fellow travelers and make new friends.

A fantastic tour, that provides great diversity from the rich river flats of the Dordogne to hills & valleys that the river snakes through on the journey, and the food, wine & sites are extraordinary. The last day is a loop ride to La Roque Gageac, hard to imagine a more picturesque town. Recommend e-bikes to anyone other than a serious cyclist, & recommend an extra night in Bergerac to break the trip up with plenty to see in the fascinating city.

My wife and truly enjoyed this tour on the Caprice in 2018. The reviews previously posted are very informative and descriptive about barge life on the Caprice, the itinerary, guides, and dining. We booked early July in order to take pre-boarding day trips to the lavender fields outside Avignon. As with all of our bike-barge tours, we have met and befriended the most interesting and wonderful people. Summer heat and some challenging ascents could be mitigated by reserving an e-bike.

This was my fourth bike/barge tour with Tripsite, and it was just as amazing as the other trips. Loved every moment. The ship and crew were simply outstanding. The only disappointment is that the itinerary said we would be in Metz for the evening, to even include a walking tour. We were greatly looking forward to it. However, we left Metz within an hour of boarding. It was a great topic of conversation among many passengers, who were also disappointed. So I’m not sure why we even started in Metz, to only leave right away and travel quite a distance to our first port. Other than that, it was as wonderful as each of my other Trip Site vacations.

The itinerary was terrific. We had fabulous guides who gave us lots of information about the sites we were visiting. The boat was very comfortable and the food was great. We had just 20 participants and everyone was very interesting and friendly. Can't wait for our next trip!

I worked with TripSite to plan this trip for 20 friends and family and they were fantastic to work with: flexible, friendly and professional. And the trip costs half of similar trips offered by US based bike tour operators. The Iris was a superb boat in great condition and the crew were amazing, with a special shout-out to the fantastic food! The riding was hard to believe: miles and miles of flat, scenic, history drenched wine country. Every days ride was enjoyable and had nice prizes and surprises along the way. Some of my group decided to stay on board for one or more days and got to relax and watch the castles go by, read a book, drink some great local white wine, and chat with the friendly crew. This particular tour: the Mosel between Cochem and Metz, was referred to me by a good friend who has done a dozen packaged bike tours and said this was his favorite. Now it's ours!

The people at Tripsite gave all information before the decision. (Claudia) and made our decision very easy
The cities were very well chosen
The hotels are very good
The local agency we needed twice, first because we did not received the GPS routes and the girls were very nice and competente. The next day we needed some more information, but there were no one speaking English. So Claudia helped us

Comfortable lodging, excellent food (especially the soups- thanks Frank) knowledgeable guide and unforgettable landscapes - what more could you ask for?

OK. So we weren't expecting luxury at this price and on a barge trip. The rooms took a bit of getting used to but we really only slept there and mostly ears the comfortable common areas. Loved every minute of the biking and every bite of the food. Chef was amazing. The crew worked their butts off looking after us and the bike guide was everything one would want. Knowledgeable competent careful and patient. My only wish would be for a larger room and a bigger window but hey I got what I paid for and more

Tudo perfeito. Paisagens incríveis. Organização nota 10. Recomendo muito. Melhor viagem da vida.

The amazing part of the trip was the visit on the castles. The Chambord castle is incredible, and so the Chenonceaux. But the parks and vineyards are memorable. Beyond this, you could visit the Da Vinci’s house, in Amboise. We did a wine degustation right on the vineyard. It was memorable!

Tamy is by far the best guide we have ever had lead a trip.
The boat was wonderful with brilliantly laid out facilities, especially in the guest rooms.
Last but certainly not least, all the boat staff were exceptional and the food was amazing.

All the trip was memorable

The captain and crew were wonderful! The boat was very comfortable. The food was amazing. The bicycle route was beautiful with interesting stops.

The places we biked to were wonderful....villages, river views, vineyards. The Iris was fantastic. Great crew, wonderful boat. Was very hot part of the trip and the crew did a great job adapting to the heat. Would highly recommend this trip.

The chance to (finally) reunite with friends made on a previous bike and barge tour! As before, we met many very nice people on our trip. The crew and guides were excellent, as were the accommodations. Iris is a lovely vessel. Ellen’s meals were superb. I can’t believe I didn’t gain weight!
The scenery along the Mosel was very nice and the biking was generally as advertised- easy. Day 2 was more challenging than expected with more hills (not steep but long). It might have been helpful to know in advance, as the description only mentioned the downhills. Strictly speaking, I’m not sure I’d classify it as an easy ride. Having said that it was a truly gorgeous ride.
I also enjoyed the ride through Trier. Rikko did an excellent job giving the historical background.
Rikko and Paul were eager for feedback on the days rides and open to suggestions during the evening briefing. As a result we often split into 2 groups, allowing riders to go at their own pace. They also adjusted the daily rides as we had a couple of very hot days. Their flexibility was appreciated.
I would certainly recommend this trip to others. It was worth the wait!

My husband and I have taken six trips with TRIPSite, mostly self-guided bicycle tours. We continue to appreciate the outstanding value we receive from TRIPSite and their vendors. Whether we ask for customized routes, additional layovers, comfortable accommodations or wayfinding/GPS materials, TRIPSite delivers every time. The regular bikes (not eBikes) we choose are high quality, the distances are manageable for two +70 year old cyclists, and the new GPS app worked beautifully. Our luggage was always delivered to our destination in a timely manner, our rooms were always ready when we arrived (really important when we craved a shower) and the included breakfasts were hearty and substantial prior to a day of cycling. Sixty percent of the two Loire Valley tours were on spectacular roads and picturesque trails without cars, a huge advantage for us for safety considerations.

We discovered that when we cycled through the vineyards, countrysides and forests, it was often difficult to find fresh water. On hot days in August, we had to carry up to 4 liters of water to ensure we avoided dehydration. Be prepared!

We did two back-to-back Loire trips for a total of 12 days and 250 miles. The chateaus were fabulous, the countryside was spectacular and the rivers and forests were verdant and lush. We highly recommend these two trips.

The crew, the guides and the scenery. The stops at historical places was a really nice bonus.

7 very close friends have just spent a fabulous week with Steve and Karina and crew on their Barge Aurora in norther Burgundy. Right from the booking this was a special holiday. Carla and Tripsite made sure our 55th anniversary (for all of us) was a special event. There was nothing that they couldn’t accommodate.
Aurora is a floating 5 star intimate hotel. She is in immaculate condition. Her crew are well trained and extremely pleasant to have with you. Every little thing to make you comfortable has been thought of and taken care of. They even curate the music that they play in the background to your age group.
We were touring at the end of a difficult season for Steve and Karina with a very hot and dry summer. Plus Covid was still disruptive. Very low water levels made following the planned itinerary very difficult. In spite of that and because of Steve’s knowledge of the area they were able to provide us with a great experience.
Our bike guide, Weiger,had an encyclopedic knowledge of the area and never seemed to look at a map except to show us where we were. He was a pleasure to be with.
This was a memorable trip for us all. We would use Tripsites experience and expertise without hesitation in the future.
Thank you Carla, Steve and Karina. And all the crew.
The “Summer of ‘67” gang.

Everything about the Famous Villages of Provence was memorable; the views, the wine, the food and especially the accommodations. The staff at the hotels were so friendly and helpful. We were thankful that we upgraded to ebikes as some of the climbs would have been challenging. There is a learning cure when using the GPS, but it is very accurate and we truly enjoyed riding along the country lanes through apple and olive orchards.

This was my 5th bike and barge trip—they have become my favorite kind of vacation. They take you away from your day-to-day life with full days of activity and slow, macro touring of a new, beautiful part of the world. It's a moving hotel; you bike all day, then find all your things as you left them in a new location without having to pack every morning. They have great food on board, and with all the exercise you do—you just eat what you want! The crew on The Caprice was excellent. Willy, the captain, told us everything—even the few wrinkles we encountered. One afternoon, he gave all of us a chance to steer the wheel from his deck up top. Irene, the chef, was superb. Every night's dinner including starter, main course and dessert where beautifully prepared, delicious and pertinent to the locale of our docking. Karima, the steward, was very attentive to us, a wonderful personality, a great wine sommelier—and creative folder of dinner napkins! Our riding guide Micaela (Micky) was even-keeled, never rattled and dealt with all of our personalities like a pro. The group signing that she organized of Sur Le Pont d'Avignon melted our hearts. She was excellent and made the trip! The boat itself was a little small. The traffic pattern in the dining area needs some work to go a little smoother. The highlight of the trip was the visit to the Pont du Gard—and it would have been nice to have 4 hours there.

Mickey, our tour leader, took us out after dinner on the barge, on a walking tour in Arles. I had been asking when we would see the location of where The Bedroom at Arles was painted. That is where she took us. In addition, we saw the location of where Starry Night was painted. She let me bring a friend from our sister barge.