5 Star Netherlands Tour Reviews — 361 to 390 of 1442

I would recommend this trip 100%. Everything about the experience was top notch. Our tour guides, Thomas and Rikko, were knowledgeable, kind and ALWAYS had safety of us "top of mind"! The food was excellent and the cabins and ship clean. All in all, a fantastic trip.

Our guide was sweet and knowledgeable and worked hard to accommodate everyone. And the chef was excellent! Cabins are snug but comfortable—so glad we had portholes so we could regulate air circulation. Tip: be sure you have waterproof clothing, including gloves and shoes! We had wind, rain, hail, and cold most days, but it was still so enjoyable I’d do it again in a minute!
One note: some sites mentioned in the intinerary were unavailable. For example, the flower auction we were looking forward to is closed on Sunday, so we missed that. It was disappointing. Several museums and churches were also closed. Updated info would prevent people from feeling misled.

Overall, the trip was wonderful...I never had a huge desire to visit The Netherlands but we were invited to do this tour with friends and it was great. Having done the trip now, bicycling is by far the best way to see The Netherlands. We cycled through and visited smaller towns I would have probably never gone to or stopped at if I was driving a car. They were beautiful, each with something unique and different. The Dutch are very kind people.

The biking was the best part of the trip for me. Our guide was so knowledgeable and took us through small towns so we could get a real feel for life in Amsterdam. She was great!

Cycling through the Netherlands was wonderful! The tulips were spectacular, whether in gardens, fields, or pots along the route. Our local guides were friendly and genuine. The Magnifique I was spacious in the common areas and the crew helpful in every way. An ebike is great for battling the headwinds.

Most memorable part were the tulips. Visually, they were spectacular, but is was also interesting learning about growing them

The Merlijn boat has been beautifully redone for hosting passengers. The main salon is attractive and comfortable and the cabins are well appointed. The food was delicious and the menu was varied. All of the bikes (we rode e-bikes) were like brand new and in excellent working order. The provided helmets had a microphone system built in that allowed all 24 of us to hear everything our guide had to say! The biking tour was also excellent with extensive details and observations provided by our wonderful guide, Tamy! Last, but not least, I thought our breaks and bathroom stops were well timed. Thank you to the Captain and crew!

Combination of boat and biking. We are sailors and enjoyed the maritime aspects of trip. Chef was an unanticipated pleasure.
Note that there are strong headwinds in North Netherlands.

The Fleur staff was terrific and our guides Japke and Brian were great fun.

Seeing the Netherlands up close from the bike was fantastic. Our guide was very knowledgeable and personable.

Biking under the excellent leadership of Tammy. The equipment was excellent. The pace of the trip perfect for retirement aged people

Barge and crew were great. Plentiful and tasty food. Our guide was superior

All of it!!! Loved bicycling through the beautiful countryside with the never ending flowers, water, green fields full of fowl of all kinds, beautiful historical homes and buildings, delicious food, windmills, cheese markets and the personal friendliness of the attentive and informative crew of the Zwaantje. Honestly, these people made us feel so welcome and were so accommodating to our needs. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will return again to visit.

We had an amazing time! All biking levels will have a blast on this trip - the routes and system in the Netherlands are so user friendly - and each day is spent biking through countrysides and historic small towns - a dream! The guides, crew, and staff were all so kind and lovely. Highly recommend!

Our guide was wonderful. He was flexible and went out of his way to bring us to see things that were of interest to us. Also, the food was delicious and accommodating to special diets.

My highlights were the tulip fields, Keukenhof, the flower auction, and the functioning windmill. I also loved the camaraderie with staff and fellow travellers.

Some improvements:
The rating was easy but I think that pertains to the flatness of the path. biking between 30-65 kms per day wasn't easy with the wind conditions. Some clarification might be useful.

Also, some of the times and plans for the day were fluid and sometimes confusing. Still liked it an awful lot though.

The Tulips were Spectacular!
I loved our boat, it was sparkling clean.
The food was Delicious and the crew so very accommodating.
Thank you for a wonderful trip!

When I read reviews of trips from former guests…I am always a little cautious about the use of hyperboles. However, I have to say that my expectations were far exceeded on this tour and it was thanks to the ship La Mar, the crew, Captain Marnik and especially the tour guides Michiel, Mijntje and Anne. They all worked amazingly well to create the best tour I have been on! I ended up selecting a comfort class level because that was what fit my timeline and availability but I have to say it was delightful and lacked nothing (Marnik your renovation looks great!). Cycling through the countryside and stopping in small towns and farms gives you a very different perspective of what a people and a country are about…and this trip delivered that…I have a new and wonderful impression of the Netherlands and all the wonderful people who live there. Thanks for an amazing adventure!!

My husband and I chose a bike trip from Amsterdam to Bruges in September 2023 for our Honeymoon! We had an absolutely fabulous time! Each hotel was delightful, breakfasts were fantastic! We were happy with our bikes, and the bike storage that was provided was ideal. We couldn't have been happier with our route, and each town along the way. We prepared for picnics each day, and that offered a nice rest in a beautiful place, giving us the energy to head to the next stop. We felt that we had time to explore and see the sites, and also relax as we went along. Make sure to get the GPS! Highly recommend, and hope to do something again in the future.

The ease and convenience of returning to the ship every afternoon to share experiences with the rest of our group was the most noteworthy comment I could make. However there were many other hiighliights.
Riding through the Dutch countryside on the first day was a highlight.
Both guides and the bikes were great and the varied nature of the cycle paths on this tour was terrific.
Food was varied, good quality and well prepared. Rooms were efficient and comfortable as advertised.
Onboard staff from Croatia were terrific – friendly, hard working, accommodating and very nice with our grandsons.

We enjoyed the cycling with expert guides through this Low Countries. I became very emotional at the Canadian memorial cemetery and finding headstones from his regiment.seeing historic sites at Kinderdyck was fascinating. Our accommodation was top notch and was great being with like minded travellers . The bikes were comfortable and perfect for this tour.we had ebikes which were great for the Dutch mountains (wind)!We enjoyed the Netherlands. Amsterdam is a lively city for tourism and easy to manoeuvre.

Wilma was the highlight. She was our daily update for travel on bike. Loved the barge and the room. Occasionally a diesel odor came into the cabin. We were nearest the engine top deck. But loved it all.

Amazing trip… So many small towns and villages that were cute and quaint to stop for lunch. The dunes and the beaches were spectacular. The GPS system worked beautifully. The routes were marked well. Always wear layers. It can be cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon or can rain . Out of 90 people, there were only 7 English-speaking guests;but the good news is the ship staff spoke English. The food was OK. On some of the smaller barges I’ve been on the food was spectacular. I understand. They have to serve a lot more people. Our guides were exceptionally informative and they rode the routes with us. They were helpful kind and fun, Johan and Jerome … the entire crew was polite and helpful. I would recommend strip it was great.

The Magnifique 11 promised luxury, and they most certainly delivered every step of the way! The welcome from the captain, chef, tour guides and assistants was outstanding. They established a comraderie among the guests who were sharing the experience. Our rooms were immaculate, the food tasty and beautifully presented, fantastic 24hour coffee machine too. The first two days of biking were brutal with the head winds, but getting an e-bike was a saver, one I would recommend, even as a seasoned biker! We’ve come home with new friendships - so how rich is that! Thank you so much for another grand experience tripsite! (My 4th)

We had a wonderful time on our trip. The Boat ,room, staff, and meals were excellent. All the staff work very hard to make sure all have a great trip.
One thing I would recommend to others is to bring light rain gear and gloves for riding

The daily rides supported by the bike and boat guide Wilma on the de Holland , was excellent! Each city and countryside we rode through was that much better with the detail of information provided by her. Loved each day.
Be prepared for wind and a little rain in October month.

The overall organised week-the daily presentation of our next days excursions. On top of biking through beautiful routes , we also benefited from nightly activities and presentations of local cultural products such as chocolaterie,beer and cuisine.
The warm and welcoming reception of the whole crew, especially our two experienced and knowledgeable guides : Peter Van Avermaet & Tom Stout ,their camaraderie and sense of humor made the whole group feel at ease !
The chef was very accommodating as I had requested a gluten and lactose free diet. Many thanks !!!
Tips - In order to fully enjoy this wonderful adventure ,when booking a Bike & Barge ,you should be ready ,comfortable and expecting to be biking !!!!

Excellent staff, from the Captain on down through the chef, support personnel and the two knowledgeable tour guides on the very comfortable and well appointed Magnifique 11.

Tip: the pendulum has swung strongly towards the use of E bikes on this tour. Suggest you put the miles in ahead of time, if you plan to go with a hybrid bike so as to comfortably keep up with the e bikers.

Organization of the trip and the quality of crew and colleagues south holland is terrific cycling the bikes were of high standard

The whole trip was amazing!! But the one thing that sticks out is when we we stopped at the Canadian war cemetery…. And after touring around… Peter our guide stood proud in front of us and read the Poem “Flanders Field”. It brought tears to most of eyes.
Tips& suggestions… please make sure you know how to ride a bike! Being a bike tour… this is very important, as our tour guides did have to make the decision to have one couple stay back as they were not confident on the bikes. It is an easy ride but we did ride in towns and over cobble stone road ways. But they had to make that decision for the safety for them and others and I know it was a hard decision, but for that we thank them.