Netherlands Tour Reviews — 601 to 630 of 1805

Beatiful scenery, nice people, windy whether :)

The bike rides and the food.

Oh my, this is a difficult question as every part of our trip on the IRIS Tulip Tour was memorable! We loved the biking and felt totally immersed into the Dutch culture as we meandered through cute villages, lush green grazing pastures adorned with baby animals (lambs, ducks, goats, cows), by castles, windmills, and, of course, the spectacular, vibrant tulip fields! Our tour guides were, hands down, the best tour guides ever!! Genuinely, wonderful people who were so knowledgeable about their culture and history and eager to share! Each stop we made on our bikes whether it for a coffee break, lunch break, or a site to see, was unique and fabulous! We loved the different cafes (w/ to-die-for pastries and treats), lunch stop areas (an old schoolhouse; a beach on the North Sea; adorable towns), and the many Dutch experiences (castles, windmills, cheese farm, tulip fields, and the spectacular tulip gardens at the Kuekenhof)! The boat staff and meals were amazing also . . . first class!!! We all felt spoiled and loved. Our rooms were perfect with plenty of space - with every detail of design being well thought-out. Last, but not least, we relish the friendships we developed with our delightful fellow bikers/bargers! If you enjoy "active" vacations, then this is a trip of a lifetime!!!

Suggestions for others:
1. Be sure to do some bike rides (and make sure you are comfortable on a bike) before coming on this trip. Also, if you plan on using an electric bike, practice at home first.
2. Rain pants and a good raincoat were my best pre-trip investments! Dress in layers and be prepared for all types of weather! The weather is not a problem if dressed properly. Also, bring two pairs of gloves so you always have a dry spare pair.

The whole trip exceeded my expectations. The first day was incredible and each day after brought unexpected experiences. The ship was very comfortable , the food exceptional and the tour guides friendly and knowledgeable.
I’m glad I brought along enough clothes to layer. It was colder than I expected, but I was always warm.
Thanks for putting a great trip together, I’ll send friends your way. It was the perfect week to see the tulips at their peek.

Thé Keukenhof gardens were beautiful! Exceeded my expectations!

What a wonderful way to see Holland, world famous tulips, get daily exercise, eat healthy & wonderful food, and meet new friends!
For future tour bikers I would strongly recommend an E-bike. The terrain is 100% flat but the frequent high winds (take warmer clothes than you might think you need), made it more pleasant to enjoy the surroundings on an E-bike. The guides, Brian and Wim, were fun, informative, helpful and had good chemistry between themselves, making for a great atmosphere for the week. And the food prepared by Martina was delicious. She and her staff were always accommodating with every request. It was a perfect, tulip-filled week in Holland!

The trip itself was 5 stars. One suggestion; consider finding a way to offer and/or provide non American customers the Tripsite riding vest. They would have been very useful (close to being necessary) when riding through busy urban sections. There were several occasions when I or my wife were doing “corner duty” and members of our group did not recognize us. Also very helpful for the “sweeper” to recognize, count, and verify whether or not all members of the group are ahead of them. I respect wearing the vest is not mandatory, but almost all people in the group were wearing them - and we would have absolutely done so as well if we had known the vest was available. Our emails from Tripsite did not mention or offer the riding vest. We asked our fellow riders where they obtained their vests, we thought perhaps they were provided on the boat? Anyways - we quickly learned it was mention in an email - so I reviewed our Tripsite emails - nothing there - I asked Tripsite staff via email about the vest - the answer was that non American Tripsite customers are not offered vests. It’s a little thing, and in some aspects, this is a big thing, from a riding and inclusion perspective. Very much encouraging Tripsite to consider finding a way to offer and get riding vests to non American customers - that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

The crew and guides made this a very fun experience. Prepare for windy days!

What a great trip. The crew was awesome. Various fresh Breakfast and lunch supplies were out every morning. Our bike guides were wonderful, very knowledgeable about the sites we saw and the regions we biked. They were quick to take care of any bike issues. We had a variety of biking skilled people on our trip. I would suggest you have experience biking before coming. The first day is in Amsterdam, downtown, lots of traffic. Being able yo get on and off the bike smoothly is a must. The E Bikes are great, they are very heavy and if you can’t hold them up or balance when at an intersection, it will be a problem. I look forward to my next bike n barge.

The crew on the Zwaantje was awesome. Captain Martin,first mate, Karin, guides Franz and Ronald, chef Frank and cabin helper, Yoke saw to our every need. Coupled with a wonderful sense of humor everything was well planned accompanied with a wealth of information about the sights and culture of the Netherlands. I was a neophyte on an e bike but with amble assistance everything went well.

Simon was an outstanding guide. He kept us abreast of the days events, weather, and sites we would be seeing. The Sarah and crew were also outstanding they were very approachable and friendly. They answered any and all questions we may have had. The food was great even though I was a little apprehensive about the two vegan dishes served on board. I would also like to give a shout out to Anuke our trip site point of contact throughout the planning phase. She answered any and all question (and we had a lot) in a timely and professional manor. We are already talking about doing another boat & bike tour we had such a great time.

When things are this wonderful, it is difficult to choose a highlight … guess all can be grouped together under amazing customer service. The boat was kept spotless, the food was delicious, and our guides were incredibly flexible about routes to please all and their knowledge made all extra enjoyable…. My only suggestion is sign up! You won’t regret!

We loved our day at Keukenhoff Gardens. We also enjoyed the amazing dinners on the boat prepared by our chef, Paulina. As for suggestions, the bike leaders need to understand vacation culture more. The bike leader seemed to be in a rush wherever we biked, and was not happy if we wanted to stop and take pictures of the countryside. Many people like to stop and take pictures!! We would pass by beautiful fields of tulips and hyacinths, but couldn’t stop to take photos (except maybe a 30-second stop to get one quick photo) because otherwise we’d be too far away from the rest of the biking group. We weren’t given any kind of detailed maps of where we would be biking, so if we did want to stop and take pictures, or drink some water, or grab an energy bar from our sacks, and we lost sight of the others, there would be no way to find or catch up to the rest of the group later on. One of the reasons why we liked Keukenhoff so much was because we were on “our own time” for the entire day, and didn’t have to worry about being on someone else’s schedule. We would have also liked it if the bike leader would’ve pointed out some interesting facts and history about the different places we visited. We got almost no guidance about what to see or do at each of the villages/cities we visited.

The barge route was very nice and the food was excellent.
The Fluvius is an old barge and had several maintenance issues including; no hot water for 3 days, electrical problems and other maintenance issues. In their defense, the captain did his best to make it up to us with reduced bar bills and a free canal ride.
Bettina was superb particularly since it was her first time on this tour. Tom seemed to want to be elsewhere. His communication issues were almost nonexistent and attitude gruff.
Ride with GPS was very good though those of us who chose self guided were pretty much on our own.
The patch kit provided did not include a wrench so fixing a flat would have been tough for a bike mechanic and impossible for any other.
We did have wonderful entertainment one evening. I would have loved more history as it is such an important part of these countries.
All in all, if the Fluvius had been in better shape and Tom not so gruff, it would have been a wonderful tour.

Scenery
Keep two groups apart with staggered starts.
Would have liked more information about what we were seeing- know difficult to do - more stops perhaps?

the trip to the flowers was outstanding.

This was my first bike and barge trip and I had an amazing positive experience from the first to thd last day of the tour . The crew did such a great job keeping us all posted of events happening each day . I have learned so much from this and will cherish the memories on this tour . Looking forward to more bike and barge trips .

Riding through the countryside and seeing the flowers in the fields...................then smelling the waft of the hyacinths as you continue riding. Intoxicating on every level !

Don't let the weather determine whether or not you are going to ride that day. The weather changes quickly and you will miss out !

Pay close attention to the explanation of the road signage, colours of the bike paths and walking paths.

The crew, the lodgings, and the bikes were fabulous. Breakfasts were good… dinners took two hours every evening ~ which was a bit long. The food was… interesting. Soup really bad a couple times, and seemed rather understaffed as far as getting beverages. Also the wording of the afternoon beverages misleading. It sounded as though coffee and tea would be available all day until 4:00, but that is incorrect. Coffee and tea were available free from approximately 3:00-4:00 only. After that, everything costs. All in all a very enjoyable experience. Nico in particular was great, arranging the rides. Weren’t able to dock at the two northern towns of Haarlem or Zaandam because of engine trouble, but made the best of it, staying in Amsterdam and riding out of there instead.

the most memorable part was biking through the fields of flowers and the farm fields. It was a joy to follow the canals and green fields. We decided to use e-bikes, we had a headwind one day and the e-bikes made it easy to peddle. We found out the reason they are known for windmills. The weather was a little chilly, so not bringing gloves was our mistake.

What a remarkable bike and boat trip among the canals and tulip fields of Holland. There were so many excellent aspects to this trip. From the comfort of the boat to the friendly and all-out accommodation of the crew, the excellent food, the new condition of both the standard and electric bikes and biking guides that I cannot begin to appropriately praise for their fantastic job in leading our group of 24 bikers across the landscapes of Holland. A magical trip to be sure.

From the moment we entered Quo Vadis, the staff welcomed us and continued to provided excellent service throughout our stay. Food quality and variety was wonderful.
Tour Guides were knowledgeable, patient and accommodating.
The continous bike paths through rich fertile fields of multicolored flowers, windmills and well kept farms are forever memorable. So many people along the way greet us! We're looking forward to another barge and bike trip next year! Thank you for great vacation!

Bicycling each day in Holland.
Such a beautiful country.
The guides were very knowledgeable and always had activities planned

Fragrant fields of hyacinth

The scenery was beautiful! The people that we biked with were great companions for the week!

Loved everything about our boat bike vacation! Great crew, accommodations and guides. Thanks so much. We look forward to more trips

The hotel was good, food was excellent with reasonable. The staff was very accommodating. We enjoyed the ocean view The hotel was conveniently located to shopping and transportation. We found Maps. Me to be a somewhat difficult program to use. The bikes were somewhat unstable but useable.

The beautiful fields of Tulips, hyacinth and daffodils.

Great trip. Liked getting to know the guests and crew on a small boat.

Gorgeous scenery and lovely people! I will say that we did not luck out where weather was concerned, but that’s Mother Nature for you! The crew on our boat was fantastic and made our stay very comfortable.