Netherlands Tour Reviews — 691 to 720 of 1806

When we road past all the windmills

The guides and their local knowledge really made this trip unforgettable. For other travelers - yes, your behind will hurt if you aren't used to cycling every day. It's 100% worth it. You'll see towns and places that tourists don't normally visit.

The Magnifique III is a beautiful ship. I had a suite on the upper deck (highly recommend) and was able to sit by my open window and watch the world glide by, The large common areas are very comfortable. All the staff from the Captain, Walter, to the tour guides, Esther and Tom, were friendly and helpful. The food was excellent. And the Dutch/Belgian countryside and towns are picturesque and lovely. Just do not expect long distances (our longest day was 57 km) or fast speeds (we averaged as a group under 10 mph). This trip is designed to enjoy the journey. We cycled on marvellous dedicated pathways and quiet roads where traffic was always courteous. Unfortunately, we had more rain than we all would have liked but no one can control the weather!

We are from Mexico and this is our second time with tripsite. And definitely looking forward to do it again.
Amsterdam to Brugge is magic!!
The sites, the routes, the lodges and great food!!
We decided to do it on ebike and was an excellent choice.this way we could enjoy the road with the right effort.
The bikes were excelent and all the experience with tripsite is the best!
Looking for for our next trip!

The Trip met or exceeded all of our expectations. I enjoyed seeing the Netherlands and Belgium from a variety of vantage points. Walking into Antwerp old central square at night was magical.

I was very disappointed with this trip! Not only were the cabins very small, they were completely enclosed with no external air flow systems. So, when one person in our group came down with COVID, it quickly spread to 4 more.

Since I had been rooming with one of the persons who tested positive, I offered to leave the trip [so I would not spread the virus to other customers] with the understanding that the ship's crew would pay for my hotel stay in Gent Belgium and the cab fare from the boat to the hotel. Moreover, I expected the crew to give me a refund for the portion of the trip I could not use [not the entire sum, but just what they would save on meals, etc.]. However, after packing my suitcase, isolating from the rest of the customers on board, and preparing to deboard, I was told than not only was the crew not going to pay for the items they said they would, the crew insisted that I pay a surcharge of another 30 Euros for increased fuel costs.

This trip was a disappointment compared to our previous week on the De Holland. This barge has no ventilation. The lower rooms were very damp and moldy smelling. We would have to open the door to the hallway after we showered. No fan in the bathroom and no way to eliminate moisture or odors. They were not using a proper disinfectant spray between groups so the virus germs can stay in these damp rooms. One woman entered the barge with Covid. She ended up passing it to 9 people.. They were all asked to leave the barge on their own expense. People need to be aware of this potential expense. Guides were ok but best for experienced riders. They encouraged independent travel but they are in the process of changing from the GPS maps so it was confusing and we frequently were lost and had to look at the map. No serious troubles.

We highly recommend the Rotterdam to Cologne trip. We went early September and the weather was beautiful. Water level worries caused some anxiety but in the end, there was no issue and the boat travelled along just fine. The E-biking was effortless as it is relatively flat. The scenery, especially in Netherlands, wonderful. The staff on our boat were friendly and helpful. The food was very good and our selections for our packed lunches was wonderful. We returned each day to a nice tidy cabin with our bunks pulled up to allow seating. Housekeeping did a great job. One suggestion: the maps need a review and update. In some instances, our group and other members from the boat were all at a particular location, quite confused as to the next step. Eventually we all ended up in the correct place but a few times, it was a large group consultation to solve it! Be sure to have a live smart phone at hand. We resorted to it a couple of times to navigate.

Most memorable was riding atop the dikes in the Netherlands. The meals and lunch prep was a highlight of the trip. While my bike was adequate, I feel the preparation wasn’t adequate. I had to have the rear brake adjusted prior to use and the rear derailleur would jump gears. They should have been inspected prior to use. The maps and directions were not as clear as they should have and instructions in English were limited

Our staff. Hans and Wilfred were exceptional.

The dinners were fantastic.

Riding in our bike entourage through the scenic Flemish and Dutch countryside, from one hamlet to the next village with the beautiful backdrop of peaceful fields will be seared into our memories forever. We did encounter some blustery rain, which makes us regret not having packed better rain gear.

The wow factor of the trip was riding our bikes in an underground tunnel under the River Sheldt in Antwerp. We took the elevator down. Unfortunately, the elevator to go back up was broken, so we had to take 2 escalators up which was a challenge with our bikes. We later found out that there is a ferry. I’m glad we didn’t know about the ferry!

It was a wonderful trip. The barge accommodations were good, not luxurious. The crew was excellent. They were cheerful and efficient. The food was good. There were no choices for dinner.

The visit to a working grain windmill.

The most memorable part of the trip was creating new relationships and the beautiful canals and gardens!
I would consider booking another bike and barge through tripsite in the future.

First time I experienced this type of travelling. Overall, I like it. Couple of notes though : the ship was not where it was supposed to be at embarkment ; it was on the other side of the harbour. No communication received about that last minute change. We knew because someone was monitoring vesselfinder. A lot of people did not know. Second, we were not happy with the table arrangements. We got assigned a table on day 1 and were supposed to sit at that table, with the same people, every day. I appreciate the reason, every evening they ask what you want for dinner the next day, and if people then are not at the same table, that system does not work. But, we're travelling with a group. We want to have dinner at a different table every day.

Having said that, the boat and the food was nice, the crew was really good, no, outstanding. The daily tours were well organized and navigating our way was easy.
Hence my 4 star rating of the tour.

The trip started out on a sour note because the De Holland was not moored at the De Ruijterkade West location shown in the Tripsite "Final Travel Information" PDF, but instead was across the IJ river next to the Buiksloterweg ferry terminal. Despite being told by Tripsite that the document would be updated with last-minute changes, the document was not updated with the correct location, and none of the passengers who booked through Tripsite were notified of this critical change. (We heard that Boat-Bike Tours, the organizer of the tour, DID notify the passengers who had booked directly through them.) We followed the De Holland on the Vesselfinder website so we knew where it was moored, and we notified a few other traveling companions, but a portion of the Tripsite group showed up at De Ruijterkade West and the boat management had to arrange for their transportation to Buiksloterweg, which delayed the departure. To our knowledge, Tripsite has never acknowledged or apologized for this serious mistake.

Regarding the tour itself, biking from town to town was well designed and wonderful -- beautiful countryside, lovely towns. We used the Ride With GPS app, which had a few route errors but in general was an excellent, well-executed tool. (Without the app, there were a number of signage errors or absences along the routes that could have caused problems.) The evening tour of Deventer was very well done; the local tour guide was excellent and the evening was perfect for it. We rented e-bikes and they were in great condition. The staff on the boat were all kind and helpful and friendly and the boat was exceptionally clean.

We thought Frans, the bike tour guide, could have done a better job. He was nice, but despite having many years of experience doing this, his evening talks were not always very clear, and he did not mention a number of places along the bike routes that would have been nice for people to know about, most importantly the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek, which was on the map if you knew where to look but was not highlighted by Frans. We did enjoy the evening Frans played the keyboard in the dining room.

The biggest disappointment was that we had to sit with the same people at dinner every night. We understand there are logistics involved that make it much easier for the staff, but this requirement eliminated what could have been a prime opportunity to get to know others. We happened to be assigned the same table as our best friend, whom we obviously already know very well. We had little in common with the other three and were stuck with them (and they with us) for the whole week. There must be some way (perhaps a buffet a couple of times during the week, or a dinner in town one night) where we could have a chance to meet others, which would have made the trip much more rewarding.

This trip exceeded our expectations. The accommodations and food on the barge were wonderful. We were so comfortable. The guides were terrific, they were so informative and made adjustments as needed to suit weather and safety. The evening tours to special places where we stopped were special. The crew was great. I can’t wait to do it again.

Bicycling through the picturesque countryside was magical. We saw beautiful homes and gardens, bridges, small villages, windmills, and night touring the bigger towns to learn a little about the history was a bonus. Staying on a smaller barge gave us an opportunity to get to know the other guests and crew. This too made for a memorable trip. The company is very organized and have a well thought out program. Our tour guide Roseanna was amazing. She had much information to share on our route, kept us together, tremendous patience and lots of fun. Our Chef, Captain and crew made for a comfortable, safe and relaxing trip down the canals after our ride.

The riding was relatively easy given the flat countryside. The rides along country lanes and through farmland was magical. The stops in towns were a great opportunity to experience small town life in the Netherlands. The food on board the sailing home was wonderful, and the staff were great--attentive, available, friendly, enthusiastic. So few people did so much--it was remarkable.

The one thing I forgot to mention in the survey while I was still on the barge ( while still basking in the glow of such a wonderful trip), is regarding the first evening. The plan was for a short "shakedown" bike ride to check out our bikes, and get used to them. By the time we got outside, it was nearly dark. There were some bikes that needed some attention and the short ride through town was difficult in the dark. It was a frustrating and anxiety provoking first outing. I think the solution would be easy---either make dinner that night earlier, and/or, at the least, postpone dessert, head out to the bikes with more daylight remaining, and then have a post-ride dessert available. It could be something simple like pastry, cookies, or fruit so that the chef doesn't need to stay on any later (she works hard enough as it is).
My high ratings overall for the trip are not inclusive of that first evening, which wasn't a good experience, but then faded into the background since everything afterwards went so well. Thank you for taking this into consideration.

Kudos to chef Joost! Great food.
Also to tour guide Ingrid who gave us background into Dutch culture and history.
I did fine on the heavy Dutch bike but if you want to have an easier time of it, rent an e-bike and have no worries about the cycling.

The beauty of the whole trip with the sea, the forests and the quaint towns.

The beauty of the whole trip with the sea, the forests and the quaint towns.

Bike and barge was amazing! We were on the Fluvius, staff there were great! Pre-trip planning with Trip site and Anna was stress free and informative! We have already recommended tripsite and bike and barge trips to our friends. We will probably book another one next year!

The ebike trips through wonderful countryside and lovely small towns en route were great. Dinners were excellent on board but I would try a better quality boat. The Fluvius is old, tiny cabins, no bathroom hooks, towel racks; shower head falls, dangerous 6” high step which caused a fall, unresponsive captain to requests to fix shower. Crowded buffet in a tiny space for 40 people. Bikes and staff excellent except captain. Tripside is doing a disservice by choosing such a downgraded boat. Surely there are better choices.

When I first heard about Friesland from an acquaintance, I didn’t know much about that part of Holland. But I’m sure glad I did my research because biking in Friesland was one of my favorite bike trips ever! The countryside and the sea were so beautiful and full of life. The hotels we stayed in were both modern and quaint, with comfortable rooms, and well connected to town for dinner and shopping. The breakfasts were fit for a king with so many choices to be had. The things I will remember the most are: 1. The many many canals along the ride with people in their boats waving to us as we rode by, 2. The beautiful green farmland with cows, sheep, horses grazing and farmers working their fields, 3. The houses and buildings in the very clean towns with the interesting colorful facades, 4. The sheep grazing along the path on the coast; so fun to watch them graze, rest, and wander! 5. Seeing old windmills in a few places but many modern windmills dotting the landscape, 6. The sea in all its splendor, 7. The French fries and mayonnaise, a true taste treat! At the end of each day it became a tradition for us to have a beer to celebrate our ride that day, especially on the very windy days along the coast! Our 27 speed bikes were sturdy and comfortable and easy to use the lock and key, though it might have been helpful to have someone help us the first day to get acquainted with the bikes. The maps with the numbers were well done and helped us navigate, though getting in and out of the towns was sometimes a challenge. Also, not all of us had maps (couples share one) or a pack attached to hold a map; so with only 2 of 4 of us navigating, it was sometimes tricky; every single person should have a map on a self guided bike trip. One thing I wish we would have done was perhaps to stay an extra day in a couple of the towns along the way, both for rest and exploration, and maybe have gone to one of the islands; more emphasis that this was an option could’ve made the tour a bit longer, but less rushed. But all in all, this was an amazing trip that I would highly recommend to anyone that enjoys both biking and adventure!

The most memorable would be the countryside, farms, the wonderful bicycling trails. The cows and sheep :)
very bucolic landscape.

One suggestion for the future to consider.... I think it best to do the trip in reverse of what was laid out. The reason I say this is, because of prevailing winds of the North Sea (Waddell Sea), we had head wind (sometimes severe). Had the tour been as I suggest, we would have a tail wind to our backs. I noted that most of the Dutch weekenders did in reverse of us (They obviously knew their country side best!) great time was had by all! Cheers :)

Loved riding through the farmlands leading to Gent at the beginning of the trip. Beautiful scenery and so peaceful! Our boat tour up the canal was magical.

I would rate this trip excellent and well beyond my expectations. The staff were always cheerful and accommodating. Guides were informative and all of the days were well paced and eventful.

The bicycling each day through fabulous scenery led by a wonderful guy and guide - Mark Van Rossom. The leap-frogging of our comfortable barge each day to pick us at at a new spot along the way from Netherlands to Belgium.
Also extremely impressed with our barge’s captain Coba.

Every aspect of the trip was delivered as advertised. Crew and cycling guide were outstanding. Sailing Home was more than comfortable and food was plentiful and delicious.