Netherlands Tour Reviews — 1231 to 1260 of 1805

[CycleTours](https://www.tripsite.com/about/our-partners/) gave us a unique and thoroughly enjoyable way to see a country that was new to us. We cycled through farms and villages where there were no tourists -- met local folks and saw how they lived. Our delightful and knowledgeable guide made sure that the pace of each day's cycling was do-able by people of different abilities -- often we'd cycle for an hour or two, stop for coffee; cycle for an hour or so, eat lunch. Cycle for an hour and stop for refreshment; cycle an hour and we're "home", where bowls of nuts, cookies, and tea/coffee/juice welcomed us.

Most Memorable Part: Sharing the beautiful scenery while biking with great friends

The barge staff, tour guides and fellow bike riders were the best part of this tour! Please know that this is definitely a bike tour. We zipped through towns at a steady pace but it wasn’t unbearable for a novice bike rider like me. However there wasn’t much time to visit any towns and do some sightseeing.

Most Memorable Part: Riding through the Belgian countryside

The Brugge to Amsterdam trip was a very flat, easy trip and we recommend it for beginner barge and bikers. Our main criticism was that although the guides were very nice and helpful, we would have liked more information and history on the sights along the way, and more picture stops.

The guides were truly terrific.
The routes and stopping cafes were wonderfully thought out. Bathrooms at stops were very clean. Pace of rides was perfect for a first time experience.
The food on board was outstanding. Chef Alex was sensational!
The lunch meat, cheeses,and bread selections were great for making our road food.
This was our first Bike and Barge experience. It was wonderful!
Thanks to everyone!

A lengthy bike trip through the Netherlands gives you an opportunity to drill down into their culture on a wider scale. It helps that they all speak English. The Dutch really seem to have figured it (life) out. We have much to learn from them and bring back their best practices...such as their capability to get anywhere in the country safely on a bike. How cool is that?

We were a family of 6 adults (aged 22-62) who did our first bike/barge trip and we are so fortunate that we booked the Merlijn and did the Amsterdam trip. It couldn't have been a better trip. Everything was perfect from the accommodations to the food to the bike ride itself. Most of all though it was the crew on the Merlijn that made it so fun for all of us. Henk & Jantien are so friendly and accommodating and their staff, Gisbert (sp) who led the daily bike tours & Jaqui & Clara who do a little of everything were all so kind and awesome with everything they did. The bikes are very new and ride great. The E-bikes are a whole lot of FUN. If you feel too guilty about using an E-bike you can turn it off and pedal like a regular bike. Jantien even went out of her way to get a birthday cake for our daughter-in-law. Henk leads an excellent Karaoke night which should not be missed. It was truly a great family vacation had by all. Thank you crew of Merlijn.

Scenery was excellent, dinners on the boat were superb, and the guide (Peter) was friendly, helpful, and competent. Suggestion--let there be hot water for tea or coffee available any time--not just till 6PM. Also, supply plastic bags for packing lunches--or advise people to bring their own.

This was our 4th Barge and Bike Tour. This and all of the tours have been wonderful. Really enjoyed the country side and the little towns along the tour.
Our guide talked about some fascinating history as we rode thru the Netherlands. The windmill tour that our guide arranged was outstanding.

I enjoyed the countryside trails most. The trip was really totally good. As a biker whose biking skills are a bit rusty, it was a challenge, and I am glad I could do it!

We were very happy with the biking experience, the food, the scenery, our new biking friends, our wonderful guide and the rest of the employees on the boat. We were disappointed at the end of the trip when we were advised that we had possibly been exposed to bed bugs. Adding to the disappointment, ship staff blamed us for having brought the bed bugs aboard the ship.

Other than this issue, we had a wonderful trip!

This trip exceeded all my expectations. It is a wonderful way to see the country. The accommodations were very comfortable. We will be back. And recommend it to our friends.

This was my third time on this particular barge the Merlijn. I love everything about the experience and will for sure do it again

We had a fantastic time on our Bruges to Amsterdam bike and barge. The boat was just lovely and the cabins beautiful and crisply clean each day upon our return. The chef did outstanding food, especially the barbecue evening with a meringue cake to die for! Our guide Hugo was such fun and passionate about the land and history. Great energy! The best part were our fellow bikers that became friends by the end of the week. A great experience.

I loved this trip from Bruges to Amsterdam! The guides were very good and ensured we were all safe and all together. The bike paths were flat, very well marked and easy to follow when we went out on our own. The guides made sure we had our maps and emergency tools and our phone numbers in case of emergency. The scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed the countryside with farm fields, flowers, horses, sheep, birds, rivers and lakes. The rooms on the barge were bigger and better than I expected. We had a cabin on the upper deck which included a large window which was nice. The food was simple, plenty and good. It was good to be prepared for all weather types when riding. Riding gloves helped with cooler days as well as preventing blisters from the bike handles.

We travelled from Bruges to Amsterdam. Stunning scenery, lovely accommodations, competent staff, outstanding guide. It was an excellent way to visit major cities and sleepy villages lost in time. We were impressed with the history of the Netherlands and got to see exquisitely beautiful buildings and works of art. By the end of the week, all bikers knew each other, so the sense of camaraderie was very comfortable. Can’t wait to plan another trip.

Our guides were terrific, funny and knowledgeable. The choice of our route was very interesting. Also our waiters Stephan and Naomi were delightful.

The Merlijn was definitely a "comfort plus" barge. Rooms and beds very comfortable; staff couldn't have been friendlier or more accommodating; Captain Henk was a genius at docking and piloting the barge; our guide Lea, was professional, knowledgeable, and fun; Jantien, the jack of all trades, did everything from ministering to ill or injured to cooking gourmet meals. This was my second trip on the Merlijn. We booked the entire barge. There were two fantastic upgrades from two years ago--new bikes and helmets and better internet. Obviously, I cannot say enough positive about this experience. Highly recommend it.

I loved being part of the Southern Holland Tulip Tour! The biking was wonderful, the scenery was unparalleled, and the Sailing Home was comfortable and well appointed. Staff was uniformly pleasant and accommodating. I enjoyed bonding with the other riders in the group , mostly from the Central and Western US and Canada. Our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining, however I feel that keeping our large group of 26 riders together on the rides was a challenge, and he would have benefited from the use of "corners" to make sure that all the riders were clear on the turns. Also, we were each given a booklet with the daily ride routes, but it would have been helpful to go over the next days map each evening so that we could visualize the lay of the land.
Great trip all around and I am hoping to join another in the future!

We came to see the tulips and that was definitely accomplished. Albeit a bit late for most of the major fields, but Keukenhof was spectacular. Cycling through the polders and quiet countryside was also very enjoyable.
On the negative side, the last days cycling into Amsterdam and departure from the boat was a bit rushed.

This was our first bike and barge trip. It is a great way to travel. There is time to see the area and not have to worry about finding lodging. The crew of the Merlijn was first rate. I will sign up for another trip with them. Jantien was like your mom welcoming you on your trip home.

Fantastic trip! The biking was great...very serene and relaxing thru small towns and villages thru farmland and along the coast.
The best part was the socializing with felllow travelers and the crew. The ship is huge for a sailboat, but much smaller than the big barges. Between biking and the ship, we all spent a lot of time together, and had a lot of fun getting to know each other. My cruise happened to be on a German holiday...I was the only non-German on the tour. It worked out fine, everyone was welcoming and willing. Between a bit of Ge-english and sign language we shared many laughs (and beers!) together.
Ilse led our tour-her knowledge of the area was great, even opened her riverboat home to us during our stop there.
The ships crew was terrific. Captain Eelke, first mate Annemaj, and Thabea all made us feel at home. Chef Alf served up restaurant quality meals, this was an awesome surprise.
Would absolutely return to Netherlands...would even consider repeating this trip/ship with other friends and family, it was that good.

We absolutely loved our first Bike & Barge. We did the Tulip Tour the week of Apr 14 - 21/18 on board the Sarah and had a fantastic time. We had beautiful weather the entire week with absolutely no rain. The scenery was amazing and the tulips were at their peak during this week. We enjoyed the Dutch culture and food especially the cheese, chocolate and yogurt. The crew were amazing. Thanks to Ivo, Reintje, Kristof and Agnieszka who looked after us so well on the Sarah. A special thanks to Cornel our tour guide. He went above and beyond to make sure we were safe and that we all had an enjoyable week. We would love do another tour in the future.

The two excellent guides, Anya and Age, made the trip fun and informative. We also had a very congenital group of bikers, which helped make the trip truly memorable! We had an excellent time!

Awesome opportunity to experience the many Dutch highlights and tulips without being too touristy. The 4 day Tulip Tour offered an easy ride for retired bikers but was still adventurous and so interesting with incredibly beautiful scenery. Our guide, Bob, was fun, well organized and knowledgable about the area and towns we visited. The Jelmar berth was really comfortable and clean and they offered us first rate meals. Definitely a trip of a lifetime for me!

Most memorable was biking through the peaceful countryside, getting lost (not with the guides, but when we ventured out on our own), finding a real working windmill, and being invited inside by the owner. Lunch selections could have varied more but dinner onboard was always wonderful. Staff was also on point and always ready to help.

A great balance of activity, wonderful scenery, and interesting towns and culture. Lovely!

Our Bike and Barge trip on the new Magnifique III was the BEST! The boat was beautiful, the food was fabulous, the the guides and staff were so helpful and friendly. We'll never forgot all of the beautiful sites - windmills, tulips, and baby animals - just to name a few. Memories that will last a lifetime. I cannot recommend this vacation highly enough!

The people who we met in the trip made it memorable. Cornel was a wonderful guide who made everything fun and interesting as we were biking. Everyone on the Quo Vadis made us feel so welcome. Food was fantastic. Loved meeting all the other bikers and had lots of great times together.