Netherlands Tour Reviews — 211 to 240 of 1996

The most memorable part of the trip was the biking guides, fabulous!

The bike riding was the most enjoyable part for me. The ride to Amsterdam was great. As was the stop by the beach on the way to Veere. Our Guide, Mike was so kind to provide us with evening tours in the beautiful small dutch towns. our chef Paolo was great with delicious dinners each evening. And the captain Paul was excellent and added a touch of humor to the trip.

scenery
great paths
food
The staff was very friendly and helpful

The ship and crew were top notch!! Wonderful experience. Our chef, Steven, came out at breakfast asking us for our meal choice that evening. He was an excellent cook. Gourmet food. Beautiful presentation and delicious. So nice being on smaller ship with only 35 passengers. The owner was our captain the last 5 days of the cruise. Very hospitable. Would highly recommend.

Really loved the countryside the food on the barge
And the care the staff took in a difficult situation that wasn't of their doing.
The tour guide was knowledgeable and helpful.

Cycling through villages in Belgium and Netherlands.
Enjoying beautifully prepared food from a wonderful Chef. Meeting and travelling with people from all over the world who enjoy an active and social holiday.

Great boat. The food was exceptional, the guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. The whole staff was accommodating and dedicated.

On the first night, the captain introduced himself and followed up with the most important person on the ship.. the chef! The boat crew, guides and especially the chef did an excellent job.

Beautiful boat, great guides, responsive wonderful staff and very clearly a well run tour. I would highly recommend this tour. The bikes were well-adjusted right from the start and tour guides gave us a chance to trial a short ride the day of embarking...nice to have a choice as to longer or shorter rides each day, and lovely to have excursions to see special sites along the way.

The mix of beautiful countryside and vibrant cities and towns.

The guides were very informative and kept a good pace.
The food was very good.
I would emphasize to guests that they bring rain gear.
I found the non- e bikes were not well maintained and should be upgraded. They did detract from the experience. The e-bikes worked quite well.

Everything was top notch; the dinners were all superb; the service and guides were great; the accommodations were good. Travelling on a smaller barge is a more intimate experience. I used an eBike, which isn’t always necessary but when the wind dials up it certainly makes life easier.

The boat, food, and staff were all fantastic. The bikes were great- easy to use and very sturdy.

Great trip, well planned and well organized. Make sure you have a good cell plan and battery power. I was thinking the bikes had maps on bike computers, but we needed the app on our cell phone to navigate. So you also want a good case to hold your phone on the bike so you can see the screen. The bike route is easy to follow and beautiful. Some of the hotels are a little far from the city centre, but very convenient for the bike paths and for the beach sections of the trip. Luggage transfer hotel to hotel was flawless. Having off street parking for the bikes also added to the quality of the trip.

Boat was awesome and the crew was stellar ❤️. Loved riding through the Dutch countryside with a bunch of old friends and some new ones! Guides were great as well. We always felt safe and looked after!

The trip was well run, food was great the tour was amazing look at the country's.

Bruges to Amsterdam Bicycle Trip
I can’t recommend this trip highly enough—it’s a truly unforgettable experience. The bike trails in Belgium and the Netherlands are exceptional, offering a picturesque ride through beautiful countryside.

Our journey lasted seven days, with six days of riding. We spent an extra day in Bruges at the start and two extra days in Amsterdam at the end. The cycling route took us from Bruges, Belgium, to Middelburg in the Netherlands on day one, followed by stops in Zierikzee, Willemstad, Papendrecht, Gouda, and finally Amsterdam. Most of the ride wound through the Dutch countryside, with stunning views at every turn. We chose the A-level hotels. All accommodations were excellent. Breakfast was included and excellent at every stop.

Arriving in Amsterdam was an adventure in itself. By then we were grateful for five days of practice with the bikes—and with Dutch cycling culture—because biking in Amsterdam is intense. With bicycles being the primary mode of transportation, the bike traffic is constant and fast-paced.

Our group consisted of four riders, ages 76, 72, 70, and 32. Three of us started with e-bikes, while the lone standard cyclist switched to an e-bike by day three. We had hoped for tailwinds by traveling from Bruges to Amsterdam, but instead faced headwinds every single day—making e-bikes an invaluable choice.

The trip covered just over 200 miles. We rode more than 40 miles on two days, about 26 miles on one day, and in the 30-mile range on the other three.

Tips and Recommendations:
• Phone holder: Bring one for your mobile phone. The navigation app is essential, and you’ll want your phone mounted securely.
• Navigation: Before your first ride you’ll receive maps and route details, and you’ll need to download GUIBO, the navigational app used for the trip. It’s excellent—providing real-time, detailed route guidance. On days with route options, you can select your preference directly in the app.
• Bikes: The rental e-bikes were well-used but reliable. We had no mechanical issues or battery problems during the trip. If you’re accustomed to using mirrors, consider purchasing handlebar clip-on mirrors in advance, since the rentals didn’t have them.
• Ferries: Some routes require short ferry or water-bus rides. While most accepted contactless payments (Apple Pay or credit card), it’s wise to carry a little cash since not all ferries do.

All in all, this was an amazing trip—scenic, well-organized, and absolutely worth doing.

The views cycling Bruges, the countryside, windmills etc
Boat was nice, food was good, nice staff.

I recently completed the Authentic Holland trip aboard the Magnifique II. The vessel was well-maintained, staffed by an excellent team, and featured outstanding cuisine. I greatly appreciated the expertise of our guides, Erna and Niels, who provided valuable insights into the region. Our itinerary included cycling through wooded areas, along dykes, and through scenic towns and countryside. Each day, mid-morning, we sstopped for coffee and toured historic villages.
The only aspect that did not meet expectations was the absence of a visit to Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot. Although we stopped in Muiden for lunch and had time to explore, the tour description included a photograph of the castle, which led to the assumption that the site would be part of the program. Guests were permitted to visit independently, but time constraints made this challenging. Incorporating the castle’s entrance fee and allocating a dedicated visit period could enhance future experiences. Overall, I found the bike and boat tour to be highly rewarding.

The trip from Bruges to Amsterdam was outstanding. The countryside in Belgium was beautiful. The bike paths were all safe, wide, and well marked. Arriving in Amsterdam during Friday rush hour was a bit of a challenge but not overly stressful. The accommodations were all very nice and centrally located in the towns/villages with the exception of Dordrecht.
We have recommended this trip to 3 different groups since we got back and they are all very interested.

The entire experience was amazing, and I loved everything, the places we rode through, the lodgings, the food, everyone who took care of us, it was fantastic!!

The beautiful scenery, everything so different from the US - and in many respects, better - food, conservation, transportation.

The Boat was very comfortable. The crew were amazing! They were always smiling, quick to fill requests or anticipate needs. Very hard working and clearly worked as a team. The chef did an excellent job with the food.
Riding bikes in then Netherlands is a dream. The country is so bike focused.

There were a couple of times that could have been improved or communication could have been better.
I feel we wasted a lot of potential exploration time in Antwerp due to waiting hours for a bridge to be raised. I know this is not the fault of the Captain or crew but I do think that an alternate way for getting us to Antwerp could have been found, a water taxi or even disembark and hop on a bus. We were so so close to the city but were stuck on the boat.

Additionally time in Ghent was minimal as the boat did not stay in Ghent

Overall the trip was very enjoyable.

There are two aspects to the trip: the booking with Tripsite, and the actual tour.

As for the TripSite portion, I would rate it C minus, primarily because of the lack of transparency in pricing. They price in euros, but obtain payments in dollars. I found their exchange rate was very poor, on par with the worst ATMs in Europe. They charged about 7-7.5% above the official exchange rate. Shame on your, Tripsite!

As for the tour portion, I'd rate it a B. The Magnifique III boat , crew and accommodations were very nice, and the food was excellent. The tour guides were quite good, though I was a bit disappointed that they insisted on us staying with the group -- there were times I wanted t heard off on my own with the Ride GPS app, and my recollection of the advertisement was that we would be able to go off on our own if desired. The mileage each day was appropriate, though there were a couple people on the tour who should have opted for the ebike, since they had a difficult time keeping up with the rest of the group. The bike pace was quite reasonable.

The bikes were very comfortable and in great shape. The bike leaders were very good at bike fitting and patiently made adjustments. Bike fitting was very smooth.
The boat was wonderful.
Small staff with incredible passion and energy.
Meals were delicious.
Communication was great.

UNESCO Kinderdijk windmills visit was very special on the bike tour. I enjoyed each major city, too.

Tripsite gave excellent information.

Sometimes I felt rushed to leave for the morning bike ride. Perhaps the bike tour guides could have checked out the skill level of those on E bikes as well.

The whole trip was great! The barge was lovely, the food was outstanding. I wish I could give 10 stars! The crew was helpful and engaging. Ride guides were very knowledgable and helpful.

The most memorable part of the trip was the gift of breezing through the many changing landscapes of this region, at our own pace, stopping for a coffee to be part of the community for only a few moments.

All along thebjourney the countryside evolves from the super cycle friendly amsterdam end to the more car centric life at the Masstricht end. The towns and vilkages are interesting but not stunning in the way the Mosel tour us. There is large scale terraforming going on to modify the flooding pattern of the Mass River which I found of great interest. And not least is the instant group dynamics of the folks on the tour.

Very easy to follow as Belgium and Holland are sooo geared up for cyclists.
Thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip. Organisation was seamless.