5 Star Bike Tour Reviews — 901 to 930 of 4505

I've been on several bike tours. This one was one of the best! The Magellan was beautiful with plenty of public spaces to hang out. The cabins, though small were comfortable. Even the beds were comfortable. The other guest were so much fun, friendly, and interesting. The onboard food was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting mediocre food (as I've had on the other bike/barge trips). The food on Magellan ranged from above average to excellent - and there was so much of it! No one was ever hungry. They even accommodated vegetarians, gluten-free, and other palettes. The staff onboard were kind, patient, and attentive. And our guides, Dora and Alan were simply wonderful. They were knowledgable, fun, funny, caring and were always smiling. It seemed like nothing was too much trouble for them. Dora set up a WhatsApp site for our group where we shared photos, information, and where she suggested the best restaurants for port meals. It was brilliant. We're still posting. We also enjoyed the walking tours of the various towns where we docked. Those local tour guides were all excellent. The e-bikes were ok. The first one they gave me wasn't the right fit for me (I was too stretched out and had trouble reaching the handlebars). Fortunately, Dora and Alan came to the rescue and were able to swap it out for one that fit me better.

The most memorable? That's tough. Maybe climbing the Croatian hills with ease on the e-bike. Maybe the final dinner which ended with champagne, dancing, hugs, and even some tears. Maybe watching the brave souls cannonballing from Magellan's swimming platform into 60 F water (too cold for me). Maybe relaxing on the top deck gazing out the gorgeous crystal clear Adriatic as we sailed.

There are a few nit-picky details I could complain about but I won't. None would prevent me from doing the trip again.

This is a delightful area to visit; the history of the walled cities along with the coastline, warm climate and great ride leaders made for an enjoyable trip. The climbs can be a bit challenging but e-bikes are available and they were the bikes of choice by 95% of the travelers. If you haven’t seen the “Pearls of Dalmatia”, you need to add it to your list or make it your next ride.

The bike friendly routing of each day's ride and the expert, friendly guidance by Ronald and the helpfulness of the entire crew. Meeting many new folks on the boat/bike tours. The GPS guidance (Ride GPS) was invaluable and very simple to use.

Very luxurious ship with superb dining and service. Highly recommend the Iron Gate cruise.

Great itinerary and biking. Often guides offered options of a short or a long bike ride. A lot of wind to contend with so an e-bike may be an added comfort for some. The Iris was exceptionally clean, apparently newly renovated during Covid. A high quality of rental bikes available and appreciated! Thanks for a great holiday!!

Our tour guides, Hein and Irene made the tour so special! The chefs, Alberto and Francesco were amazing. Captain "Van Gogh" was great. The tour was a blast from start to finish!

That it was PERFECT !
My advice to others would be to book specifically the Magnifique II

Everything we experienced was wonderful- the biking, the routes, the food on the boat, the excellent service , the room, the smooth transitions for tours. I highly recommend this trip and hope to go on another Swiss Crown trip in the futurez

If you are planning a bike trip, this is the one. We have been on 11 bike trips and this was the BEST! The weather was perfect, the food outstanding, the staff was great, Ronald the tour guide was always about in case one needed him on the ride, and of course the country was magnificent. Don't pass this opportunity up!!!!!

All parts of the trip were memorable. From the start to the finish. Crew on board took excellent care of all bikers.

Fabulous trip!! We did this same trip 8 years ago
and returned again this summer with friends as it was our favorite trip… it did not disappoint!
Highly recommend….from the great scenery to the fabulous meals and amazing tour guides!

It’s awfully hard to pick out “the most memorable” part of the trip. The whole experience was great: the biking, the connections made with fellow riders, the crew, the food, the boat. It was all top rate. I guess I’d have to pick out the biking as the most memorable. The points of interest along the way were great. I loved the cheese factory, the glass blowing place, the carnival museum and the distillery. I probably wouldn’t have chosen to visit those places if on my own, but in the end I truly enjoyed them. The Ave Maria is a beautiful boat. The bikes were almost new and in excellent condition. The crew (and guides) made everything go smoothly. The chefs took my food intolerances seriously and made it easy for me to enjoy the food on board.

Amazing rides, guides, guests, sights and food - and oh yes, the crew! This was an extraordinary week filled with splendid rides through the countryside and small villages, wonderful food on the boat and in restaurants and laughter every time we got together. The guides were our coaches and resources - sharing their knowledge and perspectives on all aspects of Croatia. We had opportunities for language lessons, geography/historical insights and town walks with locals. The boat provided everything we needed and the crew make sure that we were comfortable and well cared for. Great value also!

If using the GUIBO app for route navigation, be sure to have an extra battery pack. The app uses up your phone battery.

If this review can be applied to the GUIBO app then, I'd give it (GUIBO) a poor rating. It sucks the phone battery. It does NOT guide you to (or back to) the route. It randomly talks to you (sometimes it tells you to turn, sometimes not). Fortunately, the routes are very simple, but it could certainly be improved. Providing a gpx file for my own device would be great. Even using google to navigate might be better.

Croatia is a stunningly beautiful and historic nation. Our guides generously shared their love of Country. Would highly recommend this trip.

Great professional staff. A top notch experience. I highly recommend this trip.

This is a wonderful trip and you definitely need e-bikes. The scenery is really nice and the bikes we had were simply amazing. We have e-bikes at home and the Scott e-bikes were far superior to ours. There are steep up and downs and easily half are on paths. Also, you come across a lot of walkers and you’ll need to work your way past them but you just have to be patient at times when the path is wet or narrow. Everyone was super nice in allowing us to pass. You do need more than basic riding skills for this ride. The hotels were great, the people along the way were awesome and locals are super. There are plenty of places to stop and get something to eat or drink along the way. The bike shop that sets up everything did a great job with the daily check ins, transfers to/from the airport and the GPS maps. They gave us a small GPS that proved very valuable and the routes took us to the hotel each day. The cathedral in Santiago was jaw dropping. To get in (free) it’s around the side.
We loved this and would encourage anyone to consider it. We did the 9 day and we were really glad we did as the 40 mile day would’ve been too much with the trails.

We had an absolutely amazing trip on the Sailing Home! The crew was outstanding and the experience memorable. I would love to do it again. The only complaint that I have is that for such a large group, we should have a rear guide that is part of the team.

The food on the barge was amazing. Our tour guides were attentive to our needs every day. I definitely would recommend an e-bike. It was a game changer on windy days.

How many castles and what is the schedule for this tour?

Most memorable was the stunning countryside along the Dutch canals-- grass waving in the breeze, sheep grazing all around, wildflowers, and the occasional swan swimming by. Bonus: not a hint of litter anywhere. Honestly, I kept asking myself if it was all real.

There were so many memorable parts of our trip from Burges to Amsterdam. The gorgeous countryside we rode through, the fantastic accommodations on the Manifique II and of course the outstanding crew and guides. We have done similar trips before but this one topped them all. The offer of two different length rides each day , the stops in the countryside to sightsee, traveling through locks, riding our bikes on to ferries and generally feeling like a local. The meals that the chef offered us out of his small kitchen were 5 star. The enthusiasm of the crew added so much to this rich experience. Upon returning to the boat each day they all made us feel like we had won the Tour de France! I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to ride through the beautiful countryside of Belgium and the Netherlands and to have a great time doing it!

From the moment we boarded the Magnifique IV to the morning we left everything was exceptional…Mariela was our cycling guide for the week and she couldn’t have been more lovely. We had beautiful weather and each day of cycling was interesting and fun! All members of the crew went out of their way to make us comfortable and the food prepared by Jules was delicious! We had a great group of travellers and enjoyed our social time on the barge each evening. We would highly recommend the adventure!
John and Kate

Beautiful countryside and small towns; our guides were knowledgeable and helpful. The boat was beautiful and comfortable. Staff on the boat were friendly, accommodating, and professional. Oh--and the food was 5 star delicious!

Incredibly warm, friendly and extremely customer-focused crew, all 7 of them!

This was a great trip and the guides and crew on the boat were wonderful! Karin, Eric, Frank and Brando made the trip and the food absoulutely great! Every day we had delicious meals and wonderful desserts! Despite some days of cold and rainy weather, the guides made sure we cycled through the beautiful countryside with good stops for rest and lunch. Keukenhof and the beautiful tulip fields were a highlight. The boat is so clean and well-taken care of. I would definitely recommend Zwaantje for this trip!

We loved travelling on the Magnifique II from Amsterdam to Bruges. It’s a beautiful, intimate barge with nice sized rooms. With only 30 people on board we got to know almost everyone. The food was amazing everyday and all 7 staff were friendly and accommodating. The guided biking was the highlight even though we didn’t have great weather. Both of the biking guides were great fun, informative and kept everyone safe.

The staff on the Iris were excellent. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. The passenger capacity of the Iris (24 people) was just right. It afforded us the opportunity to get to know the other travelers. Although the cabins were small, they were well laid out; comfortable; and quiet. We thoroughly enjoyed cycling throughout the Netherlands with the exceptional guides on the Iris.
We would've preferred more time allocated to exploring the towns where the Iris moored daily. Most of our exploration time was limited to after dinner walks in some towns.

The route was a great mix of countryside, nature and village. The cruise director, Leslie, provided invaluable information for route and highlights.

This is an amazing tour in the interior region of South Africa – we all loved it! It is a perfect balance of biking, safari game drives/nature walks, and other local cultural sights/tours. Every day was an adventure and we visited beautiful places with spectacular scenery. The experiences in the private game reserves as well as Kruger Park provided ample opportunity to see the African animals – we were lucky enough to see four of the Big Five and have a nature walk with cheetahs!

Lizelle, the tour director, was brilliant in taking care of the logistics - she is a very skilled biking guide and a wonderful cook. Wendel, the tour guide, has an incredible knowledge of region’s natural world and provided so much context to all the sights we were experiencing. These two leaders were welcoming and accommodating always ensuring that we were well taken care of and safe.

Three of us opted for e-bikes and it made the trip super enjoyable as we did encounter a few hills. We also opted for the three-day extension in Buffelshoek Camp which was another adventure of staying in a bush camp and experiencing long safari game drives. If you like biking and are planning on visiting South Africa, I would highly recommend this tour – it was fantastic!