Bike Tour Reviews — 2161 to 2190 of 6267

Tulip exchange

It was a great time of year in the Netherlands. Caught the flower parade, 4-20 day, Kings day and the tulips in bloom!

Just the whole trip everything was memorable, the barge crew, the ride leader & cycling. The Barge itself, the food and peolple

Great bike tour! The local partner did a really solid job with the bike rentals, route and shuttles! Fantastic views, accommodations and food! Fun riding with a varied and well-planned route. We were ready for another week after 11 days of riding!

The most memorable part of our trip was keukenhof gardens. It was amazing. We also liked Aalsmeer which was fascinating and the North Sea. The bike ride there was beautiful and different from any of the other biking we did. The neighborhoods and homes were beautiful as well as the forests we rode through. Then it was just a treat to be on a beach when we got there. Our week was cool windy and rainy at times. My best suggestion would be to have layers to dress in. The panniers for the bikes are very spacious to hold layers and jackets if you need to remove any. Gloves were very helpful as well as gators for our heads/necks. Another suggestion would be to be practiced up on your bikes in some crowded conditions as Amsterdam biking was brief but a little hairy. Use an Ebike if you’re out of shape. The wind was brutal.

Seeing fields of tulips and hyacinths in full bloom and in full fragrance was amazing as was the Keukenhof Gardens. Disappointingly, however, was that tulips were only one day of the entire trip. Ghent and Bruges were also definite highlights. The cuisine presented by Christina each evening on board the Merlijn was gourmet and delicious. Our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. We were very pleased to have many layers of clothing as we had days of rain, wind, and or cold temps. A few mornings it was only 4C when we started out but did get up to 10C. Although the countryside is flat for easy riding, there were many bridges to cross requiring some decent hill climbing to get up and over! Belgium however was all flat and the much easier portion of the trip. Another tip to keep in mind is that the third week in the Netherlands is a school holiday as it is the King’s birthday. The KG was packed with people.

Coan & Christina own and operate the 50 meter 1930 converted cargo ship Merlijn along with a crew of 3 and a bike guide. The attention to detail , ,new equipment and bikes. The difference is other tour vessels are owned by larger companies and hire a captain a crew with older bikes.
Our guide Francien was very good, had 20 years experience and took us places that you would not see on a self guided tour. In the evenings after our on board gourmet dinner she would take who wanted to go on a tour of the city or town.
The scenery was amazing and a boat canal side tour in Gent was arranged. Our groups average was between 55 and 73 and everyone was able able to keep up a good pass on regular and e bikes.
We will be taking another tour they offer in Germany next year

The landscapes of Holland are wonderful. The paths chosen were sensational. The hotels met our expectations. Unfortunately the weather was very cold in the month of April. But I want to go back to do another tour of Holland.

I think everyone else's review of the trip cover it well. Unbelievable postcard views every 100 meters.
I would however, really really suggest bringing a GoPro with a chest harness. So many things to take videos and pictures of and GoPro will do this with voice commands. I could kick myself for forgetting my GoPro. "GoPro start recording", "GoPro stop recording", "GoPro take a picture". Instead I would have to reach in whatever pocket and take an iPhone picture/video with one hand.
I am planning on signing up for their Fisherman's Trail in October.
Joao Natale was very cool guide. Busted his butt to make things happen. Got us a ferry across the river from Portugal to Spain as a special surprise.

We had a fabulous trip on the Camino de Santiago with Tripsite. We had a small group, a fantastic guide, Joao, brand new e-bikes and the hotels were 5 Star or better. Terrain was mixed. Paved roads, cobblestones, gravel, sand, boardwalks and some washed out areas we had to navigate around. All in all, can’t say enough about Tripsite and their partner in Portugal TopBikeTours. We are already looking to do another European guided e-bike tour. Thx a million!

We took this trip obviously for the tulips but what a pleasant surprise to have such an amazing crew and guide team. The meals were gourmet, the lunches amazing, snacks waiting on our return and a friendly face welcoming us back. The captain mingled with us when not driving the ship to its next location. And the guides..Wim and Brian did a fabulous job Wims knowledge is amazing. And then there were the little towns we biked through that we would have never seen any other way! A total experience that well exceeded my expectations! Bravo!

Seeing the large tulip fields in full bloom. I liked the ship the Iris. The crew were wonderful. They sure treated the riders great. I really enjoyed our bike tour guides, Ferry and Maaike. They were very knowledgeable and did a great job of guiding us. Several times, the Iris could not get to the designated stopping point for the evening due too bridges being out for maintenance. so they had to reroute us to a different location to catch the Iris. The food on the Ship was very good. Coen, the chef, did a great job of creating meals, salads, soups, and deserts. I have one suggestion. Please have the chef create more authentic Dutch cuisine. I asked Ferry about this, and he said that there is really not much concerning Dutch cuisine. He said it was mainly poor man's food. Anyway, I would have liked more of the Dutch poor man's food. The weather did not cooperate. I know the weather can be bad, and it was. It rained a lot every day. The wind was constantly blowing, and the temps were in the low to mid 40s. One day the temperature reached the mid 50s with the sun shining in the afternoon. The last 2 days it was rainy, cold, with a very strong head wind. Over all I enjoyed the trip, but the weather could have been better.

We really enjoyed the experience walking these six days. The countryside was beautiful and the villages we passed through were scenic. It was interesting to see so many old structures along the route, many of them long since abandoned. We visited many of the small churches along the way and found them charming. At the end of each day we were tired, but not excessively so. We were very glad that we were not carrying packs and that we could look forward to a comfortable room each night. The lodging and food at Rectoral De Lestedo and La Casona De Nené in Arzua were exceptionally good. We thought that the Pousada De Portomarin was an interesting place, but was past its prime and needed updates. The Hotel Carlos 96 was also not to the level of the other hotels.

We are so glad we choose the authentic Holland tour on the de Holland. It was a great blend of forests, wetlands, and Hanseatic cities! The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the food was excellent. I highly recommend this tour.

This trip exceeded our expectations. EVERYTHING was well done.... We would highly recommend....

The most memorable part of my trip was the time we rode our bikes around the tulip fields. The scenery was breath taking!

I also really enjoyed my time on the Magnifique III

This trip was amazing. The pre-planning info, the easy to follow arrival, and the overall organization made my first trip an enticement for future excursions. The crew iof the Iris and our guides were engaging and easily created a family-like experience. Every day was greeted with smiles and experiences which made all of us feel the excitement of the voyage. Thank you for the great memories!

Everything was good.
The guides gave us total support and the tour was in total security.
Unfortunately I had some problems with the weather, for me was to cool at second day, and I was ill after this day, but I enjoy the tour others days , together our group.
Thank you Senad for your attention during all the tour.
Thank you Reinhold for the support

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.

This was one of the BEST trips I have ever taken. The routes were amazing, very few buy roads. The views were breathtaking. Accommodations were very nice.
Sergio and his team were very responsive and always helpful.
Well organized!
Good job tripsite!

Just finished up a fantastic 11 day self-guided tour from Porto to Lisbon. Sergio was super supportive to ensure that we had an awesome trip. We loved the variety of scenery and road types. Portugal is wonderful with all their well maintained bike paths, and lovely little paths through the country side--some more wild and unexpected. The route was so much fun with lots of variety, and very little riding on or near the national roads. We loved riding through the old villages, and then amazing riding along the most scenic coast line! The accommodations were all superb! We have done several self-guided tours in southern Europe and this was definitely one of our favorites! Did i mention the wonderful food and wine!

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.