Provence - Wilderness of Camargue Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 122

Wildhorses at the Camargue in southern France. Flickr:Wolfgang Staudt

Provence - Wilderness of Camargue

8 days from €1255

4.5 out of 5

Provence - Wilderness of Camargue

Easy–Moderate Bike + Boat Tour in France

Amid the wilderness of Camargue and the landscapes that were so dear to Van Gogh, this bike and boat tour in France features delightful Provençal villages, vineyards, and fields of sunflowers. You…

4.5 out of 5

 


Byron T.
3 months ago

Verified Reviewer

We were extremely unhappy with this trip. We were told by the bike/barge crew that Tripsite subcontracted our Avignon barge/bike trip with another company. Unfortunately, Tripsite didn't inform us of this change. The bike/barge trip we signed up for was advertised as "Easy to Moderate". The bike tour was NOT Easy to Moderate. In fact, our bike tour leader advised us that this trip was rated as "Moderate to Difficult". As a result, we weren't able to ride everyday due to the difficulty of the terrain. The barge we stayed on was extremely humid and damp. The bedsheets, towels and floor in our room were constantly damp even with running the AC all day and night. Every morning, there was standing water on the floor of our room. We had to constantly mop up the water on our room's floor--even with the AC continuously running. Very disappointed with this trip!

Neil H.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The biking in the southern France with the scenery was fantastic! The guided bike guide was a fountain of historical knowledge of the area as well.

Paul P.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

We really liked the old walled cities at the start, middle, and end of this trip! These cities were beautiful! Didn’t like the bike trails as well as the ones on our Germany bike/barge trip last year, as there were lots of dirt/gravel and a fair amount of riding along the edge of roads. Was not a fan of L’Estello barge bathrooms as they had the shower right in the bathroom, so everything gets wet and you had to run the A/C on a low temp to get everything to dry out. Food was great and the barge staff was very friendly and did a great job!! We did enjoy this trip a lot. Next year we booked an Italy bike/barge from Venice to Mantova.

Camille G.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The barge crew, the fabulous food, our wonderful guide and meeting great people from all over the world made this trip ever so special. We came together as a team and simply had a lovely time. We needed to ride each day because Sara’s meals were delicious and we ate way too much. I mean that as a compliment, for sure!
The towns we biked to and through were beautiful to see. Our guide, Georgio, did his homework.
Can’t wait to do another trip. In fact, we already inquired about one through tripsite today!

Eric M.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The food, the staff, and the perfect mix of strangers from around the world exceeded our expectations. The cookbook also a nice surprise souvenir that we now keep on our coffee table. Mikky is an excellent guide, for many reasons! The bikes are solid!
Suggestions, nothing major, simply notes to help things out:
1) a reminder in the morning to bring money for entrance fees. No problem with them not being included in the trip cost, I simply could have used a reminder. The situation was handled fine, but would prefer to avoid asking people for a loan.
2) please consider making and showing a short video RE how to be a “corner”; corner positioning, what/who to look for, when to leave your post. perhaps consider a longer video that covers all the biking etiquette, such as safe distance between bikes, traffic signals, etc.
To explain my 4 rating; I simply didn’t come to understand how small the room was until entering it. I looked at room pictures and measurements and considered them. When we entered our room it our new reality became obvious. This is not our first bike and barge trip. The largest boat we have been on held 24 guests. However, this is the smallest room we have stayed in. Going forward we now know what we are considering when seeing these room measurements and layouts, and we will likely avoid them going forward. We understand the rooms cannot be changed, simply explaining our 4 rating.

Cathy K.
4 months ago

Verified Reviewer

I have been on five bike and barge trips before, and this one was very special due to the crew on the Estello… Georgio, Our bike guide was full of history, fun and knowledge of the area. Sarah, our chef was absolutely amazing… We rode our bikes through some beautiful countryside as well as on many well paved paths…. Met so many nice people. Highly recommend this trip… I prefer the small or intimate bike and barge trips in this certainly met that criteria!

karen p.
5 months ago

Verified Reviewer

This trip was so well organized, plus the boat and crew were perfect. The food was based on local specialties and ingredients, cooked perfectly! (The cook did a great job with vegetarian options too!) I loved seeing the quieter rural areas of southern France via bike and boat, it was perfect!

Stacie K.
5 months ago

Verified Reviewer

We really enjoyed this trip! The crew of the boat was wonderful and the meals were excellent! The landscape for biking was primarily flat and beautiful. I found the times we encountered motorists on our trail to be very safe. Our guide was experienced, energetic and made this trip so memorable!

David H.
7 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The trip was a lot of fun. The day trips were well planned and with fun stops to eat and see attractions. The food was excellent every day! Our guide Helmut was great. It is all about the people you meet and the trip you enjoy together.

Sarah E. (Lizz) C.
7 months ago

Verified Reviewer

This tour was a 10 out of 10 from the crew to the food. The routes were spectacular with a lot of variety and levels for all. I am an experienced rider, but not long distance. Since this was my first bike vacation, I rented an e-bike. By the end of the trip a few others switched over to e-bikes. I wanted to enjoy the tour and also be able to walk at the end of the day. From seeing the white horses of Provence to the wine and olive oil tastings, every day was memorable.

Jorge G.
8 months ago

Verified Reviewer

The site that inspired van gogh’s stary night.
We didn’t see as many lavender fields as thought

Brenda A.
8 months ago

Verified Reviewer

the tour guide and her wealth of knowledge and her surprises.

georgia p.
8 months ago

Verified Reviewer

We love this region and this trip so we decided to do the trip again with friends and ride from Avignon this time .... It is a pretty easy ride except for a few huge hills - but so worth the effort to get to the top and see the town the quarry and the show - so worth the effort....just saying ....This trip takes you through many little villages filled with jasmine - stopped for quite a few pastries and beers and coffees and pain au chocolat.... besides all these sensory overloads of jasmine and and fields of poppies - you are riding through so much history ...... the camaque - Aiges mortes - the crusaders - the roman ruins everywhere - and then the marshes the salt flats and flamingos - great ride - great barges - the food always amazing

Francis C.
9 months ago

Verified Reviewer

Great Crew
Group
Guide
Bikes
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Julian S.
9 months ago

Verified Reviewer

1. The excellent, cheerful leadership by Helmut
2. The meals
3. The many fine trails, especially around Avignon. Wonderful biking.

Campbell C.
10 months ago

Verified Reviewer

This was our first experience on a bike and barge tour and it left us looking at more in the future. We enjoyed everything about the trip- the most memorable part? The friendships formed and our absolutely spectacular meals. The crew [Claudia, Lyla, Stephania, and Didi) worked so well together and provided us with memories we will cherish. We opted for E-bikes although we would have been ok without them- it provided a more relaxing pace. The only suggestion I would make is to have the free dinner on your own to be a day other than Sunday. I had planned ahead when first notified and made reservations at a nice place in Avignon but many struggled to find a place open on a Sunday night. Midweek would have been better, possibly in Arles. All in all, it wonderful and everything we hoped it would be.

Connie M.
10 months ago

Verified Reviewer

So many to choose from, but the routes were amazing. Beautiful towns, lovely scenery.

Julie E.
November 1, 2023

Verified Reviewer

Our guide Hugo was amazing! So knowledgeable and just a great person to cycle with. We loved the history of the area and the number of things we were able to see on the trip was really great. The bicycle was great and we moved efficiently together as a group. We were fortunate to have good weather despite the forecasts. Note that cabins are very small, but that they are also very efficient with lots of storage. Food by Nadia our chef was fantastic, and overall we loved the crew on this ship.

Heather L.
October 1, 2023

Verified Reviewer

Provence’s history is very interesting & our guide, Alex showed us some less touristy archaeological sites. Loved cycling down shaded country lanes especially as the 90-95 degree heat in Sep was a struggle at times. Be prepared for potholes and gravel on many of those scenic backroads. Add a visor to your bike helmet to ward of some of the heat & keep your energy up. The L’ Estello had a lovely upper deck lounge & eating area. The cabins are small & do not all have the same amenities (hooks, storage). The bathrooms are quite small & for anyone over 5’7” hard to move around in. There is no separate shower stall therefore everything in the bathroom gets wet; you must remember to remove anything that you don’t want to get wet which is a daily task when cycling. Instead of a train from Paris to Provence, consider a flight to Montpellier; it is a 30 min taxi ride to Aigues Mortes. Good connections from/to your North American flight make it possible for you to avoid a layover in Paris or a 4 hr train (with transfers) ride.

Patricia W.
September 30, 2023

Verified Reviewer

Trip was good, food was good, routes were good, the condition on the roads / trails chosen were not the best but that is really out of the control of Tripsite. A bit disappointed that there were no cycling jersey's on the boat for sale as well as we did not receive a Tripsite pre trip gift as we had in the past for being a repeat customer.

Suzanne F.
September 19, 2023

Verified Reviewer

We have done four cycle trips in Europe using Tripsite and we loved this one the best. Our cycling tour guide Alex was so familiar with the tiny lanes, quaint villages and back country roads and we saw southern France through a lens that would not have been available to us if we had driven ourselves. She was passionate and knowledgeable about all the history that we were witnessing and there were many additional tours along the way. The Estello boat was compact, clean and well-run with delicious meals. I would highly recommend this Provence, Wilderness of Camargue tour to anyone wanting to experience the rural beauty of southern France. PS Bring your own water bottles as they are no longer provided.

Wendy C.
September 18, 2023

Verified Reviewer

The chef! The crew were fantastic and made the trip. The barge is basic and aging, but clean and well equipped. The cycling routes were full of history and beauty. A few of the back roads and bike paths were rough but manageable. The rest were fantastic.

Patricia M.
September 17, 2023

Verified Reviewer

The crew were fabulous and provided a wonderful experience. Beautiful scenery and Alex our guide explained the history of each area during our cycling adventures which was an added bonus.

Karoline L.
July 26, 2023

Verified Reviewer

Pack lightly. Rooms are extremely small but well air conditioned.
I really don't have a favorite part. It was not a relaxing trip as the bruge to Amsterdam tour was. This took us through more crowded towns that were difficult to navigate due to traffic. It was extremely hot which added to the difficulty. Food on the boat was great but breakfast and lunch were repetitive. Crew was awesome and very accommodating.

Robin L.
July 1, 2023

Verified Reviewer

Beautiful French countryside with amazing staff aboard the L'Estello. A special shout-out to our outstanding chef, Josef;steward, Alice; tour leader, Alessandra, and Captain Filippo. The daily rides were fun! There were interesting places to visit everyday.

Patricia K.
May 15, 2023

Verified Reviewer

Wonderful
Company, attentive crew, and delicious food. I enjoyed the comfort of the common area for visiting and the deck for the sailing. The cabins were very. Lean, but the small windows made it somewhat claustrophobic by the 6th night. Other than that, all was very satisfactory.

Edwin S.
May 14, 2023

Verified Reviewer

Overall it was a wonderful trip and experience. It was well organized and the 4 person crew was just fantastic. Food and ambience above expectations. All went smoothly for us. Note some headwinds which may be seasonal.

Sherry M.
May 13, 2023

Verified Reviewer

The crew was absolutely the best and this was my 4th barge trip. Amazing chef, 5 star food. Cleanest boat and everyone had a great time.
Our guide, Michela was the best and worked so hard everyday.

Deborah B.
May 13, 2023

Verified Reviewer

3rd Barge trip. All have been excellent. The barge, crew, food, bicycles and tours all very very good. We all had a great time!! Such a fun and simple way to travel and enjoy your own group of friends!!

Joanie F.
May 13, 2023

Verified Reviewer

We thought the crew were wonderful. Very engaging and helpful. Michaela was awesome and did a great job.
Got tired of the same items for lunch daily .
A variety of items would be my choice. This was 5 th or 6 th trip with Tripsite for me.
Great job . Joanie Farina